The genius of Peter Sellers
Every now and then this blog has visitors of the anti-vaxx or anti-fluoride variety. Reading one of the latter the other day, I thought of the movie “Dr. Strangelove,” and recalled that the Jack D. Ripper character had a thing against fluoride.
YouTube easily provided the scene. When I watched it, I was struck anew by the fact that Peter Sellers was a comic genius. Watch what he does here. It’s somehow both subtle and close to the edge of too much at the same time. He plays it right smack on that border, and it’s screamingly funny.
Comic genius indeed and of a subtlety that I suspect escaped most.
Sterling Hayden was under appreciated as well.
Perhaps Hollywood simply didn’t know how to create vehicles commensurate with their talents.
Come to think of it I haven’t seen a commie drink a glass of water either.
Co-in-ci-den-zia? I think not.
Never found him the least bit amusing.
Lon Chaney like.
Comic genius indeed and of a subtlety that I suspect escaped most.
That’s what people used to tell me about Doonesbury. Then I figured out that it was affected, not funny, and a component of a self-aggrandizing exercise by the people who claimed to like it.
Oh God. Peter Sellers. “Dr. Strangelove.” He had me at “Gentlemen. You can’t fight in here. This is the War Room!” Not to mention Strangelove’s final words: “Mein Fuhrer, I can walk!”
That was Sellers’ peak for me, but there was plenty of lesser known but great work he did. Here’s a zany bit where he reads the lyrics of the Beatles’ “She Loves You” in four different accents, starting with Dr. Stranglove’s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEzJTMf1ZF8
Americans have trouble getting traction with Sellers’ breakthrough vehicle, “The Goon Show,” co-starring Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe, but the Goons laid the foundations for later surreal comedy like Monty Python and Firesign Theater.
Here’s “What time is it, Eccles?” Only 90 seconds long but up there in my pantheon with Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on first?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tjHlFPTwVk
Sellers had a sad life. He was a textbook case of a person trying desperately to fill his inner emptiness so he could finally be happy and failing. Meanwhile he treated his family terribly.
There’s a biopic, “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers,” which reveals that Peter Sellers. I got through the film once, but I can’t watch it again — it is so cringe-inducing.
huxley,
A lot of the early Sellers comedy bits as well as Spike Milligan were produced by a very pre-Beatles George Martin who was kind of stuck as the ‘comedy producer’ guy at that time.
Art Deco:
To me, it’s a great parody of a certain kind of oh-so-polite Brit of the old school trying to keep his politeness while being collared and nearly engulfed by someone who is both powerful and unhinged. The timing of Sellers’ responses, the slow way he says “Jack,” the expression on his face, his little nervous darting looks, his physical discomfort, and in particular the nearly involuntary set of short laughs he emits from around 1:20 to 1:29 absolutely crack me up every time.
I didn’t appreciate Sellers’ work on some the slapstick sex comedy stuff he did, like What’s New Pussycat or Casino Royale. I remember thinking Lolita was pretty good, but Sellers’ small role in that was interesting but confusing. I’m sure it didn’t help that I was a kid when I saw most of that. The Pink Panther was always fun.
Everything about Dr. Strangelove was pretty great especially Sellers and Stirling Hayden. Hayden also starred in Kubrick’s “The Killing.”
Neo’s favorite piece with the two on the couch is about 2 minutes without cuts. Kubrick was infamous for doing as many as 60 takes of a scene until he was happy with it. I’d guess that’s a big part of why that scene is so very good. They might have spent days getting that 2 minutes just right.
I was older when I saw Sellers in “Being There” which is excellent, as was Sellers. I’m not sure how difficult it is to do an almost stony deadpan, but I’m sure it’s harder than it looks.
I love film trivia. Here are the Sellers relevant parts from IMDB.
He was a textbook case of a person trying desperately to fill his inner emptiness so he could finally be happy and failing. Meanwhile he treated his family terribly.
This is true of quite a few comic actors. Milton Berle for example. An exception, I believe, was Jonathan Winters who lived near a friend and was the life of neighbor hood parties. Of course, he might have been performing out of need. I think Robin Williams is another example although a nasty divorce might have played a role.
I can’t watch this without thinking of Joe Biden meeting any young lady.
Sellers put himself in grave danger by using excessive Amyl Nitrate “Poppers” in trying to get his sexual performances equal to Britt Ekland, his wife. He died at 54 and might have done so due to the stimulants he used.
TommyJay mentions Being There.
That’s my favorite.
And the outtakes on the DVD show all the takes where Sellers could not keep a straight face.
Particularly when facing the gang bangers with his remote.
I was trying to remember if this was the movie with the line about “precious bodily fluids.” It turns out it was.
An exception, I believe, was Jonathan Winters who lived near a friend and was the life of neighbor hood parties.
