The Original Bumbling Detective

Inspector Clouseau, of course. Turner Classic Movies is showing four of the Pink Panther movies this evening. I'm presently watching my favorite of all the Pink Panther movies, The Pink Panther Strikes Again. At the moment, the Inspector's former boss, Chief Inspector Dreyfuss, having recently escaped from an asylum, is bent on trying to kill Inspector Clouseau. By the end of the movie, Chief Inspector Dreyfuss (played most excellently by Herbert Lom) will soon vaporize the U.N. building. ("I want a crater! Twisted wreckage!")

Although Austin Powers has certainly achieved greater, or at least more recent, popularity, I believe that character is neither as well developed nor as well-presented as Inspector Clouseau. Clouseau is inept, yet also successful with the ladies, without having to resort to crude jokes and situations. The various disguises that Peter Sellers uses (hunchback, utility worker) aren't terribly clever in appearance, but he plays them so earnestly and charmingly. The sight gags and physical comedy, particularly the sparring sessions with Cato (played by Bert Kwouk), are hilarious. If you haven't at least seen The Pink Panther Strikes Again, you should rent the DVD. It's certainly not a cerebral movie, but it is definitely entertaining.