comedy genius worth its weight in diamonds

The Pink Panther movies are classic comedies. I watched them as a kid, and I still remember some of the classic scenes. I could just keep watching them over and over, but I didn’t realize there was so much drama behind the scenes. If you read the stories behind the films, you will see there was far more happening behind the cameras than on them.

The original idea for a slapstick crime caper came from Blake Edwards and Maurice Richlin, but it was Peter Sellers who brought the French policeman Inspector Jacques Clouseau to life. His investigation of the theft of the most famous diamond, The Pink Panther, is the basic plot of many of the movies, but it is Sellers’ special brand of physical comedy and his goofy accent that made an impact with audiences.

But off-camera, the stories weren’t all so heart-warming. Some are, especially in the early days. Director Edwards and Sellers would ruin entire scenes with their laughing. Or Sellers would start his fellow actors giggling, and they would have to postpone a scene until they could get themselves back under control. Edwards once laughed so hard he fell off the camera dolly.

But other times were dark. Sellers famously struggled with his mental health, and his use of alcohol and drugs would make that worse. There were arguments and times when Edwards and Sellers would only communicate by written notes slid under hotel room doors. But the results are hard to argue with. The Pink Panther movies of the 1960s and 1970s are comedic gold, with fans of all ages laughing at the antics of Clouseau.

The Real Pink Panther is the story of all of it. Author Robert Sellers takes readers from the idea of Inspector Clouseau through the Peter Sellers/Blake Edwards moves, on through the movies made after Sellers’s death. He interviewed costars and Hollywood insiders and took quotes and stories from articles and books. He includes how Blake Edwards met and later married Julie Andrews as well as Sellers’s marriages and famous girlfriends. And while some of the stories are dark, many of them are celebratory, about the laughs they had one set or about pranks and stunts on set that brought them all together.

I especially enjoyed the stories from Bert Kwouk. He played Cato in the movies, and Bert’s job was to keep Clouseau’s house for him and also attack him at random intervals so Clouseau could stay ready for a sneak attack. I always loves his scenes, and hearing him speak about working with Sellers was sweet and moving.

But all the stories put the Pink Panther movies into a larger perspective, and for me, that understanding made me appreciate them more. All the hard work and joy that went into them shows on the screen, and I think even many of the challenges made the films stronger and more creative. The mental health of Peter Sellers was a genuine tragedy, causing him a great deal of pain, and affecting those around him also. But the legacy of these films, and of the character of Inspector Clouseau, will endure. They are a celebration of modern slapstick, and The Real Pink Panther gives all the details.

Egalleys for The Real Pink Panther were provided by White Owl through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.