Peter Sellers doing accents and talking Dr. Strangelove on NBC's Today Show interview (1980)
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- Опубликовано: 17 июл 2016
- Excerpt from a 1980 interview with Sellers from NBC’s Today show, from Criterion Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb Blu-Ray.
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The fact that Peter Sellers can look at Gene Shalit and not start laughing shows just how good of an actor he really was.
Gene did that gig forever!
One plays clowns, the other is one.
😂 still, at times he seems to be restraiming himself.
Obviously you've not watched enough Peter Seller outtakes 😂🤣😂
I like that his favourite film is what I will always consider arguably my favourite film, and easily for me his magnum opus
Peter Sellers. Married 4 times, he was interviewed here in 1980 by Shalit. In real life he was erratic, compulsive, depressed, and insecure. He died of a heart attack in 1980. Shortly after this entertaining interview. A genius of an actor, with a troubled private life. He would clash with directors and co-actors on set. But he was a genius nevertheless. His role as inspector Clouseau stood out the most for me. Absolutely humorous. And brilliant.
what
Wut
Very true. I've read two biographies on Sellers over the years. He was a terrible man who treated his wives and children horribly. Just a wreck of a paranoid, insecure human being who had no discernible identity of his own. But he was an absolute genius as an actor and performer, without a doubt.
@@redadamearth2 sides to every story.
@@redadamearthdoes not matter. He was a brilliant actor and comedian.
Peter Sellers was unique, irreplaceable, brilliant and a comedian of chameleonic qualities. We shall never see the likes of him again and the world was lucky to have had him.
Don't forget egocentric depressive, throw your toys out of the pram maniac
Agree absolutely.!
He was a drunken, drug addicted loser who treated his family like trash.
Spot on, Gabrielashkar
There's something about old interviews like this which is kind of magic. There is a lack of modern day narcissism. There is an authenticity.
EXACTLY
Yeah, I just watched and early 80s Carson interview Christopher Reeves and was impressed with how he conducted himself--dignified, funny, thoughtful.
which is ironic, because Sellers was a narcissist
@@aurorarhys5666 How was Sellers a narcissist?
@@aurorarhys5666 maybe your the narcissist
Peter Sellers was a miracle. If you ever get a chance to hear his comedy albums the man had NO limits. He could do every know accent, be a man or a woman, his humor was very sophisticated and hilarious, and he was a true chameleon, he could become anybody. I wish he had lived longer.
Acabo de conocer más sobre su humor últimamente y nunca crei que fuera el doctor strangelove j
He died a few years after I was born but his films had an influence, Dr Strangelove is still one of my favorite film because of Peter and Being There had such an emotional impact despite being old by the time I watched it. Definitely broke the mould when they made him.
The goon shows are hilarious.
My favorite of his films is "Being There" and I only just learned through this interview how important it was to Peter Sellers, himself. I recommend it to all.
I think he kept mentioning it because that was what he was there to promote, and Shalit kept changing the subject back to Strangelove.
Dr Strangelove is one of the greatest anti-war satires ever, and Peter Sellers three roles in the movie were a work of true comic genius.
He was supposed to be Maj Kong too but sprained his ankle and couldn't fit into the cramped setting
@@jaygasper4853 thought I’m sure he would have been great I’m glad he didn’t play Maj Kong because I love slim Pickens in Dr Strangelove
It's one of the greatest MOVIES ever
Yes, Comic Genius….
@@jaygasper4853 Slim Pickens as Kong may have been accidental but it was a brilliant stroke of luck
His clumsiness as Clouseau is so subtle and so hilarious that I often couldn't stop laughing.
He was superb at keeping a vaguely baffled look on his face. For me that was central to his believable portrayal of a bumbler.
I despised the Steve Martin remake. I found it to be a horrendous insult to Peter's legacy. Steve Martin had no idea about the soul of the character.
So many classic scenes.
Cluseau to Old Man on bench: Does your dog bite?
Old Man: No, my dog does not bite.
Dog bite's Cluseau's hand.
Cluseau: You said your dog does not bite.
