Think “Pink.” It’s the 100th anniversary of Henry Mancini’s birth.
Like any great film composer, Mancini always knew just how to set the tone – as demonstrated at the links below.
Musical hook for grappling hook
Perambulating with pachyderms
Sunday night by flashlight
Early morning elegance
Gunning for Blake Edwards
“CBS Sunday Morning” salute (featuring John Williams)
Mancini medley led by the Master
Thanks, Hank. You helped make it a great age.
Uproarious set-pieces? Check.
Apocalyptic slapstick? Check.
Outrageous disguises? Check.
Puerile schtick? Check.
Hoary punchlines? Check.
Inappropriate humor? Check.
Over-the-top accents? Mais oui!
Roy and I discuss the most flamboyant of the Inspector Clouseau films, “The Pink Panther Strikes Again” (1976). Former Chief Inspector Dreyfus goes to insane lengths to eliminate his bumbling nemesis, ramping up the violence and destruction and throwing the door open to the broadest of gags.
Some may regard the humor as dated, but it’s still funny as hell. If we’re not laughing, we’re crying or fighting. Personally, I’d rather laugh.
Here’s last night’s conversation on Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner.
This Friday, Roy’s special guest will be filmmaker Jeffrey Morris, who’s now deep into his “Space: 1999” documentary focusing on the Eagle.
There may be one or two other interviews during the month of August, but in all likelihood Roy and I won’t reunite (on the show, anyway) until September for our jaw-dropping 200th episode.
In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your summer!
Happy birthday, Henry Mancini (1924-1994)!
“The Pink Panther” theme
“A Shot in the Dark”
Inspector Clouseau Theme (“The Pink Panther Stikes Again”)
Audrey Hepburn sings “Moon River” (from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOByH_iOn88
Baby Elephant Walk (from “Hatari”)
Main title from “Charade”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teRRczT0U5Q
Theme from “Peter Gunn”
More about Mancini — who wrote much beside these popular hits — here:
Aaron Copland (92) Beethoven (95) Composer (114) Film Music (120) Film Score (143) Film Scores (255) Halloween (94) John Williams (185) KWAX (229) Leonard Bernstein (100) Marlboro Music Festival (125) Movie Music (135) Opera (198) Philadelphia Orchestra (88) Picture Perfect (174) Princeton Symphony Orchestra (106) Radio (87) Ralph Vaughan Williams (85) Ross Amico (244) Roy's Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner (290) The Classical Network (101) The Lost Chord (268) Vaughan Williams (103) WPRB (396) WWFM (881)