“… and Rex Hamilton as Abraham Lincoln”
July 12, 2021 12:18 PM Subscribe
The short-lived 1982 TV series Police Squad!, which parodied M Squad and other cop shows and was eventually reborn as the Naked Gun movies, isn’t officially available for streaming anywhere. It is on this one dude’s YouTube page, though!
A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise) 🚨 Ring of Fear (A Dangerous Assignment) 🚨 The Butler Did It (A Bird In the Hand) 🚨 Revenge And Remorse (The Guilty Alibi) 🚨 Rendezvous at Big Gulch (Terror in the Neighborhood) 🚨 Testimony of Evil (Dead Men Don’t Laugh)
Dated in spots, but blessedly free of wife murderers.
A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise) 🚨 Ring of Fear (A Dangerous Assignment) 🚨 The Butler Did It (A Bird In the Hand) 🚨 Revenge And Remorse (The Guilty Alibi) 🚨 Rendezvous at Big Gulch (Terror in the Neighborhood) 🚨 Testimony of Evil (Dead Men Don’t Laugh)
Dated in spots, but blessedly free of wife murderers.
I was just picking through some of this the other day. It does need to be said. Police Squad! is better than the Naked Gun movies, simply because this kind of mad, throw-everything-at-it comedy tends to work best in shorter, sharper, madder bursts.
Absolute peak 1980s television, so of course it failed after only six episodes.
posted by philip-random at 12:32 PM on July 12, 2021 [40 favorites]
Absolute peak 1980s television, so of course it failed after only six episodes.
posted by philip-random at 12:32 PM on July 12, 2021 [40 favorites]
failed after only six episodes.
failed in that it wasn't scoring high enough in the ratings so the network cancelled it. There was no artistic failure.
posted by philip-random at 12:36 PM on July 12, 2021 [8 favorites]
failed in that it wasn't scoring high enough in the ratings so the network cancelled it. There was no artistic failure.
posted by philip-random at 12:36 PM on July 12, 2021 [8 favorites]
This used to play on Nick at Nite when I was a child. The spoofing of freeze framing at the credits, where everyone would stop moving with the camera rolling and they’d introduce an element of chaos like a live monkey, pops into my head at least once a week.
posted by q*ben at 12:38 PM on July 12, 2021 [12 favorites]
posted by q*ben at 12:38 PM on July 12, 2021 [12 favorites]
I'm not sure how we found out about this series, but we rented it several times from the local video store. Really fun, and you watched all the way through the closing credits.
posted by Horselover Fat at 12:40 PM on July 12, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Horselover Fat at 12:40 PM on July 12, 2021 [1 favorite]
My favorite part about this show was that Alan North's straight man / detective partner is the exact same character, right down to the wardrobe, as his detective turn in 'Highlander'. Like he could easily have just walked straight off the set of Police Squad! into the parking garage at the beginning of the movie.
"A guy was killed just like this last night in Jersey"
"Yeah but I figure what the hell, it's Jersey"
I swear he didn't change a thing.
posted by dragstroke at 1:10 PM on July 12, 2021 [6 favorites]
"A guy was killed just like this last night in Jersey"
"Yeah but I figure what the hell, it's Jersey"
I swear he didn't change a thing.
posted by dragstroke at 1:10 PM on July 12, 2021 [6 favorites]
Thank you, now I know where the beginning sequence of Project Binky is from...
posted by Maxwell's demon at 1:17 PM on July 12, 2021 [7 favorites]
posted by Maxwell's demon at 1:17 PM on July 12, 2021 [7 favorites]
Not just that, but other jokes sprinkled throughout the show, and the fake-freeze at the end of some of the episodes.
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:21 PM on July 12, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:21 PM on July 12, 2021 [1 favorite]
All the not-subtle and subtle jokes in this show; like the lettering on the glass door that reads:
ƎƆI⅃Oᑫ
SQUAD
posted by Superilla at 1:23 PM on July 12, 2021 [15 favorites]
ƎƆI⅃Oᑫ
SQUAD
posted by Superilla at 1:23 PM on July 12, 2021 [15 favorites]
I remember reading that one of the reasons it was canceled was that you actually had to pay attention to the show to get all the jokes, and a lot of viewers weren’t used to that.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 1:23 PM on July 12, 2021 [18 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 1:23 PM on July 12, 2021 [18 favorites]
I loved the bits with the shoeshine guy:
Dick Clark: Johnny, some kids on the show yesterday mentioned a new kind of music, ska. You know anything about it?
