Blake Edwards and the Legacy of 'The Pink Panther'

Blake Edwards died Wednesday at the age of 88 from complications of pneumonia. The writer/director/producer who gave the world "The Pink Panther" also gave us some of the most memorable characters: Inspector Jacques Clouseau, Holly Golightly ("Breakfast at Tiffany's") and Peter Gunn.

Blake Edwards also gave the modern movie era the original - and still best - farce. Visual comedy and dead-pan delivery make "The Pink Panther" one of my favorite comedy films of all time.

My first exposure to "The Pink Panther" was in cartoon form, since I wasn't born until 1965. I was in high school the first time I watched Blake Edwards' "The Pink Panther" and was hooked. I'm sure a lot of credit can be extended to Peter Sellers' amazing ability to play comedy so straight, but Edwards created a work of comic genius.

The visual comedy in "The Pink Panther" is a master-class of farce. I was awarded a part in our school play during my senior year - "Enter Pharaoh Nussbaum" - and I can still remember the films our director told us to emulate as guidance. "The Pink Panther" was at the top of the list, but Mrs. Reilly also mentioned "Airplane" in case we hadn't seen Edwards' classic. Looking back now, I can see the "Panther" influence in "Airplane," but it will always fall short.

Some of the scenes in "The Pink Panther" - even without Sellers' presence - are gut-busting funny. An officer dressed as a zebra drinks out of a punch bowl and Inspector Clouseau dressed in a suit of armor hits him and says "Any more behavior like this and I'll have your stripes!" There is absolutely no point to the short clip than humor.

Every time Sellers' Inspector Clouseau tries to get romantic with his wife, she's slides off of the bed. After David Niven tries to make time with the Inspector's wife, he barely escapes being caught by climbing out a window but falls off the balcony. In the very next scene, a group of people are talking and Niven walks out of the snow drift dressed in a bathrobe and obviously very cold. He gathers his dignity and says "Good evening" before simply walking away.

There have been many farce and satire films over the last 40 years that obviously try to recreate the magic that Blake Edwards created with "The Pink Panther". "Airplane" and "Police Academy" are funny, but they will never live up to the standard created by Edwards.