In The Ladykillers (1955), Peter Sellers played Harry Robinson, the young, nervous member of a gang of robbers who rent rooms from a sweet-natured old lady, Mrs. Wilberforce, while planning a heist. It was an early screen showcase for the gifts he had already made famous on radio: a gift for voices, for comic timing, and for disappearing into a character who is not quite what he seems.
Directed by Alexander Mackendrick for Ealing Studios, the film turns on the contrast between polite manners and criminal intent. Sellers holds his own among a remarkable cast, including Alec Guinness and Herbert Lom, and his Harry is both eager and out of his depth. The performance is a reminder that, even before Clouseau, Sellers could make a supporting role feel central, using a small gesture or a shift in accent to tell the audience everything about a man.