The Pink Panther Show



The Pink Panther Show is a showcase of cartoon shorts produced by David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng between 1969 and 1979, starring the animated Pink Panther character from the opening credits of the live-action films. The series was produced by Mirisch Films and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, and was broadcast on two American television networks: from September 6, 1969 to September 2, 1978, on NBC; and from September 9, 1978 to September 1, 1980, on ABC (as The All New Pink Panther Show).

Format
When The Pink Panther Show first aired in 1969, it consisted of one cartoon featuring The Inspector, sandwiched by two Pink Panther entries. The 30-minute show was then connected via bumper sequences featuring both the panther and Inspector together, with announcer Marvin Miller acting as an off-camera narrator talking to the panther. Bumper sequences consisted of newly animated segments as well as recycled footage from existing cartoons We Give Pink Stamps, Reel Pink, Pink Outs and Super Pink, fitted with new incidental music and voice-over work from Miller.

Pink Panther shorts produced after 1969 (starting with A Fly in the Pink) when The Pink Panther Show began airing were produced for both broadcast and theatrical release, typically appearing on television first, and released to theaters by United Artists. A number of new series were created, including the very popular The Ant and the Aardvark, Tijuana Toads (a.k.a. Texas Toads), Hoot Kloot, Misterjaw, Roland and Rattfink, The Dogfather and two Tijuana Toads spinoffs: The Blue Racer and Crazylegs Crane. The New Pink Panther Show and later shows featured newly animated bumper segments involving the Panther, the Ant and the Aardvark, Misterjaw, and the Tijuana/Texas Toads.

In 1976, the half-hour series was revamped into a 90-minute format, as It's the All New Pink Panther Laugh-and-a-Half Hour-and-a-Half Show Introducing Misterjaw; this version included a live-action segment, where comedian Lenny Schultz would read letters and jokes from viewers. This version performed poorly and eventually reverted to the original 30-minute version in 1977 as Think Pink Panther.

After nine years on NBC, the Pink Panther moved to ABC in 1978 and was retitled The All New Pink Panther Show, where it lasted one season before leaving the network realm entirely. The ABC version of the series featured sixteen episodes with 32 new Pink Panther cartoons, and 16 featuring Crazylegs Crane: no bumpers were produced for The All New Pink Panther Show, but 10–15 second "Stay tuned..." snippets explaining an upcoming entry were produced for the first few episodes. The 32 new Pink Panther cartoons were eventually released to theatres by United Artists.

Theme music
Henry Mancini composed "The Pink Panther Theme" for the live action films, which would be used extensively in the cartoon series as well. Doug Goodwin composed the show's opening title music while William Lava and Walter Greene composed music scores heard throughout the cartoons, many which were variations on Mancini's "Pink Panther Theme".

Laugh track
By the time of the show's 1969 debut, fitting cartoon and children shows with a laugh track was standard practice (Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, The Archie Show, H.R. Pufnstuf). In keeping with this standard, NBC added a laugh track to the Pink Panther and Inspector cartoons for inclusion in The Pink Panther Show, marking the first time in history that theatrical films were fitted with a laugh track for television broadcast. This was an anomaly, as other theatrical cartoon series' that were aired successfully on television (i.e. Tom and Jerry, Woody Woodpecker, Looney Tunes, Popeye) did not receive this addition.

The soundtracks were restored to their original theatrical form in 1982 when the DFE theatrical package went into syndication. Repackaging over the years has resulted in both theatrical and television versions of the entries being available. The exceptions were Misterjaw and Crazylegs Crane, which were produced specifically for television and never re-released theatrically, resulting in laughter-only versions. The U.S.-based Boomerang occasionally airs versions with the laugh track intact, though these versions are more commonly found outside of the U.S. The Spanish language Boomerang requires that MGM/UA supply them with laugh track-only versions of all shorts. The Portuguese language Boomerang, France-based Gulli, and Poland channels TV 4 and TV6 also broadcast certain entries utilizing laugh track versions.

Incarnations
Over its 11 years on various television networks, The Pink Panther Show had a variety of names:
 * The Pink Panther Show (1969–1970, also considered the umbrella title of the series)
 * The Pink Panther Meets the Ant and the Aardvark (1970–1971)
 * The New Pink Panther Show (1971–1974)
 * The Pink Panther and Friends (1974–1976)
 * It's the All New Pink Panther Laugh-and-a-Half Hour-and-a-Half Show Introducing Misterjaw (1976–1977)
 * Think Pink Panther (1977–1978)
 * The All New Pink Panther Show (1978–1980)

Syndication
United Artists Television syndicated The Pink Panther Show in 1980, complete with bumpers and laugh-tracked versions of the shorts. By 1982, MGM/UA Television began syndicating some individual cartoons to local stations to air them as they saw fit. This format did not contain the series' bumpers nor the laugh track.

