The Inspector

The Inspector is a series of theatrical cartoons produced between 1965 and 1969 by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises and released through United Artists. The title character is based on Inspector Jacques Clouseau, a comical French police officer who is the protagonist in The Pink Panther series of films.[1]

This article is about the DePatie-Freleng animated series. For other uses, see Inspector (disambiguation). For the 1962 feature film starring Stephen Boyd and Dolores Hart, see The Inspector (1962 film). For the 2010s Litton Entertainment live-action series, see The Inspectors.
The Inspector And Baby Lola
Title card
Voices ofPat Harrington Jr.
Paul Frees
Don Messick
Larry Storch
Marvin Miller
Britt Mckillip
Mark Skor
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of episodes34 (list of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)David H. DePatie
Friz Freleng
Running time5–6 minutes
Production company(s)DePatie–Freleng Enterprises
Release
Original releaseDecember 21, 1965 (1965-12-21) –
May 14, 1969 (1969-05-14)

Plot

In contrast to the live-action Inspector Clouseau, who is often portrayed as completely inept, the cartoon Inspector, while prone to bad judgement and bad luck, was generally competent. Much of the humor came from the often surreal villains and situations to whom the Inspector was exposed, with a healthy dose of stylized cartoon slapstick. Through these difficult circumstances, criminals often get the better of him and he must face the wrath of his blustery, ill-tempered Commissioner (based on Herbert Lom's Commissioner Dreyfus) who holds him in well-deserved contempt.[2]

In the majority of the cartoons, the Inspector usually tells his young assistant, Sergeant Deux-Deux, whenever Deux-Deux says "Sí",: "Don't say 'Sí', say 'Oui'", to which Deux-Deux would reply "Sí, I mean 'Oui'". In Reaux, Reaux, Reaux Your Boat, Deux-Deux was advised not to say "Oui-sick", but "Seasick" (actually "Sí-sick"). In Cock-A-Doodle Deux Deux, the Inspector ordered Deux-Deux not to say "señor", say "monsieur". At a time of panic, Deux-Deux exclaims, "¡Holy frijoles!", meaning "Holy beans!". Sometimes, Deux-Deux ends up as the winner, when he arrests the culprit, usually without much of a struggle, as in The Pique Poquette of Paris and Ape Suzette.

While both characters bore the brunt of the slapstick, a sense of dedication to the police force and repeated attempts would achieve mixed success, as the Inspector and Deux-Deux would generally either apprehend the wanted criminal or recover the item assigned to them.

Production

Pat Harrington Jr. provided voices for both the Inspector as well as his young assistant, the Barcelona-born Spanish gendarme Deux-Deux (pronounced "Du-Du"), a common French nickname for Eduard/Eduardo. The frustrated Commissioner was voiced primarily by Paul Frees. Larry Storch, Marvin Miller and Mark Skor also alternated providing the Commissioner's voice.[2] Miller also assumed the role of both the Inspector and Sgt. Deux-Deux in the wraparound bumpers produced for the inaugural season of The Pink Panther Show.[2]

The first entry in the series, The Great De Gaulle Stone Operation, preceded screenings of the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball.

While the Inspector character design remained basically the same throughout the DePatie–Freleng shorts, and was used in the opening credit sequence of the 1968 live-action film Inspector Clouseau (with Alan Arkin as Clouseau), the Inspector featured in the opening titles of later Pink Panther features beginning in the 1970s, changed dramatically to resemble Sellers, and then Steve Martin in the 2006 reboot of the series.[2]

The theme music heard during the titles of the cartoon was the instrumental "A Shot in the Dark" by Henry Mancini, from the 1964 feature film of the same name (the second entry in the Pink Panther film series). Additional music in the cartoons was composed initially by William Lava, then by Walter Greene. Two shorts had their own unique version of the theme music, Napoleon Blown-Aparte and Cock-A-Doodle Deux Deux.[2]

17 entries made their television debut during the inaugural season (1969–1970) of The Pink Panther Show, featuring shorter opening titles (minus credits).[2] The remaining 17 entries appeared during the show's second season with complete theatrical opening titles.[2]

List of shorts

1965
# Title Date Director Story Synopsis Notes
01 The Great De Gaulle Stone Operation December 21, 1965 Friz Freleng John W. Dunn The Inspector is determined to retrieve the famous DeGaulle diamond from the three-headed jewel thief, the Matzoriley Brothers, who are attempting to steal it. This cartoon was released on the same day that the 1965 TV special adaptation of the popular ballet The Nutcracker, was broadcast. Some versions of the cartoon replace the original music with music from the ballet. This is also the first cartoon in the Inspector cartoon series. This cartoon was originally released in theaters with the fourth James Bond film Thunderball during its original theatrical run.

