The Pink Panther Theme is a 1963 jazz instrumental - composed by Henry Mancini - for Blake Edwards' film The Pink Panther. The piece introduces the sly jewel thief and the film’s opening Pink Panther cartoon - with Plas Johnson on tenor sax delivering the memorable melody. It appears on the film’s soundtrack album The Pink Panther and was issued as a single in 1964 - reaching the Top 10 on the US Billboard adult contemporary chart - and winning three Grammy Awards. The tune is in E minor - with a bridge to G minor - then returns to E minor, and is considered a jazz and big band classic. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score at the 37th Academy Awards. The theme has been used across The Pink Panther films and in other media - reinforcing Mancini’s long collaboration with director Blake Edwards.