Old Man: That is not my dog.
hahahahahaha
@@davidprince1138yes that was a disaster, he overacted
@@davidprince1138 ~ It was the inkeeper. One of the greatest comedy moments
One of the greatest actors of all time. Interview was just a month before his death on July 24, 1980 at age 54 from a heart attack.
So many great movies: Dr. Strangelove (he should’ve won the Oscar), Being There (another Oscar denied), The Party & the Pink Panther movies.
he sure looks old here for age 54. all grey hair
Fondly remembered, dearly missed. Peter Sellers was like Robin Williams a league of their own, pure comedic geniuses.
Could you imagine them in one room?
@@christianlibertarian5488 Imagine getting into a fight with the fucker.
Boiled Octopus take an upvote for a Withnail and I quote
@@robd593 I thought that would lay dormant for years to come. A man of clear taste!
Williams was a thief and basically played the same character in every movie...the slight oddball that gets that person to feel.
Peter Sellars was a masterful mimic/dialectician: his understanding of London's accents is just this side of a linguist!
Peter Sellers was a brilliant actor. Great in comedy and drama. Him not getting an academy award for Dr. Strangelove is a CRIME! His performances in Pink Panther, Lolita and Being There were brilliant. Died tooooooo young and shortly after this interview (The same year, 1980)! Only 55 years old. Sad:-(
Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room.
Stay on the bomb run boys! I'm gonna get them bomb doors open if it harelips everybody on Bear Creek.
@mike bond You went to public school in the US, right?
@mike bond it's ok.............you had to be there
mike bond, It’s perfectly ironic. Some mistake that for humor. And my entire life I’ve had to hear people quote that line and expect me to LOL or something. Clap my hands together like a toy monkey. Sad boomers.
"He saw the big board!"
He died shortly after this interview of a heart attack. What a genius. Being There is one of the funniest movies ever.
What a talent! He even changes his posture and mannerisms with his accent! Brilliant!
Into character.
John Cleese said he once visited Peter at his house first thing in the morning, and when Peter appeared, he (Peter) had to go through several voices before "finding" his own.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Turned out it was hiding behind a shrub.
100%!
Amazing actor. I wish he was still with us
So underrated as an actor/comedian. He could do it all...
He really could !!!!! He was a god of comedy and acting !!!
38 years after his death we still miss him !!!
😭😭
He died in 1981, so that would actually be 35 years.
pmafterdark are you from Canada ? come on I got it wrong by 3 years, thank you for the update !
There has never been anyone like Peter Sellers. His presence has always been missed.
Peter Sellers is in a league of his own. No one before or after him even comes close. Show him to your kids!
His physical comedy in the movie “The Party” is hilarious. So many amazing roles, I miss him.
One of my all time favorite movies
My family came to the US from India in the 1960s and as a kid then he looked, walked and talked like my uncle who visited us from India in the early 70s. I told my friends at school about my uncle who was visiting from India and everyone wanted to meet him. America was a different place in the 1970s
Well said
Birdie num num
@@twinsonic Hahahahaha
Is amazing how Peter TOTALLY changes when doing the accents. Not just the voice, but body language and thought process as well. Hard enough to do when doing a celebrity impersonation. But to suddenly act like a particular cockney or upper class person, and it's like Peter has all the history of that particular character within him. Amazing!
the interviewer actually looks like a microphone.
Antifoul Awl the interviewer is also Peter Sellers
That's how he got the job
Antifoul Awl welcome to the 70s still leaking into the early 80s
Yes, he is very dynamic.
that's hilarious - i am cracking up at this comment
Sellers was a tortured genius. He actually adlibbed the best scenes as the Dr Strangelove character. I re-watch it often . He was also brilliant as Fred Kite, the Shop Steward in ' I'm alright, Jack ' . He should have got an Oscar for Dr. Strangelove
Yes, Kubrick said that no other actor he worked with could improvise like Peter Sellers.
A true acting legend. I love everything he's ever done. He is sadly missed.
As someone who is old enough to remember Sellers in his prime, I have to say that it is the most unusual thing imaginable to hear him in his own voice. It borders on the bizarre and surreal... Almost as if one doesn't expect him to sound like himself.