The following series were included in MGM/UA Television's syndication package:
 * The Pink Panther
 * The Inspector
 * The Ant and the Aardvark
 * Tijuana Toads/Texas Toads
 * Misterjaw (made-for-television series)

The following series were not included in MGM/UA Television's syndication package:
 * Hoot Kloot
 * Roland and Rattfink
 * The Blue Racer
 * Crazylegs Crane (made-for-television series)
 * The Dogfather

Most television stations aired the later package released in 1982, featuring the cartoon shorts by themselves, ostracized from the show's original bumpers sequences. The laugh track was also silenced on all entries except for Misterjaw. Chicago-based WGN-TV was one of the few stations to air the 1980 The Pink Panther Show syndication package. Conversely, New York City-based WPIX featured a stripped-down version of the shorts, airing the entries without the laugh track, bumpers, or theatrical opening/closing credits.

Reruns
The Pink Panther Show (1969–1970) and The New Pink Panther Show (1971–1974) has been remastered in its original format, and currently airs in its entirety (including bumpers and laugh track) on BBC Two in the United Kingdom. It was previously shown on UK Gold, BBC One, Boomerang (2000-2009) and Cartoon Network (1993-2002). In the late 2000s, it aired in Canada on Teletoon Retro weekday mornings at 8:00 AM. Teletoon Retro showed all 32 episodes of The Pink Panther Show with the panther and the Inspector, all 17 episodes of The New Pink Panther Show with the panther and the Ant and the Aardvark, and select episodes of the first syndicated Pink Panther Show series (only those episodes with the middle cartoon being an Ant and Aardvark). Teletoon Retro then showed all 17 episodes of The All New Pink Panther Show, with the panther and Crazylegs Crane. The laugh track is muted for most entries.

The episodes shown on Teletoon Retro also featured remastered versions, while the wrap-around content was in rougher condition. The Inspector cartoon, Tour de Farce, had the wrong title card, that for Reaux, Reaux, Reaux Your Boat.

Cartoon Network reran The Pink Panther Show from 1992 to 2004, and intermittently in 2006, 2009, and 2012. A "no-frills" version aired on Boomerang five days a week at 5:30 AM, 10 AM and 2:30 PM; the Boomerang version included four shorts and no bumpers, in the style of its other theatrical-short compilation shows. Until August 2009, Boomerang only featured shorts from The Pink Panther, The Ant and the Aardvark and The Inspector. The laugh track was present on several entries. Currently, the show remains intact on the Spanish Language Boomerang TV channel with most entries containing their original laugh track.

The show also previously aired in its original format on This TV on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:30 AM Eastern time (as part of its Cookie Jar Toons programming block) until September 22, 2011,

Overall cast

 * Daws Butler – Pug, Louie
 * John Byner – Charlie Ant, Blue Aardvark
 * Don Diamond – Toro
 * Pat Harrington, Jr. – The Inspector, Sergeant Deux-Deux
 * Tom Holland – Pancho
 * Bob Holt – Mr. Kloot, Mr. Kloot's Horse, Dogfather
 * Arte Johnson – Misterjaw
 * Rich Little – Pink Panther
 * Larry D. Mann – Blue Racer, Crazylegs Crane
 * Bob Ogle – Harry Halibut
 * Arnold Stang – Catfish
 * Lennie Weinrib – Roland, Rattfink
 * Frank Welker – Crazylegs Crane Jr., Dragonfly
 * Paul Winchell – Fearless Freddy