Johnny: How should I know? [money changes hands] Nothing but a modern offshoot of reggae, updated white rock influences, definitely upbeat. It'll never become really popular because even though they've made the back beat more conventional, it's still too exotic for mass acceptance.
posted by Cash4Lead at 1:43 PM on July 12, 2021 [48 favorites]
Dick Clark: Johnny, some kids on the show yesterday mentioned a new kind of music, ska. You know anything about it?
Johnny: How should I know? [money changes hands] Nothing but a modern offshoot of reggae, updated white rock influences, definitely upbeat. It'll never become really popular because even though they've made the back beat more conventional, it's still too exotic for mass acceptance.
posted by Cash4Lead at 1:43 PM on July 12, 2021 [48 favorites]
My mom and I were huge fans when the shows first aired. A few years ago, I picked up the full series on DVD and watched them over and over with my son, who was between the impressionable ages of 10-12 (he's now 17). We still quote it on the regular, and will occasionally find a good moment to pull a "freeze frame" gag. We tried to watch The Naked Gun (which I had seen when it first came out) and I was stunned at how vastly different of a tone the movie had and how buffoonish they had made Frank Drebin (he's certainly no Tony de Wonderful). My son wasn't even interested in finishing the whole movie, and we haven't seen either sequel. But now I want to binge the TV series with him again before he flies the coop.
posted by majorsteel at 2:01 PM on July 12, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by majorsteel at 2:01 PM on July 12, 2021 [6 favorites]
Came for "I'm a locksmith" and was not disappointed.
Some of this stuff is cringey now, but really, a lot of it was fairly clever (c.f., the wordplay of "I'm a locksmith...") -- and the universal deadpan delivery of everyone onscreen means that you couldn't break concentration for one second or you would miss a joke. The humor is layered, too: items in the background or character's names or physical comedy simultaneous with dialogue.
Somehow I had forgotten that it was only a few episodes -- similar to the way that "Fawlty Towers" ran for years in my memory, but only a couple of seasons in real life.
posted by wenestvedt at 2:01 PM on July 12, 2021 [6 favorites]
Some of this stuff is cringey now, but really, a lot of it was fairly clever (c.f., the wordplay of "I'm a locksmith...") -- and the universal deadpan delivery of everyone onscreen means that you couldn't break concentration for one second or you would miss a joke. The humor is layered, too: items in the background or character's names or physical comedy simultaneous with dialogue.
Somehow I had forgotten that it was only a few episodes -- similar to the way that "Fawlty Towers" ran for years in my memory, but only a couple of seasons in real life.
posted by wenestvedt at 2:01 PM on July 12, 2021 [6 favorites]
There's an episode of Police Squad where Frank goes undercover as a comedian. There's a montage scene where you hear Frank give only the punch lines to the jokes. Thing is, they are actual clean punchlines for some of the dirtiest jokes around. If you happen to have heard a lot of dirty jokes, you're laughing your ass of at the scene because you know the jokes.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:05 PM on July 12, 2021 [19 favorites]
posted by Thorzdad at 2:05 PM on July 12, 2021 [19 favorites]
Another little gem I rediscovered here is that Nordberg, played bt OJ in the films, is in the TV show but played by the guy from Mission Impossible. When I saw him, I thought, it's couldn't be Lupus --it's never Lupus. But this time, it sure as heck was Lupus, for 6 episodes in a row.
posted by zaixfeep at 2:09 PM on July 12, 2021 [7 favorites]
posted by zaixfeep at 2:09 PM on July 12, 2021 [7 favorites]
Angie Tribeca or A Touch of Cloth are my recommendations for modern takes on this formula.
