| The Inspector | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Voices of | Pat Harrington Jr. Paul Frees Don Messick Larry Storch Marvin Miller Mark Skor |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 34(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producers | David H. DePatie Friz Freleng |
| Running time | 5–6 minutes |
| Production companies | DePatie–Freleng Enterprises Mirisch-Geoffrey-DePatie-Freleng |
| Original release | |
| Release | December 21, 1965 (1965-12-21) – May 14, 1969 (1969-5-14) |
The Inspector is an American series of 34theatrical cartoon shorts produced between 1965 and 1969 byDePatie–Freleng Enterprises and released throughUnited Artists. The cartoons are dedicated to an animated version ofInspector Clouseau comically battling against arogues' gallery of internationally styled villains.
Outside of the episode titles, much of the humor in these shorts is derived in part from the surreality of the villains and situations, and also from the stylized animatedslapstick, the brunt of which is endured by the Inspector, who is often bested by his nemeses, forcing him to face the wrath of his supervisor, the blustery and ill-tempered Commissioner (based onHerbert Lom's portrayal of Commissioner Dreyfus, if somewhat more violent) who holds him in well-deserved contempt.[1]
The Inspector is a senior detective for theSûreté and assisted in most earlier episodes by Sergeant Deux-Deux, who is voiced byPat Harrington Jr.; InThe Pink Panther Show bumpers, he is instead voiced byMarvin Miller. Though his actual name is never mentioned, the character is clearly based onInspector Jacques Clouseau fromThe Pink Panther films (to the point its design was later reused in the opening credits of the 1968Inspector Clouseau film, establishing that both inspectors are, in fact, one and the same).[2] But in slight contrast to the completely ineptlive-action Clouseau, the animated Inspector is more competent, though still prone to bad luck and poor judgment.
The Inspector's young and timid assistant, Sergeant Deux-Deux (pronounced "Doo-Doo"), is a slow-talking Spaniard andgendarme. Like the Inspector, he is voiced byPat Harrington Jr., and in bumpers forThe Pink Panther Show, he is voiced byMarvin Miller; in "La Feet's Defeat", he is instead voiced byDon Messick, and the character is given a younger appearance and more naive personality. He frequently utters the exclamation "Jole Frijoles" ("Holy Beans") in exciting or extreme situations, and often replies to the Inspector in his native tongue, saying "Sí", only to be admonished by the Inspector who often tells him, "Don't say 'sí', say 'oui'", which sometimes leads to confusing situations between the two. Deux Deux usually responded afterwards by intoning: "Sí, I mean oui, Inspector." In one cartoon, Deux Deux said "ouisick" instead of "seasick". On a couple of occasions, when the Inspector is incapacitated, Deux-Deux himself almost effortlessly manages to apprehend the culprit. He thinks of the Inspector as his hero.
The Commissioner, as his name implies, is the commissioner of the French police force and the boss of the Inspector and Sgt. Deux-Deux. The Commissioner is a heavily built, blustery, ill-tempered, bullying, bald man dressed in a suit and a black tie. He was voiced byLarry Storch in his first two appearances, then byPaul Frees from 1966 to 1967 (sans 1967's "Canadian Can-Can", where he is voiced by Mark Skor), and byMarvin Miller in all remaining appearances. He is usually angry in his interactions with the Inspector, for instance because of the Inspector's failure to complete his missions or because the Inspector has inadvertently caused him physical harm. The short "That's No Lady - That's Notre Dame" introduces his wife (voiced by Diana Maddox) who refers to him as 'Henri'. Despite the Inspector's general incompetence (which the Commissioner acknowledges) the Commissioner never actually fires him, or at least not permanently.
Pat Harrington Jr. provided voices for both the Inspector and Deux-Deux; (in "La Feet's Defeat", Deux-Deux is voiced byDon Messick and sports a younger, more naive appearance.) The Commissioner was voiced byLarry Storch for his first two appearances, beforePaul Frees took on the role up until "Bomb Voyage", and voiced the character one last time in "Le Escape Goat". In "Canadian Can-Can", the Commissioner is voiced by Mark Skor, who also voiced the evil face of Two-Faced Harry, the short's antagonist. The Commissioner was then voiced byMarvin Miller for his remaining appearances.[1] Miller also assumed the role of both the Inspector and Sgt. Deux-Deux in the wraparound bumpers produced for the inaugural season ofThe Pink Panther Show.[1]
The first entry in the series,The Great De Gaulle Stone Operation, preceded screenings of the 1965James Bond filmThunderball.
