# Why are the Pink Panther movies inconsistent? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 9, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-pink-panther-movies-inconsistent/160152 "2003-03-09T21:48:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-pink-panther-movies-inconsistent/160152/1 "2003-03-09T21:48:16Z")
My girlfriend and I rented **The Pink Panther Returns** a few weeks ago–admittedly, we should have started with the original, but this was the only one on the shelf. Last night, we watched the original **Pink Panther**. Not bad, but we couldn’t understand why the plots of the two films were inconsistent. In the original, Sir Charles is vindicated of the accusation of being the Phantom, and Clouseau is implicated and hauled off to prision instead. In **Returns** , the film starts with Clouseau recognized as the man who beat Sir Charles (a much younger man who, incidentally, has suddenly turned into Christopher Plummer), clearly known to have been the Phantom. Also, Clouseau clearly doesn’t recognize his ex-wife in **Returns** , unless I have my facts wrong and they’re blatantly two different ladies. So what’s the catch? Is there a film set in-between that we missed, or did the writers just decide to ignore the original film’s plot? ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2003, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-pink-panther-movies-inconsistent/160152/2 "2003-03-09T22:23:12Z")
Crap, lost my post. There was “A Shot in the Dark”, theone where he goes to a nudist camp but that wont help you. They reworked the premise between the movies. A few times I think. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-pink-panther-movies-inconsistent/160152/3 "2003-03-09T22:34:45Z")
Here’s a list, see the big gap between 2 & 3. The Pink Panther - 1964 A Shot in the Dark - 1964 The Return of the Pink Panther - 1975 The Pink Panther Strikes Again - 1976 Revenge of the Pink Panther - 1978 Trail of the Pink Panther - 1982 (this is the one where Sellers died and the reworked the film. Terrible) There’s also Inspecter Clouseau - 1968 (without the people who made it the Pink Panther.) Curse of the Pink Panther - 1983 (or is this the one that I hated so much, rather then Trail? Or both?) Son of the Pink Panther - 1993 (I think they wanted to make sure the series was really dead. Stake through heart.) I think that’s all. Stop at Revenge. Heh, kinda like Revenge of the Jedi or Revenge of Khan. ---
**Author:** ![SnugTheJoiner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@SnugTheJoiner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnugTheJoiner)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-pink-panther-movies-inconsistent/160152/4 "2003-03-10T07:54:25Z")
Remember how in the beginning of every Pepe Le Pew cartoon, the pussycat would get a white stripe of paint down her back? And remember how Pepe would see her and mistake her for a female skunk and try to make love to her? And remember how–even though this had obviously happened to them many times before–they always acted as though this was the first time they had ever found themselves in this situation? The PINK PANTHER movies display the same sort of logical inconsistency because–let’s face it–they are basically live-action cartoons. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-pink-panther-movies-inconsistent/160152/5 "2003-03-10T13:38:20Z")
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds.” In other words, why exactly does this matter? ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-pink-panther-movies-inconsistent/160152/6 "2003-03-10T14:01:41Z")
My intent isn’t to nitpick. It’s just that we were severely confused between the two movies and wondered if we missed a film that explained the gaps. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-pink-panther-movies-inconsistent/160152/7 "2003-03-10T15:17:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SnugTheJoiner \* > Remember how in the beginning of every Pepe Le Pew cartoon, the pussycat would get a white stripe of paint down her back? And remember how Pepe would see her and mistake her for a female skunk and try to make love to her? And remember how–even though this had obviously happened to them many times before–they always acted as though this was the first time they had ever found themselves in this situation? Well, geez, it wasn’t the same cat every time. That would make no sense at all! ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-pink-panther-movies-inconsistent/160152/8 "2003-03-10T19:07:57Z")
[Hijack] I used to have a porno (With a guess appearance by Nina Hartley) called **The Pink Panties** and the lead character was Inspector Cliteau[/Hijack] Please return to your normal thread. E3 ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-pink-panther-movies-inconsistent/160152/9 "2003-03-10T19:09:23Z")
~sigh~ I meant a _guest_ appearance, of course. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-pink-panther-movies-inconsistent/160152/10 "2003-03-10T19:22:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ResIpsaLoquitor \* > \*\*My intent isn’t to nitpick. It’s just that we were severely confused between the two movies and wondered if we missed a film that explained the gaps. \*\* Try not thinking of the second movie being a sequel of the first. As stated above: they’re live-action cartoons.