Few filmmakers can claim to have set the formula for an entire genre, but the Zucker Brothers and Jim Abrahams did just that. The most celebrated spoof films of the past 50 years, if not made by them, were inspired by them. Surprisingly, some of their biggest hits nearly weren’t made.
David Zucker shared with Mashable’s Executive Producer, Mark Stetson, that “Airplane was turned down by every studio.” Luckily, Michael Eisner, then President of Paramount, showed interest. “You’re in,” he said. “Airplane” went on to gross $80 million, over five times its budget.
Their next venture, a short-lived TV series titled Police Squad, eventually paved the way for the Naked Gun films. The TV format wasn’t right for Frank Drebin, so they paused until they could make a movie. In between, they created the lesser-known cult classic, Top Secret, starring Val Kilmer. Following its moderate success, they finally released The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad, becoming part of movie history.
David Zucker will be presenting a special screening of The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad at the Netflix is a Joke Fest on May 5th.
You can learn directly from David by joining his comedy community on Master Crash.