Quartet Records closed out 2021 with an impressive slate of soundtracks from some of the most legendary names in film score history, including Henry Mancini, John Barry, Ennio Morricone, and Nino Rota.  Today, we're spotlighting the 3-CD box dedicated to Mancini's final Pink Panther scores.

The Pink Panther: The Final Chapters Collection gave full due to the final three scores composed by Henry Mancini in writer-director Blake Edwards' long-running series of comedies.  The deluxe 3-CD collection presents expanded editions of Trail of the Pink Panther (1982), Curse of the Pink Panther (1983), and Son of the Pink Panther (1993), the latter in its remastered and expanded debut.

Trail of the Pink Panther, the first movie represented in Quartet's box, was the sixth in the Panther series and the final entry to feature Peter Sellers as the bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau.  The gifted yet mercurial actor had died in 1980, but Edwards paid tribute to his colleague by stitching together outtakes and old material to continue the story of Clouseau.  Trail incorporated flashbacks and outtakes of Sellers from previous installments into a new story which ended with the inspector in hiding; a body double was shot from the back only. The film, which also starred the returning David Niven, Capucine, Herbert Lom, and Burt Kwouk, was dedicated to Sellers by Edwards; the odd couple, despite their differences, often brought out the best in each other. As befitting a film largely comprised of old material, the original soundtrack LP consisted of recycled music, the only exceptions being the Trail variation of Mancini's title theme and the breezily romantic cue entitled "The Easy Life in Paris." This underwhelming LP was released on CD in 1988 in its original form.  In 2011, Intrada finally premiered the full score.  The presentation here is a remastered version of that release, with some slight resequencing and the addition of one more bonus track, an alternate version of "Trail of the Pink Panther (The Pink Panther Theme)."  Trail is a delight from start to finish, brimming with melodic invention that's often as humorous as the onscreen action.

The next year, Curse of the Pink Panther arrived in cinemas.  Shot concurrently with Trail, it introduced Ted Wass as Sgt. Clifton Sleigh, an incompetent New York cop enlisted to find the missing Clouseau. Z Naturally, mayhem ensued.  Curse wasn't well-received, though it did boast some strong moments of Edwards' trademark physical comedy, but its score was another diverting effort from Mancini.  Despite the composer coming off Victor/Victoria (another Edwards collaboration) with an Academy Award in hand, Curse of the Pink Panther received no soundtrack album whatsoever. Even RCA's Ultimate Pink Panther compilation featured no music from the score. Quartet's 2010 soundtrack premiere on CD proved the score to be complex, well-crafted, and quintessentially Mancini.  It's filled with playful adventure, action, suspense, and plenty of comedy, and incorporated synthesizers and electronic effects throughout for a touch of modern color. "Clifton Sleigh Theme," with its prominent clarinet, is slyly insinuating and a worthy successor to the earlier "Inspector Clouseau Theme;" the motif is reprised throughout the score. Some of Victor/Victoria's French atmosphere is evoked, too.  The 28-track 2010 edition (including five bonus cuts) has been remastered for inclusion here, but the titles have been adjusted to reflect those found on the actual cue sheets.

The Pink Panther: The Final Chapters Collection concludes with its most exciting component, the premiere of Mancini's complete score to Son of the Pink Panther.  The 1993 film was a new beginning for the series, with Italian star Roberto Benigni as Clouseau's son, but also an ending: it was the final film for both Edwards and Mancini.  (The composer died in 1994 while the director enjoyed retirement until passing away in 2010.)  Herbert Lom, Burt Kwouk, Graham Stark, and Claudia Cardinale all returned from previous installments as Edwards attempted to recapture the old magic.  In large part, that magic was conjured by Mancini.  He tapped "Don't Worry, Be Happy" hitmaker to give the famous theme an a cappella spin, and joined frequent collaborator Leslie Bricusse to pen the rousing if tongue-in-cheek anthem "God Bless Clouseau."  Mancini naturally gave Benigni's character of Jacques Gambrelli his own spirited, classical-inspired motif evoking the character's haplessness; elsewhere, he delivered the expected romantic melodies along with cues of straightforward action and drama.  The main portion of the score totals 26 tracks, besting the fourteen from the original soundtrack album, and four bonuses have also been included, among them two re-recorded album versions, "God Bless Clouseau," and the marching band "Samba de Jacques."  Son of the Pink Panther failed to reignite the series, but proved a fitting conclusion to the remarkable careers of longtime collaborators Edwards and Mancini.  The Pink Panther would return in 2006 for two more movies starring Steve Martin as Clouseau, and today, a live-action/animated version featuring the titular Panther is in the works, to be produced by Edwards' widow, Julie Andrews.

