Blake Edwards: A Screen Remembrance July 14-August 7 Blake Edwards (1922-2010) accepted an honorary Oscar in 2004 and then "accidentally" rocketed off the Kodak Theater stage in his wheelchair. The man liked slapstick comedy. Best known for the various Pink Panther films with Peter Sellers — a fruitful but fractious screen partnership — and several star vehicles for wife Julie Andrews, most notably VICTOR/VICTORIA, Edwards' early filmography is surprisingly varied, including extensive TV work (he created PETER GUNN), screenwriting for other directors, including six films for Richard Quine, plus the odd Western (WILD ROVERS), noirish thriller (EXPERIMENT IN TERROR) and moving melodrama (DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES). Add in a couple of dozen acting credits in the 1940s and you have an impressively well-rounded film career for the man who made Clouseau talk funny and break things.

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S

Five Oscar nominations, including a Best Actress nod for Audrey Hepburn, at her best and most iconic as Holly Golightly, a madcap gal-about-town living on dreams as she serial-dates the wealthiest men in New York City. Neighbor George Peppard, a kept man of the married Patricia Neal, is an aspiring writer who struggles with writer's block and longs for Holly. Two Oscars for composer Henry Mancini, including one for hit song "Moon River," a collaboration with Johnny Mercer.

DIR Blake Edwards; SCR George Axelrod, based on the novella by Truman Capote; PROD Martin Jurow, Richard Shepherd. US, 1961, color, 115 min. NOT RATED

Thu, Jul 14, 7:00 - just added!; Fri, Jul 15, 7:00; Sat, Jul 16, 7:10; Sun, Jul 17, 5:00; Wed, Jul 20, 4:00

THE PINK PANTHER

It's the largest diamond in the world, containing the image of a panther. Claudia Cardinale owns it, and David Niven — playboy by day, legendary jewel thief the Phantom by night — is after it. It's also sought by Niven's nephew Robert Wagner, himself an aspiring jewel thief, who plans to cover his tracks by framing the Phantom — unaware that he's his uncle. Is it any wonder Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau is confused? Blake Edwards' slapstick classic introduced the now-familiar Henry Mancini theme song, spawned a cartoon series starring a (literal) Pink Panther, and launched Sellers on a series of sequels as the screen's dumbest detective.

DIR/SCR Blake Edwards; SCR Maurice Richlin; PROD Martin Jurow. US, 1963, color, 113 min. NOT RATED

Fri, Jul 22, 7:00; Sat, Jul 23, 11:30 a.m.; Sun, Jul 24, 12:30; Thu, Jul 28, 9:30

DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES

"From the days of wine and roses finally comes a night like this." In a dramatic departure from the light comedies of his early career, Jack Lemmon gives a heartbreaking performance as a San Francisco PR man whose drinking habit has overwhelmed his life. Lee Remick is his beautiful young wife, who began drinking as a way to bond with her husband, but if she can't join him on the wagon, they may not have a future together. Oscar nominations for Lemmon and Remick; the Mancini-Mercer title composition won the Oscar for Best Song. Sure and sensitive direction from Blake Edwards, not yet pursuing comedy as his specialty.

DIR Blake Edwards; SCR J.P. Miller; PROD Martin Manulis. US, 1962, b&w, 117 min. NOT RATED

Mon, Jul 25, 6:30; Tue, Jul 26, 6:30

A SHOT IN THE DARK

The first "return of the Pink Panther" finds bumbling Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers) investigating a series of murders in which every clue points to the maid, bombshell Elke Sommer. Ever oblivious, Clouseau distrusts everyone except the obvious suspect, even notoriously accusing George Sanders of killing someone "in a rit of fealous jage." Adapted from plays by Harry Kurnitz and Marcel Achard, the Pink Panther's comeback introduced the first appearance of franchise regulars Kato (Burt Kwouk) and Commissioner Dreyfus (Herbert Lom), who quips, "Give me ten men like Clouseau and I could destroy the world."

DIR/SCR/PROD Blake Edwards, SCR William Peter Blatty, based on plays by Harry Kurnitz and Marcel Achard. US/UK, 1964, color, 102 min. NOT RATED

Fri, Jul 29, 5:20; Sun, Jul 31, 12:30; Mon, Aug 1, 7:00; Thu, Aug 4, 5:20

THE PARTY

After both swore they'd never work together after the first two Pink Panther movies, Blake Edwards and Peter Sellers buried the hatchet to reunite on this film, a slim premise that offered infinite opportunities for the two to improvise gags. Sellers plays talentless but goodhearted Indian actor Hrundi V. Bakshi, who's fired from the set and mistakenly invited to a chichi Hollywood party all in the same day. The film enjoys cult status as a showcase for Sellers' slapstick physical comedy and sentence-mangling verbal pratfalls, as well as for being an amazing time capsule of the groovy psychedelic clothes, hair, design and decor of the late 1960s.

DIR/SCR/PROD Blake Edwards; SCR Tom Waldman, Frank Waldman. US, 1968, color, 99 min. RATED PG

Fri, Jul 29, 7:30; Sun, Jul 31, 7:45, Tue, Aug 2, 9:30

THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN

Having "returned" with a smash-hit third installment, the Pink Panther franchise struck again with its biggest budgeted outing yet. Inspector Dreyfus has recovered from the Clouseau-induced pyschosis of the previous film, that is until he's informed that Clouseau has replaced him as head inspector. Driven over the edge, he masterminds a doomsday scenario to destroy his nemesis that would put a James Bond villain to shame. Clouseau, meanwhile, is busy karate sparring with Kato, practicing on his parallel bars, going undercover at Oktoberfest and romancing sexy Russian agent Lesley-Anne Down — with some of the franchise's splashiest gags yet.

DIR/SCR/PROD Blake Edwards; SCR Frank Waldman. US, 1976, color, 103 min. RATED PG

Fri, Aug 5, 5:10; Sat, Aug 6, 12:40; Sun, Aug 7, 12:30