A Shot in the Dark (1964)

Even though the evidence and bodies keep piling up, Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers) refuses to believe that the beautiful Maria Gambrelli (Elke Sommer) is capable of murder.

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When most people make lists of legendary actor/director pairings, the focus is usually on dramatic films. The romantic image of two gifted artists laboring to put real life up on the screen. But as the saying goes, "dying is easy, comedy is hard" so let us honor one of cinema's greatest COMEDIC actor/director pairings: Peter Sellers and Blake Edwards. In less than two decades they were able to generate enough laughs to last one-hundred years while simultaneously crafting one of film history's great clowns - Inspector Clouseau. Physical comedy, word play, embarrassing situations - they could do it all to perfection. A Shot in the Dark is their masterpiece and the sheer comic mastery on display should be enough to send all lesser comics into a "rit of fealous jage!"

BONUS TRIVIA: The screenwriter of this barrel of laughs is none other than William Peter Blatty, author of The Exorcist!