The Pink Panther Theme The Pink Panther Theme "The Pink Panther Theme" is an instrumental composition by Henry Mancini written as the theme for the 1963 film "The Pink Panther" and subsequently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score at the 37th Academy Awards but lost to the Sherman Brothers for "Mary Poppins". The eponymous cartoon character created for the film's opening credits by David DePatie and Friz Freleng was animated in time to the tune. The tenor saxophone solo was played by Plas Johnson. The song was included on the film's soundtrack album and issued as a single (in the United
Henry Mancini at Tiffany's". The Music from Peter Gunn won the first Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Mancini also enjoyed a long collaboration composing film scores for the film director Blake Edwards. Mancini is also noted for scoring a #1 hit single during the rock era on the "Billboard" charts. "The Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet" spent two weeks at the top, beginning on June 29, 1969. Mancini was born in the Little Italy neighborhood of Cleveland, and was raised near Pittsburgh, in the steel town of West Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. His parents immigrated from the Abruzzo region of Italy.