In this 1980 parody classic “Airplane,” this spoof comedy takes shots at the slew of disaster movies that were released in the 70s.
When the passengers and crew of a jetliner are incapacitated due to food poisoning, a pilot with a drinking problem must cooperate with his ex-girlfriend/stewardess to bring the plane to a safe landing.
Over the years, there have been several parody movies released. Some of them are good (“Galaxy Quest,” the “Hot Shots” movies, “Scary Movie,” “Spaceballs”, the list can go on) and not so good (“Airplane II,” “Holmes & Watson,” the other “Scary Movie” entries, and the list goes on). And, 1980s “Airplane” is most certainly one of the funniest parodies out there!
Indeed, there are a few jokes and gags that are extremely silly and a bit on the crude side (like most parodies). There’s also quite a few moments that will really have you laughing out loud and “Airplane” also features many memorable one-liners and scenes!
There are so many humorous moments scattered throughout that it’s really difficult to determine which scene is even funnier. “Airplane” is also responsible for introducing the legendary king of spoofs Leslie Nielson to the world of comedy. His deadpan line delivery really makes most of his scenes stand out and turn into comedy gold, especially when he delivers his infamous line “I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley.”
Another memorable moment that just popped into my head is when a passenger (the mother from “Leave It To Beaver”) is speaking “jive” with a couple of passengers. That entire scene will easily make anyone laugh.
There are so many other moments in this zany comedy that will really have you likely bust a gut from laughing from beginning to end. And, there are a few gags that are a little off color (slight warning if you haven’t seen the comedy before). But, nonetheless, “Airplane” is probably the best parody movie to come out of the 80s. Well, “Airplane” and “Spaceballs.”
Cast: Robert Hays (Ted Striker); Julie Hagerty (Elaine Dickinson); Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Roger Murdock); Lloyd Bridges (Steve McCrosky); Peter Graves (Captain. Clarence Oveur); Leslie Nielson (Dr. Rumack); Lorna Patterson (Randy); Robert Stack (Capt. Rex Kramer); Stephen Stucker (Air Traffic Controller Johnny); Jonathan Banks (Gunderson)
Writers/directors: Jim Abrahams; David Zucker; Jerry Zucker (this trio worked on several films in the parody film sub-genre, including the “Naked Gun” movies)
Trivia: The directors choose actors such as Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves and Leslie Nielson because of their reputation for playing no-nonsense characters. Until this movie, these actors hadn’t done comedy so their “straight arrow” personas and line delivery made the satire in the movie all the more poignant and funny. The first two days of the movie’s gross covered its entire production budget. Premiere Magazine voted this movie as one of “The 50 Greatest Comedies of All Time” in 2006.
MPAA: PG (when PG-13 didn’t exist yet) (running time 88 minutes)
Where to find the movie? You can find this hilarious parody classic on AMC+, Philo, SlingTV and available to rent via Amazon Prime, Apple TV and YouTube.
For the argument between announcers concerning the white and red zones at the airport, the producers hired the same voice artists who had made the real-world announcements at Los Angeles International Airport. At the real airport, the white zone is for loading and unloading of passengers only, and there's no stopping in the red zone (except for transit buses). They were also married to each other in real life.
Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker chose actors such as Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, and Leslie Nielsen because of their reputation for playing no-nonsense characters. Until this movie, these actors had not done comedy so their "straight-arrow" personas and line delivery made the satire in the movie all the more poignant and funnier. Bridges was initially reluctant to take his role in the movie, but his sons persuaded him to do so.
The "I gotta get out of here!" scene where a stewardess tries to calm down a hysterical passenger was actually improvised on the spot. The original scene, based on a scene from Zero Hour! (1957), only called for the stewardess to try to calm her and then another passenger tells the stewardess that he will handle this and then slaps her, with the joke ending there. Lee Bryant, playing the hysterical woman, suggested to the directors that the gag should be extended to bring in other annoyed passengers forming a "slap line." Although they liked the idea, they were hesitant to do it fearing Bryant might get hurt. However, they agreed to try it and even added in props (boxing gloves, tire iron, revolver, etc.) for the passengers. After briefly rehearsing it, they kept it in the movie after one take. According to Bryant, Leslie Nielsen's second slap was not rehearsed or expected and he really hit her, though not intentionally.
In a 2008 interview on the talk show Today (1952), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar told the story of being on a European flight and was asked to sit in an empty seat in the cockpit during takeoff so the crew could say they flew with Roger Murdoch.
To get the movie greenlit by Paramount Pictures, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker pitched it as "National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) on a plane" which of course, was far from the truth, but was the only way they could get the studio executives to understand it was a zany comedy.
The role of the Jive Lady was originally intended for Harriet Nelson, who had played the mother in the 1950s sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952). She turned down the role because she was concerned about the movie's adult language. She was replaced with Barbara Billingsley who played the mother in the 1950s sitcom Leave It to Beaver (1957). Nelson later admitted to Robert Hays that she regretted not taking the role.
The movie's dialogue between Ted Striker and Dr. Rumack ("Surely you can't be serious?" "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley.") was voted as the #79 movie quote by the American Film Institute.
Most of the jive talk between the two black passengers was improvised by the actors, Al White and Norman Alexander Gibbs, as the ZAZ team weren't sufficiently "conversant" in black street language. In a bonus vignette for the "Don't Call Me Shirley" edition of the blu-ray, White and Gibbs explain how they came up with the dialect for the ZAZ team. Whenever the participants speak in regular English, the scene is subtitled in jive.
The directing trio passed on the opportunity of making Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) as they felt that they had exhausted every airport gag with this movie.
This was the fourth most popular 1980 movie at the U.S. and Canadian box offices.
The movie was selected in 2010 for preservation by the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."
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