Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Kentucky Fried Theatre |
| Notable work | The Kentucky Fried Movie Airplane! Top Secret! Ruthless People The Naked Gun |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 1971–1994 |
| Medium | Film |
| Genre | Slapstick comedy |
| Subjects | |
| Members | |
Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker (abbreviated to ZAZ) was an American comedy filmmaking trio consisting of Jim Abrahams and brothers David and Jerry Zucker who specialised in writing slapstick comedy films during the 1980s. Members of the team have often collaborated with writer Pat Proft.
David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker knew each other as children while growing up in Shorewood, Wisconsin and while attending Shorewood High School, which is sometimes referenced in their work. While attending the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the trio founded a small theater known as The Kentucky Fried Theater in 1971 which led to their sketch comedy film The Kentucky Fried Movie in 1977. This was followed by the trio's breakout hit Airplane! in 1980, which remains a revered comedic milestone. Subsequent collaborations include Top Secret! , Ruthless People , and The Naked Gun .
All of their projects relied heavily on parodies, visual gags and breaking of the fourth wall, and established a strong 1980s cult following. The notable stylistic exception is Ruthless People; a more traditional farce that was directed by the trio but, unlike their other productions, not written by them. The trio's status as a three-person team of co-directors is highly unusual, although some of their later projects were directed by David Zucker working solo and with Jerry Zucker and Abrahams credited only as producers and/or writers.
The trio split up in the 1990s for fiscal and creative reasons, stating that there were "too many guys sitting in the same chair". They also said that they had been treated unfairly by the studios that produced their films, claiming that they failed to see any profits from Ruthless People. Nevertheless, the three still maintained a close friendship until Abrahams died in 2024. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
| Year | Title | Directors | Writers | Executive Producers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Big John, Little John | No | Yes | No | Episode "Abracadbra" [7] |
| 1982 | Police Squad! | Yes | Yes | Yes | Episode "A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise)" (pilot); also series creators |
| Year | Title | Directors | Writers | Executive Producers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | The Kentucky Fried Movie | No | Yes | No | Also cameos |
| 1980 | Airplane! | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1984 | Top Secret! | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-written with Martin Burke; also cameos |
| 1986 | Ruthless People | Yes | No | No | |
| 1988 | The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! | David Zucker only | Yes | Yes | Co-written with Pat Proft |
| 1991 | The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear | David Zucker only | David Zucker only | Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker only | co-written with Pat Proft; David Zucker cameo |
| 1992 | Brain Donors | No | No | Yes | |
| 1994 | Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult | No | David Zucker only | Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker only | David Zucker cameo |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Executive Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Big Business | Yes | No | No | |
| 1990 | Cry-Baby | No | No | Yes | |
| Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael | Yes | No | No | ||
| 1991 | Hot Shots! | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 1993 | Hot Shots! Part Deux | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 1994 | An Introduction to the Ketogenic Diet | Yes | No | No | Documentary short |
| 1998 | Mafia! | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2006 | Scary Movie 4 | No | Yes | No |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | For Goodness Sake | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film |
| 1995 | A Walk in the Clouds | No | No | Yes | |
| 1996 | High School High | No | Yes | Yes | |
| For Goodness Sake II | No | No | Executive | Short film | |
| 1998 | BASEketball | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also executive music producer |
| 2002 | Phone Booth | No | No | Yes | |
| 2003 | My Boss's Daughter | Yes | No | No | Also wrote early draft screenplay |
| Scary Movie 3 | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2006 | Scary Movie 4 | Yes | No | No | |
| 2008 | An American Carol | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| The Onion Movie | No | No | Yes | ||
| Superhero Movie | No | No | Yes | ||
| 2013 | Scary Movie 5 | No | Yes | Yes | Also directed additional scenes |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Ghost | Yes | No | No | |
| 1993 | My Life | No | No | Yes | |
| 1995 | First Knight | Yes | No | Yes | |
| A Walk in the Clouds | No | No | Yes | ||
| 1997 | My Best Friend's Wedding | No | No | Yes | |
| 2001 | Rat Race | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 2002 | Unconditional Love | No | No | Yes | |
| 2010 | Fair Game | No | No | Yes | |
| 2011 | Friends with Benefits | No | No | Yes | |
| 2012 | Mental | No | No | Yes |