I was struck by his interview in the same way.
lol, he died in his prime.
I honestly don't think he knew what his real self sounded like
Agree! 100%
The accent he did in that interview would have been RP as expected from civilised British people, not his original voice. Then again so many actors learn to affect RP when off stage.
I am still blown away by his acting. And 'Being There' was just amazing.
@@houdinididiit That's an opinion not everyone shares.
@@houdinididiit You've made a fool of yourself.
His happiest days were when he was with The Goons on radio. It all fell apart after that. He couldn't bullshit Milligan and Secombe.
@@spencerfrankclayton4348 hooray harry cry on my shoulder for the "poor" "suffering" "silent" "majority".
@@siggylloyd3566 Crying? No. That's a liberal thing.
Watching this interview makes me really, really miss Peter Sellers and his incredible talent! Imagine all of his incredibly diverse rolls, from his Dr. Strangelove rolls to his Pink Panther Inspector Clouseau persona, his genius is undeniable. I can't think of anyone today who even approaches his level of talent.
There will never be another Peter Sellers.
Completely unique & original
His body of work will live forever ✌🏾
If you have virtue, and it is your virtue, nobody else will have that virtue. - Nietzsche
Birdie num-nums.
Peter Sellers is a gem of a human being. Just looking at him in an interview is hysterical because the anticipation is overwhelming that any moment he'll say something really hilarious or erudite.
Imagine sitting in a pub with this guy over a few pints.
Never be another.
Genius!!!
You could tell Sellers was having a grand time playing Strangelove. It's one of the reasons I find it so fun to watch personally. Gone but not forgotten ❤
Peter Sellers died a few weeks after this interview, he was 54. Gene Shalit is still alive, he's 94.
Wow! It's odd how time alters our perception. If you've ever seen Peter Sellers in the original version of The Ladykillers and realise the date it was made, his being 54 in this interview somehow boggles the mind.
He looks so aged here. Cohesive and handsome but... Very old.
RIP Gene
@@Orangeflava Gene Shalit isn’t dead
@@themagicroundabout2528 i just heard he died
Love it. You can hear the crew laughing toward the end of this. When you can make a TV crew crack-up during filming, that means you've got HUGE talent.
Agreed...Rickles could achieve that as well.
Amazing how simple and straightforward Sellers was offscreen, in contrast to the panoply of personas he projected onscreen. A real testament to this extraordinary talent. Too bad he had to die so soon after this interview. Rest in peace, Peter.
The many biographies of this man, not least one by his own son, reveal him to be anything but 'simple and straight forward'.
No-one who knew him would describe him as simple and straight forward.
I admit he could be demanding and obnoxious during film shoots. I was referring to his subdued interview demeanor.
One of the most talented, tormented comedians of all time.
Sellers was simply on another level. His characters were entirely separate from his own identity. He did not like interviews, but Gene here, made it enjoyable enough for him that he opened up and spoke forthrightly and humorously. Gene was very good at what he did. And back in 1980, you would be hard-pressed to find anybody who didn’t instantly recognize him.
Gene obviously has no concept of personal space though. Had he leaned-in any closer...
Genius ! We miss you Peter Sellers - you made the world a better place!
Wow! He so easily goes through those accents and they sound authentic. They aren’t forced or snarky, though he says funny comments in the accents. He really was so talented.
Peter Sellers is without question. But Gene Shalit was a true lover of Cinema and a warm smart interviewer. As natural as natural can be. What a treasure both these men in their fields were. I love that the time machine, the Tube of You, can bring us back for a visit.
Dr Strangelove is a true cinema milestone. Sellers probably could've played everybody in that movie and all of the props, too.
It was George C Scott's best role...
yes
Gotta love Peter Sellers. Hard to believe he is 54 yrs old in this interview. He looks 20 years older than his age.
He died this same year, 1980.
It's really odd. I mean he looks handsome. He is perfectly cohesive. But he looks (dare I say) spiritually old and sad.
He had suffered several heart attacks. I believe these aged him.
