Buzz
During the early 1960s, filmmaker Blake Edwards conceived a heist film where a jewel thief engages in a romantic liaison with the spouse of the detective on his trail. However, the casting of Peter Sellers as the detective altered the course entirely. Edwards’s flair for comedy combined with Sellers’s transformative talent elevated the detective to the forefront, giving birth to the iconic Inspector Clouseau.
While its sequels often fell short, The Pink Panther remains widely celebrated as a timeless comedy masterpiece over five decades since its debut. To honor the endearingly clumsy inspector, here are 12 intriguing facts about the film.
1. DAVID NIVEN’S CHARACTER WAS ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO BE THE MAIN FOCUS.
Initially, Blake Edwards and co-author Maurice Richlin envisioned The Pink Panther as a tale "centered on a detective attempting to capture a jewel thief romantically involved with his wife." David Niven was selected to portray the charming thief, Sir Charles Lytton. However, when Peter Sellers joined as Inspector Jacques Clouseau, his improvisational comedy with Edwards significantly increased his role. By the film's completion, Clouseau had become the focal point, leaving Niven so disheartened that he asked for The Pink Panther theme to be omitted during his Academy Awards appearances in subsequent years.
2. PETER USTINOV AND AVA GARDNER WERE INITIALLY SELECTED.
While it’s difficult to picture anyone other than Sellers as Jacques Clouseau today, he wasn’t the first choice. Peter Ustinov was initially cast in the role, with Ava Gardner set to play Clouseau’s wife, Simone. After Gardner withdrew due to conflicts with the producers, Ustinov followed suit. With filming imminent, Capucine stepped in for Gardner, and Sellers replaced Ustinov.
3. AUDREY HEPBURN WAS THE TOP PICK FOR PRINCESS DALA.
For the role of Princess Dala, the enchanting owner of the Pink Panther jewel, Edwards first sought Audrey Hepburn, having collaborated with her on Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). Despite his efforts, Hepburn declined, leading to Claudia Cardinale being cast in the role.
4. PETER SELLERS EMBARKED ON A RISKY DIET FOR THE MOVIE.
Sellers, who had a naturally stocky build, aimed to improve his physique for the film, partly to compete with co-star Robert Wagner’s Hollywood charm. To achieve this, he consumed a significant quantity of diet pills to lose weight, a decision that may have played a role in the severe heart attacks he suffered between wrapping up filming and the release of The Pink Panther.
5. CLOUSEAU’S SLAPSTICK HUMOR WAS INSPIRED BY EDWARDS.
Though Sellers began his career in radio and excelled in verbal comedy, he aspired to incorporate physical humor into his portrayal of Clouseau. Despite lacking natural aptitude for slapstick, he drew inspiration from Edwards, whose own clumsiness became the foundation for the character’s comedic physicality.
"As a born Clouseau, I could easily imagine such mishaps happening to me. Throughout my life, I’ve managed to fracture nearly every bone in my body, and recounting these incidents often brings laughter," Edwards once remarked.
6. CLAUDIA CARDINALE’S VOICE WAS OVERDUBBED.
Despite being a prominent Italian actress at the time, Cardinale struggled with English. As a result, her voice was overdubbed by Canadian actress Gale Garnett.
7. NIVEN EXPERIENCED FROSTBITE DURING FILMING.
While preparing for the skiing scene with Princess Dala, Niven spent a day practicing on the slopes in his costume. Unfortunately, the outfit was too lightweight for the freezing conditions, leading to frostbite on what he referred to as his “pale blue acorn.” To avoid serious injury, he soaked the affected area in whiskey until it regained warmth.
8. THE BUBBLE BATH SCENE CAUSED BURNS TO ROBERT WAGNER AND CAPUCINE.
In the bubble bath scene featuring Simone Clouseau and George Lytton, an industrial foaming agent was used to create excessive bubbles. The harsh chemicals caused skin burns and temporarily impaired Wagner’s vision during the underwater sequence.
9. THE SEQUEL WASN’T INITIALLY PLANNED AS A CLOUSEAU FILM.
The follow-up to The Pink Panther, titled A Shot in the Dark, was originally intended as an adaptation of a stage play, not a continuation of the Panther series. Sellers, committed to the project, grew dissatisfied with its direction and sought Edwards’s assistance, pleading, "I don’t like the whole set-up. Can’t you step in?" as Edwards later recounted.
After reviewing the script, Edwards agreed to take over on the condition that he could rewrite it to feature Clouseau. Sellers consented and facilitated Edwards’s appointment as director, while Edwards and William Peter Blatty (The Exorcist) revamped the screenplay into a Clouseau-centric comedy.
10. SELLERS RESISTED MAKING A THIRD INSTALLMENT.
Executive producer Walter Mirisch revealed that Sellers “actively” disliked A Shot in the Dark, but its success prompted the Mirisch Company to continue the Clouseau series. Sellers refused to reprise his role, leading to the production of Inspector Clouseau (1968) starring Alan Arkin, without Edwards’s involvement. The film underperformed, and by 1975, Sellers and Edwards reunited for The Return of the Pink Panther. Despite Sellers’s reluctance and a strained relationship with Edwards, financial necessity drove his return. Two additional films, The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976) and Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978), were made before Sellers’s passing in 1980.
11. FOUR ACTORS HAVE PORTRAYED CLOUSEAU.
Following Sellers’s death, Edwards created Trail of the Pink Panther (1982) using archived footage of Sellers. The series continued with Curse of the Pink Panther (1983), where Clouseau made a brief cameo, played by Roger Moore (explained as Clouseau undergoing plastic surgery). These films struggled at the box office, leading to a hiatus until Son of the Pink Panther in 1993, featuring Roberto Benigni as Clouseau’s illegitimate son. In 2006, Steve Martin took on the role in a remake, which inspired a sequel in 2009.
12. THE PINK PANTHER CARTOON BECAME A PHENOMENON.
While the “Pink Panther” in the film’s title refers to the central jewel, the animated panther from the opening credits evolved into a cultural icon. Beyond introducing the series, he starred in animated shorts starting in 1964, headlined two TV series, and even had his own comic book.
Additional References: The Pink Panther Story, 2003
