Mr. Strangelove: A Biography of Peter Sellers (69 page)

The Bobo
(1967). Peter Sellers (Juan Bautista), Britt Ekland (Olimpia), Rossano
Brazzi (Carlos Matabosch), Adolfo Celi (Carbonell), Hattie Jacques (Trinity),
Ferdy Mayne (Flores), and Kenneth Griffith (Pepe). Director: Robert Parrish;
screenwriter: David R. Schwartz, based on his play
The Bobo
and the novel
Olimpia
by Burt Cole; director of photography: Gerry Turpin; producers: Elliott
Kastner and Jerry Gershwin. Warner Bros., 103 minutes.

The Party
(1968). Peter Sellers (Hrundi V. Bakshi), Claudine Longet (Michele
Monet), Marge Champion (Rosalind Dunphy), Stephen Liss (Geoffrey Clutterbuck), Gavin McLeod (C. S. Divot), Fay McKenzie (Alice Clutterbuck),
Denny Miller (“Wyoming Bill” Kelso), and Steve Franken (Levinson the
waiter). Director: Blake Edwards; screenwriters: Blake Edwards, Tom Waldman, and Frank Waldman; director of photography: Lucien Ballard; producer:
Blake Edwards. Mirisch Corporation/United Artists, 99 minutes.

I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!
(1968). Peter Sellers (Harold Fine), Jo Van Fleet
(Mrs. Fine), Leigh Taylor-Young (Nancy), Joyce Van Patten (Joyce), Salem
Ludwig (Mr. Fine), David Arkin (Herbie Fine), Herb Edelman (Murray), Grady
Sutton (funeral director), and Louis Gottlieb (guru). Director: Hy Averback;
screenwriters: Paul Mazursky and Larry Tucker; director of photography: Philip
Lathrop; producer: Charles Maguire. Warner Bros., 92 minutes.

The Magic Christian
(1969). Peter Sellers (Sir Guy Grand), Ringo Starr
(Youngman Grand), Isabel Jeans (Dame Agnes Grand), Caroline Blakiston
(the Hon. Esther Grand), Wilfrid Hyde-White (ship’s captain), Richard
Attenborough (Oxford coach), Leonard Frey (Laurence Faggot), Laurence
Harvey (Hamlet), Christopher Lee (ship’s vampire), Spike Milligan (traffic
warden), Roman Polanski (solitary drinker), Raquel Welch (Priestess of the
Whip), and John Cleese (Sotheby’s director), with David Lodge and Graham
Stark. Director: Joseph McGrath; screenwriters: Terry Southern and Joseph
McGrath, from the novel by Terry Southern, with additional material by
Graham Chapman, John Cleese, and Peter Sellers; director of photography:
Geoffrey Unsworth; producer: Denis O’Dell. Grand Films, Ltd./Commonwealth United, 101 minutes.

Hoffman
(1970). Peter Sellers (Benjamin Hoffman), Sinéad Cusack (Janet Smith),
Jeremy Bulloch (Tom Mitchell), Ruth Dunning (Mrs. Mitchell), and David
Lodge (foreman). Director: Alvin Rakoff; screenwriter: Ernest Gébler, based on
his novel; director of photography: Gerry Turpin; producer: Ben Arbeid. Longstone/Associated British Films, 113 minutes.

Simon, Simon
(1970). Graham Stark, John Junkin, Peter Sellers, Julia Foster,
Norman Rossington, Paul Whitsun-Jones, Audrey Nicholson, Kenneth Earle,
Tommy Godfrey, Tony Blackburn, Michael Caine, David Hemmings, Bob
Monkhouse, Eric Morecambe, Peter Murray, Bernie Winters, and Ernie Wise.
Director: Graham Stark; screenwriter: Graham Stark; directors of photography:
Harvey Harrison and Derek Vanlint; producer: Graham Stark. Hemdale, 30
minutes.

