Henry Mancini - Shadows of Paris - (Pink Panther A Shot in the Dark)

[trstndvsn]

in this version its Fran Jeffries. Elsie Bianchi recorded it for a album for manchini. been looking for the Fran version on MP3 for years to no avail!

[Firebrand609]

So, is it Elsie Bianchi singing it or Fran Jeffries? The suspense is killing me!

[Seeker01317]

This song has a real Roma feel, and expression to it. First time I heard this song I was floored, and wanted to learn it.

[ebailey140]

Classic opening to the greatest of the Pink Panther films.

[EustaceBarnes]

OMG Thank you so much.... this is my favourite movie opening EVER!

[nbelsky]

I'd kill for a karaoke version of this.

[lugash4]

Beautiful song/words/music..........so typical of classic films. Today it's all noise and tunes that will last only in the memory for as long as the tune itself!!! 2 maybe 3 minutes!!!!! Ah memories memories.............Not now Kato.................aaaaagggh­hh

[MrLongTheta]

A version of this clip was available on youtube in the past. It must have been removed. I remember it quite well and it had the opening bars of The Pink Panther theme at the very end.

The song is a classic and very well known to those of us who went to films in the 60's. What is mysterious is the history of this very recording and in particular why no credit is given to E Bianchi anywhere in the film. I read somewhere about a disagreement between E Bianchi and the producers.

[Iwowa]

Yep, I'm pretty sure this is Fran Jeffries.

[malteseconnexion]

@Iwowa It's Fran Jeffries. You can buy this song on iTunes. I have it.

[blofeld39]

I thought it was Fran Jeffries who sang this? :-S

[yakasuri]

She sounds like Liza Minelli.

[ghore4]

This is NOT Elsie Bianchi singing this version! I have the Elsie Bianchi version and this womans voice is far different than Elsie's. That said, this is a nice version, but I prefer Elsie Bianchi's gently swinging waltz tempo version. I would like to find out who this is, but it's not Elsie Bianchi.

[madMosher023]

this song for me is one of the many reasons why i watch shot in the dark more than any other pink panther film. this scene with this song followed by the sketch with the classic shot in the dark title theme. fantastic.

[coventrygardens]

@madMosher023 technically speaking, it's not a pink panther movie. it's an inspector clouseau movie, and it's a peter sellers movie, but it's not a pink panther movie.

[galapogodriver]

@coventrygardens Well, it doesn't actually involve the Pink Panther, but it is generally considered part of the Pink Panther series. That said, this movie was actually adapted from a play, which they changed so that Clouseau was the main character. As such, it has a slightly different feel from the others and is probably my favorite.

[coventrygardens]

@galapogodriver yea, i've read a wee bit about the origins of the movie. it was based on a play, and sellers was chosen to play a character in the play, and i guess they decided to change the name of the character that sellers was scheduled to play, and they gave that character the name "clouseau" because sellers was already known for playing clouseau. it's my favorite in the sellers/clouseau series, and i like the fact that it brought dreyfus and cato and maria gambrelli into the story line.

[coventrygardens]

@galapogodriver though it's a great movie, i think the producers should have done a better job at connecting it to the sellers/clouseau movies that bear the label "pink panther". for example, they should have named the movie "pink panther: a shot in the dark". the actual title can make it easy for someone to not hear about the movie when he's trying to find pink panther movies. likewise, i love the cartoon graphics that are used, & yet they should have had the panther make an appearance in there

[galapogodriver]

@coventrygardens I remember being a bit surprised not even seeing the pink panther. I think the idea was that there was no pink panther in this movie, nor a "pink panther" series at this point. This was only the second film, and the pink panther animated shorts didn't really take off until the 70s. By the time that return of the pink panther (which involved the diamond) came around, the pink panther itself had become a national icon. Furthermore there no longer existed a notion PP was a one off.

[coventrygardens]

@galapogodriver yea, i'm sure they would have done things differently if they ( at the time ) had known that the term "pink panther" would become so popular. the term "pink panther" really achieved a life of its own. i recall eating pink panther cereal when i was a young kid in the 1970s. it was like corn flakes with pink sugar blasted onto the flakes. i guess you know that the character of maria gambrelli returned in "son of the pink panther", in which she was played by claudia cardinale.

