842: Henry Mancini composes the theme to The Pink Panther
“The Pink Panther Theme” exists within a class of elite, enduring songs permanently engrained in the mass consciousness. Almost anyone can hum its melody. It bears the distinctive mark of the late, legendary Henry Mancini, a giant among film and television composers. Composed for the original 1963 Peter Sellers slapstick crime caper, its ensuing sequels and spinoff animated shorts, the theme is just one of Mancini’s better known compositions alongside such memorable themes as “Peter Gunn” and “Moon River”. Mancini was nominated for an unprecedented 18 Academy Awards and 72 Grammys - winning four Oscars and twenty Grammys, respectively. “The Pink Panther Theme” was nominated for an Oscar in 1965, and was dusted off for a series remake in 2006.