Quartet's release, housed in a double jewel case, is beautifully designed.  It features a 24-page booklet with new liner notes by historian John Takis plus photos, stills, and memorabilia from all three films.  Producers Jose M. Benitez and Chris Malone have overseen the splendid audio, restored and remastered by Malone.  It all makes for the definitive survey of Henry Mancini's music for these zany comedies.  Though none of these films scaled the heights of the earlier entries in the series, they all still tickle the funny bone and stir nostalgic emotions.  With this release, every one of the Pink Panther movies has had an official soundtrack release other than 1964's A Shot in the Dark; hopefully Quartet can untangle the issues related to that score in the near future.  In the meantime, the stellar Final Chapters Collection is available now from Quartet Records at the link below.

Henry Mancini, Blake Edwards' The Pink Panther: Final Chapters Collection (Quartet QR474, 2021)

CD 1: Trail of the Pink Panther

1. Main Title
2. Salute to Balls
3. The Bagman
4. Scotland Yard
5. In a Mist
6. The Message
7. One on One
8. The Easy Life in Paris No. 1
9. Bruno's Tune
10. TV News Theme
11. Break In
12. Son of One on One
13. The Easy Life in Paris No. 2
14. Bruno's Theme
15. Swine Rabbit
16. Family History
17. German Invasion
18. The End of Clouseau?
19. End Credits

Bonus Tracks

20. Strum Chord
21. Twist
22. Martha: M'Appari Tutt'Amor (Friedrich Von Flotow/Arranged by Henry Mancini)
23. Trail of the Pink Panther (The Pink Panther Theme)
24. The Easy Life in Paris (Album Version)

CD 2: Curse of the Pink Panther

1. Main Title
2. First Shoot
3. The Plan
4. Watching the Tube
5. Clifton Sleigh Theme
6. Bruno's Theme
7. First Hit/Second Hit
8. The Clouseau Museum
9. Third Hit
10. Where Are We?
11. Fourth Hit
12. Sidewalk Café
13. Son of Sidewalk Café
14. The Registration
15. Chong Chops
16. Fiesta
17. Brass Band Ole
18. Viva Valencia
19. Sevillians
20. Chong Chops II
21. Cliff and Dishy
22. Shooting Galleries
23. End Title (The Pink Panther Theme)

Bonus Tracks

24. Main Title (Alternate Version)
25. The Plan (Alternate Version)
26. Fiesta (Instrumental)
27. Sevillians (Alternate Version)
28. Bullfight

CD 3: Son of the Pink Panther

1. The Pink Panther Theme (Film Version) - Bobby McFerrin
2. Son of the Pink Panther
3. The Snatch, Part I
4. The Snatch, Part II
5. Piano Source
6. Visit to the Hospital
7. The Bike Chase
8. The Dreamy Princess
9. Looking for a Doctor
10. The King Palace
11. Rendezvous with Cato, Part I
12. The Dreamy Princess, Part I
13. Now Where Was I?
14. The Dreamy Princess, Part II
15. Attempted Murder
16. Mama and Dreyfus
17. Rendezvous with Cato, Part II
18. Chinese Source
19. A Change of Plans
20. Jump!
21. Belly Up
22. Belly Down
23. Riot at Omar's
24. The Show Down
25. Wedding March/The Ceremony/Drums and Bugles
26. The Pink Panther Theme (End Credits)
27. Mama and Dreyfus (Album Version)
28. God Bless Clouseau
29. Samba de Jacques
30. The Pink Panther Theme (Album Version) - Bobby McFerrin