The Inspector
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The Inspector is a series of 1960s theatrical cartoons produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and released through United Artists. Although the titular character was never given a name, it was clearly based on Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau character that appeared in the Pink Panther film series. However unlike the bumbling Inspector Clouseau, the Inspector of the cartoon series was generally a competent policeman, and the comedy of the cartoon came from the sometimes surreal situations the Inspector was exposed to, rather than to physical slapstick.
Pat Harrington, Jr. provided the voices for the Inspector and with the exception of one cartoon, his assistant, a spanish policeman named Deux-Deux (even though "Deux," French for "two," is not a Spanish surname, or even a Spanish word—in Spain, the character was named "Totó," and in the Mexican dubbing, Dodò). The frustrated Commissioner was voiced first by Larry Storch and then Paul Frees, with some other strange sounds coming from his mouth from time to time. The first cartoon, The Great DeGaulle Stone Operation, was the short featured before screenings of the James Bond film Thunderball.
In these shorts, the background images were xeroxed from drawings onto clear acetate and then painted on their reverse sides like a typical character cel. Some areas, however, were painted with a sponge and then scratched with a razor for effect. These cels, which were laid over solid-color cards and photographed under the character cels, were unlike the usual acrylic, watercolor, or oil-painted animation backgrounds.
The later cartoons used cleaner, more routine character outlines, and often featured the Inspector alone in stock situations without the Commissioner, Deux-Deux, or the opening scenes in the Sûreté building.
While the Inspector character designs remained basically the same throughout the DePatie-Freleng shorts, the Inspector featured in the opening titles of The Pink Panther films changed dramatically over the years. Today, a far different Inspector character who more conventionally caricatures Sellers is the only one licensed by MGM (who now owns the rights), keeping the original whiskered Inspector off merchandise featuring DePatie-Freleng's Pink Panther cartoon characters.
The music used for the titles of the cartoon was the song "A Shot in the Dark" by Henry Mancini, the second big hit from the Pink Panther film series. Two shorts had their own unique version of the theme music, Napoleon Blown-Aparte and Cock-A-Doodle Deux Deux. Directors of the shorts included Friz Freleng, Gerry Chiniquy, Robert McKimson and George Singer. 34 shorts were produced.
Some of these shorts would appear in The Pink Panther Show, as well as some new ones in which the Inspector tried to capture the Pink Panther. The character also appeared in 1993's The Pink Panther produced by MGM animation, often working alongside the Pink Panther. Reruns of The Inspector play on the channels Boomerang and Animania.
Contents |
[edit] List of shorts
1965
1966
- Reaux, Reaux, Reaux Your Boat (Gerry Chiniquy)
- Napoleon Blown-Aparte (Gerry Chiniquy)
- Cirrhosis of the Louvre (Gerry Chiniquy)
- Plastered in Paris (Gerry Chiniquy)
- Cock-A-Doodle Deux Deux (Robert McKimson)
- Ape Suzette (Gerry Chiniquy)
- Pique Poquette of Paris (George Singer)
- Sicque! Sicque! Sicque! (George Singer)
- That's No Lady - That's Notre Dame (George Singer)
- Unsafe and Seine (George Singer)
- Toulouse La Trick (Robert McKimson)
1967
- Sacre Bleu Cross (Gerry Chiniquy)
- Le Quiet Squad (Robert McKimson)
- Bomb Voyage (Robert McKimson)
- Le Pig-Al Patrol (Gerry Chiniquy)
- Le Bowser Bagger (Gerry Chiniquy)
- Le Escape Goat (Gerry Chiniquy)
- Le Cop on Le Rocks (George Singer)
- Crow De Guerre (Gerry Chiniquy)
- Canadian Can-Can (Gerry Chiniquy)
- Tour De Farce (Gerry Chiniquy)
- The Shooting of Caribou Lou (Gerry Chiniquy)
1968
- London Derriere (Gerry Chiniquy)
- Les Miserobots (Gerry Chiniquy)
- Transylvania Mania (Gerry Chiniquy)
- Bear De Guerre (Gerry Chiniquy)
- Cherche Le Phantom (Gerry Chiniquy)
- Le Great Dane Robbery (Gerry Chiniquy)
- La Feet's Defeat (Gerry Chiniquy)
- Le Ball and Chain Gang (Gerry Chiniquy)
1969
- French Freud (Gerry Chiniquy)
- Pierre and Cottage Cheese (Gerry Chiniquy)
- Carte Blanched (Gerry Chiniquy)
[edit] Voices
- Pat Harrington, Jr. as The Inspector and Deux-Deux
- Don Messick as Deux-Deux (only in La Feet's Defeat)
- Larry Storch, Paul Frees, and Marvin Miller as The Commissioner
[edit] Catchphrases
- The Inspector: "Don't say sí. Say oui." Deux-Deux: "Sí, Inspector."
- Deux-Deux: "Sí. I mean oui."
- The Inspector: "Follow that car" (the driver complies by immediately driving off before the Inspector can enter the car) "Come back here you fool!"
- The Inspector: "That swine" or "You swine!"
[edit] DVD release
A DVD containing the first seventeen shorts was released on March 4th, 2008 from MGM Home Entertainment/20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. It contains the following shorts:
- The Great DeGaulle Stone Operation
- Reaux Reaux Reaux Your Boat
- Napolean Blown-Apart
- Cirrhosis of the Louvre
- Plastered in Paris
- Cock-A-Doodle Deux Deux
- Ape Suzette
- Pique Poquette of Paris, The
- Sicque! Sicque! Sicque!
- That's No Lady - That's Notre Dame
- Unsafe and Seine
- Toulouse La Trick
- Sacre Bleu Cross
- Le Quiet Squad
- Bomb Voyage
- Le Pig-Al Patrol
- Le Bowser Bagger
[edit] Links
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