ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the origins and development of the Pink Panther franchise. A film series, an animated character, a host of related merchandise, an iconic soundtrack, a household name – it might have begun as little more than the concept for a crime caper, but within a few years it had transcended generic and filmic boundaries to become a multimedia, pop-culture juggernaut. Drawing on a range of trade and mainstream press reports – as well as draft scripts and visual texts – I explore various contributors’ roles in shaping and reshaping the meanings associated with both the iconic detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau, and the animated Panther, whose likeness would appear across so many different media. Situating the franchise within a broader socio-cultural context, and within debates on Hollywood cinema in general and United Artists in particular, I offer an analysis of the executive and creative decisions that underpinned its success in the U.S. and globally. The essay begins with a discussion of the Pink Panther in the 1960s, examining the formative influence of figures such as Blake Edwards, Peter Sellers, Claudia Cardinale, Henry Mancini, and Isadore ‘Friz’ Freleng. I then examine the franchise’s global success in the 1970s and the creative and economic interests that helped develop the Pink Panther during, arguably, its most successful phase. I conclude with some reflection on the Pink Panther from the 1980s to the present, and the various attempts – through new films and publicity campaigns – to revive the franchise’s fortunes.
