Peter Sellers
 

Hi everyone,

So, today marks the birth of Peter Sellers - one of British cinema's greatest comedy actors.


As such, here's a thread to chat about the man and his incredible career. From the Ealing classic, The Ladykillers to Dr Strangelove, the brilliant Pink Panther franchise and everything else.

Which Peter Sellers films/TV have you seen? Do you have a favourite?

This was the inspiration for the character of Dr. (Von) Scott in "The Rocky Horror Show"!

Oh of course! I had never put the two together until just now - it's so obvious, especially the leg lift near the end. Thanks Susan! :read:

The Magic Christian. Silly satire on greed. Based on a Terry Southern script...you know, he wrote Candy ;);)

The Magic Christian
I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!
What's New Pussycat

;)

My favourites are The Pink Panther movies with The Return of the Pink Panther and The Pink Panther Strikes Again being particular faves.

Peter Sellers, The Queen and Alice Cooper in 1975

Dr Strangelove is one of my top three all-time favourite films and, in my opinion, Peter Sellers' finest performance (or three!).

I've always thought A Shot in the Dark is the best Pink Panther film, and a masterpiece of comedic acting. It's been awhile since I saw it, but Sellers was also magnificent in Lolita.

Ha,ha. I don't know who that is but it ain't the Queen.

Is it a photo taken at Madame Tussaud's?

Damn!

Busted!!

It's Jeanette Charles, who was 'the worlds' foremost Queen impersonator'!

The picture was taken backstage after the 'Welcome To My Nightmare' shows, and Ms. Charles was there to present Alice with a gold disc for the album

I didn't even have to look closely at her.

Nobody touches the Queen.

There was a shit storm a while back when the Australian PM touched her arm whilst talking to her.

She doesn't look much like the Queen – it must be a short line in the 'best lookalike' contest!

Good choice. It's a pleasent suprise to see that you selected A Shot in the Dark as one of the best Panther films with sellers. It's the Dom Pérignon of Panther films. Sparkly with a dry wit to it. I would also say that The Pink Panther Strikes Again is another diamond Clouseau film. And not forgetting Sellers in one of my fav non-comedic roles as Hoffman in the film of the same name. Hoffman also has a young Jeremy Bulloch (who played Bobba Fett in Empire and Return of the Jedi) playing the boyfriend to Sinéad Cusack. It's a seller's film that barely gets noticed, and a shame in my opinion. The inter-play between Sellers and Cusack is superb.

Hoffman is a very good film. Another which I forgot to mention, and which is normally overlooked, is Being There, it works for many reasons, but I think mostly because audiences expect Peter Sellers to suddenly do something typical of his previous films, and come out with a sharp one-liner, brilliant piece of physical comedy or just a slight twinkle in the eye. However, the way he inhabits the role of Chance and everything is so understated, so simple and so atypical of Sellers makes the movie much better than it would have been with someone else playing Chance.

Hal Ashby. Another terrific director as well as being a superb film editor in his early days. Harold and Maude, although it was dark as a story, and the main character of the piece was a young man falling in love with a 80 yr old, it still was a gem of a film. Being There was a classic film with many twist and turns. Thoughtful and intelligent with a very restrained Seller's performance. Just thinking of another less known Seller's film that I have enjoyed as well was The Optimists.

I love Harold and Maude; as Mary Poppins might say, it's practically perfect in every way!

Back on topic, I haven't seen The Optimists, but will see if it's available via Lovefilm/Amazon or Netflix.

"Of course it won't be easy; nothing worthwhile ever is. That is why I have always failed where others have succeeded." Where do you even begin? So many funny moments in the Pink Panther franchise. Leonard Rossiter sweating in agony while having lead picked from his buttocks always makes me giggle. Takes the shine off it all a bit if he was as much of a shit as he's portrayed to be by Geoffrey Rush.

Shot In The Dark is the best Pink Panther film. I used to enjoy the sequels as a child but nowadays as an adult, I only have time for the first two films. I would love to see a standalone blu-ray of A Shot In The Dark, I wouldn't buy a complete Pink Panther boxset.

I also used to love all of the Pink Panther films but, the more I watch them, the more the shortcomings of the later movies with an ageing Peter Sellers standout and detract from the moments of hilarity or brilliance. As for upgrading to Blu-ray, I'm more than happy with the DVD collection, but brand-new supplementary material might change that.

Recently watched Peter Sellers in Two Way Stretch directed by Robert Day. Classic film.

Apart from 'Being There' and 'The Blockhouse', which are excellent, I find the early Sellers to be his best work. If you haven't seen them you're missing some real gems:

The Ladykillers, The Smallest Show On Earth, The Naked Truth, Carlton Browne Of The F.O., I'm All Right Jack, Battle Of The Sexes, Two-Way Stretch, Never Let Go, The Wrong Arm Of The Law.

Peter Sellers as Inspector Sidney Wang in Murder By Death...people say i take the mickey out of Chinese people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne9hTr5jwB4