Produced during the height of the Pink Panther's Saturday morning popularity, GONG WITH THE PINK is a tour-de-force for the classic "little white man" straight man.
Pinky gets a job as waiter in a Chinese restaurant, where dinner orders are requested via the strike of a gong. Unfortunately, the restaurant also owns a collection of plates and glassware. Every order results is broken glasses, plates, and fine China, much to the chagrin of our "little man," who goes eventually goes berserk.
Some may be offended at the Pink Panther's imitation of a Chinese waiter (this is, after all, 1971, when stereotypes and political correctness were not as enforced as they are now), but the overall short is executed in the tradition of the classic Peter Sellers' films. The very idea of the Pink Panther being completely oblivious to the world around him (as well as the sea of shattered glass) never fails to deliver solid laughs. The "little man"'s very existence is to be on the receiving end of Pinky's goofs, but GONG WITH THE PINK pushes him to the extreme. Laughs are plenty in GONG WITH THE PINK, which sadly, marked the final directing stint for Hawley Pratt. Though an additional 40+ cartoons would be produced without Pratt, his touch for the manic was missed.
Like all "Pink Panther" cartoons that were broadcast on NBC-TV, there is a laugh track present on GONG WITH THE PINK 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. Besides, laughing matters.
Pinky gets a job as waiter in a Chinese restaurant, where dinner orders are requested via the strike of a gong. Unfortunately, the restaurant also owns a collection of plates and glassware. Every order results is broken glasses, plates, and fine China, much to the chagrin of our "little man," who goes eventually goes berserk.
Some may be offended at the Pink Panther's imitation of a Chinese waiter (this is, after all, 1971, when stereotypes and political correctness were not as enforced as they are now), but the overall short is executed in the tradition of the classic Peter Sellers' films. The very idea of the Pink Panther being completely oblivious to the world around him (as well as the sea of shattered glass) never fails to deliver solid laughs. The "little man"'s very existence is to be on the receiving end of Pinky's goofs, but GONG WITH THE PINK pushes him to the extreme. Laughs are plenty in GONG WITH THE PINK, which sadly, marked the final directing stint for Hawley Pratt. Though an additional 40+ cartoons would be produced without Pratt, his touch for the manic was missed.
Like all "Pink Panther" cartoons that were broadcast on NBC-TV, there is a laugh track present on GONG WITH THE PINK 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. Besides, laughing matters.
