Jim Abrahams co-writer, producer and director of Airplane! Top Secret, Naked Gun, dead at 80
11-26-24 | 12:17 PM
#1
Thread Starter
DVD Talk God
Jim Abrahams co-writer, producer and director of Airplane! Top Secret, Naked Gun, dead at 80
Basically one of the creators of the spoof genre. Loved most of his movies.
11-26-24 | 01:25 PM
#2
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Jim Abrahams co-writer, producer and director of Airplane! Top Secret, Naked Gun, dead at 80
Sad news. I basically grew up on ZAZ movies. Outside my own dad, its probably where I developed the sense of humor that I have today.
11-26-24 | 01:42 PM
#3
Challenge Guru & Comic Nerd
Re: Jim Abrahams co-writer, producer and director of Airplane! Top Secret, Naked Gun, dead at 80
I was just thinking about Police Squad, the funniest show in the history of television.
11-26-24 | 02:11 PM
#4
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Jim Abrahams co-writer, producer and director of Airplane! Top Secret, Naked Gun, dead at 80
He gave me a lot of laughs. I had a VHS copy of Police Squad recorded from A&E. I think that Airplane! is one of the funniest comedies ever.
11-26-24 | 03:06 PM
#5
Re: Jim Abrahams co-writer, producer and director of Airplane! Top Secret, Naked Gun, dead at 80
I read Surely You Can't Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane! earlier this month and while I know a good deal of ZAZ history and their movies their determination to move to LA and reveal their humor to the world was astounding. Their guiding principle of, "Hey! We can do this!", was related to a story about a neighbor, Mrs. Zubatsky, that witnessed the Zucker family's house on fire.
"She watched anxiously as the firemen struggled with their ladders. Suddenly she leaned over her balcony and shouted down to the professional firefighters, 'Forget the ladders! Just point the hose at the fire!' The firemen, to their credit, responded immediately. They dropped their ladders, pointed the hose at the fire, and extinguished the blaze in about forty seconds."
11-27-24 | 08:34 PM
#6
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Jim Abrahams co-writer, producer and director of Airplane! Top Secret, Naked Gun, dead at 80
Years ago, one of Abrahams sons was cured of epileptic-type seizures by what would now be known as the Atkins or Ketogenic diet. It was unheard of at that time. I think this was in the early-mid 90s.
11-29-24 | 11:47 AM
#8
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Jim Abrahams co-writer, producer and director of Airplane! Top Secret, Naked Gun, dead at 80
Yup'.
I'll be revisiting a bunch of them in remembrance.
My dad loved showing us the Naked Gun movies when I was a kid. And pointing out the added absurdities happening in the background. Airplane too. And then I saw Top Secret when I was around 17.
I watched Dear Santa the other day (new Peter Farrelly movie). And I was thinking - where are the FUNNY movies? We used to have the ZAZ movies, the streak of Shadyac and Farrelly Brothers movies. That was enough to have a wildly hilarious experience in the theater once or twice a year in the 90's. Did I die inside? Or are they still out there somewhere? When was the last time anyone sat in a theater with 100+ people and laughed uncontrollably for 90 minutes? I heard the new Sean Baker movie is funny - is that all we get?
I'll be revisiting a bunch of them in remembrance.
My dad loved showing us the Naked Gun movies when I was a kid. And pointing out the added absurdities happening in the background. Airplane too. And then I saw Top Secret when I was around 17.
I watched Dear Santa the other day (new Peter Farrelly movie). And I was thinking - where are the FUNNY movies? We used to have the ZAZ movies, the streak of Shadyac and Farrelly Brothers movies. That was enough to have a wildly hilarious experience in the theater once or twice a year in the 90's. Did I die inside? Or are they still out there somewhere? When was the last time anyone sat in a theater with 100+ people and laughed uncontrollably for 90 minutes? I heard the new Sean Baker movie is funny - is that all we get?
12-01-24 | 08:13 PM
#9
Re: Jim Abrahams co-writer, producer and director of Airplane! Top Secret, Naked Gun, dead at 80
Yup'.
I'll be revisiting a bunch of them in remembrance.
My dad loved showing us the Naked Gun movies when I was a kid. And pointing out the added absurdities happening in the background. Airplane too. And then I saw Top Secret when I was around 17.
I watched Dear Santa the other day (new Peter Farrelly movie). And I was thinking - where are the FUNNY movies? We used to have the ZAZ movies, the streak of Shadyac and Farrelly Brothers movies. That was enough to have a wildly hilarious experience in the theater once or twice a year in the 90's. Did I die inside? Or are they still out there somewhere? When was the last time anyone sat in a theater with 100+ people and laughed uncontrollably for 90 minutes? I heard the new Sean Baker movie is funny - is that all we get?
I'll be revisiting a bunch of them in remembrance.
My dad loved showing us the Naked Gun movies when I was a kid. And pointing out the added absurdities happening in the background. Airplane too. And then I saw Top Secret when I was around 17.
I watched Dear Santa the other day (new Peter Farrelly movie). And I was thinking - where are the FUNNY movies? We used to have the ZAZ movies, the streak of Shadyac and Farrelly Brothers movies. That was enough to have a wildly hilarious experience in the theater once or twice a year in the 90's. Did I die inside? Or are they still out there somewhere? When was the last time anyone sat in a theater with 100+ people and laughed uncontrollably for 90 minutes? I heard the new Sean Baker movie is funny - is that all we get?
