George Harrison on Peter Sellers’ Biggest Problem
George Harrison was close with comedian Peter Sellers. The Pink Panther actor convinced the former Beatle to enter the film business. Sellers even received the honor of appearing on the inside sleeve of one of George’s albums. However, after spending time together, George recognized his friend’s biggest problem.
George Harrison said Peter Sellers was a considerable influence on him going into the film business
Without Sellers, George might not have chosen to stay in the film business after producing Monty Python’s Life of Brian or start his production company, HandMade Films.
“I was quite close with Peter,” George told Timothy White at Musician Magazine. “Long before I met him I was a fan of ‘The Goon Show,’ and then I used to see him at parties.”
George also got to know Sellers well because they were both massive fans of legendary sitarist Ravi Shankar. The trio even went to Disney together once. George said Sellers would visit him at his home, Friar Park, and make him watch various films.
“He was a considerable influence on my getting into the film world,” George continued. “Peter used to come to my Henley house with all these 16-millimeter films and we’d sit ’round and have dinner and watch. His favorite picture–which has been mine ever since Peter showed it to me–was Mel Brooks’ ‘The Producers.‘
“He kept saying, ‘You’ve got to see this movie!’ Eventually we put it on, and I’ve never taken it off.”
George on Sellers’ biggest problem
The former Beatle spent a lot of time with Sellers in the 1960s and early 1970s.
“Peter was a devoted hippie, a free soul,” George told White. “He came on tour with me in 1974, flew on the plane with us.” Sellers’ humor must have relieved George on his disastrous first American tour.
However, George recognized Sellers’ biggest problem. “When Peter was up, he was the funniest person you could ever imagine; so many voices and characters. But that was his problem: When he wasn’t up, he didn’t know who he was supposed to be.”
George always surrounded himself with comedians. He was close friends with all the guys in Monty Python too. However, George realized there was more to life than laughing and acting all the time. The Beatles were the biggest act, and he disliked it.
The former Beatle added a picture of him and the comedian to the inside sleeve of ‘Dark Horse’
On the inside sleeve of George’s 1974 album, Dark Horse, is a picture of him and Sellers walking around Friar Park’s gardens. A speech bubble above Sellers’ head reads: “Well Leo! What say we promenade through the park?”
It’s a line from Max Bialystock to his partner Bloom in The Producers; the same film Sellers showed George.
Sellers was a significant influence on George. So, it’s no wonder the former Beatle added one of his idols to the album’s artwork. However, George wasn’t ready to follow Sellers down a path where he lost touch with himself. He had enough trouble figuring himself out throughout most of his life.