The Inspector character design remained basically the same throughout the DePatie–Freleng shorts, and was used in the opening credit sequence of the 1968 live-action filmInspector Clouseau (withAlan Arkin as Clouseau), but in the opening titles of laterPink Panther features beginning in the 1970s, his look is changed dramatically to resemble Sellers, and thenSteve Martin in the2006 reboot of the series.[1]
The theme music heard during the titles of the cartoon was the instrumental "A Shot in the Dark" byHenry Mancini, from the1964 feature film of the same name (the second entry in thePink Panther live-action film series). Additional music in the cartoons was composed initially byWilliam Lava, thenWalter Greene. Two shorts had their own unique arrangement of the theme music during the opening sequence,Napoleon Blown-Aparte andCock-A-Doodle Deux Deux.[1]
17 entries made their television debut during the inaugural season (1969–1970) ofThe Pink Panther Show, featuring shorter opening titles (minus credits).[1] The remaining 17 entries appeared during the show's second season with complete theatrical opening titles.[1]
| # | Title | Date | Director | Story | Synopsis | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The Great De Gaulle Stone Operation | December 21, 1965 | Friz Freleng | John W. Dunn | The Inspector is assigned to guard a valuable diamond known as the De Gaulle Stone, but must retrieve it when he inadvertently lets it get stolen by the three-headed jewel thief, the Matzoriley Brothers: Weft (voiced byPaul Frees), Wight (voiced byPat Harrington, Jr.), and Wong (also voiced by Frees). | This is the first cartoon in theInspector series. This cartoon was originally released in theaters with the fourthJames Bond filmThunderball during its original theatrical run. |
| # | Title | Date | Director | Story | Synopsis | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | Reaux, Reaux, Reaux Your Boat | February 1, 1966 | Gerry Chiniquy | John W. Dunn | The Inspector is after the notorious smuggler Captain Clamity and his first mate Crab Louie (both voiced byPaul Frees). In their various attempts to board Clamity's ship, the pair's rowboats are broken in two by the criminals in various ways, causing the Inspector's portion of the boat to sink into the ocean along with him, while Deux-Deux's half stays afloat. | The Commissioner does not appear. |
| 03 | Napoleon Blown-Aparte | February 2, 1966 | Gerry Chiniquy | John W. Dunn | The Mad Bomber (laughter provided byLarry Storch) escapes from Le Prison and swears vengeance on the Commissioner for imprisoning him there. The Commissioner assigns the Inspector to protect him, but the Inspector's incompetence results in him continually failing to prevent his boss from being blown up with an endless number of bombs at the Mad Bomber's disposal. | An alternative rendition ofThe Inspector theme, "A Shot in the Dark", is featured during the credits. Final cartoon to featureLarry Storch as the voice of the Commissioner. |
| 04 | Cirrhosis of the Louvre | March 9, 1966 | Gerry Chiniquy | John W. Dunn | The insidious criminal known as the Blotch plans to steal all the paintings from the Louvre and the Inspector and Deux-Deux arrive in an attempt to foil his plot. | First cartoon to featurePaul Frees as the voice of the Commissioner. |
| 05 | Plastered in Paris | April 5, 1966 | Gerry Chiniquy | John W. Dunn | The Inspector and Deux-Deux are assigned to chase a supposed fugitive known as "X" across the globe. | |
| 06 | Cock-A-Doodle Deux Deux | June 15, 1966 | Robert McKimson | Michael O'Connor | The largest diamond in the world, the Plymouth Rock, has been stolen from Madame Marquise de Poule Bon (voiced by Helen Gerald) at her chateau and the Inspector is assigned to solve the case. After finding that Madame de Poule Bon was a chicken plucker in her past, he investigates the chateau, only to find out that Madame's servants are all chickens and he must deduce which one could have pulled off the theft. | An alternative rendition ofThe Inspector theme "A Shot in the Dark" is featured during the credits. Final cartoon to be fully scored byWilliam Lava. |