(Not sure if there are any others that are so densely packed with visual gags, dumb puns and skewering of a well known genre of TV. The Heart She Holler?)
posted by Anonymous Function at 2:09 PM on July 12, 2021 [10 favorites]
(Not sure if there are any others that are so densely packed with visual gags, dumb puns and skewering of a well known genre of TV. The Heart She Holler?)
posted by Anonymous Function at 2:09 PM on July 12, 2021 [10 favorites]
Agree that this kind of comedy works better in a half-hour sitcom than a 100-minute feature. As well, in the movies, a lot of the characters are well aware that Drebin and the rest of the squad are ridiculous, while on the show absolutely everyone treats what they do as straightforward police procedure, which makes things a lot funnier.
posted by Epixonti at 2:12 PM on July 12, 2021 [7 favorites]
posted by Epixonti at 2:12 PM on July 12, 2021 [7 favorites]
Clicked a link and finally understood the intro to Project Binky. I see Maxwell's demon beat me to the punch.
posted by slkinsey at 2:19 PM on July 12, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by slkinsey at 2:19 PM on July 12, 2021 [3 favorites]
Police Squad fans who prefer clean 1080p video might also be interested to know that the BTIH checksums 1da1ea7e0fcf2512165c59f728a1dfa967040ba0, fb5497352faa43f31db4484593efd3fe62155564, d5a9241fdd215a14c6476a74e5b4599f5ed9187d and 8808ccf98990f73a0dd1c14c53c337d149a2b3a0 verify the integrity of some high quality dubs made from BluRay releases of the series and the three Naked Gun movies that followed it.
posted by flabdablet at 2:32 PM on July 12, 2021 [7 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 2:32 PM on July 12, 2021 [7 favorites]
It's funny you should say that, because there are people who say that there are no safe and reliable Bittorrent clients for Windows 10. I want to refute their malicious lies, but I don't know how to prove them wrong.
posted by Joe in Australia at 3:15 PM on July 12, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Joe in Australia at 3:15 PM on July 12, 2021 [1 favorite]
This is the first show that wasn't meant for children that I remember actually bellylaughing at and understanding why it was funny. The plays on words, the guest stars dying in the intro, just the whole way that it made fun of the police shows my parents watched.
To this day whenever things go poorly at work, I always envision the part of the intro with gunfire breaking out in the office and the man on fire running by.
Cover me!
posted by kimberussell at 3:25 PM on July 12, 2021 [4 favorites]
To this day whenever things go poorly at work, I always envision the part of the intro with gunfire breaking out in the office and the man on fire running by.
Cover me!
posted by kimberussell at 3:25 PM on July 12, 2021 [4 favorites]
I swear he didn't change a thing.
“Highlander and The Naked Gun take place in the same cinematic universe” is my new favourite headcanon, thank you so much for this beautiful gift.
posted by mhoye at 3:26 PM on July 12, 2021 [23 favorites]
“Highlander and The Naked Gun take place in the same cinematic universe” is my new favourite headcanon, thank you so much for this beautiful gift.
posted by mhoye at 3:26 PM on July 12, 2021 [23 favorites]
There are so many great exchanges in this show, but to highlight just one, when Norberg arrives with the lunch orders...
Frank: All right Eddie, let's go over it one more time. Where were you last night?
Eddie Casales: I told you a dozen times, I was at the movies.
Norberg: [after coming in] I got the sandwiches here.
Ed: All right Eddie, you went to the movies. Now what did you see?
Edddie Casales: I told you, I don't remember.
Norberg: Who had the egg salad?
Ed: [mocking Eddie] I don't remember.
Norberg: Somebody ordered it.
Frank: You don't expect us to buy that.
Norberg: But I already paid for it.
Eddie Casales: Why don't you give a guy a break?
Norberg: Thanks a lot.
Eddie Casales : What's the charge?
Norberg: $4.58.
Ed: What are you trying to do, insult us?
Norberg: Okay, $3.50. Coffee's on me
Eddie Casales: I told you, I went to the movies, I fell asleep, I don't remember.
Frank: You don't expect us to swallow that.
Norberg: All right, I'll eat it! But I don't think it's fair that I should have to pay for it. [walks away]
posted by Acey at 3:27 PM on July 12, 2021 [13 favorites]
Frank: All right Eddie, let's go over it one more time. Where were you last night?
Eddie Casales: I told you a dozen times, I was at the movies.
Norberg: [after coming in] I got the sandwiches here.
Ed: All right Eddie, you went to the movies. Now what did you see?
Edddie Casales: I told you, I don't remember.
Norberg: Who had the egg salad?
Ed: [mocking Eddie] I don't remember.
Norberg: Somebody ordered it.
