The Pink Panther

Peter Sellers first pratfalled onto the silver screen as the bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau in 1963's The Pink Panther, turning him into an international comedy superstar. Ten films followed, such as A Shot in the Dark, The Return of the Pink Panther and The Pink Panther Strikes Again. This comprehensive history of the Panther phenomenon features behind-the-scenes anecdotes and exclusive interviews with key figures, including writer-director Blake Edwards, producer Tony Adams, composer Henry Mancini, cinematographer Christopher Challis and co-stars Herbert Lom (Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus), Graham Stark (Dr. Auguste Balls) and Burt Kwouk (Cato), as well as Peter Ustinov (the original choice for Clouseau) and Julie Andrews (Edwards' wife). Packed with details on budgets, shooting schedules and publicity campaigns, the book also covers the theatrical cartoon shorts and the popular Saturday morning TV program inspired by the first film's celebrated animated credit sequence. It also reveals the darker side of its troubled leading man, which eventually led to Sellers and Edwards agreeing never to work together again.