The Hand Is Pinker Than the Eye

Pink Panther Odyssey Part XXXV

A magical mansion yields a series of ludicrously anarchic fake-out illusions and an amorous rabbit. The Little Man is a magician here, he's called Zammo, what's his game? Who can say, it's all a bit perfunctory, but genuinely a bit of a hoot.

Now because IMDb won't let you write short reviews, even for short films, so I'm going to include a random selection of trivia:

• It's reported that one of earliest magicians to perform the rabbit-out-of-the-hat routine was Louis "The King's Conjurer" Comte in 1814, but it was likely popularised by John Henry Anderson several decades after. Both men were the core influences for Harry Houdini and he even paid for the upkeep of the latter's grave.

This is REALLY wild, one of those cartoons you wonder if someone, especially back in the late '60s, wasn't on drugs when he came up with these bizarre visuals. Being someone who appreciates great visuals and funny effects, this cartoon stunned me in spots, it being so outrageous.

We see a very well-drawn mansion and inside, apparently, dwells a magician. He leaves the house. The PP is outside with his earmuffs and freezing in the snow. That gives him the excuse and open up and window and jump into the man's house, to warm himself by the fireplace. That's when utterly crazy things begin to happen.

We see things like (1) a fireplace disappearing; (2) a top hat following the Panther wherever he walks; (3) a mirror which shows people walking in opposite directions at the same time; (4) a television set in which the drama on the tube suddenly becomes real-life; (5) a dinner that walks away from the plate; (6) trap doors and rugs and floors that are there one minute; gone the next, etc. etc.

And.....oh, yeah, there's a rabbit that keep appearing and kisses the Panther. It's all totally insane, like a Daffy Duck cartoon gone amok.

This is not a bad Pink Panther cartoon - cleverly done with plenty of surprises, twists and fun. Here, he sneaks into the home of a magician after he steps out, and finds himself the brunt of magical tricks, courtesy of the magician's rabbit.

From disappearing doors to crooked rooms, and from the rabbit changing in sizes to odd mirrors, it's a cartoon short that's chock full of tricks and treats. Too bad I didn't find it too funny, and it seemed the panther gets the brunt of all the misadventures.

Not a bad Pink Panther, nonetheless.

Grade B-

Pinky is wandering a winter landscape when he happens upon Zammo the Magician's house. He sees through the window that Zammo is leaving for the day and has left his fire burning. Not content with being a mere peeping tom Pinky then indulges in some light breaking and entering in order to warm himself up but soon discovers that Zammo's house of tricks is out to get him.

The humor is smart and Pinky's pratfalls entertain but it lacks any truly memorable moments. Writer Jim Ryan went on to script childhood favorite Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf before disappearing off the face of the Earth.

This is one of the best Pink Panther-cartoons. Not because it is funnier than the others but because it is inventive with its animation.

The Pink Panther enters the house of magician Zammo the Great because he is cold. Too bad for him the house itself knows some kind of magic and a lot of surrealistic images is what follows. We have a strange mirror, a rabbit that pops up everywhere and kisses the panther over and over again, a painting that seems to be also a room of the house and a lot of other fun gadgets.

Normally I am not a big fan of the Pink Panther-cartoons, although I liked them when I was a kid. This one was good and entertaining the entire time and therefore I think it is one of the best out there.