1966
# Title Date Director Story Synopsis Notes
02 Reaux, Reaux, Reaux Your Boat February 1, 1966 Gerry Chiniquy John W. Dunn The Inspector is after the notorious smuggler Captain Clamity and his first mate Crab Louie. In their various attempts to board Clamity's ship, the pair's rowboats are broken in two by the criminals in various ways, causing the Inspector's portion of the boat to sink into the ocean along with him, while Deux-Deux's half stays afloat. The Commissioner does not appear.
03 Napoleon Blown-Aparte February 2, 1966 Gerry Chiniquy John W. Dunn The Mad Bomber escapes from Le Prison and swears vengeance on the Commissioner for imprisoning him there. The Commissioner assigns the Inspector to protect him, but being the bumbling idiot that he is, the Inspector continually fails to prevent his boss from being blown up with an endless number of bombs at the Mad Bomber's disposal. An alternative rendition of The Inspector theme, "A Shot in the Dark", is featured during the credits. Final cartoon to feature Larry Storch as the voice of the Commissioner.
04 Cirrhosis of the Louvre March 9, 1966 Gerry Chiniquy John W. Dunn The insidious criminal known as the Blotch plans to steal all the paintings from the Louvre and the Inspector and Deux-Deux arrive in an attempt to foil his plot. First cartoon to feature Paul Frees as the voice of the Commissioner.
05 Plastered in Paris April 5, 1966 Gerry Chiniquy John W. Dunn The Inspector and Deux-Deux are assigned to chase a supposed fugitive known as "X" across the globe.
06 Cock-A-Doodle Deux Deux June 15, 1966 Robert McKimson Michael O'Connor The largest diamond in the world, the Plymouth Rock, has been stolen from Madame Marquise de Poule Bon at her chateau and the Inspector is assigned to solve the case. After finding that Madame de Poule Bon was a chicken plucker in her past, he investigates the chateau, only to find out that Madame's servants are all chickens and he must deduce which one could have pulled off the theft. An alternative rendition of The Inspector theme "A Shot in the Dark" is featured during the credits. Final cartoon to be scored by William Lava.
07 Ape Suzette June 24, 1966 Gerry Chiniquy John W. Dunn While investigating the theft of a shipment of bananas, the Inspector thinks that he is fighting a diminutive sailor, but the sailor's gorilla accomplice gets in all the punches. Thankfully, Deux Deux manages to get the sailor to talk with his self-defense skills taught to him by the Inspector earlier on. First cartoon to be scored by Walter Greene. The Commissioner does not appear.
08 The Pique Poquette of Paris August 25, 1966 George Singer John W. Dunn The Inspector goes after Spider Pierre, an expert multi-armed pickpocket. The Commissioner does not appear.
09 Sicque! Sicque! Sicque! September 23, 1966 George Singer John W. Dunn During an investigation at the Château de Vincennes, Sergeant Deux-Deux clumsily drinks a swig of the formula of a mad scientist and, from then on, transforms at infrequent intervals into a Mr. Hyde-like creature who, in routines, torments and attacks the Inspector (who has no idea that the creature is actually Deux-Deux) upon every transformation. The Commissioner does not appear.
10 That's No Lady — That's Notre Dame! October 26, 1966 George Singer John W. Dunn Trying to catch a purse snatcher, the Inspector sets up a sting operation by disguising himself as a woman and soon falls afoul of the Commissioner's jealous wife.
11 Unsafe and Seine November 9, 1966 George Singer John W. Dunn The Inspector and Deux-Deux go across the world on an undercover search for a secret agent.
12 Toulouse La Trick December 30, 1966 Robert McKimson John W. Dunn The Inspector handcuffs himself to notorious desperado Toulouse le Moose to prevent Toulouse from escaping, but it causes problems on the way to the station. Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear.

