The Good pick: Peter Sellers shines as the inspector in 'The Pink Panther'

It seems strange now, but it wasn’t always obvious that Peter Sellers was the star of the “Pink Panther” series. In the first film, titled “The Pink Panther” and directed by Blake Edwards in 1964, Sellers’ Inspector Jacques Clouseau was a supporting character, secondary to David Niven’s jewel thief. But Edward realized that this was a mistake by the sequel, “A Shot in the Dark,” which focuses on Clouseau’s spectacular idiocy as he investigates a murder. And he is accompanied this time by Burt Kwouk as Kato, his sidekick and sparring partner, and Herbert Lom as the increasingly mental Chief Inspector Dreyfus. “A Shot in the Dark” is one of four truly great “Pink Panther” movies, featuring Sellers in his inimitably brilliant role as Clouseau. Alan Arkin, Roberto Benigni and Steve Martin all tried their hand at the series at various times, but there was no matching Sellers. You can see “The Pink Panther” and “A Shot in the Dark” on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Aero Theatre.