Credits
(1969–1980)
 * Pink Panther theme: Henry Mancini
 * Co-Directors: Hawley Pratt, Gerry Chiniquy
 * Direction: Friz Freleng, Hawley Pratt, Gerry Chiniquy, Robert McKimson, George Singer
 * Animation Direction: Brad Case, Art Davis, Dave Deitege, Sid Marcus, Bob Richardson, Art Leonardi, George Gordon, Cullen Houghtaling, Bob Balsar, Grant Simmons, Roy Morita, Durward Bonaye
 * Stories: John W. Dunn, Tony Benedict, Don Jurwich, Bob Kurtz, Jack Miller, Michael J. O'Connor, Jim Ryan, David Deitege, Bob Ogle, Cliff Roberts, Larz Borune, Art Leonardi, Irv Spector, Cullen Houghtaling, Dale Hale, Irv spector, Tom Yakutis, Sid Marcus, Lee Mishkin
 * Layouts: Dick Ung, Tom Yakutis, Corny Cole, Owen Fitzgerald, Bob Givens, Jack Miller, Lin Larsen, Jacques Rupp, Tony Rivera, Mickey Matz, Don Roy, Harry Case, Richard H. Thomas, Peter Alvarado
 * Graphic Design: Corny Cole, Ric Gonzales, Lin Larsen, Martin Strudler, Dick Ung, Al Wilson, Tom Yakutis
 * Background Supervision: Richard H. Thomas
 * Backgrounds: Tom O'Loughlin, Pete Alvarado, Corny Cole, Mary Krebs, Tim Maloney, Sharon Thomas, George DeLado, Fred Fitz, Richard Reuben, Roman Hans
 * Color Designers: Tom O'Laughlin, Richard H. Thomas
 * Panthermobile Designer: Bob Reisner
 * Assistant Animator: Bob Richardson
 * Animation: Arthur Leonardi, Manny Gould, Manny Perez, Don Williams, Warren Batchelder, Chuck Downs, George Grandpré, Norman McCabe, Herman Cohen, Ed Love, Dale Case, Bob Matz, Laverne Harding, Tom Ray, Ed DeMattia, Ted Bonnicksen, John V. Gibbs, Virgil Raddatz, Bob Bemiller, Bob Bransford, Joan Case, Malcolm Draper, Lee Halpern, Bill Hutten, Bob Kirk, Tony Love, Bernard Posner, Bob Richardson, Virgil Ross, Nelson Shin, Reuben Timmins, Art Vitello, Ken Walker, Tiger West, Bob Taylor, Ken Muse, Phil Roman, Bob Bentley, Bob Goe, Irv Spence, Lloyd Vaughan, John Freeman, Walter Kubiak, Robert Givens, Dick Nicksen, Shad Case, Phil Herup, Harry Paper, Richard Rudler, John Ward, Tim Miller, Kenny Uset, Dick Fitz, Warren Peace Jr., Phil Normle, Don Towsley
 * Voices: Rich Little, Mel Blanc, June Foray, Dave Barry, Paul Frees, Helen Gerald, Joan Gerber, Ralph James, Pat Harrington, Jr., Athena Lorde, Don Messick, Marvin Miller, Laura Olsher, Hal Smith, Larry Storch, Larry D. Mann, Nancy Wilble, Frank Welker, John Byner, Bob Holt, Leonard Weinrib, Bob Ogle, Paul Winchell, Arnold Stang, Don Diamond, Mark Skor, Hazel Shermet, Laura Olsher
 * Vocals: Jimmy Rowles
 * Musical Directors/Musical Score: Doug Goodwin, Walter Greene, William Lava, Steven DePatie
 * Lyrics: John Bradford
 * Title songs "Panther Pink Panther from Head to Toes", "Pantherly Pride": Doug Goodwin
 * In Charge of Production Lee Gunther
 * Animation Checkers: Barbara Donatelli, Armand Shaw
 * Film Editing Supervisors: Lee Gunther, Robert Gillis
 * Music Editor: Joe Siracusa
 * Film Editors: Tregg Brown, Richard Corwin, David DePatie Jr., Roger Donley, Richard Gannon, Robert T. Gillis, Lee Gunther, Eugene Marks, Chuck McCann, Allen Potter, Joe Siracusa, Richard Steward, Al Wahrman
 * Animation Camera Supervision: Ray Lee
 * Camera: John Burton, Jr., Gary Gunther, Larry Hogan, Ray Lee, Bob Mills, Steven Wilzbach
 * Production Mixer: Steve Orr
 * Production Supervision: Jim Foss, Bill Orcutt, David Deitege, Basil Cox
 * Production Coordinator: Harry Love
 * Production Executive: Stanley E. Paperny
 * Title Cards: Arthur Leonardi
 * Producers: David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng
 * DFE Films, A DePatie-Freleng Production.
 * Copyright © MCMLIX-MCMLXXX Mirisch-Geoffrey/D-F, All Rights Reserved.

The Pink Panther Show (1969–1970)
The first season of The Pink Panther Show (1969–1970) consisted of one The Inspector entry sandwiched by two Pink Panther entries. On occasion (episodes #021 and #032), the scenario would be reversed, with a Pink Panther entry sandwiched by two Inspector entries. The show was "hosted" by The Pink Panther and The Inspector, seen during the opening sequence, which showed a boy driving the Panthermobile from the countryside to Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. During the journey, images of animals mentioned in the song (rhinoceros, tiger, cats, American mink) are seen alongside clips of the panther from Reel Pink, ''Come On In! The Water's Pink and Put Put Pink''. Upon arrival, the Pink Panther and the Inspector then disembark from the Panthermobile and enter the famous theatre. In the ending credits, the Inspector climbs back into the Panthermobile, but leaves the Pink Panther behind, who is seen chasing after the car.

