Actor Allusion: The opening of the film has Cruchot chasing after a chicken thief in a rural setting. This is quite similar to the setup of a former Louis de Funès movie, Ni vu, ni connu, although he had the role of the poacher in this one.
Dueling Works: Argubly with the Pink Panther movies starring Peter Sellers, another film comedy series about a bumbling French policeman. While the Pink Panther films are much more well-known, Le Gendarme gets bonus points for being 100% French.
Reality Subtext: The beginning of the film, with Cruchot being promoted from gendarme in a small alpine village to sergeant in the town of Saint-Tropez, nicely reflects Louis de Funès's rise from minor roles to first billing with this movie. Further reinforced by the Deliberately Monochrome opening (most of his movies prior to this one being in black and white).
Star-Making Role: This movie shot Louis de Funès to stardom, being his first massive success as a leading actor.