A Day at the Beach
(1970). Mark Burns (Bernie), Beatrice Edney (Winnie), Peter
Sellers (trinket shop owner), Graham Stark (Pipi), Fiona Lewis (Melissa), Maurice Roeves (poet), Jack Macgowran (beach attendant), Joanna Dunham (poet’s
wife), Eva Dahlbeck (café owner), Tom Heathcote (man from Ghana), Bertil
Lauring (Louis), and Jorgen Kiil (Carl). Director: Simon Hessera; screenwriter:
Roman Polanski, based on a novel by Heere Heeresma, translated by James
Brockway; director of photography: Gil Taylor; producer: Gene Gutowski. Paramount Pictures, 90 minutes.

There’s a Girl in My Soup
(1970). Peter Sellers (Robert Danvers), Goldie Hawn
(Marion), Tony Britton (Andrew), Francoise Pascal (Paola), Nicky Henson
(Jimmy), John Comer (John), Diana Dors (John’s wife), and Nicola Pagett
(bride). Director: Roy Boulting; screenwriter: Terence Frisby, based on his stage
play, with additional dialogue by Peter Kortner; director of photography: Harry
Waxman; producers: M. J. Frankovich and John Boulting. Columbia Pictures,
96 minutes.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
(1972). Fiona Fullerton (Alice), Peter Sellers
(the March Hare), Michael Crawford (the White Rabbit), Ralph Richardson
(the Caterpillar), Flora Robson (the Queen of Hearts), Robert Helpmann (the
Mad Hatter), Dudley Moore (Dormouse), Spike Milligan (Gryphon), Peter Bull
(the Duchess), and Michael Jayston (Lewis Carroll). Director: William Sterling;
screenwriter: William Sterling, based on the novel by Lewis Carroll; director of
photography: Geoffrey Unsworth; producer: Derek Horne. Wham! USA/JEF
Films, 97 minutes.

Where Does It Hurt?
(1972). Peter Sellers (Albert T. Hopfnagel), Jo Ann Pflug
(Alice Gilligan), Rick Lenz (Lester Hammond), Harold Gould (Dr. Zerny),
Eve Bruce (Lamarr), Pat Morita (Mr. Nishimoto), and Kathleen Freeman
(Mrs. Manzini). Director: Rod Amateau; screenwriters: Rod Amateau and
Budd Robinson, based on their novel
The Operator
; director of photography:
Brick Marquard; producers: Bill Schwartz and Rod Amateau. Hemdale, 84
minutes.

The Blockhouse
(1973). Peter Sellers (Rouquet), Charles Aznavour (Visconti),
Nicholas Jones (Kromer), Jeremy Kemp (Grabinski), Leon Lissek (Kozhek),
Alfred Lynch (Larshen), Pier Oscarsson (Lund), Peter Vaughan (Aufret). Director: Clive Rees; screenwriters: John Gould and Clive Rees, based on the novel
by Jean Paul Clebert; producers: Edgar Bronfman Jr. and Antony Rufus Isaacs;
director of photography: Keith Goddard. Audley Films, Galactacus, and Hemdale Film Corporation, 88 minutes.

Soft Beds, Hard Battles
(1973). Peter Sellers (General Latour, Major Robinson,
Herr Schroeder, Hitler, H.R.H. General the Prince Kyoto, M. le Président des
Forces Spéciales, narrator), Lila Kedrova (Madame Grenier), Curt Jurgens
(General von Grotjahn), Beatrice Romand (Marie-Claude), Rex Stallings (Alan Cassidy), Patricia Burke (Mother Superior), and Rula Lenska (Louise). Director:
Roy Boulting; screenwriters: Roy Boulting and Leo Marks; director of photography: Gilbert Taylor; producer: John Boulting. Charter Film Productions/United Artists, 94 minutes.

The Optimists
(1973). Peter Sellers (Sam), Donna Mulane (Liz), John Chaffey
(Mark), Marjorie Yates (Chrissie Ellis), David Daker (Bob Ellis), and Pat
Ashton (Mrs. Bonini). Director: Anthony Simmons; screenwriter: Tudor
Gates and Anthony Simmons, based on the novel
The Optimists of Nine
Elms
by Anthony Simmons; director of photography: Larry Pizer; producers:
Adrian Gaye and Victor Lyndon. Cheetah/Sagittarius/Paramount Pictures,
110 minutes.

