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The Clouseau Museum: Quartet Collects Henry Mancini's Final Three "Pink Panther" Scores in New Box

January 18, 2022 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

The Pink Panther The Final Chapters Collection

BUY NOW FROM QUARTET RECORDS

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

  1. Strum Chord
  2. Twist
  3. Martha: M'Appari Tutt'Amor (Friedrich Von Flotow/Arranged by Henry Mancini)
  4. Trail of the Pink Panther (The Pink Panther Theme)
  5. 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

  1. Main Title (Alternate Version)
  2. The Plan (Alternate Version)
  3. Fiesta (Instrumental)
  4. Sevillians (Alternate Version)
  5. 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

Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Soundtracks Tags: Blake Edwards, Henry Mancini

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

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