Just a reminder of those long gone days when I used to write and draw comic book stories featuring
The Inspector for Novaro publishers. Thought it'd be a nice touch to include him in my Xmas card. I think Inspector Clouseau was my favorite comic book character, even on top of The Pink Panther during my time working in the comics business.
Christmas is the perfect time to watch these cartoons which are not readily available on TV or on the main streaming services but can be found navigating the internet, principally on YouTube and Vimeo. I remember watching all of these when I was very young and television was just gaining momentum, (mid-50s, early 60s). Needless to say, it was a veritable nostalgia trip when I found them after all those years.
CHRISTMAS NIGHT (1933) starring Oscar E. Soglow's The Little King.
Ub Iwerks' THE BRAVE TIN SOLDIER (1934)
THE SHANTY WHERE SANTA CLAUS LIVES (1933)
WB Merrie Melodies Directed by Rudolph Ising
SANTA'S WORKSHOP (1932) - A Walt Disney Silly Symphony
GIFT WRAPPED (1952) WB Looney Tunes - Directed by Friz Freleng
TOY TINKERS (1949) Walt Disney
PLUTO'S CHRISTMAS TREE (1952) Walt Disney
And these are my selected shorts, which I watch whether it's Christmas or not:
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in BIG BUSINESS (1929)
Directed by James W. Horne and Leo McCarey
THE FIXER-UPPERS (1934) Directed by Charles Rogers
"Jingle bells, jingle bells
coming through the rye.
I wish you a merry Christmas
even as you and I"
And without further ado, I bid you farewell and a Merry Christmas to you!
This morning's mail brought a very nice and quite unexpected surprise: Number 129 of Back Issue Magazine featuring an article by Mark Arnold on the Pink Panther which included a mention of my Spanish language issues done for Western Publishing Company through their Latin American affiliate, Novaro Publishers.
I spent most of my professional years as a cartoonist, drawing and writing stories for The Pink Panther comics that were designed for the overseas market. Thanks to The Pink Panther (and Beep Beep, the Road Runner), I managed to make a living and raise a family, and consequently, I will always feel a certain amount of indebtedness to this character.
Over the years, I've tried to keep him alive in my life by doing some new little illustration featuring this funny feline every once in a while.
Thank you, Friz Freleng, David H DePatie and Blake Edwards for creating him!
As a bonus, I'm sharing the classic Pink Panther Christmas TV Special, which first aired on ABC on December 7, 1978. It was directed by Bill Perez and produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises.
(Another special, "A Very Pink Christmas", was produced in 2011 but the less said about it, the better).
On September 6, 1969, Friz Freleng and David H. DePatie produced THE PINK PANTHER SHOW, which was a half-hour compilation of the Pink Panther theatrical cartoons and later became a showcase for subsequent made-for-TV cartoons.
It ran on NBC until September 2, 1978 when it changed networks and became THE ALL NEW PINK PANTHER SHOW. Today, we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the series' debut.
I enjoyed this first series a lot and, since I began doing the PINK PANTHER comic books for overseas distribution in Spanish, I felt I had a special bond with the character.
In celebration of THE PINK PANTHER SHOW's 50th Anniversary, I'd like to remember some of my Pink Panther covers during that period.
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You can read all about the Pink Panther story in this excellent book by Mark Arnold:
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