Ghost in the Noonday Sun
(1973). Peter Sellers (Dick Scratcher), Anthony Franciosa (Pierre), Spike Milligan (Billy Bombay), Peter Boyle (Ras Mohammed),
Clive Revill (Bay of Algiers), Richard Willis (Jeremiah), James Villiers
(Parsley-Frack), Thomas Baptiste (Abdullah), Griffith Davies (Omar), and David Lodge
(Zante). Director: Peter Medak; screenwriter: Evan Jones, with additional dialogue by Spike Milligan, based on the novel by Sid Fleischman; directors of
photography: Michael Reed and Larry Pizer (uncredited); producer: Gareth
Wigan. World Film Servers/Cavalcade Films, Heron Service Company Production, 90 minutes.

The Great McGonagall
(1974). Spike Milligan (William McGonagall), Peter Sellers (Queen Victoria), Julia Foster (Mrs. McGonagall), John Bluthal (Mr. Giles,
MacDuff, Herclues Paint, McLain, British soldier, policeman, sheriff, judge),
Victor Spinetti (Mr. Stewart, Second-Lieutenant Rotlo, gentleman, revolutionary, cardinal, policeman), and Valentine Dyall (Lord Tennyson, sergeant,
doctor, native messenger, policeman, fop). Director: Joseph McGrath; screenwriters: Spike Milligan and Joseph McGrath; director of photography: John
Mackey; producer: David Grant. Darlton, 95 minutes.

The Return of the Pink Panther
(1974). Peter Sellers (Inspector Jacques Clouseau), Christopher Plummer (Sir Charles Litton), Catherine Schell (Claudine),
Herbert Lom (Chief Inspector Dreyfus), Peter Arne (Colonel Sharki), Peter
Jeffrey (General Wadafy), Gregoire Aslan (chief of Lugash Police), Burt Kwouk
(Cato), David Lodge (Mac), and Graham Stark (Pepi). Director: Blake Edwards;
screenwriters: Frank Waldman and Blake Edwards; director of photography:
Geoffrey Unsworth; producer: Blake Edwards. Mirisch Corp./United Artists,
113 minutes.

Murder by Death
(1976). Peter Sellers (Sidney Wang), Alec Guinness (Jamesir
Bensonmum), Maggie Smith (Dora Charleston), David Niven (Dick Charleston), Eileen Brennan (Tess Skeffington), Truman Capote (Lionel Twain), James
Coco (Milo Perrier), Peter Falk (Sam Diamond), Elsa Lanchester (Jessica Marbles), Nancy Walker (Yetta the maid), Estelle Winwood (Miss Withers), James
Cromwell (Marcel), and Richard Narita (Willie Wang). Director: Robert
Moore; screenwriter: Neil Simon; director of photography: David M. Walsh;
producer: Ray Stark. Rastar/Columbia Pictures, 94 minutes.

The Pink Panther Strikes Again
(1976). Peter Sellers (Chief Inspector Jacques
Clouseau), Herbert Lom (former Chief Inspector Dreyfus), Burt Kwouk (Cato),
Leonard Rossiter (Quinlan), Colin Blakely (Drummond), Lesley-Anne Down
(Olga), Howard K. Smith (himself), Graham Stark (two hotel clerks), Dick
Crockett (the president), Byron Kane (secretary of state), Richard Vernon
(Professor Fassbender), and Briony McRoberts (Margo Fassbender). Director: Blake
Edwards; screenwriters: Frank Waldman and Blake Edwards; director of photography: Harry Waxman; producer: Blake Edwards. Amjo/United Artists, 103
minutes.

