The Pink Panther

The first comedic caper to feature Peter Sellers as Inspector Jacques Clouseau pits the riotously incompetent French detective against a gentleman thief known as “The Phantom” (David Niven), who has his eye on both the priceless Pink Panther diamond and Clouseau’s beautiful wife (Capucine). Aided by director Blake Edwards’s peerless eye for slapstick, this comedic smash inaugurated decades of sequels and reboots, featured an Oscar-nominated score by Henry Mancini (including his instantly recognizable “The Pink Panther Theme”), and introduced the beloved animated mascot who went on to star in his own series of cartoon shorts.