Collection celebrates that Clouseau insanity

MGM has just released the six-disc “The Pink Panther Collection” ($70) in honor of the 40th anniversary of the successful movie comedy franchise.

‘The Pink Panther’

Stars: Peter Sellers, David Niven

The case: The bumbling Inspector Clouseau (Sellers) is hot on the case of a suave jewel thief (Niven) who is plotting to steal a famous gem called the Pink Panther at a European ski resort. Unbeknown to the clueless Clouseau, his wife (Capucine) is having an affair with the thief, a suave, titled member of the British upper class.

The lowdown: Director and co-writer Blake Edwards based the Clouseau character on his clumsy self. Originally, he cast Peter Ustinov as Clouseau and Ava Gardner as his cheating wife. But when they dropped out, an agent suggested that Edwards look at British comic actor Peter Sellers for the part of Clouseau, and cinema history was made.

The extras: Edwards supplies witty commentary on the 1964 comedy. A bonus disc features a documentary, “The Pink Panther Story,” which is the cat’s meow for Clouseau fans. “Behind the Feline: The Cartoon Phenomenon” looks at the genesis of the cartoon credit sequence and how the pink animated feline ended up becoming a star. Also: six of the original Pink Panther cartoons, including the Oscar-winning “The Pink Phink.”

‘A Shot in the Dark’

Stars: Sellers, Elke Sommer, Herbert Lom

The case: Clouseau sets out to prove that a beautiful young servant (Sommer) is not guilty of a brutal murder.

The lowdown: Based on a hit Broadway play that starred Walter Matthau, “Shot in the Dark,” also from 1964, was not originally a Clouseau film. Sellers was set to star in the adaptation of the play but had doubts about the script. He went to Edwards -- who transformed it into a Clouseau comedy, introducing the characters of Kato (Burt Kwouk) and Inspector Dreyfus (Lom).

The film features one of the best comedic sequences ever put on film: Clouseau going undercover at a nudist colony.

‘The Pink Panther Strikes Again’

Stars: Sellers, Lom

The case: This fourth installment in the series, from 1976 (1975’s “Return of the Pink Panther” is not in the set because of rights issues), is a hoot, with a totally mad Dreyfus threatening to destroy the world by using a ray gun.

‘Revenge of the Pink Panther’

Stars: Sellers, Dyan Cannon

The case: So-so 1978 entry in the series finds the supposedly dead Clouseau going undercover in Hong Kong to find his “killer.” Cannon supplies some laughs, but the sight gags lack the zing of the previous films.

The lowdown: This was the last “Panther” film Sellers officially starred in.

‘The Trail of the Pink Panther’

Stars: Sellers, Niven

The case: Inspector Clouseau’s plane disappears while en route to help find the Pink Panther diamond, which has once again been stolen. A famous French TV reporter sets out to find Clouseau.

The lowdown: Edwards quite literally resurrected Sellers from the dead for this 1982 flop. Sellers died of a heart attack at of 54 in 1980, and so Edwards used outtakes and deleted scenes from previous “Pink Panther” movies as well as stand-ins for long shots of the Clouseau character.

Niven returned to his role of Lytton for the first time since “The Pink Panther.” Suffering from ALS, Niven was having such difficulty speaking that Rich Little ended up dubbing his voice.