Airplane! (film)
"Airplane!" is a 1980 comedy film directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker, known for its satirical take on the disaster movie genre, particularly the 1970s airplane disaster films like "Airport." The plot revolves around a traumatized war veteran who must step in as the pilot of a commercial jetliner after the crew suffers from food poisoning. Despite its serious premise, the film is renowned for its relentless barrage of jokes, ranging from visual gags to clever wordplay, including the famous line, "I am serious… and don’t call me Shirley." The film features notable performances by Robert Hays and Julie Haggerty, alongside serious actors like Lloyd Bridges and Leslie Nielsen, who humorously subvert their dramatic personas. "Airplane!" significantly influenced the parody genre, paving the way for future films that embraced absurd humor and satire. The film received critical acclaim, earning a Golden Globe nomination and a Writers Guild of America Award, and it is often regarded as one of the funniest films of the twentieth century by organizations such as the American Film Institute. Its cultural impact endures, exemplified by its memorable quotes and a legacy of inspired comedic works.
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Subject Terms
Airplane! (film)
Identification Disaster film spoof
Directors Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
Date Released July 2, 1980
Airplane! gleefully attacked the underlying Hollywood conventions of narrative realism in addition to parodying specific cinematic genres. Its success confirmed the box-office potential of such spoofs.
Key Figures
Jim Abrahams (1944- ), film directorDavid Zucker (1947- ), film directorJerry Zucker (1950- ), film director
Written and directed by the team of Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker, Airplane! was a comedy hit. The movie is a parody of airplane disaster movies from the 1970’s, such as Airport (1970) and Airport 1975 (1974). Though most viewers at the time recognized those references, the movie actually uses the 1957 movie Zero Hour for most of its source material and plot. A young man who flew a disastrous mission in a war has to take over as pilot for a commercial jetliner when the crew succumbs to food poisoning. Though the plot is potentially serious, the movie’s handling of the material embraces an over-the-top comedic approach. The movie fills almost every minute of screen time with some type of joke. These range from offbeat visual images, such as a ticket for a seat in the plane’s smoking section (a “smoking ticket”) actually smoking, to stupid verbal jokes like “Surely you can’t be serious!” “I am serious . . . and don’t call me Shirley.” “Don’t call me Shirley” became one of the many running gags used throughout the movie. Viewers also enjoyed catching references to a variety of other movies throughout the film such as Jaws (1975) and Saturday Night Fever (1977).
The movie starred Robert Hays and Julie Haggerty as the young pilot and the stewardess who must overcome their relationship problems and past history to land the plane safely. However, the movie also had an all-star list of actors known for their dramatic roles, particularly on television. Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Robert Stack, and Leslie Nielsen all had prominent roles in the film, and part of the movie’s humor was seeing these serious actors doing comedy and making fun of themselves. The movie created a new career for Leslie Nielsen, who went on to star in the parody television series Police Squad and the spin-off Naked Gun movies. Los Angeles Lakers basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also starred as the co-pilot—and broke character during the movie to play himself playing the co-pilot.
Impact
Airplane! established a viable market for outrageous parodies that made fun of specific movies or genres while also rejecting any semblance of realism. The trend continued with movies such as Top Secret! (1984), The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988), Scary Movie (2000), and others. The movie was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the best musical or comedy category and won a Writer’s Guild of America Award for Best Screenplay Adapted from Another Medium. In 2000, members of the American Film Institute voted Airplane! as number ten on the list of the one hundred funniest movies of the twentieth century. In 2005, the American Film Institute also voted the “Don’t call me Shirley” line number seventy-nine of the one hundred best movie quotes.
Bibliography
Gehring, Wes D. Parody as Film Genre: “Never Give a Saga an Even Break.” Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1999.
Karnick, Kristine Brunovska, and Henry Jenkins, eds. Classical Hollywood Comedy. New York: Routledge, 1995.
Rickman, Gregg, ed. The Film Comedy Reader. New York: Limelight Editions, 2001.