POLICE SQUAD (IN COLOR), THE NAKED GUN and other Zucker / Neilsen joy

[dr_christian_troy]

Leslie Nielsen would have turned 95 yesterday.

I'm re-watching the Police Squad series at the moment and fuck me, it's an absolute joy.

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on Neilsen, the Zucker brothers, and this whole world of absurd brilliance.[nb]Not Scary Movie and all of that shit though obviously[/nb]

[mobias]

Airplane, Top Secret, the Police Squad series are all genius. I haven't really seen Naked Gun and its sequel in a long time. I seem to recall them being a kind of greatest hits of gags from Police Squad. I preferred the TV series though.

I'd be interested to know what they all made of A Touch of Cloth. I thought it was a good love letter from Brooker and co to the Zuckers/Abrahams/Proft movies.

[Gulftastic]

I will never tire of this gag:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pmdE-xP_K4

[Sebastian Cobb]

I will never tire of this gag:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pmdE-xP_K4

I clicked it expecting it to be this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFhpctuUwb4

[lankyguy95]

Recently rewatched the first two Naked Gun films with my mother. I hadn't even realised she was in them.[nb]My concession to the Police Squad double meaning gag.[/nb]

I think the quickfire jokes have stronger impact in the context of the TV show given there's obviously less emphasis on building the story arc; the pacing's able to be quicker, almost a necessity for that style. A lot of the very funniest jokes are used in the first episode but the quality is still high in the remaining five.

The first NG film is still a classic though and the second one has plenty of funny moments. I think I've only watched the third film once but I don't think I liked it that much.

EDIT: For some reason I've never got round to watching Top Secret. May as well correct that this weekend.

[dr_christian_troy]

Airplane, Top Secret, the Police Squad series are all genius. I haven't really seen Naked Gun and its sequel in a long time. I seem to recall them being a kind of greatest hits of gags from Police Squad. I preferred the TV series though.

I'd be interested to know what they all made of A Touch of Cloth. I thought it was a good love letter from Brooker and co to the Zuckers/Abrahams/Proft movies.

It's also worth checking out the episode of the Rule Of Three podcast (well, all of it generally as it's bloody marvellous) in which Brooker talks about Airplane.

[Blumf]

"Throw down your guns!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-y0adUg6kA

Also related: "It's not red, and there's no rocks in it"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9CR7J1sjqI

[Cold Meat Platter]

EDIT: For some reason I've never got round to watching Top Secret.

Outrageous. I am outraged. Get it watched.
Honestly can't believe this.

But seriously give it a watch, it's great.

[jobotic]

You can't take a guess for another two hours?




Never seen Top Secret either

[mobias]

EDIT: For some reason I've never got round to watching Top Secret. May as well correct that this weekend.

All you need to know is that its got a man in the back end of a pantomime cow outfit being sucked off by a calf. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb4asEv4jz8

[danwho9]

"Just think the next time I shoot someone I could be arrested."

The first two Naked Gun films remain some of my favourite comedy movies of all times, never cease to have me in hysterics.

Police Squad! is genius as well, brilliant farce and I think a rewatch is in order. Much of the humour is obviously reliant on one liners but it's all golden.

[Glebe]

I will never tire of this gag:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pmdE-xP_K4

Haha! Actually don't remember that.

The first ending here is one of my favourite comedy moments ever, with Nielsen noticeably choking back a laugh:

Police Squad Epilogues.

Seth MacFarlane apparently wants to reboot TNG with Liam Neeson as Drebin, which I actually thing is pretty inspired.

[mobias]

It's also worth checking out the episode of the Rule Of Three podcast (well, all of it generally as it's bloody marvellous) in which Brooker talks about Airplane.

Just listening to it now. Really interesting. I agree with what they say about Top Secret. Its actually got better gags than Airplane but isn't as good a movie from beginning to end. I still prefer it to Airplane simply because so many gags just border on
being outright surreal. Its a really unique film.

[sheddyian]

I think I stumbled across Police Squad late night on ITV around the same time I found Delve Special on Radio 4. And as with Delve Special, I like that its played largely straight. If you're not paying attention, you would easily think it's just another 70s American cop show.

And although I liked the subsequent Naked Gun films, this was the reason I don't think they're as good - it's obviously a comedy show and played for laughs and yuks.