| 07 | Ape Suzette | June 24, 1966 | Gerry Chiniquy | John W. Dunn | While training Sergeant Deux-Deux in self-defense, the Inspector gets a phone call from the Commissioner, who assigns them both to investigate the theft of a shipment of bananas. The Inspector interrogates a diminutive sailor (voiced byPaul Frees) who pleads innocence, but when the Inspector attempts to fight him, the scrawny sailor'sgorilla accomplice Judy gets in all the punches. | First cartoon to be scored byWalter Greene. The Commissioner does not appear. |
| 08 | The Pique Poquette of Paris | August 25, 1966 | George Singer | John W. Dunn | The Inspector and Sergeant Deux-Deux attempt to apprehend the notorious multi-armed pickpocket Spider Pierre (voiced byPaul Frees). | The Commissioner does not appear. |
| 09 | Sicque! Sicque! Sicque! | September 23, 1966 | George Singer | John W. Dunn | After the Sûreté apprehend a mad scientist inRue Morgue, who is carted off to an insane asylum, the Inspector and Sergeant Deux-Deux are assigned to inspect the scientist's mansion. Deux-Deux clumsily drinks a swig of a strange potion, and, from then on, transforms at infrequent intervals into aMr. Hyde-type monster who, in routines, torments and attacks the Inspector (who has no idea that the creature is actually Deux-Deux) upon every transformation. | The Commissioner does not appear. |
| 10 | That's No Lady — That's Notre Dame! | October 26, 1966 | George Singer | John W. Dunn | The Inspector is assigned to apprehend a particular purse snatcher who is operating in the Hotel D'Hote - where the Commissioner lives. He sets up a sting operation by disguising himself as a woman, but catches the eye of the Commissioner, who thinks the Inspectoris a woman, and attempts to have an affair with him, with the Inspector soon falling afoul of the Commissioner's jealous wife (voiced by Diana Maddox). | |
| 11 | Unsafe and Seine | November 9, 1966 | George Singer | John W. Dunn | The Inspector and Deux-Deux travel across the world on an undercover search for an agent, getting into all sorts of accidents along the way. | |
| 12 | Toulouse La Trick | December 30, 1966 | Robert McKimson | John W. Dunn | After notorious desperado Toulouse le Moose jumps bail, he escapes toCherbourg, where he is apprehended, and the Inspector is tasked with returning him to Paris; he handcuffs himself to Toulouse to prevent him from escaping and disposes of the keys, which causes problems on the way to the station. | Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear. |
| # | Title | Date | Director | Story | Synopsis | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Sacré Bleu Cross | February 1, 1967 | Gerry Chiniquy | John W. Dunn | When the Inspector and Deux-Deux go after the trigger-happy criminal Hassan the Assassin (voiced byPaul Frees), Deux-Deux gives the Inspector a rabbit's foot that he claims will bring good luck to him (given that it happens to be Friday the 13th), but unfortunately for the Inspector, it does the exact opposite. | The Commissioner does not appear. |
| 14 | Le Quiet Squad | May 17, 1967 | Robert McKimson | Jim Ryan | The Commissioner is overworked and needs absolute quiet, or he goes into uncontrolled fits of temper. The Inspector is assigned to look after him, but has trouble with a noisy cat that poses a threat to the Commissioner's calmness. | Sgt. Deux-Deux does not appear. |
| 15 | Bomb Voyage | May 22, 1967 | Robert McKimson | Tony Benedict | The Commissioner is kidnapped byextraterrestrials, and so the Inspector and Deux-Deux travel to their planet to rescue him. | |
| 16 | Le Pig-Al Patrol | May 24, 1967 | Gerry Chiniquy | Jim Ryan | The Inspector is sent to apprehend a biker gang led by the notorious Pig-Al (voiced byMarvin Miller) for the crime of disturbing the peace. | Sgt. Deux-Deux does not appear. |
| 17 | Le Bowser Bagger | May 30, 1967 | Gerry Chiniquy | Jim Ryan | The Inspector is partnered with Private Bowser, a very energetic police dog, in his efforts to track down a thief. | First cartoon to featureMarvin Miller as the voice of the Commissioner. Sgt. Deux-Deux does not appear. |