Frank: You don't expect us to buy that.
Norberg: But I already paid for it.
Eddie Casales: Why don't you give a guy a break?
Norberg: Thanks a lot.
Eddie Casales : What's the charge?
Norberg: $4.58.
Ed: What are you trying to do, insult us?
Norberg: Okay, $3.50. Coffee's on me
Eddie Casales: I told you, I went to the movies, I fell asleep, I don't remember.
Frank: You don't expect us to swallow that.
Norberg: All right, I'll eat it! But I don't think it's fair that I should have to pay for it. [walks away]
posted by Acey at 3:27 PM on July 12, 2021 [13 favorites]
BitTorrent Derail: BiglyBT is a open source Vuze/Azureus-alike, in their own words, "the continuation of the Vuze/Azureus open source project first created in 2003, and is being actively developed by the original coders." It's what I use and it's pretty much exactly what I want.
posted by glonous keming at 3:27 PM on July 12, 2021 [9 favorites]
posted by glonous keming at 3:27 PM on July 12, 2021 [9 favorites]
"Cigarette?" "Yes, it is."
posted by dannyboybell at 3:28 PM on July 12, 2021 [10 favorites]
posted by dannyboybell at 3:28 PM on July 12, 2021 [10 favorites]
Thanks for this. My dad had to travel a town over to rent these back in the day. Pre-ubiquitous-Blockbuster and pre-Naked Gun I think. I was young, not sure exactly, but I definitely thought this was a show from the 60s or something.
posted by badbobbycase at 3:30 PM on July 12, 2021
posted by badbobbycase at 3:30 PM on July 12, 2021
Transmission is open source, works well on all platforms, and offers a good balance between functionality and freedom from excessive UI cruft. I run mine on an Odroid N2 (a Raspberry-Pi-class tiny computer that stays alive 24x7) and control it using its web interface, but you can run it native on Windows if you want.
posted by flabdablet at 3:33 PM on July 12, 2021
posted by flabdablet at 3:33 PM on July 12, 2021
[In Color]
posted by bondcliff at 3:34 PM on July 12, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by bondcliff at 3:34 PM on July 12, 2021 [4 favorites]
Yes, it is.
posted by flabdablet at 3:36 PM on July 12, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 3:36 PM on July 12, 2021 [2 favorites]
Det. Frank Drebin : Wait a minute, let me get this straight: Twice came in and shot the teller and Jim Fell.
Sally Decker : No, he only shot the teller, Jim Johnson. Fell is ill.
Det. Frank Drebin : Okay, then after he shot the teller, you shot Twice.
Sally Decker : No, I only shot once.
Capt. Ed Hocken : Twice is the hold up man.
Sally Decker : Then I guess I did shoot Twice.
Det. Frank Drebin : Oh, so now you're changing your story.
Sally Decker : No, I shot Twice after Jim fell.
Det. Frank Drebin : You shot twice and Jim Fell?
Sally Decker : No, Jim fell first and then I shot Twice once.
Det. Frank Drebin : Well, who fired twice?
Sally Decker : Once!
Capt. Ed Hocken : He's the owner of the tire company, Frank.
Det. Frank Drebin : [pauses] Okay. Once is the owner of the tire company and he fired Twice. Then Twice shot the teller once.
Sally Decker : Twice.
Det. Frank Drebin : ...and Jim fell and then you fired Twice.
Sally Decker : Once!
Det. Frank Drebin : Okay. All right, that will be all for now, Ms. Decker.
Capt. Ed Hocken : We'll need you to make a formal statement down at the station.
Sally Decker : Oh, of course!
Det. Frank Drebin : You've been very helpful. We think we know how he did it.
Sally Decker : Oh, Howie couldn't have done it. He hasn't been in for weeks.
Det. Frank Drebin : Well.
[pauses]
Det. Frank Drebin : Thank you again, Ms. Decker.
[to Ed]
Det. Frank Drebin : Weeks?
Capt. Ed Hocken : Saul Weeks. He's the comptroller, Frank.
posted by SPrintF at 3:40 PM on July 12, 2021 [24 favorites]
Sally Decker : No, he only shot the teller, Jim Johnson. Fell is ill.
Det. Frank Drebin : Okay, then after he shot the teller, you shot Twice.
Sally Decker : No, I only shot once.