[coventrygardens]

@galapogodriver i guess you know that "son of the pink panther" had roberto benigni play the son of clouseau, and the mother of the son of clouseau was maria gambrelli ( this time played by claudia cardinale, instead of elke sommer. cardinale being the one who played the princess in the original movie.). herbert lom as dreyfus was in it. though it had neither sellers nor clouseau, i regard it as part of the sellers/clouseau series because it was a sequel to the previous movies in the series.

[ahmedhow]

the song fits the scene so well :D i loved this movie :')

[91FroSt91]

This is really beautiful

[NEMORINO1976]

Absolutely beautiful and the better beginning of a movie I have ever seen

[singinjohnny]

It's been well over 40 years and I never heard this most beautiful theme from this movie. Elsie Bianchi's voice is a most beautiful, unique, and expressive instrument that I had never heard before. Henry Mancini wrote some really beautiful music in his time that is as fresh and unique to listen to now as it was then. Thanks so much for posting this.

[DarkScipio]

@singinjohnny You are welcome. In fact I was so surprised to not find this on youtube, that I had to upload it.

[singinjohnny]

@DarkScipio I'm surely glad that you uploaded it. All the best to you.

[bigverybadtom]

The irony of this song is the fact that the lyrics imply that the singer only suspects that her lover is cheating on somebody else, while in the actual movie, most everybody in the Ballon household is knowingly and deliberately cheating on other people-even the "innocent" Maria Gambrelli!

[malteseconnexion]

I found this song on iTunes and it was under Fran Jeffries name.

[malteseconnexion]

I found this song on iTunes!

[monsterbob]

This is ELSIE BIANCHI singing, not Fran Jeffries.

[Knoxvicious]

This song is gorgeous! Where can I download it from? I can't believe it's not that popular...

[misswollywancher]

fucking great movie, portland, oregon libraries are a treasure closer to my heart than its beat! dey gots everyting!

[moceanu]

PAINKILLER JANE

[KitegaCommunity]

Sweet. What a fine piece of filmmaking. A wonderful, stylish retro time capsule. And the mistery of the voice attribution actually only adds to the atmosphere this little oldie radiates with. Gimme a shot in the night!

[BuckieBear]

this is so fabulous!  (and funny--must have taken a lot of practicing and coordination to get the visual scene) Thanks so much for posting!

[kennysandra1]

Wrong Wrong it was the beautiful Fran Jeffries who sang the song.

[BuckieBear]

@kennysandra1 no, not really but she did a fantastic job in the original "Pink Panther" on "It Had Better Be Tonight"

[DaNiederlander]

the song straight from the movie is better than this crap.

no offense but this is what youtube does to videos.

it castrates them by turning it into mono and downing the quality.

[Islander255]

I LOVE THIS SONG SO MUCH. This is my favorite moment in the entire Pink Panther series. And this film is my favorite Pink Panther film, even ahead of the excellent original film. The ones done in the 70's aren't nearly as good, and there's no way I'm giving Steven Martin's version a chance. But "A Shot in the Dark" and "The Pink Panther" are simply sublime, and "Shot" is insanely rewatchable.

[Useless2112]

This is my favourite song about shadows in Paris.

[themalteseconnexion]

To all fans of Henry Mancini, I have good news. I have successfully downloaded the opening track to A SHOT IN THE DARK from the internet. Simply type in "Fran Jeffries The Shadow of Paris" and look for the words "free download". The other track is available from Amazon but it's not the one by Fran. It's good but Fran's is the best. Good luck!

[califgirl101]

You guys, if I'm correct you may most likely find the soundtrack from this movie either on Ebay or Amazon! Check it out! :)

[ZaphodUk1]

where could i get a copy of this amazing song?

[AnchX93]

@ZaphodUk1 I`ve been downloaded it from ``Dirpy``. You can find it on Google. Just paste youtube link on the Dirpy homepage.

