Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker

One of my favourite comedy routines - The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)

Darlings! We have a centenary to celebrate...

Sharing a birthday (as he did) with another random selection of notables such as Spike Milligan, Sir Charlie Chaplin, Sir Peter Ustinov, Dusty Springfield [as featured yesterday], Georgian-era academic and collector Sir Hans Sloane, Dame Joan Bakewell, Kingsley Amis, Guy Burgess, Gerry Rafferty, Claire Foy (who's 40), Robert Stigwood, Bobby Vinton, Anya Taylor-Joy and (erm) Jimmy Osmond, Mr Henry Mancini was born one hundred years ago today!

A true musical genius, he wrote the music for numerous classic films and TV series such as Breakfast at Tiffany's, Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Charade, Arabesque, Two for the Road, The Thorn Birds, 10, Victor Victoria...

...and these!

Henry Mancini - Pink Panther/Baby Elephant Walk/Peter Gunn Theme [Parkinson, 14th December 1974]

And here's possibly his most enduring standard, from the aforementioned Breakfast at Tiffany's:

Andy Williams - Moon River

A remarkable man!

Henry Mancini (born Enrico Nicola Mancini, 16th April 1924 – 14th June 1994)

It's such a crazy world you'll see

The Beluga whale spotted in the Thames has changed course after finding out the price of a London pint.

The majestic creature, which had planned to check out Madame Tussaud’s and perhaps the Tate Modern, has drawn the line at paying more than seven quid for a drink.

It said: “Bloody hell, almost eight pounds for a pint? I don’t care if it is craft beer. How good can beer be?

“And crisps are nearly two quid.”

The disappointed mammal said that the excursion had also been marred by the appearance of a persistent seagull that only wanted to discuss Brexit.

The whale added: “I had to shoot a load of water out of my blowhole just to get him to shut up.”

The creature is now heading back to open water, where the daily battle for survival is still more relaxing than time in the UK capital.

The Daily Mash

Of course.

Now, let it never be said that I would ever make a [totally bizarre] comparison between the Thames Beluga whale and Mr William "Frank Cannon" Conrad [who would have been 98 years old today], but... hell, why not? Here is the great man himself, singing a Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini classic - in German...

William Conrad - Moon River (in German)

No comment.

A bunny, a panther and an elephant

What Easter is all about - chocolate!

April is doing what April does - immensely strong gusts of wind and a general air of grey drizzle overhung this Easter Sunday. Never mind, in the shelter of the greenhouse I got some more potting-out done, and spent it in the company of a variety of "easy listening" artists such as the Pasadena Roof Orchestra, Barbara Cook and Nat King Cole.

And today would have been the birthday of one of the maestros of that beloved genre - Mr Henry Mancini!

So without further ado, let us continue this "Sunday Music" theme with the great man himself and just two of his most recognisable hits...

Henry Mancini - The Baby Elephant Walk

Henry Mancini - Pink Panther Theme

Enrico Nicola "Henry" Mancini (16th April 1924 – 14th June 1994)