Airplane! is a 1980 American parody film written and directed by the brothers David and Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrahams 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 and central characters, also drawing 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 obscure humor.
Leslie William Nielsen was a Canadian-American dramatic and comedic actor. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters.
A parody film or spoof film is a subgenre of comedy film that parodies other film genres or films as pastiches, works created by imitation of the style of many different films reassembled together. Although the subgenre is often overlooked by critics, parody films are commonly profitable at the box office.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! is a 1988 American crime comedy film directed by David Zucker and released by Paramount Pictures. The film stars Leslie Nielsen as the bumbling police lieutenant Frank Drebin. Priscilla Presley, Ricardo Montalbán, George Kennedy, and O. J. Simpson also star in supporting roles.
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American actor, filmmaker, singer, record producer, and animator. He is the creator and star of the television series Family Guy and The Orville, and co-creator of the television series American Dad! and The Cleveland Show. He also wrote, directed, and starred in the films Ted, its sequel Ted 2, and A Million Ways to Die in the West.
Police Squad! is an American television crime comedy series that was broadcast on the ABC network in 1982. It was created by Zucker, Abrahams and 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.
David Samuel Zucker is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Associated mostly with parody comedies, Zucker is recognized as the director and writer of the critically successful 1980 film Airplane! as well as being the creator of The Naked Gun franchise and for directing Scary Movie 3 and Scary Movie 4.
The Kentucky Fried Movie is a 1977 American independent sketch 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.
The Naked Gun 2+1⁄2: The Smell of Fear is a 1991 American crime comedy film. It is the sequel to the 1988 film The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! and the second installment in The Naked Gun film series. The film stars Leslie Nielsen as the comically bumbling Police Lt. Frank Drebin of Police Squad!. Priscilla Presley plays the role of Jane, with O. J. Simpson as Nordberg and George Kennedy as police captain Ed Hocken. The film also features Robert Goulet as the villainous Quentin Hapsburg and Richard Griffiths as renewable fuel advocate Dr. Albert S. Meinheimer. Zsa Zsa Gabor, Mel Tormé and members of the Chicago Bears have cameo roles.
James S. Abrahams is an American movie director and writer, best known as a member of Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker.
Pat Proft is an American comedy writer, actor, and director. Born in Minnesota in 1947, Proft began his career at Dudley Riggs' Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis in the mid 1960s. He went on to perform as a one-man comedy act in the late 1960s. In 1972, Proft began working at The Comedy Store in Hollywood which led to work in television and film writing for the Smothers Brothers and Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker.
Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult is a 1994 American crime comedy film, and the third and final installment in The Naked Gun film series, which was based on the television series Police Squad!.
Robert K. Weiss is an American film and television producer. His productions include films by director John Landis, producer Lorne Michaels, and the "Z. A. Z." team of Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker. He also co-created the science-fiction TV series Sliders. He is a graduate of Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Franklin "Frank" Drebin is a fictional character in the Police Squad! series and The Naked Gun movies played by Leslie Nielsen.
"Rendezvous at Big Gulch " is the third episode produced of the short-lived TV series Police Squad!. The episode was directed by Reza Badiyi and written by Nancy Steen and Neil Thompson. As usual, the episode was produced by Robert K. Weiss.
Ted is a 2012 American comedy film directed by Seth MacFarlane in his directorial debut and written by MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, and Wellesley Wild. The film stars Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis, with Joel McHale and Giovanni Ribisi in supporting roles, and MacFarlane providing the voice and motion capture of the title character. The film tells the story of John Bennett, a Boston native whose childhood wish brings his teddy bear friend Ted to life. However, in adulthood, Ted and John's friendship begins to interfere with the progression of John's relationship with his girlfriend, Lori Collins.
Ted 2 is a 2015 American comedy film directed by Seth MacFarlane, from a script written by MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, and Wellesley Wild. The second installment in the Ted franchise, it serves as a sequel to the 2012 film of the same name. The film stars Mark Wahlberg and MacFarlane, and follows the talking teddy bear Ted as he fights for his civil rights in order to be recognized as a person and not as property. The film also stars Amanda Seyfried, with Giovanni Ribisi and Jessica Barth reprising their roles and John Slattery and Morgan Freeman joining the cast.
Run All Night is a 2015 American action thriller film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and written by Brad Ingelsby. The film stars Liam Neeson, Joel Kinnaman, Common, and Ed Harris and follows an ex-Irish Mob hitman who goes on the run with his estranged adult son after he is forced to kill the son of a mobster boss. It also marks the third collaboration between Liam Neeson and Jaume Collet-Serra after Unknown and Non-Stop.
A Million Ways to Die in the West is a 2014 American Western comedy film directed by Seth MacFarlane and written by MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild. The film features an ensemble cast including MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman, and Liam Neeson. The film follows a cowardly frontiersman who gains courage with the help of a female gunfighter and must use his newfound skills in a confrontation with her villainous outlaw husband.
Revenge of the Nerds is an American comedy franchise. The series revolves around a group of socially-inept students trying to get revenge on their harassers. The series began with the eponymous 1984 film and was followed by three sequels: Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise (1987), Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation (1992) (TV), and Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love (1994) (TV). A remake of the first film was to begin filming in October 2006 for a prospective release in 2007, but was cancelled due to problems securing a viable filming location. In December 2020 it was announced that Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane would reboot the series under his Fuzzy Door Productions label.