| 18 | Le Escape Goat | June 29, 1967 | Gerry Chiniquy | Jim Ryan | After being suspended for letting notorious criminal Louie le Finke (voiced byPat Harrington, Jr.) escape, the Inspector tries to stop Louie from carrying out his threats of taking vengeance on the Commissioner, but ends up becoming part of the manhunt himself when, due to a series of misunderstandings, the Commissioner thinks the Inspector is trying to exact revenge onhim for being suspended. | Final cartoon to feature Paul Frees as the voice of the Commissioner. Sgt. Deux-Deux does not appear. |
| 19 | Le Cop on Le Rocks | July 3, 1967 | George Singer | Jim Ryan | The Inspector is sent to prison, having been mistaken for a bank robber who looks exactly like him. His constant attempts to escape add even more years to his sentence. | Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear. |
| 20 | Crow De Guerre | August 16, 1967 | Gerry Chiniquy | John W. Dunn | Summoned to the Chateau Splendid to find a jewel thief, the Inspector finds that the perpetrator is actually a thieving crow, who continually outwits him at every turn. | Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear. |
| 21 | Canadian Can-Can | September 20, 1967 | Gerry Chiniquy | John W. Dunn | Sent toCanada on an exchange program, the Inspector is assigned to catch Two-Faced Harry, who has a well-mannered, innocent face (voiced byPat Harrington, Jr.) on one side of his head and an evil, vicious face (voiced by Mark Skor) on the other side. | Only cartoon to feature Mark Skor as the voice of the Commissioner. Sgt. Deux-Deux does not appear. |
| 22 | Tour de Farce | October 25, 1967 | Gerry Chiniquy | Jim Ryan | The Inspector is assigned to drop off burly convict Mack le Truck (voiced byMarvin Miller) at the Devil's Island prison, but through his own mistake, they both end up stranded on a deserted island. Mack attempts to kill him in retaliation, leaving the Inspector to fight for his life. | Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear. |
| 23 | The Shooting of Caribou Lou | December 20, 1967 | Gerry Chiniquy | John W. Dunn | On holiday in Canada as a Mountie, the Inspector is kidnapped by the diminutive, yet aggressive fur trapper, Caribou Lou (voiced by Mark Skor), who holds him hostage. | Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear. |
| # | Title | Date | Director | Story | Synopsis | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | London Derriere | February 7, 1968 | Gerry Chiniquy | Jim Ryan | Having chased international jewel thief Louie le Swipe around Europe, the Inspector tries to nab him in London. Unfortunately, he runs afoul of the no-gun laws that the U.K.'s police must abide by. He works alongside a British police captain from Scotland Yard (voiced byLennie Weinrib) in order to bring Louie to justice. | The first two scenes of this short feature music reused fromThe Great De Gaulle Stone Operation. Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear. |
| 25 | Les Miserobots | March 21, 1968 | Gerry Chiniquy | Jim Ryan | The Inspector is fired after being replaced by an efficient police robot. He constantly tries to destroy it with the hope of getting his job back, but all attempts prove fruitless; ultimately, the Commissioner himself is fired and replaced by the same robot. | This title is pun on the phrase "Les Miserables", Sgt. Deux-Deux does not appear. |
| 26 | Transylvania Mania | March 26, 1968 | Gerry Chiniquy | John W. Dunn | The Inspector is sent to find a scientist in Transylvania who is making monsters without a license. The scientist is a vampire (voiced byHal Smith), who needs a brain for his latest monster, and the Inspector arrives at just the right moment; as such, he and his dimwitted, brawny accomplice, Urg (voiced byMarvin Miller) go after him. | Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear. |
| 27 | Bear De Guerre | April 26, 1968 | Gerry Chiniquy | Jim Ryan | The Inspector goes quail hunting in a forest - illegally, at that - but runs afoul of a short-temperedbrown bear (voiced byMarvin Miller) who thinkshe is being hunted. | Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear. |
| 28 | Cherche Le Phantom | June 13, 1968 | Gerry Chiniquy | Tony Benedict | Given the choice of assignment to either find a gorilla that has escaped from theParis Zoo or to catch a phantom hiding in the Paris opera house, the Inspector chooses to go after the phantom. | |
