The Pink Panther: how Peter Sellers stole the show from David Niven in the 1963 film
Sellers’ comic genius, an unforgettable theme tune and opening credits so charming their animated protagonist was awarded its own series transformed the movie into an enduring classic
Although the many sequels to 1963’s The Pink Panther featured Peter Sellers’ bungling Inspector Jacques Clouseau as the lead character, the original film was intended as a vehicle for the suave charms of aristocratic British actor David Niven.
While Sellers doesn’t appear much in the first half of the film, the second half is overwhelmed by his unique brand of surreal humour. The British actor proved so hilarious in his supporting role as Clouseau, he stole the show from Niven, and a sequel to the film focusing on the detective went into production before the original was released.
Directed by Blake Edwards, who was riding high after hitting it big with 1961’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Pink Panther was envisaged as a light caper in the vein of Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief (1955). Niven plays Sir Charles Lytton, aka the Phantom, an elusive thief out to steal a prize jewel – the “Pink Panther” of the title – from a naive princess (Claudia Cardinale).
Little does he know that French detective Inspector Clouseau is on the scene to catch him in the act and reveal the Phantom’s identity. The problem is that Clouseau, who regards himself as a detective genius, is hopelessly inept and accident prone. Cue lots of laughs.
Much of Clouseau’s character was invented by Sellers. The actor chose the inspector’s signature hat and raincoat – his “Scotland Yard” raincoat, as Clouseau calls it – and provided the broken English diction from a repertoire of funny voices he developed on the popular British radio series The Goons.