Shocking Pink (1965)
The Pink Panther tries laying in the hammock; it throws him out every time. He does some work around the house. The Pink Panther decides to fix basement stairs. Every time that he turns on the light bulb, it goes out again. He plugs in his electric saw. It won't go off, and it saws down his house. When he tries to take a shower, water comes out of his ears. He loads his shotgun and waits for the next disaster. He falls down to the basement using a power saw, lighting gunpowder and killing the narrator.
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An Exercise In Nonsense
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
That is a shame as I love the Pink Panther and his cartoons. Shocking Pink is hardly bad, but I couldn't help feeling disappointed(though even a disappointing Pink Panther cartoon is more watchable than animation nowadays in comparison). It has things to like about it certainly. The animation is very nicely done, it's simple but colourful and smooth, and Pinky is drawn well. The iconic music is still catchy and infectious, never irritating in that respect. The ending is fun and so are one or two of the gags like the one with the shower. For all the good assets seen though what didn't work for me were issues that I just couldn't ignore. The canned laughter track had absolutely no point being there and I do agree with the commentator who felt as though they were being forced to laugh, I did get that feel as well and I shouldn't be feeling it with Pink Panther as he and his cartoons are funny all on their own. Aside from the odd moment, the humour wasn't particularly funny, much of it was predictable and lacking in energy. The canner laughter didn't things at all, and neither did the omnipresent narrator, who was decent enough to start with but quickly became irritating. The biggest disappointment though was how little Pinky properly got to shine. He is a witty, cool and clever character, but you only see this in the ending, the rest was him being irritated by the narrator and the DIY and he just seemed out of sorts. All in all, not great, not bad, kind of mixed here. It looks good, the music is still great and the odd gag is fun, but the canned laughter and narration didn't add very much and Pinky's personality didn't come through enough. 5/10 Bethany Cox
An annoying narrator and - worse - a laugh track begins this cartoon on a sour note. The narrator is chastising the Pink Panther for lying around, not doing anything. He suggests going to the basement, getting some tools and making something. There is some unfunny gag with the light switch and then the Panther saws part of his house off as a buzz saw goes out of control. The Panther pouts lies down on is bed, but once again is chastised. This time, the aggravating narrator suggest fixing leaky shower facet rather than spending big bucks hiring a plumber. Of course, that doesn't go right, either.Having a laugh track on a cartoon, for cryin' out loud, is ridiculous and an insult to every viewer....as if telling us when we should laugh. Worse, this cartoon wasn't funny in the first place. This might be the worst Pink Panther animated short I've ever seen.
The 12th cartoon in the series continues the trend of other characters talking to the silent feline. In this case, it is character actor Larry Storch (of "F Troop" fame) mocking a fantastic cockney British accent, and harassing the relaxing panther. Ol' Pinky is trying to enjoy a quiet Sunday afternoon, while Storch badgers him into doing some housework.The Pink Panther encounters several mishaps around the house (Tim Allen would be proud), but Storch persists. Finally, after nearly six minutes of irritating the feline, Pinky loads a blunderbuss and gives the impressions he will blow away Storch.Funny and smart, SHOCKING PINK is a nice early entry in the series. Friz Freleng had not quite abandoned the dialogue that soon became but a memory in this successful series.Like most "Pink Panther" cartoons that were broadcast on NBC-TV, there is a laugh track present that only reinforces the fact these cartoons were aimed at adults as well as children. Though generally despised in America, in theory there is really nothing wrong with a few additional chuckles. Surprisingly, the giggles in SHOCKING PINK are not particularly intrusive. Besides, laughing matters.
Pink panther cartoons are certainly consistent. At their worst they are at least watchable. At their best they are, well, watchable. This is an average one.A disembodied narrator tells PP to stop lazing around and get on with some odd jobs around the house. The results are predictably worse than leaving well alone, but every time PP gives up that little voice starts nagging at him again...