1967
# Title Date Director Story Synopsis Notes
13 Sacré Bleu Cross February 1, 1967 Gerry Chiniquy John W. Dunn When the Inspector and Deux-Deux go after the trigger-happy criminal Hassan the Assassin, Deux-Deux gives the Inspector a rabbit's foot that he claims will bring good luck to him (given that it happens to be Friday the 13th), but unfortunately for the Inspector, it does the exact opposite. The Commissioner does not appear.
14 Le Quiet Squad May 17, 1967 Robert McKimson Jim Ryan The Commissioner is overworked and needs absolute quiet, or he goes into uncontrolled fits of temper. The Inspector is assigned to look after him, but has trouble with a noisy cat that poses a threat to the Commissioner's calmness. Sgt. Deux-Deux does not appear.
15 Bomb Voyage May 22, 1967 Robert McKimson Tony Benedict The Commissioner is kidnapped by extraterrestrials and the Inspector goes to rescue him. Music score is set to Ottorino Respighi's Pines of Rome.
16 Le Pig-Al Patrol May 24, 1967 Gerry Chiniquy Jim Ryan The Inspector is sent after biker Pig-Al and his biker gang. Sgt. Deux-Deux does not appear.
17 Le Bowser Bagger May 30, 1967 Gerry Chiniquy Jim Ryan The Inspector is partnered with Private Bowser, a very energetic police dog, in his efforts to track down a thief. First cartoon to feature Marvin Miller as the voice of the Commissioner. Sgt. Deux-Deux does not appear.
18 Le Escape Goat June 29, 1967 Gerry Chiniquy Jim Ryan After being suspended for letting notorious criminal Louie le Finke escape, the Inspector tries to stop Louie from carrying out his threats of taking vengeance on the Commissioner, but ends up becoming part of the manhunt himself when, due to a series of misunderstandings, the Commissioner thinks the Inspector is trying to exact revenge on him for giving him the suspension. Final cartoon to feature Paul Frees as the voice of the Commissioner. Sgt. Deux-Deux does not appear.
19 Le Cop on Le Rocks July 3, 1967 George Singer Jim Ryan The Inspector is sent to prison, having been mistaken for a bank robber who looks exactly like him. He soon realizes that his backfiring attempts to escape add even more years to his sentence. Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear.
20 Crow De Guerre August 16, 1967 Gerry Chiniquy John W. Dunn The Inspector is continually outwitted by a crow that steals jewels. Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear.
21 Canadian Can-Can September 20, 1967 Gerry Chiniquy John W. Dunn Sent to Canada on an exchange program, the Inspector is sent after Two-Faced Harry, who has a well-mannered, innocent face on one side of his head and an evil, vicious face on the other side. Only cartoon to feature Mark Skor as the voice of the Commissioner. Sgt. Deux-Deux does not appear.
22 Tour de Farce October 25, 1967 Gerry Chiniquy Jim Ryan The Inspector is assigned to drop off burly convict Mack le Truck at the Devil's Island prison, but through his own mistake, they both end up stranded on a deserted island. Mack attempts to kill him in retaliation, which results in both of them squaring off against one another on the island in various ways. Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear.
23 The Shooting of Caribou Lou December 20, 1967 Gerry Chiniquy John W. Dunn On holiday in Canada as a Mountie, the Inspector is kidnapped by the diminutive, yet aggressive fur trapper, Caribou Lou, who holds him hostage. Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear.