Mike K: A friend lived in Santa Barbara for a while in the 80s, near Montecito where Winters was. He said if Winters was out and about and in the mood, he would improv for the locals and if not, not, but he was loved and protected.
I can believe it. That must have been a treat.
My wife’s family in Germany have lectured me on the harm they believe fluoride has done to us Americans through our tap water.
I don’t know if Expat is on the blog tonight, but she would have better knowledge of how universal that fear is, or isn’t among Germans.
Here’s an interesting article about fluoridated water throughout the world,
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/17/water-fluoridation
The U.S. seems to be one of the few nations still embracing it broadly.
Sellers fitted perfectly into the Mandrake role. I heard that he was meant to be in a fourth role, that of Major Kong, but owing to an injury, he was not able to do it, and Slim Pickens was hired.
Incidentally, Bruno Ganz, the actor who portrayed Hitler in Downfall died earlier today. A couple of scenes of that movie have been adapted into a long series of parodies. One of the funniest of the parodies involves Sellers as Mandrake, apparently trying to speak to Hitler.
A lot of the early Sellers comedy bits as well as Spike Milligan were produced by a very pre-Beatles George Martin who was kind of stuck as the ‘comedy producer’ guy at that time.
Griffin: The Beatles were total Goon fans. I thought that was their connection to George Martin, and maybe it was later, but not at the beginning. Then Martin was the seasoned studio pro, the headmaster, and the Beatles were unruly schoolboys. Martin saw potential in the lads, though he wasn’t sure.
Turns out that was Richard Lester, who did a Pythonesque film, “The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film” with Peter Sellers, which the Beatles loved. Thus, Lester became the director of “A Hard Day’s Night.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Running_Jumping_%26_Standing_Still_Film
Huxley,
There is a documentary called ‘Produced By George Martin’ about his career from the early comedy bits through the Beatles to later stuff. I didn’t realize some of the things he did post Beatles like ‘Sister Golden Hair’ and ‘Tin Man’ by America. But a bunch of time is spent on those early comedy records.
Griffin: I’ll look for the Martin doco. Sounds like a good time. I wouldn’t call Martin the “fifth Beatle” but he was a pro and he was important.
“Sister Golden Hair” … brrr. I hated that song for its whininess. It was well-produced though. That opening guitar lick has a George Harrison touch. Hmm.
Sellers had two more wives after Britt Ekland, and one before her. Busy guy.
Huxley,
Yeah on ‘Sister Golden Hair’ but the line ‘I’ve been one poor correspondent been too, too hard to find’ has always struck a chord with me. They had some really strange nonsensical lyrics like so many bands of that era but that one was so descriptive.
Martin’s real importance to the Beatles was his musical professionalism. He was a true pro which helped a young band and yet he was open to so much of the experimental stuff of the later years.
Sadly we don’t see guys like that anymore that are so well rounded.
My first exposure to Peter Sellers was in 1964 or 1965 while I was in college. We had free Friday night night movies shown on campus. One of these was a British film titled THE CASE OF THE MUKKINESE BATTLE HORN. It starred Peter Sellers and the character he portrayed was very similar to his later Inspector Jacques Clouseau. I have tried to find this film online but have failed. The best I have found is the following at Black Hole Reviews.
http://blackholereviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/case-of-mukkinese-battle-horn-1956.html
Hangtown Bob: “The Case of the Mukkinese Battle-Horn” sounds like a title Spike Milligan might have used for a “Goon Show” and indeed the film was an attempt to transfer Goon humor to the silver screen with Milligan and Sellers among the writers.
Here’s an excerpt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBiVe__-Vik
Thanks for mentioning it. I don’t think I’ve seen Spike Milligan perform before. I just know him from his warbly, gooney voice:
“I’m Walking Backwards for Christmas”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e61uC-5s9VU
His headstone includes the words, “I told you I was ill,” in Irish.
I couldn’t help but think that Barack Obama was, in many respects, our “Being There” president. Ambiguous platitudes that meant whatever the listener wanted them to be.
Dr. Strangelove is a masterpiece, both by Kubrick and Peter Sellers, and also George C. Scott.
Our most-quoted line from the movie by the Dr. is so often appropriate:
Sacrifices must be made
opposition to fluoridation is rightly characterized as nutty. Dentists will thank such believers, especially pediatric dentists.
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Very difficult to do. If you haven’t watched the end-credits of the movie, though, do so- it shows all the takes that had to be done in the scene where Sellers is on the examination table and is trying to deliver the message to Rafael.
Here are the end credits on Youtube.
I couldn’t help but think that Barack Obama was, in many respects, our “Being There” president. Ambiguous platitudes that meant whatever the listener wanted them to be.
The use of the FBI and the IRS to harass the political opposition is an Obama special. Doubt it would have occurred to Chance.