Because his style of life like drugs and alcohol. He looked like 70 years. Famous person!
I read he avoided any potentially life-saving surgeries to mend his heart. Possibly pursued Eastern-type medical alternatives. Much like Steve Jobs and his pancreatic cancer.
I was in Canada when he died and as a tribute,the TV channels showed a lot of his movies back to back. Peed myself watching the "Birdie Num Num" sketch from "The Party".
When he switched to his characters it's like a completely different person. Quite amazing
Probably the greatest vocal mimic the cinema has ever seen. Wish he were alive to teach American actors diction and dialects.
I so hope he enjoyed his life, i've always enjoyed spending time with one of his movies.
From what I can gather, his life was big highs and big lows.
Mr Peaches Latour l
Well he was married to Britt Ekland and had an affair with Sofia Loren (not at the same time, I don't think), so clearly he had some really good times. Amazingly, both of those two ladies are still with us (aged 74 and 82 respectively). Edit: After checking, it seems that the "affair" with Loren was likely just a "delusional fantasy". He was besotted with her and left his first wife as a result.
Loren was married to an older man and was allowed affairs but most people seem to think she didn't bed Sellars.
He is only 54-years-old here - this is shortly before he died. He did not look well for his age. And he did not take care of himself - smoking, drinking, drugs, etc. Such a brilliant actor and one of the greatest comedic actors of all-time. A shame he had to battle inner demons, while trying to have a successful life and career - despite what went on in his personal life, he still managed to leave great work on the screen for eternity.
There something surreal to his presence... the voice and how he seems so intelligent, calm, almost to great to be there while getting asked stupid questions.
His interviews are the best ever...just so naturally entertaining
2018: this is the first time I've ever heard Peter Sellers actually talk. Didn't expect that to be his real voice.
Same here. Although I adore Peter Sellers, I´d daresay I wouldn´t have even recognized him.
this isn't his real voice; it's his American Being There accent.
@@ds1868 Congrats for the most nonsensical comment. Talentless much
I think his actual voice would sound closer to London Cockney. He came into a more posh accent after years of playing upper class characters, but he sounded more like Bluebottle in the Goon Show, who hailed from Sellers' own East Finchley neighborhood (according to Wikipedia).
Finishing a sentence with 'yes, yes' is what he did in several roles. It makes him sound pleasant and relatable. Kind of a trademark of his.
“Mein Fuhrer I Can Walk!!!”
That line haunts me. Anytime I enjoy a stroke of luck I whisper it to stave off a reversal:)
"The fear........................"
@@death2pc The WILL
That one always cracks me up man
And it wasn't even part of the script!
"Do some voices or accents" has to be among the lowest forms of interviewing a guest. And yet Sellers kept it polite and professional. Proper legend!
A TV interview is a low interview.
@@hxhdfjifzirstc894 what a silly thing to say.
If you wanted anything good to come out of Sellers you had to get him to do impressions or accents. He couldn't be himself.
Time has shown us that Sellers is "One of the all time Greats of comedy" THANKS for that - A great gift to all of us, who value the importance of humor. Beautyful and greatly missed.
I've never seen Peter Sellers quite like this, very restrained and polite
Yes, and even more remarkable because he was being "interviewed" by dummy !
And so plummy !
And very uncomfortable
This was one of his last interviews. I was devastated when I learned that he died. There are people who are just naturally funny, no matter what they say, and Peter Sellers was one of them. I remember him as a funny actor and a great talent. Not just Inspector Clouseau.
When people say Peter Sellers has no self, it is a brilliant complement isn’t it? He has the ability to become any number of characters. What an amazing actor and comedian. What memorable moments he has created for us.
The word and spelling for this sentence is compliment. "Complement" has another meaning. He gave someone a compliment. He complimented his performance. The spelling is complement, for something like "the color of her scarf complements her complexion."
@@ceceliaclarke8427 thank you! You are way better at understanding meaning than spell check, well done! You are right, I didn’t check it.
I saw Dr. Strangelove when I was 14 and laughed so hard at Peter Sellers that I actually fell out of my seat into the aisle and my sides ached. I have never laughed so hard.
