Pink Panther Walter Greene Extended Theme.wmv

This to me is the WHOLE Pink Panther theme. In late '66, when Walter Greene took over as the background score musician for Depatie-Freleng Enterprises, he produced all new score for the first seven films credited to him. The first, Pink Plunk Plink, was about a symphony orchestra trying to play Beethoven (but Pink Panther kept breaking out his own theme), so did not have much new score. Next was one last film scored by the former musician, Bill Lava; Smile Pretty Say Pink. Next, Greene took over for good, with Pink-A-Boo, Genie With the Light Pink Fur, Super Pink, Rocky Bye Pinky, Pinknic and Pink Panic. After that, (beginning with "Pink Posies") they began reusing the score from these six films.

It was the Rocky Bye Pinky score that would be used on the majority of the films produced from 1967-1974 (the next two years after that, they used the other ones more, and even threw in some Lava pieces at times, and after that, you had the 1978 made for TV series that replaced it all with all new score by Steve Depatie).
And it had the nicest flow to it, sounding truly like an "extension" of Mancini's theme!

So to me, this again was the "whole " Pink Panther theme. It starts with the familiar Pink Panther signature (with the low pitched sax), and then the next statement with the higher pitched horn section. (which you don't hear as often). In the original Henry Mancini theme, this would be followed by a horn blast, and then a jazzy instrumental section. Greene's score adds two whole new statements, which do not include the Pink Panther signature, but still fit right in with it. The first (2:52) is what I guess is supposed to be a "60's 'Go-Go'" sounding piece, which was Greene's familiar style. It is marked by a low pitched electric guitar groove at eighths notes (the "one-and-two-and-three-and-four" sound) behind the horn section.
Then, you have a sort of "verse two" of the Pink Panther signature with the guitar while the horn section covers the background harmony and then the second statement again. This is now followed by the horn blast, as in the original Mancini composition (4:20), and then the other new statement (4:23), which is a flute tune with the horns playing something similar to the second statement in the background. Then you have an alternation of the two statements, followed by the guitar version of the signature leading to the conclusion by the horns.

When I would listen to the original Mancini track, I would wonder where were the other two statements. I didn't realize they were added by Greene, to fill the 7 minute episodes. Yet they to me are just as much apart of the Pink Panther theme as the signature and other statement.

Here, since the first "verse" of Greene's theme had the "signature" and second statement done in flute instead of the sax/horns, that to me sounded more like a logical "second verse" instead, and the similar Pinknic version was done with the sax, so I spliced that in (taken from "Pinkcome Tax") as well, towards the beginning as the new first verse. (The Rocky Bye Pinky version begins with the piano chord like the original theme, which is what I have used here, while Pinknic is the one that begins with the vibraphone "eighths" notes).

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Pink Panther
• Walter Greene
• Henry Mancini
• soundtrack
• theme music

[ETBX1]

That "last note" IS in there, just not at the end.

[Mix80DJ]

Hi Etbx1, I have the only version I know the score by Walter Greene by a cover band in Argentina. I will go to listen and give your opinion.

[ETBX1]

@Mix80DJ COOL!!!

[tootruetobetoogood]

It would have been beyond perfection without all of the annoying interruptions & frustrating effects that simply ruined the beauty of it all to hell

[ETBX1]

@tootruetobetoogood Yeah, I wish there were less sound effects, and had considered splicing another episode with the same track over the end, where all those gunshots are. I even thought of splicing all sound effects out, but would have to rip a bunch of episodes with that track, and it would take too much time.

[Willington1975]

I love the part that starts at 3:00

[therealKINDLE]

Why isn't this availible on Release? Why aren't ALL of them availible? This is not fair knowing that these exist, but not being able to listen to it purely as it's own performance.

[anitabau]

the beat in 4:22 is amazing... love the flute

[wileyk209zback]

@lexbates That's right. I wonder how the Warner/Seven Arts cartoons of 1967 to 1969 would sound scored by Walter Greene instead of Bill Lava?

[lexbates]

Walter Greene also scored some of the last Warner Bros. cartoons produced by D-F-E,and he was the last music director at the Walter Lantz Studios.

[tsntana]

(trying to tune out all the sound effects in my head...but can't help laughing at them :) )

I agree. To me, this version is the "complete" theme. I don't even miss Mancini's signature "last note" which is ICONIC of the theme.

I never heard Mancini's version much growing up. If I did, it was never in its entirety. I grew up watching the Pink Panther cartoons. So this, to me, is the "original".

[wileyk209zback]

If I recall, the final Pink Panther cartoon to use this score was "Trail of the Lonesome Pink" in 1974.

But I agree, it would be pretty cool to have the clear version of this music score released on an album or something.

[Mix80DJ]

Jus't Enjoy :)