| 29 | Le Great Dane Robbery | July 7, 1968 | Gerry Chiniquy | Jim Ryan | The Inspector must get past a vicious guard dog named Tiny in order to retrieve a code cipher stolen from a French intelligence unit. Moreover, the Inspector isnot happy that this assignment came right before his scheduled vacation on a sea cruise and, as a result, pours on the effort so as not to miss the boat. | Sgt. Deux-Deux does not appear. |
| 30 | Le Ball and Chain Gang | July 24, 1968 | Gerry Chiniquy | Jim Ryan | The Inspector tries to get into the house of an argumentative couple named Charlie and Edna (voiced byHal Smith andJune Foray, respectively), who think they are about to be arrested, when all the Inspector was trying to do was to notify Charlie that he is to serve jury duty. | Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear. |
| 31 | La Feet's Defeat | July 24, 1968 | Gerry Chiniquy | Jim Ryan | The Commissioner assigns the Inspector and Deux-Deux to capture Muddy la Feet. They encounter many booby traps along the way, which Deux-Deux sets off. | Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner's final appearances. Sgt. Deux-Deux appears as a much younger and more naive version than in other shorts and is voiced byDon Messick instead of Pat Harrington, Jr. |
| # | Title | Date | Director | Story | Synopsis | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | French Freud | January 22, 1969 | Gerry Chiniquy | Jack Miller | A crooked Russian actress, MelodyMercurochrome (voiced byJune Foray) and her "maid" — her husband in drag (voiced byMarvin Miller; voiced in his disguise by Foray), who is also a psychiatrist — are trying to snatch the Du Barry diamond, which the Inspector is guarding. | Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear. |
| 33 | Pierre and Cottage Cheese | February 26, 1969 | Gerry Chiniquy | The Inspector is assigned to meet a Chinese special agent outside an abandoned house, who will help him capture criminal Dirty Pierre le Punk (voiced byMarvin Miller) who is allegedly hiding out in the house. The agent is a Chinese robot by the name of Charlie (voiced byPat Harrington, Jr.), who gives the Inspector ideas to catch Pierre, which always fail miserably. It is later revealed that the robot is actually Pierre in disguise, and when thereal Chinese agent (also voiced by Harrington) arrives to meet the Inspector, he is chased into the horizon by a furious Inspector. | The Chinese agent appears to be a parody ofCharlie Chan. Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear. | |
| 34 | Carte Blanched | May 14, 1969 | Gerry Chiniquy | David Detiege | The Inspector ends up on the run from the law when a malignant voiceover (voiced byMarvin Miller) convinces him that he has accidentally stolen a shopping cart from his local supermarket. | Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear. Final cartoon of the series. |
A DVD containing the first 17 shorts was released on March 4, 2008, fromMGM Home Entertainment/20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.[citation needed]
A DVD set titledPink Panther and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection released on January 27, 2009, by MGM contains the previously released set of the first 17 shorts and a second set of the last 17 shorts.
The first season ofThe Pink Panther is available for viewing onAmazon Video in the United States.[3]
On April 26, 2016, Kino Lorber releasedThe Inspector: The DePatie-Freleng Collection on DVD and Blu-ray - this 2-disc DVD and Blu-ray release set collects the 34 (17 for each disc) classic shorts, along with retrospective featurettes focusing on DePatie-Freleng Enterprises.[4]
The Inspector was revived in 1993 for the syndicated series,The Pink Panther, voiced byBrian George. The Inspector often works alongside the Pink Panther when he is depicted in law enforcement.[1]
A back-up feature starring the Inspector appeared regularly inThe Pink Panther and the Inspectorcomic books published byGold Key comics, and he also starred in his own title. He also appears in the computer gameThe Pink Panther: Passport to Peril, where he hires the Pink Panther to help him fight crime. The Inspector and Deux-Deux also appear in the 1981 story recordA Pink Panther Christmas fromKid Stuff Records, in which they try to capture The Pink Panther while he is helping Santa Claus.