The show's title song, "Panther Pink Panther", was written by Doug Goodwin and played over the opening sequence.

The first season is currently broadcast on BBC Two in the U.K. and was previously available for viewing on Amazon Video in the U.S.

The Pink Panther Meets the Ant and the Aardvark (1970–1971)
The second season consisted of the same half-hour format of the show with The Inspector replaced by The Ant and the Aardvark.

The New Pink Panther Show (1971–1974)
The New Pink Panther Show (1971–1974) featured a new opening and closing sequence and theme song, pitting the attention-seeking Aardvark against the panther. The show's new title song, "Pantherly Pride", was written by Doug Goodwin and played over the opening sequence.

This incarnation aired The Ant and the Aardvark during the 1971–1972 season. Later seasons swapped The Ant and the Aardvark with theatrical series' Roland and Rattfink, Hoot Kloot or The Blue Racer, as well as reruns of The Inspector. Only eight new Pink Panther cartoons were produced during this three-year era; other entries were repeats from the 1969–1970 season (marked with an *).

The Pink Panther and Friends (1974–1976)
The Pink Panther and Friends  (1974–1976) followed the same format as the The New Pink Panther Show. The first Pink Panther entry was a new episode, while the second was a repeat of an old entry. Bumpers featuring The Inspector and The Ant and the Aardvark connected the three entries. New series The Dogfather (originally produced for theatrical release) was also added to broadcasts, in addition to The Blue Racer or Hoot Kloot.

It's the All New Pink Panther Laugh-and-a-Half Hour-and-a-Half Show Introducing Misterjaw (1976–1977)
It's the All New Pink Panther Laugh-and-a-Half Hour-and-a-Half Show Introducing Misterjaw (also commonly known as The Pink Panther Laugh and a Half Hour and a Half Show) was an attempt by DFE to revamp the traditional format of three entries airing in a 30-minute format. The show was expanded to 90 minutes, and included a live-action segment featuring comedian Lenny Schultz reading letters and jokes from viewers. The show also featured two new made-for-television series, a first for the franchise: the Texas Toads (a redubbed version of the theatrical Tijuana Toads series), and Misterjaw. New bumper sequences featuring both the Texas Toads and Misterjaw were created for the series. These new entries were aired in combination with repeats of The Pink Panther, The Inspector and The Ant and the Aardvark.

The Pink Panther Laugh and a Half Hour and a Half Show did not do well in the ratings, and lasted only one season.

Think Pink Panther (1977–1978)
The final series broadcast on NBC, Think Pink Panther reverted to the traditional 30-minute format and consisted of repeats. No new cartoons were created for this show.

The All New Pink Panther Show (1978–1980)
The All New Pink Panther Show (1978–1980) was a new version of the series commenced after NBC ended its run. ABC-TV picked up the series, and requested 32 new made-for-television Pink Panther shorts, along with 16 entries for the new Crazylegs Crane segment. A disco-flavored rendition of Henry Mancini's "Pink Panther Theme" was used for the opening and closing credits, with the closing credits featuring a disco-dancing panther: no bumpers were produced.

The Pink Panther Show (1980, syndicated)
MGM/UA Television syndicated a weekday 30-minute Pink Panther show in 1980, complete with bumpers and laugh-tracked versions of the shorts. A new opening sequence preceding the show featured Henry Mancini's "Pink Panther Theme" played under a segment from Pink Outs featuring the Pink Panther folding the backdrop into a square to be eaten. The closer featured the last few seconds of the theme played under a scene from Reel Pink featuring the panther water skiing.

MGM/UA created two versions of the syndication package. The first consisted of The Pink Panther, Inspector, The Ant and the Aardvark and Texas Toads.

The second version consisted of The Pink Panther, The Ant and the Aardvark and Misterjaw. These featured the new opening sequence with Pink Outs, and also incorporated several of the made-for-television Pink Panther entries from The All New Pink Panther Show. Pre-1978 Pink Panther and Ant and the Aardvark entries featured shorter opening titles with introduction music from either The New Pink Panther Show (1971–1974) or The All New Pink Panther Show (1978–1980). The show was also fitted with a less invasive laugh track being employed on sitcoms at the time (the Misterjaw entries retained the original 1976-1977-era laugh track, albeit slightly muted, and never had opening theatrical credits). Closing credits featuring the Pink Panther disco dancing from the The All New Pink Panther Show closed out the episodes.

Spanish versions
Other versions of The Pink Panther Show have been seen and aired only in Spanish.