Its a pity that Peter Sellers died in 1980. Truely a superb actor, with comic abilities that few after him could ever hope to even close to matching.
Despite such great Oscar-nominated work in movies like DR. STRANGELOVE and BEING THERE, he is mostly known for his PINK PANTHER franchise as the inept policeman Inspector Clouseau.
As those later sequels in the 1970s went further down the hill in jokes and gags, there still remains possibly the best film of the franchise....and to think that not only its the only picture without the "Pink Panther" moniker in the title, but it was actually released 3 months after the surprise success of overrated THE PINK PANTHER.
I think why the franchise has died, despite many attempts to restart it(including a recent effort with Steve Martin), is that Sellers personified Closeau. Sure everyone remembers him falling down the stairs or tripping over himself, but so what? Anyone could do that. But could anyone put themselves in a serious dry humor role, where if not for the clumsy walking and damn general ineptness, the part would have been that of only an eccentric yet generic detective.
Though perhaps the best part of A SHOT IN THE DARK is when Sellers is spinning his globe in his office, and accidently gets his hand jammed on it. In today's time, such a scene would be seen at least 10 minutes before the execution, but in that scene, the genuine surprise element of this is what makes it hilarious, for lack of knowledge of what to come is what helps make comedy work.
Though seeing Sellers acting serious while his trademark jacket is up in smoke is worth a smile on my face as well.