Capt. Ed Hocken : Twice is the hold up man.
Sally Decker : Then I guess I did shoot Twice.
Det. Frank Drebin : Oh, so now you're changing your story.
Sally Decker : No, I shot Twice after Jim fell.
Det. Frank Drebin : You shot twice and Jim Fell?
Sally Decker : No, Jim fell first and then I shot Twice once.
Det. Frank Drebin : Well, who fired twice?
Sally Decker : Once!
Capt. Ed Hocken : He's the owner of the tire company, Frank.
Det. Frank Drebin : [pauses] Okay. Once is the owner of the tire company and he fired Twice. Then Twice shot the teller once.
Sally Decker : Twice.
Det. Frank Drebin : ...and Jim fell and then you fired Twice.
Sally Decker : Once!
Det. Frank Drebin : Okay. All right, that will be all for now, Ms. Decker.
Capt. Ed Hocken : We'll need you to make a formal statement down at the station.
Sally Decker : Oh, of course!
Det. Frank Drebin : You've been very helpful. We think we know how he did it.
Sally Decker : Oh, Howie couldn't have done it. He hasn't been in for weeks.
Det. Frank Drebin : Well.
[pauses]
Det. Frank Drebin : Thank you again, Ms. Decker.
[to Ed]
Det. Frank Drebin : Weeks?
Capt. Ed Hocken : Saul Weeks. He's the comptroller, Frank.
posted by SPrintF at 3:40 PM on July 12, 2021 [24 favorites]
To expand on the IN COLOR gag. Quinn-Martin productions (ex. The FBI) always made a point of announcing that the show was IN COLOR, since color broadcasting was still relatively new. Police Squad continued this, painting IN COLOR over a flashing red police car light.
posted by SPrintF at 3:41 PM on July 12, 2021 [7 favorites]
posted by SPrintF at 3:41 PM on July 12, 2021 [7 favorites]
Also: Act Two. Gesundheit.
posted by SPrintF at 3:42 PM on July 12, 2021 [11 favorites]
posted by SPrintF at 3:42 PM on July 12, 2021 [11 favorites]
Fun fact: in each episode Frank drives obliviously into a load of trashcans; the quantity of which corresponds to the episode number.
posted by Acey at 3:45 PM on July 12, 2021 [26 favorites]
posted by Acey at 3:45 PM on July 12, 2021 [26 favorites]
Highlander and The Naked Gun take place in the same cinematic universeA franchise of several movies, a TV show, a comic book, with a number of different protagonists villains and premises(!) that uses the catchphrase ‘there can be only one’ is 100% a Police Squad joke
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 3:48 PM on July 12, 2021 [11 favorites]
See also these ads for red rock cider (the pool table!!)
posted by look upon my works progress administration at 3:56 PM on July 12, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by look upon my works progress administration at 3:56 PM on July 12, 2021 [6 favorites]
"Last known address was a Mobile home in Alabama... Married, one child... that didn't work out so he married a grown woman"
posted by Acey at 4:00 PM on July 12, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by Acey at 4:00 PM on July 12, 2021 [5 favorites]
In a similar vein (but different victim's vascular system): Trust me, I know wht I'm posting.
posted by zaixfeep at 4:12 PM on July 12, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by zaixfeep at 4:12 PM on July 12, 2021 [3 favorites]
Det. Frank Drebin : Well.
[pauses]
These close up reaction shots would be so incredibly earnest in a 1960s drama, and I just bust a gut when they pull them here.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 4:23 PM on July 12, 2021 [2 favorites]
[pauses]
These close up reaction shots would be so incredibly earnest in a 1960s drama, and I just bust a gut when they pull them here.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 4:23 PM on July 12, 2021 [2 favorites]
Kathryn Leigh Scott! She has Gene Tierney’s overbite.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 4:31 PM on July 12, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 4:31 PM on July 12, 2021 [3 favorites]
This is still my favorite show. I got some bootleg dvds about 10 years ago, and watch weekly. The “Lived with a guy once” musings have to be the best lines in a show ever. Also Sargents Take Her Away and Book Her, and “run her in” kill me. Truly ahead of its time. Poor Ed.
posted by cosmicsoup at 4:42 PM on July 12, 2021
posted by cosmicsoup at 4:42 PM on July 12, 2021
In a similar vein (but different victim's vascular system): Trust me, I know wht I'm posting.