[BeardFaceMan]

Haha! Actually don't remember that.

The first ending here is one of my favourite comedy moments ever, with Nielsen noticeably choking back a laugh:

Police Squad Epilogues.

Seth MacFarlane apparently wants to reboot TNG with Liam Neeson as Drebin, which I actually thing is pretty inspired.

The last I heard was that Tom Lennon and Robert Ben Garant were taking a crack at a reboot, and Ed Helms was talked about as playing Drebins son. That was a while ago, though.

If you have even a passing interest in Airplane/Naked Gun/Police Squad, then Top Secret is essential viewing. Easily my favourite film of all time simply because, as has been mentioned, I don't think I've ever seen a film so chock full of gags, it's relentless.

[DrGreggles]

I clicked it expecting it to be this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFhpctuUwb4

Which is probably the best joke ever.

[mobias]

That Charlie Brooker podcast is worth a listen https://play.acast.com/s/ruleofthree/charliebrookeronairplane-

Its funny them talking about otherwise serious movies that have scenes that could easily be taken out of a spoof movie like the unnecessary amount of edits in Liam Neeson jumping a fence in the one of the Taken movies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCKhktcbfQM

The directors cut https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU0ieEsDlSo

[Beep Cleep Chimney]

Haha! Actually don't remember that.

The first ending here is one of my favourite comedy moments ever, with Nielsen noticeably choking back a laugh:

Police Squad Epilogues.

Right at the end of this in the last episode's epilogue where the entire set is breaking up around them, the guy playing Norberg on the right hand side of the screen takes a bit of a battering to the head from some falling ceiling (at 6m34s).

[kngen]

One of my favourite jokes in anything ever: https://youtu.be/i8PZFQz-qmo?t=19

[Harry Badger]

One of my favourite jokes in anything ever: https://youtu.be/i8PZFQz-qmo?t=19

Funnily enough, a joke from this episode that I never understood popped into my head earlier: where they ask her if Ralph had any enemies and she replies "well the Democrats didn't like him"

[Ptolemy Ptarmigan]

Right at the end of this in the last episode's epilogue where the entire set is breaking up around them, the guy playing Norberg on the right hand side of the screen takes a bit of a battering to the head from some falling ceiling (at 6m34s).

Still with us at 88.

[pupshaw]

One of my favourite jokes in anything ever: https://youtu.be/i8PZFQz-qmo?t=19

That one is the best, but the whole of that scene is almost as good

[madhair60]

I don't like Airplane! which is a bit weird because I do like Police Squad, Naked Gun etc. There's something about Airplane! that doesn't work for me; I think it's the way it seems to oscillate between taking itself seriously and doing gurning "huh-whaaa??" double-takes.

That said, I went back to it recently and giggled a lot at the first five minutes, so fuck knows.

[Glebe]

I don't like Airplane! which is a bit weird because I do like Police Squad, Naked Gun etc. There's something about Airplane! that doesn't work for me; I think it's the way it seems to oscillate between taking itself seriously and doing gurning "huh-whaaa??" double-takes.

I don't find the more outrageous gags clashing with the playing-it-straight tone myself.

[Butchers Blind]

One of my favourite lines from the show was, "Married, one child. That didn't work out, so he married a grown woman."

[BeardFaceMan]

I don't like Airplane! which is a bit weird because I do like Police Squad, Naked Gun etc. There's something about Airplane! that doesn't work for me; I think it's the way it seems to oscillate between taking itself seriously and doing gurning "huh-whaaa??" double-takes.

That said, I went back to it recently and giggled a lot at the first five minutes, so fuck knows.

I'm not sure it's that it takes itself seriously, but there are chunks of the films dialogue and plot lifted from a serious film and they never got the tone of the film *quite* right because of that. Airplane is fucking great but I'd watch Top Secret or Naked Gun over it any day.

[Cold Meat Platter]

Airplane 2 is underrated.

[Mobius]

I've just downloaded Naked Gun and Police Squad. Only ever seen the odd clip so excited to dive in

[mobias]

Airplane 2 is underrated.

William Shatner and the machine with the red lights going back and forth is fantastic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG-0V-85H_0

[Jockice]

Airplane 2 is underrated.

Been saying that for years. In fact at one point I was claiming that it was better than the original.  I've changed my mind on that since then but I still love it.