The Pink Panther

Screen legend Peter Sellers first pratfalled onto the silver screen as the bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau in 1963 in The Pink Panther, the success of which helped to turn him into an international comedy superstar. Since then there have been a further ten Panthers, among them such classics as A Shot in the Dark, The Return of the Pink Panther and The Pink Panther Strikes Again, each of which is examined in detail in this all-encompassing study. This book features exclusive interviews with many of those involved in their making, among them writer-director Blake Edwards, producer Tony Adams, composer Henry Mancini, cinematographer Christopher Challis and co-stars Herbert Lom (Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus), Graham Stark (Dr. Auguste Balls) and Burt Kwouk (Cato), as well as Peter Ustinov (the original choice to play Clouseau) and Julie Andrews (Edwards’ wife). Packed with production details, including budgets, shooting schedules and publicity campaigns, the book also covers the theatrical cartoon shorts and the popular Saturday morning TV show derived from the first film’s celebrated animated credit sequence, and contains many revealing behind-the-scenes anecdotes that lift the lid on the often-hilarious incidents that occurred during the shooting of the movies. It also reveals the darker side of its troubled leading man, whose fits of giggles alternated with black moods that eventually led to Sellers and Edwards agreeing never to work together again.

Howard Maxford is a freelance entertainment journalist who has contributed reviews, interviews, features and retrospectives to a variety of UK magazines, including Film Review, What’s On in London, Starburst, Shivers, Gold, Replay, Tower Records’ Top, London After Dark, Video Now and HMV Choice. He lives in South London.

Howard Maxford
Format:
Pages:
Bibliographic Info: ca. 70 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2025
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9634-8
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5560-4
Imprint: McFarland