Yancey Ward:
End-credits video here.
Sellers was a comic genius who left us too soon
I’d love to see outtakes of him doing Major Kong or the pie fight but I think they were destroyed. Shonda
Also Stanley Tucci ( underrated but great) nailed it as Kubrick
Obama certainly had a knack for ambiguous platitudes. He even boasted of his ability to be an “empty screen” for people to project their hopes. However, we saw enough of his lies and tricks to know he was more a knave than a fool.
I remember a joke back in 2008 that Obama was a Frankenstein monster the Weather Underground and Nation of Islam cooked up in a secret lab.
Sterling Hayden’s biggest role was probably as the rotten Captain McCluskey in “The Godfather”, especially in the restaurant scene. “I frisked him. He’s clean. I’ve frisked a thousand young punks.” And two minutes later: “Arrrghruffurghuhggg”.
In defense of McCluskey, his frisking was without error, he just should have done it again when Michael returns from the restroom.
A little trivia
Slim Pickens who played Major Kong
Was also the character who was Knockin on Heavens Door in Pat Garret and Billy the Kid
“…nutty…”
Ah, the things we used to laugh at, ridicule, disparage. (But then, what is life without laughter and ridicule?….)
Or perhaps it’s just a matter of choosing our poison…. (Two cheers for freedom of choice?)
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/10/14/fluoride-poison-on-tap-documentary.aspx
Barry:
All the article needs is to cite the “precious bodily fluids” and Alcoa. After all, in the 1980’s the bunk was that aluminum was the cause of Alzheimer’s.
The dose makes the poison. – Paracelsus
Unless of course you believe in homeopathic medicine. Or you are an anti-vaxer,
I was never a fan of Sellers or Dr. Strangelove, either (or the Pink Panther). I get it, I just don’t care for it. I feel the same way about “The Princess Bride.” I get the jokes, I can recite the dialogue (it’s one of my family’s favorites, so I’ve sat through it more than enough times), but it never clicked with me.
No, not an anti-vaxer. Just curious about all the mantras and controversies regarding fluoridation….
On the other hand, after following the U. of Calgary studies on mercury in amalgam tooth fillings, I did get my amalgam fillings replaced…which I guess makes me a, well, something, no doubt. (It just didn’t make sense to me, once it was brought to my attention, that I had all that mercury in my mouth. Also kept thinking about all those sheep being tested and made a pledge that those sheep would not have been tested in vain….)
As for homeopathy, it’s a terrific idea for those who delight in the counter-intuitive (and/or paradox); and who knows, it might even work (though perhaps as a placebo). But no, I’m not a groupie.
(Having said that, the principle of homeopathy, at least as I understand it, is very much an aspect of the principle behind vaccination—to the extent that I understand the latter.)
The first time I saw Peter Sellers was in a picture called “The Mouse that Roared,” in which he played four or five roles. It was made in the ’50s or early ’60s. Absolutely hilarious. I knew then that he was going to be one of the great comic actors. If it ever appears On-demand or streaming, jump at the chance to see it.
Barry: Baaah! 😉
Richard Saunders:
That movie was my introduction to Sellers as well. I saw it as a child, and absolutely loved it. I especially liked him as the Grand Duchess. Looking at the trailer just now, I realize I had forgotten that Jean Seberg, of all people, was the love interest in that movie.
Almost always if the Deep State needs a propagandist to make one of their hidden operations too ridiculous for the public to believe in, they will produce a film, movie, tv series about it, change all the details, and attribute the theory to some whack or evil cartoon villain like Jack.
That way, when the public next hears about sodium flouride being added to the water when it is a chemical, alchemical, and pharmaceutical waste product that is toxic to infants, they just think “oh, it’s that whacky theory held by what’s his name”. Sorta like how Americans think Sarah Palin said she could see Russia from her house. That was SNL, but Americans can’t tell the difference.
That’s how dumb and easy to manipulate you humans are. Always have been, always will be.
Barry Meislin: Homeopathy is the philosophy of using natural, not chemical or alchemical processes, to refine plants and minerals into energy that helps the body heal itself.
It is quite primitive due to recent advances in quantum physics, mechanics, and quantum magic however. I have had stellar results from the compression of chi/prana/life force energy that is described by quantum zero point and dirac sea phenomenon.
Nerve damage that would have taken 1000 dollars just to “diagnose”, being healed in months, not years. Weeks not months for some clients. Diabetes II, no longer needing their drugs as often to regulate headaches and eye blindness.
All kinds of goodies Bible thumping Christians and religious fanatics like om would rather pay a pharmacist, an alchemist, big bucks for side effects that include up to death by torture.
The quack, quacks again. Mechanical magical quantum leaping hokum; just string together sciency – sounding phrases and top it off with a “I told you so!”