Is the other guy Sellers in disguise?
If anyone could have pulled that off it would have been Peter Sellers.
They are all Sellers in disguise. Gene Shalit, the audience, and even Peter Sellers.
Everyone is Peter Sellers in disguise. Except Chuck Norris.
Oh God don't start THAT up again!
Peter Sellers is Chuck Norris's sense of humor.
Peter Sellers could be difficult, cranky and irascible but he was also a genius...we'll never see the likes of him again.
So very true .
Did you knew him personally? Or is this just hear-say?
@@PatrickBoening Nope. Read an article in a magazine once. He made films long before I was born.
@@ashishjoshi8148 I see!
He is one of kind, nice, polite, simple, confidant, and a gentleman.
Such a genius! Saw Being There for the first time this week. Did not think I could admire him more, but...my admiration has only increased.
"You can't fight in here, this is the war room". One of my favourite films.
@Bu Rida batman, I think
Not only a genius comedic actor, but a genius actor, who was only ever truly relaxed, comfortable and happy making everybody laugh, including himself, but he also communicated something beyond human absurdity, which went right to one's soul: a deep, childlike yearning for love.
Unhappy people make the best comics. Genius, unique, and special do more of a dishonor to their work than their efforts at searching for something they don’t posses from the the rest of us.
Appreciated and missed. Not merely for their forced joy but for the effort in concealing their pain.
He was such a treasure. I still will watch The Pink Panther movies just to witness his brilliance, and laugh my guts out.
a fantastic entertainer... a massive talent
Peter Sellers was genius. My favorite was his Indian accent in The Party.
strafrag1 birdie num num
I am not your sugar
'The Party' was HILARIOUS but 'The Magic Christian' is even more berserk.
num num
Howdy partener
Peter Sellers was a treasure and a talent the world lost much too soon.
My father was a young grad student who was invited to speak over at the Royal Academy of Science in the mid 70's. He was given first class tickets both ways and ended up sitting next to Peter Sellers for the entire flight. To say he was Gobsmacked was putting it lightly. He was a HUGE Strangelove fan(as am I) as well as of course the Pink Panthers. He said that he was quiet but very nice and they conversed for quite some time. He said Sellers was more interested in my fathers work in chemistry than he was in him and they spent more time talking science and such than "boring old Hollywood"! If this were today I'm sure they would have exchanged numbers and had a few "selfies". He didn't even ask for an autograph because he thought it rude....just the man he was.
Just 134 days later we lost this wonderful talent
I could listen to sellers doing accents for days the man was a genius
The interaction between Mandrake ( Sellers ) and Col. Ripper ( Sterling Hayden ) was priceless in Dr. Strangelove !
The delicate fragility of the real Peter Sellers is there in all his personifications: so much for the idea he himself was an empty suit full of other people. What an artist
Sellers was a great actor and a huge star during the 60's & 70's. The Pink Panther films were massively popular & went in to be huge box office hits.
We know.
Peter sellers is one of the greatest, intelligent, intuitive and spontaneous minds we have ever seen. He is not the aggressive witty responder nor the over bearing sarcastic twit. He's is imaginative and far sharper than the plethora of comedians today that rely on 'sarky put downs' ,, just like the boorish late night hosts of today. The world is a much much sadder place without the likes of men like Peter.
Absolutely amazing actor, his total mastery of accents, dialects is so impressive, and he had huge intelligence, he knew the score all right.
It's easy to think of impressionists as being a quick comedic fix. Obviously Peter Sellers did more than just impressions and accents. But when someone does accents and impersonations so well, it's pure joy and a real talent. Peter Ustinov was another. And we now have Peter Serafinowicz. Any of the Peters really.
