DVD Pick of the Week, 1-5-06

Depending on who you talk to, Airplane! is either one of the funniest movies ever made or one of the dumbest. I think that's what the filmmakers had originally intended.

In 1970's, Mel Brooks and the Monty Python troupe were so busy making fun of Hollywood movies and genres that they seemed to have exhausted everything by the end of the decade. However, no one anticipated players from the Kentuky Fried Theater comedy group to break through for the new decade.

They also found a new genre that was topical to lampoon. It was the disaster genre. While Airplane! seems to be a parody of the Airport movies, filmmakers David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrahams admitted that it was a remake of a 1957 movie Zero Hour, which they discovered on TV late one night. Mel Brooks said that you always make fun of the movies you love. It's obvious that ZAZ loved Zero Hour.

Their technigue was different from Brooks and Monty Python. Instead of casting comedians in movies, they cast serious actors and Jerry Zucker said they were told to act like they didn't know they were in a comedy. The cast includes Robert Stack, Leslie Nielsen, Peter Graves, Lloyd Bridges, all of which were renown for their TV dramas and serious roles. Along for the ride was Kareem Abdul-Jabaar playing himself playing a airline pilot. To top it off, there was Barbara Billingsley, June Cleaver, as a jive-talking woman.

Basically, the movie seemed serious but with a comedic twist, by playing with dialogue and sight gags like the infamous scene of shit actually hitting the fan, which is revealed in the DVD extras hit actor Stephen Stucker in an early take.

The DVD offers three versions of the movie. The first is the basic theatrical version. The second is a pop-up style version in which trivia appears on the screen, such as none of the directors had seen From Here to Eternity, when they obviously spoofed the famous beach scene or that they named many of the characters after their friends. The third version labeled the "long haul" version lives up to its title. This version isn't meant to be seen by regular viewers but by long-time fans as the scenes are constantly interrupting by cast and crew talking about the making of the movie. There's only two delelted scenes shown that aren't funny because Jerry Zucker says early on that there is nothing funny on the cutting room floor.

Strangely, missing from the version is Julie Hagerty, who played the perky and sweet airline stewardess Elaine Dickinson. Also MIA is Kareem Abdul-Jabaar who has said in previous interviews that he nearly pulled little Joey too much when the little kid kept nagging him. Bridges, Stack, and Stucker have all passed away which is a shame, because it is revealed that Stucker improvised all his lines as the quirky air traffic controller Johnny. I would have loved it if Stucker was present to describe being sprayed with fake feces

The DVD also breaks down the long myth that Airplane! ruined Leslie Nielsen's career. He says that he was on the brink of just doing grandfather roles and Airplane! gave him a new career path because he was wanting to do a comedy. We also learn that Nielsen kept a fart machine hidden in his possession and even embarrassed the filmmakers.

For over twenty-five years, Airplane! has entertained people and fans out there definitely need to get their hands on The "Don't Call me Shirley" edition because it is definitely worth it.