Well over sixty years ago, the collective talents of director, Blake Edwards and comedy genius, Peter Sellers came together and created the Pink Panther films. The original 1963 film stared David Niven as the debonair thief of the titular diamond, but, in fact, it was Sellers who (as Niven ruefully acknowledged) committed the greatest crime of all: stealing the whole film with his winning comic performance as the bumbling French sleuth, Inspector Clouseau..
Thereafter, the films were all about Clouseau and his ingenious disguises, increasingly bizarre mispronunciations and occasional battles with his assistant, Cato (Burt Kwouk). One other pleasant, unexpected by-product was the creation of the successful Pink Panther cartoon series which arose from the popular animated sequences which accompanied Henry Mancini's memorable theme during the films' opening titles.
In time, the initial magic between Edwards and Sellers would fade, as the actor gradually revealed himself to have been one of the most difficult and temperamental leading men to have ever stepped in front of a camera. This thorough book also covers the later versions of the films starring Roberto Benigni and Steve Martin.

Pen and Sword provided an early galley for review.

As a kid in the 70's, I discovered this series with the fourth film, 1975's The Return of the Pink Panther and have been a fan since. Something about this style of comedy combined with the flair for international espionage is just such a joy.

Books like this one pull back the curtain behind the film industry, providing a detailed glimpse into the making of the movies and the people involved in the process. I remembered this franchise being popular, but the details provided here point out how important it was to the United Artists studio and how rich it made both Peter Sellers and Blake Edwards (despite how contested their working relationship continued to become as each film was made).

Even after Sellers' death in July of 1980, the film franchise continued on. The first (1982's Trail of the Pink Panther was a framework of a story built to utilize former footage of Sellers as Clouseau and to bring back former side characters to fill out the narrative. The storyline of this one led into the next (1983's The Curse of the Pink Panther) with Ted Wass (known then for his role of "Danny" on the sitcom Soap) taking the lead as a new detective named Clifton Sleigh. I remember these two movies and the derailing effect, as the author rightly points out, they had on things. Unlike a James Bond or a Doctor Who, sometimes moving on with a change in the lead just isn't possible.

The included photo-gallery with the book is also a very nice touch.