MovieChat Forums > The Pink Panther (1964) Discussion > This one wasn't Seller's movie...

This one wasn't Seller's movie...

posted 11 years ago by kartoon-1
5 replies | jump to latest

I remember seeing this film years ago as a child.
Then I grew up on all the slapstick sequels that centered on Seller's character of Clouseau.
When I saw this one again I was surprized at how it was really David Niven's movie as he was the center character and Clouseau was just a supporting character. But Seller's stole every scene he was in and so got all the sequels.

Anyone else think of any movie franchises that started out with one star and quickly went to the supporting actor?

An example: The Planet of the Apes started out as Charlton Heston's movie but the franchise became Roddy McDowell's

[–] CAGODDARD 10 years ago

The Carry On movies became Sidney James series though he wasn't in the first 3. Could be argued the original Star Wars trilogy was stolen by supporting actor Harrison Ford over lead Mark Hamill.

[–] kartoon-1 10 years ago

Fred Mac Murray did a movie called 'The Egg and I' and the two supporting stars went on to do all the sequels that became known as the Ma & Pa Kettle movies.

[–] sul-4 9 years ago

similarly, "Dead End" with Joel McCrea, Sylvia Sydney, and Bogart spawned the Bowery Boys franchise, though the difference between these two and the Pink Panther series was that the Pink Panther movies were intended as "A list" films, where the Kettle and BB movies were deliberate B movies that came out of the A list original.

[–] louiseculmer 10 years ago

I actually prefer it this way. i think Clouseau is funnier as a supporting character

[–] sonofbeach-sheet 8 years ago

It makes sense. David Niven got first billing, so yes, it is his movie! And he was no more well known than Peter Sellers. Both were fine and brilliant comic actors with Niven more elegant and distinguished and Sellers more silly and bumbling.