1968
# Title Date Director Story Synopsis Notes
24 London Derriere February 7, 1968 Gerry Chiniquy Jim Ryan Having chased international jewel thief Louie le Swipe around Europe, the Inspector tries to nab him in London. Unfortunately, he runs afoul of the no-gun laws that the U.K.'s police must abide by. He works alongside a British police captain from Scotland Yard in order to bring Louie to justice. Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear.
25 Les Miserobots March 21, 1968 Gerry Chiniquy Jim Ryan The Inspector is fired after being replaced by an efficient police robot. He tries to destroy it so he can get his job back, but his attempts backfire. Sgt. Deux-Deux does not appear.
26 Transylvania Mania March 26, 1968 Gerry Chiniquy John W. Dunn The Inspector is sent to find a scientist who is making monsters without a license. The scientist is a vampire, who needs a brain for his latest monster, and the Inspector arrives at just the right moment. He bests the scientist and his dimwitted, brawny accomplice, Urg, with the use of magic words that enlarge and shrink their targets. Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear.
27 Bear De Guerre April 26, 1968 Gerry Chiniquy Jim Ryan The Inspector goes quail hunting in a forest (despite it being against the forest's policies), but runs afoul of a short-tempered brown bear who thinks he is being hunted. Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear.
28 Cherche Le Phantom June 13, 1968 Gerry Chiniquy Tony Benedict The Inspector attempts to solve two cases at once – he searches for a gorilla that has escaped from the Paris Zoo and a phantom hiding in the Paris opera house.
29 Le Great Dane Robbery July 7, 1968 Gerry Chiniquy Jim Ryan The Inspector must get past a vicious dog named Tiny in order to retrieve a code cipher stolen from a French intelligence unit. Moreover, the Inspector is not happy that this assignment came right before his scheduled vacation on a sea cruise and, as a result, pours on the effort so as not to miss the boat. Sgt. Deux-Deux does not appear.
30 Le Ball and Chain Gang July 24, 1968 Gerry Chiniquy Jim Ryan The Inspector tries to get into the house of an argumentative couple named Charlie and Edna, who think they are about to be arrested, when all the Inspector was trying to do was to notify Charlie that he is to serve jury duty. Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear.
31 La Feet's Defeat July 24, 1968 Gerry Chiniquy Jim Ryan The Commissioner assigns the Inspector and Deux-Deux to capture Muddy la Feet. They encounter many booby traps along the way, which Deux-Deux sets off. Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner's final appearances. Sgt. Deux-Deux appears as a much younger and more naive version than in other shorts and is voiced by Don Messick instead of Pat Harrington, Jr.

1969
# Title Date Director Story Synopsis Notes
32 French Freud January 22, 1969 Gerry Chiniquy Jack Miller A crooked Russian actress, Melody Mercurochrome and her "maid" — her husband in drag, who is also a psychiatrist — are trying to snatch the Du Barry diamond, which the Inspector is guarding. Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear.
33 Pierre and Cottage Cheese February 26, 1969 Gerry Chiniquy John W. Dunn The Inspector is assigned to meet a Chinese special agent outside an abandoned house, who will help him capture criminal Dirty Pierre le Punk, who is allegedly hiding out in the house. The agent is a Chinese robot by the name of Charlie, who gives the Inspector ideas (that always fail) to catch Pierre. It is later revealed that the robot is actually Pierre in disguise, and when the real Chinese agent arrives to meet the Inspector, he is chased into the horizon by a furious Inspector. Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear.
34 Carte Blanched May 14, 1969 Gerry Chiniquy David Detiege The Inspector ends up on the run from the law when a malignant voiceover convinces him that he has accidentally stolen a shopping cart from his local supermarket. Sgt. Deux-Deux and the Commissioner do not appear.

Voices
  • Pat Harrington Jr. – The Inspector, Sergeant Deux-Deux (except for La Feet’s Defeat)
  • Paul Frees – The Commissioner (1966–1967)
  • Don Messick – Sergeant Deux-Deux (1968) (La Feet’s Defeat)
  • Larry Storch – The Commissioner (1965–1966) (The Great DeGaulle Stone Operation, Napoleon Blown-Aparte)
  • Marvin Miller – The Commissioner (1967, 1968–1969), The Inspector (The Pink Panther Show)
  • Mark Skor – The Commissioner (1967) (Canadian Can-Can)

Home video

A DVD containing the first 17 shorts was released on March 4, 2008 from MGM Home Entertainment/20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

A DVD set titled Pink Panther and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection released on January 27, 2009 by MGM Home Entertainment contains the previously-released set of the first 17 shorts and a second set of the last 17 shorts.

The first season of The Pink Panther is available for viewing on Amazon Video in the United States.[3]

On April 26, 2016, Kino Lorber released The Inspector: The DePatie-Freleng Collection on DVD and Blu-ray. This 2-disc set collects the 34 Inspector shorts (the first 17 on disc 1 and the last 17 on disc 2), along with retrospective featurettes focusing on DePatie-Freling Enterprises.[4]

Revival

The Inspector was revived in 1993 for the syndicated series, The Pink Panther, voiced by Brian George. The Inspector often works alongside the Pink Panther when he is depicted in law enforcement.[2]

References
  1. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 95. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  2. Beck, Jerry (2006). Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide to the Coolest Cat in Town. New York, New York: Dorling Kindersley, Ltd. ISBN 0-7566-1033-8.
  3. amazon.com The Pink Panther Show – Season 1 at Amazon Video
  4. http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Inspector-Blu-ray/133755/#Review
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