A Shot in the Dark (1964) | |
| Director(s) | Blake Edwards |
| Producer(s) | Blake Edwards |
| Top Genres | Comedy, Family, Mystery |
| Top Topics | Based on Play, Detectives, Slapstick |
Featured Cast:
A Shot in the Dark Overview:
A Shot in the Dark (1964) was a Comedy - Family Film directed by Blake Edwards and produced by Blake Edwards.
The film was based on the play L'Idiote written by Harry Kurnitz performed at the Booth Theatre, NY from Oct 18, 1961 - Sep 22, 1962.
SYNOPSIS
The second installment in the Inspector Clouseau series established Sellers' bumbling detective as one of classic film's most hilariously slapstick characters. In this madcap comedy-murder mystery, Clouseau is determined to prove the beautiful maid in a French estate (Sommer) has been framed for the murder of her lover, though every clue points directly to her. The high points include a chase through a nudist camp and the explosive finale. Probably the best in the series. Note the coauthor: Blatty, who would later pen The Exorcist.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
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BlogHub Articles:
Sleuthathon: A Classic Mystery Blogathon – A Shot in the Dark’s Inspector Clouseau
By Annmarie Gatti on Mar 16, 2014 From Classic Movie Hub Blog“I believe everything and I believe nothing. I suspect everyone and I suspect no one. I gather the facts, examine the clues, and before you know it, the case is solved.” – Inspector Jacques Clouseau ?….. The original Inspector Clouseau played by the inimitable Peter Sellers,... Read full article
A Shot in the Dark (1964)
By 4 Star Film Fan on Sep 25, 2013 From 4 Star FilmsStarring a cast including Peter Sellers, Elke Sommers, Herbert Lom, and George Sanders, this comedy-mystery opens with several bustling individuals in a mansion, followed by a gunshot. A pretty maid who was found with the gun is assumed to be guilty, but the bumbling Inspector Clouseau thinks otherw... Read full article
A Shot in the Dark (1964)
By 4 Star Film Fan on Sep 25, 2013 From 4 Star FilmsStarring a cast including Peter Sellers, Elke Sommers, Herbert Lom, and George Sanders, this comedy-mystery opens with several bustling individuals in a mansion, followed by a gunshot. A pretty maid who was found with the gun is assumed to be guilty, but the bumbling Inspector Clouseau thinks otherw... Read full article
A Shot in the Dark
By RBuccicone on Nov 19, 2010 From MacGuffin MoviesA Shot in the Dark (1964) ???? Unlike The Thin Man movies, the series of films following the bumbling French detective Jacques Clouseau opted not to fashion the titles of the sequels off the first. The Pink Panther title refers to a priceless gem featured only in the initial film, similar to how the... Read full article
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Quotes from
Dreyfus: [a car bomb has just killed the killers. Dreyfus refers to four other killings] A doorman, two customers, and a Cossack! And now eight more dead!
Clouseau: But they were all murderers, except for Maurice, who was a blackmailer!
Dreyfus:[whimpering] They were saints compared to you!
Clouseau: Listen to me, Hercule, and you will learn something. Now then, the facts in this case are: the body of the chauffeur was found in the bedroom of the second maid. Fact! Cause of death: Four bullets in the chest. Fact! The bullets were fired at close range from a .25 caliber Beretta automatic. Fact! Maria Gambrelli was discovered with the murder weapon in her hand. Fact! The murder weapon was registered in the name of the deceased, Miguel Ostos, and was kept, mind you, in the glove compartment of the Ballon Rolls-Royce. Fact! Now then, members of the household staff have testified that Miguel Ostos beat... [breaks his pointing stick] You fool! You have broken my pointing stick! I have nothing to point with now!... have testified that Miguel Ostos beat Maria Gambrelli frequently. And now, finally comes the sworn statement of Monsieur and Madame Ballon, as well as all the members of the staff, each of them with perfect alibis. Now then, Hercule, What is the inescapable conclusion?
Hercule LaJoy: Maria Gambrelli killed the chauffeur.
Clouseau: What? You idiot! It's impossible. She's protecting someone.
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Facts about
In the scene where Clouseau and Hercule try to synchronize their watches before Clouseau goes into the Ballon house, Peter Sellers and Graham Stark improvised the dialog.
This film was originally meant to have been an adaptation of the stage play by Harry Kurnitz. Walter Matthau and Peter Sellers were to have been the detectives, but Sellers did not like how things were going and wanted out. United Artists brought in Blake Edwards to keep Sellers on the project. Edwards looked at the script and thought that it might be better suited to the character of Inspector Jacques Clouseau, and rewrote the entire script with a young William Peter Blatty. It was released only three months after the original The Pink Panther.
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