Tribeca Shortlist currently has three of director Blake Edwards’ “Inspector Clouseau” films in its lineup: The Pink Panther, A Shot in the Dark and The Return of the Pink Panther. Seeing these on the Shortlist reminds me how big a fan of the late, great Edwards I was when I was a kid. In my younger days, whenever and wherever an Edwards film would play, whether it was the big or small screen, I was there for it.
Edwards got his start in Hollywood by acting in mostly uncredited roles in the mid- to late-1940s, but soon found fame when he went on to direct over thirty feature films, including Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The following is a list of the ten Blake Edwards films that made the biggest impression on me as a comedy-loving youth. These aren’t all showstoppers, like Tiffany’s or his Days of Wine and Roses; some are classics, but others should probably never be mentioned again. Either way, I’ll always have a place deep in my cockles for them.
1. S.O.B. (1981)
The movie that made me fall in love with movies in the first place. This savage takedown of Hollywood is basically a hedonistic, all-star version of Our Town, with William Holden (in his last role) and other stars lambasting the film industry. And, of course, there was the movie’s big selling point: seeing Julie Andrews — Edwards’ wife and Mary Poppins herself! — topless!
2. Victor/Victoria (1982)
Andrews is once again the star of this razzle-dazzle comedy, where she plays a struggling singer who becomes the toast of the town by pretending to be a man singing as a woman. It’s a shame Tootsie got all the cross-dressing comedy-love that year — this movie’s still fun to watch.
3. The Pink Panther (1964)
Edwards and Sellers’ first team-up in the “Inspector Clouseau” pantheon is still the best — deliriously-paced, sophisticated and screwball at the same damn time. One look at this and you’ll understand why those reboots with Steve Martin are no proper substitution.
4. 10 (1979)
Edwards began to get very autobiographical near the end of his career, making movies about middle-aged men often sating their midlife crises with the company of beautiful ladies. This one, where Dudley Moore basically stalks Bo Derek for a whole film, is where it all started.
5. The Party (1968)
Edwards and Sellers didn’t exclusively make Pink Panther movies. They also gave us this madhouse romp, with Sellers doing a borderline-racist turn as a bumbling Indian actor who mistakenly gets invited to (and eventually wreaks all kind of havoc at) a swanky, Hollywood party.
6. The Great Race (1965)
This slapstick car chase-of-a-film didn’t get a lot of love from critics or audiences when it was first released. But it’s still worth checking out if you want to see Some Like It Hot stars Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis reunite and get back in the farcical swing-of-things as dueling, early 20th-century racers.
7. Trail of the Pink Panther (1982)
The final Pink Panther film to star Sellers is a messy affair. After Sellers’s death in 1980, Edwards took deleted scenes featuring Sellers from other Panther movies and shot additional footage. It’s still suitable to watch if you’re a Sellers completist, but don’t expect it to be his finest work.
8. Blind Date (1987)
Before he was yippee-ki-yaying in those Die Hard movies, Bruce Willis was still seen as that smart-ass charmer from Moonlighting. That’s definitely why Edwards cast him in this chaotic rom-com, where he plays a lawyer who has one memorable night with a too-tipsy Kim Basinger.
9. A Fine Mess (1986)
Edwards disowned this attempt at a Laurel & Hardy-style comedy, with Ted Danson and Howie Mandel as the stars engaging in slapstick shenanigans, after constant studio interference diluted the finished product. I thought it was funny — but, then again, I was 10 when I saw it.
10. Skin Deep (1989)
Three words: Glow-in-the-dark penis fight. You’re welcome.
Stream Blake Edwards’ The Pink Panther, A Shot in the Dark, and The Return of the Pink Panther on Tribeca Shortlist now.
