As far as I’m concerned there’s only one title you need to remember: A Shot in the Dark.
There’s funny stuff in each of the other ones (wait, refresh my memory: is there anything funny in the first one?) but I never make any distinction between them. A Shot in the Dark is the only one that is not only funny, but an overall great film.
I kinda thought this too. Even rewatching the episodes on DVD, most of the charaters she does are still founded upon her Janeane “schtick”, she doesn’t really stretch for the most part.
HOWEVER
The part that I love her in the most is the part of the wife of the old guy who says “Do it.” (Old guy sees a celebrity in a restaurant pressures celebrity into reciting signature line by saying “Do it” then he makes the celebrity come to his table to meet his wife.) That role was so not a Janeane Garafolo kind of a role, but she played it so convincingly and was so funny!
A friend of mine in Scotland sent me an unusual gift not too long ago. She knew how much I loved off beat British stuff, in addition to thinking that Sellers was one of the best comedic actors ever.
Well, she sent audio tapes of The Goon Show, a 50s era radio BBC comedy sketch show. It is freakin’ hilarious! Many of the gags later pulled off by Monty Python, Chevy Chase, Robin Williams, etc… were first done (and done well!) by Peter Sellers and friends.
If you know anyone in the UK, ask them to send you some tapes of The Goon Show. Or, buy them right on the internet. I hear there are some pretty neat book stores on line. One of thm is even located in the South American jungles! How they pull that off, I’ll never know!