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: [after getting his hand caught in a spinning globe] Look at that. I have Africa all over my hand.


Maria Gambrelli: [as Clouseau's coat is burning] Your coat, Monsieur!
Clouseau: Yes, it is my coat.


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!


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Facts about

The film was adapted from the play "A Shot in the Dark" by Marcel Achard which opened at the Booth Theater on October 18, 1961 and ran for 389 performances closing on September 22, 1962. The original cast included Walter Matthau (Winner of 1962 Tony Award® Best Featured Actor in a Play), Julie Harris, William Shatner and Gene Saks.
Every time Inspector Clouseau says Miguel, he pronounces it incorrectly by adding the sound of the letter u. All the other characters who say it pronounce it correctly (with a silent u).
In the scene where Clouseau rushes through a Paris apartment, only to go out the window - into the Seine - three cameras were set up to record the action. Of course a stunt double was employed, and told to "waggle" his legs on the way down, for more humour. The scene was filmed inside MGM's Stage 5 (in Boreham Wood, outside London) where a huge, 154,000 gallon tank, of tepid water, had been readied. Here, a set representing the first three stories of a French apartment house had been erected, right beside the tank. Because one cameraman had partly missed the fall the first time, the stuntman was asked to do it again. He changed out of his wet clothes, and duly did so, some minutes later. But the director felt he needed another, to be sure, and so a third take was done. Eventually only one camera angle was used, of course. The stunt man was paid about a hundred pounds for his part, it is believed.
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