The Great De Gaulle Stone Operation

Last updated
The Great De Gaulle Stone Operation
The Great DeGaulle Stone Operation title.jpg
Directed by Friz Freleng
Co-director:
Gerry Chiniquy
Story by John W. Dunn
Produced by David DePatie
Friz Freleng
Starring Pat Harrington, Jr.
Larry Storch
Paul Frees
Music by William Lava
Henry Mancini
Animation by Manny Perez
Don Williams
Bob Matz
Warren Batchelder
Norm McCabe
George Grandpré
Layouts byT.M. Yakutis
Backgrounds byT.M. Yakutis
Color process DeLuxe
Production
company
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
December 21, 1965
Running time
7' 14"
Language English

The Great De Gaulle Stone Operation is the first short in the Inspector series of theatrical cartoons. A total of 34 entries were produced between 1965 and 1969. [1]

Contents

Plot

The Inspector has just tasked by the Commissioner to guard the De Gaulle Stone, an enormous diamond worth 10 billion francs. The Commissioner warns the Inspector of the dire consequences should he lose the diamond, but the Inspector manages to lose it in seconds, handing it to whom he thinks is his assistant, Sgt. Deux Deux, but is in fact a three-headed thief, the Matzoriley Brothers. The left (the Soviet Russian-accented "Weft") and right (the American-accented "Wight") heads argue about what to do next, and the apparently dim third head (the Chinese "Wong") tries to break up the fight, only to be clobbered by his brothers. The Inspector uses this chance to try to catch up with them, at which point they get into their car and drive away, flattening the Inspector in the process. Deux-Deux tries to pursue them himself, but he flattens the Inspector some more instead.

The Matzoriley Brothers are heading for their hideout when they see the Inspector chasing them. They shoot bullets at him, breaking his car and stripping him until he's wearing nothing but his Pink Panther underwear. The Inspector, however, remains in pursuit, undeterred; they transform their car into a flying machine and make their getaway, but not before dropping a bomb on the Inspector.

The Inspector is forced to man a plane of his own in order to pursue them. The crooks easily dispose of him with a giant fly-swatter however, and his plane crashes into the Sûreté building, destroying the Commissioner's office and earning the Inspector another ear-bashing. The trio manages to escape, but once back at their mansion, Wong discovers that their coat pocket has a hole in it, and they have managed to lose the diamond.

The Inspector returns the diamond to the Commissioner, and puts it in a safe. Unfortunately, the safe turns out to be the evil three in disguise. The Inspector and Deux-Deux pursue the thieves to a hotel, where the Inspector's attempts at catching them meet with a predictable lack of success. As the thieves barricade themselves inside a hotel room, the Inspector is shot in the eye through the keyhole from outside, but when he shows Deux-Deux what is coming through the keyhole, Deux-Deux begins whooping excitedly at what he sees (presumably Can-Can dancers). The Inspector takes a second look and is shot again. When the Inspector announces he will shoot at the count of three, the Matzoriley Brothers escape in their car, knocking down the door and flattening the Inspector, who fires a bullet that only drops to the ground.

The three are finally surrounded at their hideout by the Inspector, Deux-Deux, and a number of backup units. Realizing that they are finished, Wong places the diamond in a glass of water, within which it is inconspicuous. The Inspector, Deux-Deux, and the other officers break in, and apprehend the thieves. While the others search for the missing diamond, the Inspector decides to help himself to the nearby glass of water, and swallows the diamond in the process. He is then rushed to the hospital where the De Gaulle diamond is surgically removed and given to the assisting nurse, whom is actually the Matzoriley Brothers in disguise. The Inspector touches the area of the cut in his surgery, where the diamond was removed, and winces in pain, when he describes how he feels about the diamond escapade.

Production notes

The Great De Gaulle Stone Operation was released with the James Bond film Thunderball during its original theatrical run. The title is a parody of the medical condition gallstones as well as a reference to then-French President, Charles de Gaulle. [2]

The Matzoriley Brothers first appeared as unnamed characters in the opening credits of A Shot in the Dark, and were seen again in The Super 6 , another cartoon series produced in 1966 by Depatie-Freleng. They were referred to in the series as "The Brothers Matzoriley." [3]

The Pink Panther Show contained a laugh track when the Pink Panther cartoons were broadcast on NBC-TV. [2] Currently, the laugh-tracked version airs on the Spanish language Boomerang TV channel.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inspector Clouseau</span> Fictional character created by Blake Edwards

Inspector Jacques Clouseau, later granted the rank of Chief Inspector, is a fictional character in Blake Edwards' farcical The Pink Panther series. He is portrayed by Peter Sellers in the original series, and also by Alan Arkin in the 1968 film Inspector Clouseau and, in a cameo, by Roger Moore in the 1983 film Curse of the Pink Panther. In the 2006 reboot and its 2009 sequel, Clouseau is portrayed by Steve Martin. Clouseau's likeness also appears in the Pink Panther animated cartoon shorts and segments, where he is known as simply "the Inspector". More recent animated depictions from the 1970s onward were redesigned to more closely resemble Sellers, and later Martin.

The Pink Panther is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the film The Pink Panther in 1963. The role of Clouseau was originated by and is most closely associated with Peter Sellers. Most of the films were written and directed by Blake Edwards, with theme music composed by Henry Mancini. Elements and characters inspired by the films were adapted into other media, including books, comic books, video games and animated series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friz Freleng</span> American animator, cartoonist, director, and producer (1905–1995)

Isadore "Friz" Freleng, credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, director, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from the 1930s to the early 1960s. In total he created more than 300 cartoons.

DePatie–Freleng Enterprises was an American animation studio founded by former Warner Bros. Cartoons employees in May 1963, before dissolving in 1981. Based in Burbank, California, DFE produced animation for film and television.