Amazing talent,and dr.strangelove was just fantastic.he really became the character he played.i still keep laughing my ass off,when I see his movies.thank you,PeterSellers,you were a true artist and a great performer
I have a small story for people who take an interest in Peter Sellers. I work in maintenance at a private school in Melbourne, Australia and one day during a term break as I walked out into the side street named for the schools first headmaster, I spotted a 1970s two tone, Rolls Royce convertible parked with the owner hanging around the bonnet. I asked him if the vehicle was "failing to proceed", which the owner confirmed that was the case. We got chatting and he informed me that the car had originally been owned by Peter Sellers, which seemed amazing to me, but he confirmed that he could prove the provenance of the vehicle. He also said that he will never clean the front passenger seat given some of the famous ladies that Sellers had sit in that seat.
At the end of the street we were standing in, on St Kilda Rd, is The Royce Hotel, which was originally built as the first Rolls Royce showroom in Melbourne and strangely enough I met an elderly couple walking down the street one day and it turned out that the lady was the daughter of the architect who designed the original showroom. All of this just goes to show you that it pays to say hello to people and learn a little bit about their stories.
Sellers owned over 200 cars in his short life, some for only a matter of days before growing bored of them and buying another. It may have been that no-one sat in the passenger seat of this Roller. (no-one other than Graham Stark or Kenneth Griffiths.....)
Peter Sellers was one of the greats no matter what bucket he fell into ....he came out smelling like a rose.
a truly forgotten giant of slapstick
How do you find a comedian to step into those shoes
Peter Sellers is so awesome. Gone way too soon. He looks great here, apparently just weeks before his death. Quick-witted and hilarious. So nice to see. I wonder if he was promoting "Being There."
What a treasure. God bless his soul. "Being There" was amazing.
Mr Sellers loked charming and a bit scary at the same time. I love this actor. "Being there" meant a lot to me
I can listen to Peter Sellers talk all day!
3 months after this interview, his heart went boom boody boom boody boom.
My late Mom, whom was French, was always impressed at Sellers's French accent in his performances as Inspector Clouseau. She marveled how convincing he sounding speaking English with a French accent . . . and trust me, if the accent was anything but convincing, I can hear her chastising any actor failing to convincingly do a French accent. xD
I do agree. Greetings from France ;-)
I'll never, ever forget his birdie num nums in "The Party". The first comedy I saw as a kid.
That was a great movie, he plays an Indian, "that's dots, not feathers"
Also in “The Party”: the fantastic scene with the toilet paper!
Being There is one of my favourite Peter Sellers movie because it has pathos and some funny dialogue. It is one of those movies that makes you cry and laugh at the same time.
It's great to hear he loved his performance. It's certainly one of the most memorable movies I've ever watched and I'm not even into comedies myself. RIP
this guy made such very funny and good movie
be at peace Mr Sellers
I just can't see Gene Shalit, I only see Eugene Levy. He had that look down so perfectly in SCTV that it's still stuck in my head.
I was reading peoples comments stating that Gary Oldman was the master of accents. Peter Sellers was a genius. He could flawlessly do any accent and was talented in ways other actors simply could not match. He fused together the comedic absurdity of Milligan, the Chameleon like character acting of Guinness and added his own genius for mimicry, his was a rare talent indeed. Dr. Strangelove is proof of that immense talent, I don’t think his career is a fair reflection of just how gifted he was.
Peter Sellers was hysterical, almost all of his work still stands up well. Not many actors from his era that can be said about.
The greatest comedic genius of all time.
His work with the Goons was brilliant - so many voices and characters. Love him
Absolutely! Bluebottle is one of my favourites. So funny! 😂
I'm glad I tripped over this one!
Brilliant actor, exceptional actor. His work on "The Party" is unbeatable.
birdie num num
Damn I miss Peter Sellers - he made the world a much happier place.
The ridiculous and the sublime.
How Shallot ever got time with this genius is a question for the ages.
Because the "Today Show" was a huge ratings hit, the #1 morning show, three national networks, there was no internet, not that much cable penetration, and Shallot's movie reviews carried weight. Gene was different but basically a very good man.
Peter Sellers was 54 years old then. He looked like what John Lennon would have looked like in 2020. (RIP JL + PS)
John Lennon would have been 80 in 2020.
He sounds like John also.
He looks fairly similar to Joe Biden here.
What can you say but: Genius.. Just saw Strangelove again today for the x x th time. In awe.