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 Films

Starring 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 Films

Starring 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 Movies

A 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

Clouseau: Well... that just goes to prove what I have said all along.
Dreyfus: What you've said, Clouseau, qualifies you as the greatest prophet since Custer said he was going to surround all those Indians!


Dreyfus: Fran?ois would you please call for a doctor.
Francois: Are you ill?
Dreyfus: I seem to have stabbed myself with the letter opener.


[Accusing a suspect, millionaire Benjamin Ballon]
Clouseau: And I submit, Inspector Ballon, that you arrived home, found Miguel with Maria Gambrelli, and killed him in a rit of fealous jage!


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Facts about

Of the 9 murders committed in the film, four of them are victims of Dreyfus, and the only other murder not related to the mansion itself is that of the crow that Inspector Clouseau shoots. Clouseau is the only character who kills a non-human character, and Dreyfus is the only character who kills more than one person.
First appearance of Kato (later changed to Cato) and Dreyfus in the Clouseau film series.
According to Graham Stark, who plays Clouseau's assistant Hercule, in the scene where Clouseau gets his hand stuck in the globe, Peter Sellers ad-libbed the line "Look at that! I've got Africa all over my hand!"
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