Jim Abrahams

Last updated

Jim Abrahams
Jim Abrahams, 2015.jpg
Abrahams in 2015
Born
James S. Abrahams

(1944-05-10) May 10, 1944 (age 79)
Occupation(s)film director
film producer
screenwriter
Years active1976–2019
SpouseNancy Cocuzzo

James S. Abrahams (born May 10, 1944) is an American film director and writer, best known as a member of Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker.

Contents

Life and career

Abrahams was born to a Jewish family [1] in Shorewood, Wisconsin, the son of Louise M. (née Ogens), an educational researcher, and Norman S. Abrahams, a lawyer. [2] He attended Shorewood High School. [2] He has a home in Eagle River, Wisconsin where he has spent summers since he was a child. [3]

He may be best known for the spoof movies that he co-wrote and produced with brothers Jerry Zucker and David Zucker, such as Airplane! (for which he was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay) and The Naked Gun series. The team of Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker (also referred to as "ZAZ") really began when the three men grew up together in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He directed movies on his own, such as Big Business , and further honed his skills in parody with Hot Shots! and its 1993 sequel, Hot Shots! Part Deux . [ citation needed ]

Abrahams and his wife, Nancy (née Cocuzzo) co-founded The Charlie Foundation To Help Cure Pediatric Epilepsy.

Abrahams has three children. His daughter, Jamie Abrahams is also a comedy writer.

Filmography

Films

YearTitle Director Writer Executive Producer Notes
1977 The Kentucky Fried Movie NoYesNo
1980 Airplane! YesYesYesCo-directed with David & Jerry Zucker
1984 Top Secret! YesYesYes
1986 Ruthless People YesNoNo
1988 The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! NoYesYes
Big Business YesNoNo
1990 Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael YesNoNo
1991 Hot Shots! YesYesNo
1993 Hot Shots! Part Deux YesYesNo
1994An Introduction to the Ketogenic DietYesNoNoDocumentary short
1998 Mafia! YesYesNo
2006 Scary Movie 4 NoYesNo

Executive producer only

Acting roles

YearTitleRole
1977 The Kentucky Fried Movie Technician #1 / Announcer
1980 Airplane! Religious Zealot #6
1984 Top Secret! German Soldier in Prop Room
1988 Coming to America Face on Cutting Room Floor
1991 Oscar Postman
2019Fat: A DocumentarySelf - Filmmaker & Founder, Charlie Foundation

Television

Series

YearTitleCreatorProducerWriterNotes
1976 Big John, Little John NoNoYeswriter of episode "Abracadabra" with David & Jerry Zucker
1982 Police Squad! YesExecutiveYesDirector and writer of episode "A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise)" with David & Jerry Zucker

Other work

YearTitleDirectorProducerNotes
1997 ...First Do No Harm YesExecutiveTV movie
2018Voice of the EpilepsiesNoExecutiveDocumentary
2019 Late Night Berlin NoCreativeEpisode "Folge 42"

Acting roles

YearTitleRoleNote
1972 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson PerformerPart as Kentucky Fried Theatre in one episode
1974 The Midnight Special

Related Research Articles

<i>Airplane!</i> 1980 American satirical comedy film

Airplane! is a 1980 American disaster comedy film written and directed by Jim Abrahams and brothers David and Jerry Zucker in their directorial debuts, and produced by Jon Davison. It stars Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty and features Leslie Nielsen, Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Lorna Patterson. It is a parody of the disaster film genre, particularly the 1957 Paramount film Zero Hour!, from which it borrows its plot, central characters, and some dialogue. It also draws many elements from Airport 1975 and other films in the Airport series. It is known for its use of surreal humor and fast-paced slapstick comedy, including visual and verbal puns, gags, running jokes, and dark humor.

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Leslie William Nielsen was a Canadian-American actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shorewood, Wisconsin</span> Village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

Shorewood is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 13,859 at the 2020 census.

<i>The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!</i> 1988 film directed by David Zucker

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! is a 1988 American crime comedy film directed by David Zucker, and produced and released by Paramount Pictures. The film stars Leslie Nielsen as the bumbling police lieutenant Frank Drebin, who sets out to uncover a criminal plot involving people being mind controlled to assassinate targets. Priscilla Presley, Ricardo Montalbán, George Kennedy, and O. J. Simpson also star in supporting roles.

<i>Police Squad!</i> 1982 American television crime comedy series

Police Squad! is an American television crime comedy series that was broadcast on the ABC network in 1982. It was created by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker, starring Leslie Nielsen as Frank Drebin. A spoof of police procedurals and many other television shows and movies, the series features Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker's usual sight gags, wordplay, and non sequiturs. It resembles the Lee Marvin police show M Squad and the late 1960s series Felony Squad. It was canceled after six episodes, and yielded The Naked Gun film series from 1988 to 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Zucker</span> American film director

David Samuel Zucker is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Associated mostly with parody comedies, Zucker is recognized for collaborating with Jim Abrahams and his brother Jerry as part of Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker, with whom he wrote and directed the 1980 film Airplane! and created The Naked Gun franchise. As a solo filmmaker, Zucker also directed Scary Movie 3 (2003) and Scary Movie 4 (2006).

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<i>The Kentucky Fried Movie</i> 1977 American independent anthology sketch black comedy film by John Landis

The Kentucky Fried Movie is a 1977 American independent anthology sketch black comedy film, produced by Kim Jorgensen, Larry Kostroff, and Robert K. Weiss, and directed by John Landis. Among the numerous star cameos are George Lazenby, Bill Bixby, Henry Gibson, Barry Dennen, Donald Sutherland, Tony Dow, Stephen Bishop, and the voice of Shadoe Stevens. According to writer David Zucker on the DVD commentary track, David Letterman auditioned for the role of the newscaster, but was not selected. The film also features many former members of The Groundlings and The Second City. The "feature presentation" portion of the film stars Evan C. Kim and hapkido grand master Bong Soo Han. The Kentucky Fried Movie marked the first film appearances of a number of actors who later became famous, and launched the careers of the Zucker brothers, Abrahams and Landis.

<i>Hot Shots!</i> 1991 US comedy film directed by Jim Abrahams

Hot Shots! is a 1991 American comedy film directed by Jim Abrahams, co-writer and co-director of Airplane!, and written by Abrahams and Pat Proft. It stars Charlie Sheen, Cary Elwes, Valeria Golino, Lloyd Bridges, Jon Cryer, Kevin Dunn, Kristy Swanson, Bill Irwin, and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. The film is primarily a parody of Top Gun, with some scenes spoofing other popular films, including 9½ Weeks, The Fabulous Baker Boys, Dances with Wolves, Marathon Man, Rocky, Superman, and Gone with the Wind. A sequel, Hot Shots! Part Deux, was released in 1993, with Sheen, Golino, Bridges and Jerry Haleva reprising their roles.

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References

  1. Desser, David; Friedman, Lester D. (2004). American Jewish Filmmakers. University of Illinois Press. p. 166. ISBN   9780252071539.
  2. 1 2 Jan Uebelherr (December 28, 2012). "Louise Abrahams Yaffe: 'Airplane' co-creator's mother set her own course: Yaffe was advocate for the aging, occasional actress". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
  3. Up-North Escape – All Ways Forward Retrieved 2018-11-01.