[downatthestation]

the vocalist is Fran Jefferies who also performed "It Had Better Be Tonight" in The Pink Panther (1963)

[spozalito]

This is my favorite Henry Mancini song. I wish there was a more straight recording of it though. The version in the film seems to have been performed in a deliberately cheesy, melodramatic way for comic effect. The song deserves to be taken seriously though. Someone should record a more subtle performance.

[ivelosthewilltolive]

@spozalito Seriously? I think the song is a hilarious parody of a pseudo-francais torch song...

[FICKENbisZUMtot]

wonderful song, triste and romantic

[PoppingYovi]

This song was lurking in my mind for months after i saw the movie. Awesome!

[aplantage]

I don't think it is Elsie Bianchi in the film. She seems to have sung it around that time (eg it's on a CD called "Henry Mancini Songbook"), but she has a heavy German accent and sounds different.

[SplinteredSoulBand]

It's actually not unknown, but info on it is difficult to find now.

It's called "The Shadows of Paris", written by Henry Mancini, sung by Elsie Bianchi

[DarkScipio]

Thanks, where did you get this information?

[akashvora]

they mention it in the starting credits

[ugugugugugugugugug9]

@DarkScipio

Try goolge;)

Or look at soundtrackcollector dot 'c'om.

It'll be on the first cd listed in Henry Mancini's name ;)

[jaginaz]

@DarkScipio It's actually in the opening credits of the movie "A Shot in the Dark" I believe. The "Shot in the Dark" theme changes to a stanza of "Shadows of Paris" right as the credits indicate the song name and the singer, I believe.

[califgirl101]

Cool beans! I've often wondered whom sang this particular song! Excellent info my friend! :)

[PhantaziePhreeq]

@SplinteredSoulBand Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!

[thadonius]

@SplinteredSoulBand

It's actually called The Shadow of Paris. Not Shadows. Just wanted to clarify.

[malteseconnexion]

@SplinteredSoulBand

Is is sung by Fran Jeffries and it is available on iTunes. I have it.

[djhaPtiC]

absolute classic!

[2ndMisterBurton]

Beautiful long take to accompany the song, by the way :)

[Allancarlostani]

A brilhant scene. A SHOT IN THE DARK is best movie of the serie.

[nbelsky]

Why does this song always make me cry?

[acquimat]

Großartig, dankeschön! Das hab ich schon so lange gesucht, das Lied ...

[sexualpumkin]

who is that woman singing ??

[DarkScipio]

Unfortunally, I dont know.

[sexualpumkin]

thanks anyway

[malteseconnexion]

@sexualpumkin

FRAN JEFFRIES is the singer. She also sang in the first Pink Panther around the fireplace and she danced in a black leotard.....sexy as hell!

[photojohne]

@malteseconnexion Didn't know that.  Thanks for that bit of info. Just watched the first Pink Panther again. Terrific cast and wardrobe by Yves Saint Laurent. Classic Cool too right!!!

[stereoplayers]

@malteseconnexion Yep, the song 'Meglio Stasera'. She also posed for Playboy twice...

[malteseconnexion]

@sexualpumkin Her name is Fran Jeffries and you can buy the track from iTunes. Good luck!

[ConanVictor]

@sexualpumkin Have you come to me from another, whose lips you have tried?

[OneEyeWonderWeasil]

@sexualpumkin Fran Jeffries

[Swedchap]

Such a simple, yet wonderful song and such a beautiful voice.

[karehl33]

Der beste Clouseau, einer der besten Mancinis...TOLL...Danke

[califgirl101]

Yippie! Horray! I found this video at last! I'm so happy to see this opening song/sequence again! Danka my friend! :)

[dave0126]

Watched this movie for the first time in a long time this weekend. Always loved this opening sequence and song. Thanks for posting it.

[Blakened117]

thank you for putting up this song. Does anyone know where I can find this song?

[JaynedAvout]

I love this song, even if it's very 60s.

Ich liebe dieses Lied, selbst wenn das sehr die 60er Jahre ist.

[seabass0591]

i like this song because its very 60's