The Pink Panther in: Pink at First Sight

***The Pink Panther in: Pink at First Sight*** is a 1981 animated Valentine's Day special starring The Pink Panther, that premiered on ABC on February 14, 1981. This was not only Marvel's lone *Pink Panther* special but was David H. DePatie's first solo effort on the character without Friz Freleng's involvement and the third and final *Pink Panther* special on ABC, following *A Pink Christmas* in 1978 and *Olym-Pinks* in 1980.

## Plot

It is Valentine's Day and the Pink Panther is lonely and has no money (except for seven cents). After receiving another person's Valentine gift package by mistake, he goes to the messenger service for a job but messes his rehearsal up. He then goes to a store, buys a cassette player and pre-recorded cassettes with the seven cents he had left and goes back to the messenger service miming to Enrico Caruso's version of "Vesti la giubba", an aria from Ruggero Leoncavallo's opera *Pagliacci*, and gets hired as a messenger.

Antics on the job entangle the breezy cat with a jealous husband (after stealing the heart of his housewife whilst miming a 50s-ish sounding ballad), a snobby classic violinist (after using a Stradivarius violin like an electric guitar; the Panther had the wrong recording on at the time), a priest (whom the Panther had delivered the wrong present to) and a crime boss named Big Joe and tough gangsters (their present was a bomb).

Finally, after warding off Big Joe and his gang with a cassette containing excerpts of a police radio show, our hero is sitting alone and discouraged on a park bench when he finally meets the pantheress of his dreams, the ideal feline valentine.

## Voice Talents of

* Frank Welker - The Jester, Messenger Owner, The Man with the Golf Club, Violinist, Customer
* Marilyn Schreffler - Baby's Mother, The Lady with the Umbrella, Nurse, Housewife
* Hal Smith - Big Joe
* Brian Cummings - Music Store Owner, Tough Gangsters
* Weaver Copeland - Announcer

## Home Media releases

*Pink at First Sight* made its VHS debut release by MGM/UA Home Video sometime during the 1980s. On November 6, 2007, the special alongside *Olym-Pinks* and *A Pink Christmas* was released as part of the DVD collection set *The Pink Panther: A Pink Christmas* from MGM Home Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (until June 30, 2020).

## Production

Most of the animation staff utilized for 1978's *The All New Pink Panther Show* worked on *Pink at First Sight*, which also utilized several music cues from the series as well but unlike that program, a laugh track was not featured. Freleng was absent from this production due to him breaking up the studio he began with DePatie before returning to Warner Bros. Many of the other characters' voices for this special were done by Frank Welker, Marilyn Schreffler, Hal Smith, Brian Cummings and Weaver Copeland.

## Trivia

Marvel also produced the new opening and ending animation for *Trail* and *Curse of the Pink Panther*, written and directed by Art Leonardi.

## References

1. ↑  (1999) *The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons*. Checkmark Books, page 308. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved on 6 June 2020.
2. ↑  (1989) *Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987*. Scarecrow Press, page 304. ISBN 0-8108-2198-2. Retrieved on 27 March 2020.

## External links

* *The Pink Panther in: Pink at First Sight* at the Internet Movie Database