Inspector Clouseau (film)

Inspector Clouseau is a 1968 United Artists feature film, the third in the popular Pink Panther movie series. It was directed by Bud Yorkin, written by Frank Waldman and Tom Waldman and stars Alan Arkin, who replaced Peter Sellers – Sellers had declined to return to play the lead role of Inspector Jacques Clouseau.

The film was the last to feature Clouseau until 1975's The Return of the Pink Panther. Costume design and elements of Arkin's performance were retained when Sellers took back the role for Return. Frank Waldman and Tom Waldman also make their debut writing the series. Frank Waldman would co-write The Return of the Pink Panther, The Pink Panther Strikes Again, Revenge of the Pink Panther, and Trail of the Pink Panther. Tom Waldman would co-write Trail with Frank.

Inspector Clouseau does not feature Sellers, was not directed by Blake Edwards, and did not have a score by Henry Mancini. All three were involved at that time with the film The Party. The Mirisch Company wanted to proceed with this movie, so when Sellers and Edwards declined to participate, Mirisch decided to proceed without them. The film languished in obscurity and although it has been released to home video on VHS and DVD, was not included in 2004's Pink Panther Collection but was later added to the Ultimate collection released in 2008.

Plot

An organized crime wave strikes across Europe. Suspecting a mole within Scotland Yard, the Prime Minister brings Clouseau in to solve the case. Clouseau foils two assassination attempts but is accidentally kidnapped. The gang use him to make a face mask. Later, they use their Clouseau masks to commit a series of daring bank robberies across Europe. Eventually, Clouseau foils the plot and unmasks the traitor within the Yard.

Cast

• Alan Arkin as Inspector Jacques Clouseau
• Frank Finlay as Supt. Weaver
• Delia Boccardo as Lt. Lisa Morrel
• Patrick Cargill as Commissioner Sir Charles Braithwaite
• Beryl Reid as Mrs. Weaver
• Barry Foster as Addison Steele
• Clive Francis as Clyde Hargreaves (aka "Johnny Rainbow")
• John Bindon as Bull Parker
• Michael Ripper as Frey
• Tutte Lemkow as Frenchie LeBec
• Anthony Ainley as Bomber LeBec
• Wallas Eaton as Hoeffler
• David Bauer as Police Chief Geffrion
• Richard Pearson as Shockley
• George Pravda as Wulf

Cast notes:

• Alan Arkin not only played Inspector Clouseau, he played the members of the gang whenever they were disguised as Inspector Clouseau, with the other actors' voices dubbed onto the soundtrack.

Animated Opeing Credits

The animated opening credits were done by DePatie-Freleng, using their character design of The Inspector from the series of short cartoons under that title. (De-Patie Freleng also animated the Pink Panther cartoon shorts, as well as the opening credit sequences for most of the Edwards-Sellers films.)

Notes

• In the scene where Clouseau is being chased through the cemetery after falling in the plot and disrupting the funeral, you can see a sign on a cross in the lower right part of the screen for a few seconds. The sign reads "Reposite En Pace: Norman Lear, 1903-1962". Norman Lear was director Bud Yorkin's partner in Tandem Productions in the early '60s, and would collaborate with Yorkin for many years on television shows as All in the Family and Sanford and Son.
• Location scenes for Inspector Clouseau were shot in Europe.

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