Revenge of the Pink Panther
(1978). Peter Sellers (Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau), Herbert Lom (former Chief Inspector Dreyfus), Burt Kwouk (Cato),
Dyan Cannon (Simone Legree), Robert Webber (Philippe Douvier), Robert
Loggia (Marchione), Tony Beckley (Algo), and Graham Stark (Dr. Augus Balls).
Director: Blake Edwards; screenwriters: Blake Edwards, Frank Waldman, and
Ron Clark; director of photography: Ernest Day; producer: Blake Edwards.
Jewel/United Artists, 104 minutes.

The Prisoner of Zenda
(1979). Peter Sellers (Rudolph IV, Rudolph V, Syd Frewin), Lynne Frederick (Princess Flavia), Lionel Jeffries (General Sapt), Elke
Sommer (the countess), Gregory Sierra (the count), Jeremy Kemp (Duke Michael), Catherine Schell (Antoinette), and Graham Stark (Eric). Director: Richard Quine; screenwriters: Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, based on the novel
by Anthony Hope; director of photography: Arthur Ibbetson; producer: Walter
Mirisch. Universal Pictures, 108 minutes.

Being There
(1979). Peter Sellers (Chance), Shirley MacLaine (Eve Rand), Melvyn
Douglas (Benjamin Rand), Richard Dysart (Dr. Allenby), Jack Warden (the
president), Richard Basehart (Vladimir Skrapinov), Ruth Attaway (Louise),
Dave Clennon (Thomas Franklin), and Fran Brill (Sally). Director: Hal Ashby;
screenwriters: Jerzy Kosinski and Robert C. Jones (uncredited), based on the
novel by Jerzy Kosinski; director of photography: Caleb Deschanel; producer:
Andrew Braunsberg. Lorimar/United Artists, 130 minutes.

The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu
(1980). Peter Sellers (Fu Manchu, Nayland
Smith), Helen Mirren (Alice Rage), David Tomlinson (Sir Roger Avery), Sid
Caesar (Joe Capone), Simon Williams (Robert Townsend), Steve Franken (Pete
Williams), Stratford Johns (Ismail), John Le Mesurier (Perkins), and Burt
Kwouk (servant). Directors: Piers Haggard and Peter Sellers (uncredited);
screenwriters: Jim Moloney and Rudy Dochtermann, based on the Sax Rohmer
novels; director of photography: Jean Tournier; producers: Zev Braun and Leland Nolan. Playboy Productions/Orion, 100 minutes.

Abele, Robert. “Idol Chatter: Helen Mirren.”
Premiere
(July 1999): 52.

Adams, Tony, et al. “Three Production Points of View.”
American Cinematographer
(July 1978): 662–663, 675, 692–693, 711.

Alexander, Shana. “Sellers’ Last Role—Almost.”
Life
57, 5 (July 31, 1964): 27–30.

Allan, Hunter.
Walter Matthau
. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1984.

Allen, Steve.
Funny People
. New York: Stein and Day, 1981.

Amis, Kingsley.
Memoirs
. New York: Summit Books, 1991.

Anon. “Photographing ‘Revenge of the Pink Panther.’ ”
American Cinematographer
(July 1978): 656–659, 706–707.

Anon. “Southern Compatibility.”
Mean
1, 5 (September–November 1999):
42–44.

Anon. “ ‘Come On Out, Pete.’ ”
Newsweek
(November 2, 1964): 99, 101–102.

Anon. “Best Sellers.”
Playboy
(April 1986): 130–142.

Anon. “
Gallery
Interview: Peter Sellers.”
Gallery
(November 1978): 31–35.

Anon. “Out of the Air: Being There.”
The Listener
(July 31, 1980): 142.

Anon. “Peter Sellers: Funny Peculiar.”
Economist
(May 28, 1994): 90.

Anon. “Peter Sellers: Goon-in-tune.”
Films and Filming
(May 1959): 5.

Anon. “Playboy Interview: Peter Sellers.”
Playboy
(October 1962): 69–72.

Anon. “Rickless and others. V. United Artists Corporation and others.”
Journal of
Media Law and Practice
(July 1987): 71.