<i>The Ant and the Aardvark</i> Series of theatrical short cartoons

The Ant and the Aardvark is a series of 17 theatrical short cartoons produced at DePatie–Freleng Enterprises and released by United Artists from 1969 to 1971.

<i>The Inspector</i> American animated film series

The Inspector is an American series of 34 theatrical cartoon shorts produced between 1965 and 1969 by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises and released through United Artists. The cartoons are dedicated to an animated version of Inspector Clouseau comically battling against a rogues' gallery of internationally styled villains.

<i>A Shot in the Dark</i> (1964 film) 1964 film by Blake Edwards

A Shot in the Dark is a 1964 comedy film directed by Blake Edwards in Panavision. It is the second installment in The Pink Panther film series, with Peter Sellers reprising his role as Inspector Jacques Clouseau of the French Sûreté.

<i>Pink Panther and Sons</i> American TV series or program

Pink Panther and Sons is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and Mirisch-Geoffrey-DePatie-Freleng. The series was originally broadcast on NBC from 1984 to 1985 and moved to ABC in 1986. Friz Freleng served as creative producer for the series as his and David H. DePatie's production company, DePatie–Freleng Enterprises, existed as an in-name-only enterprise by this time, as its operations were absorbed by Marvel Productions in 1981. The show is based on the Pink Panther, a character created in 1963.

The Super 6 is an animated cartoon series which was produced by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises and Mirisch-Rich Television Productions in 1966, and shown on the NBC television network from 1966 to 1969. This was DePatie–Freleng's first vehicle for Saturday morning. Only one season of the show was produced, but NBC ran the series for three years in the same timeslot.

<i>Son of the Pink Panther</i> 1993 film by Blake Edwards

Son of the Pink Panther is a 1993 comedy film. It is the ninth and final installment of the original The Pink Panther film series starting from the 1963 film. Directed by Blake Edwards, it stars Roberto Benigni as Inspector Clouseau's illegitimate son. Also in this film are Panther regulars Herbert Lom, Burt Kwouk and Graham Stark and a star of the original 1963 film, Claudia Cardinale. It was the final film for both director Blake Edwards and composer Henry Mancini; Mancini died on June 14, 1994, and Edwards retired from film-making two years later in 1995.

<i>Inspector Clouseau</i> (film) 1968 detective comedy film by Bud Yorkin

Inspector Clouseau is a 1968 British comedy film, and the third installment in The Pink Panther film series. It was directed by Bud Yorkin, written by brothers Frank Waldman and Tom Waldman and stars Alan Arkin as the title character. It was filmed by Mirisch Films at the MGM-British Studios, Borehamwood and in Europe.

The Mirisch Company was an American film production company owned by Walter Mirisch and his brothers, Marvin and Harold Mirisch. The company also had sister firms known at various times as Mirisch Production Company, Mirisch Pictures Inc., Mirisch Films, and The Mirisch Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David H. DePatie</span> American producer (1929–2021)

David Hudson DePatie was an American film and television producer who was the last and longest lived executive in charge of the original Warner Bros. Cartoons studio. He also formed DePatie–Freleng Enterprises, with Friz Freleng, Hanna-Barbera Productions and was an executive producer at Marvel Productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink Panther (character)</span> Fictional animated character

The Pink Panther is a fictional animated character who appears in the opening and/or closing credit sequences of every film in The Pink Panther series except for A Shot in the Dark and Inspector Clouseau. In the storyline of the original film, the "Pink Panther" is the name of a valuable pink diamond named for a flaw that shows a "figure of a springing panther" when held up to the light in a certain way; in the credits this was translated to an animated pink panther. Only the first Pink Panther film and the second sequel, The Return of the Pink Panther, featured the diamond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Pink Panther Theme</span> 1963 jazz piece by Henry Mancini

"The Pink Panther Theme" is a jazz composition by Henry Mancini written as the theme for the 1963 film The Pink Panther and subsequently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score at the 37th Academy Awards but lost to the Sherman Brothers for Mary Poppins. The eponymous cartoon character created for the film's opening credits by David DePatie and Friz Freleng was animated in time to the tune. The tenor saxophone solo was played by Plas Johnson.

<i>The Pink Panther Show</i> Showcase of animated shorts

The Pink Panther Show is a showcase of animated shorts produced by David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng between 1969 and 1978, starring the animated Pink Panther character from the opening credits of the live-action films. The series was produced by Mirisch Films and DePatie–Freleng Enterprises, and was broadcast Saturday mornings on two American television networks: from September 6, 1969, to September 2, 1978, on NBC; and from September 9, 1978, to September 1, 1979, on ABC.

Germain Adolph Chiniquy was an American animator known for his work with Friz Freleng at both Warner Bros. Cartoons and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises.

<i>The Pink Blueprint</i> 1966 American film

The Pink Blueprint is the 18th cartoon produced in the Pink Panther series. A total of 124 6-minute cartoons were produced between 1964 and 1980.

<i>The Pink Panther</i> (TV series) 1993 animated TV series

The Pink Panther is an American animated television series starring the Pink Panther and his co-stars from the original cartoon shorts in a series of brand new stories. The program was a production of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation. It was distributed by Claster Television and King World Productions and not MGM Television, despite MGM owning The Pink Panther. Unlike other animated series featuring the Pink Panther, this is the only series where he and the Little Man speak numerous lines. Prior to this series, the Panther had only briefly spoken in two cartoons in the 1960s.

References

  1. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 95. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  2. 1 2 Beck, Jerry (2005). Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide to the Coolest Cat in Town!. DK Publishing, Inc. pp. 44–45. ISBN   0-7566-1033-8.
  3. ↑ Gary Lewis (I)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.