Unlike Police Squard, Sledge Hammer! hasn't aged well because it ran headfirst into Poe's Law. Nowadays it could be just another show on CBS and a huge fraction of the viewing audience wouldn't think it was any different than NCIS or SWAT.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:58 PM on July 12, 2021 [7 favorites]
Unlike Police Squard, Sledge Hammer! hasn't aged well because it ran headfirst into Poe's Law. Nowadays it could be just another show on CBS and a huge fraction of the viewing audience wouldn't think it was any different than NCIS or SWAT.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:58 PM on July 12, 2021 [7 favorites]
OK, but Sledge Hammer does have the single greatest second season opening scene of all time. Background: it looked like the show was going to be cancelled and they decided to go out with a bang...and then got renewed after the first season finale, leading to: Sledge Hammer! (The Early Years).
posted by The Tensor at 5:24 PM on July 12, 2021 [12 favorites]
posted by The Tensor at 5:24 PM on July 12, 2021 [12 favorites]
Script for the long-lost seventh episode of Police Squad! "Testimony of Terror" or A KITTEN FOR AMY
Definitely needed a little more work, but you can see they were able to recycle the Ironblock visual joke into Top Secret!
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 5:32 PM on July 12, 2021 [8 favorites]
Definitely needed a little more work, but you can see they were able to recycle the Ironblock visual joke into Top Secret!
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 5:32 PM on July 12, 2021 [8 favorites]
Admittedly I was only 10 years old and watching Sledge Hammer! on VHS recordings that my parents had made years before (this is also how I know about The Charmings), but that season finale and season premiere are not nearly as funny as they are if you know about the expected cancellation / surprise renewal, which I did not. Just watching the episodes back-to-back for the first time, I felt like that intro was the setup for a payoff which never came and I still feel kind of cheated and angry that they killed off the characters in a fiery explosion.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 5:46 PM on July 12, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by RonButNotStupid at 5:46 PM on July 12, 2021 [3 favorites]
Dated in spots, but blessedly free of wife murderers.
Unrelatedly, William Shatner makes a cameo appearance.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 6:24 PM on July 12, 2021
Unrelatedly, William Shatner makes a cameo appearance.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 6:24 PM on July 12, 2021
Sure, he was a physical education major, but he had a mind! He could think!
posted by Saxon Kane at 6:28 PM on July 12, 2021 [9 favorites]
posted by Saxon Kane at 6:28 PM on July 12, 2021 [9 favorites]
It was no On the Air.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 6:37 PM on July 12, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 6:37 PM on July 12, 2021 [1 favorite]
My mom and I watched every single episode as they originally aired and laughed so so hard. She figured it would get cancelled. Mom is no longer with us, but her taste in sophomoric humor lives on.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 6:59 PM on July 12, 2021 [10 favorites]
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 6:59 PM on July 12, 2021 [10 favorites]
What's most wild to me is how the Zuckers absolutely took their source material and copied it shot for shot, line for line and then threw in the over-the-top visual gags. It's a level of plagiarism that seems impossible today.
posted by GuyZero at 7:28 PM on July 12, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by GuyZero at 7:28 PM on July 12, 2021 [2 favorites]
Agree that this kind of comedy works better in a half-hour sitcom than a 100-minute feature.
My general rule is that most comedies start to feel long after about 90 minutes and most dramas start to feel long after about 120 minutes, but I checked the runtimes for all of the Naked Gun movies and they were all close to 90 minutes. They all could've benefitted from some tightening up, though.
posted by kirkaracha at 7:38 PM on July 12, 2021
My general rule is that most comedies start to feel long after about 90 minutes and most dramas start to feel long after about 120 minutes, but I checked the runtimes for all of the Naked Gun movies and they were all close to 90 minutes. They all could've benefitted from some tightening up, though.
posted by kirkaracha at 7:38 PM on July 12, 2021
"We're sorry to bother you at a time like this, Mrs. Twice. We would have come earlier, but your husband wasn't dead then."
Also, Nielsen's delivery of the rambling monologue about living with a PE teacher in his younger days is some of the funniest comic delivery I've ever seen. It's a perfect deadpan combination of silliness and actual pathos.
posted by cubeb at 8:03 PM on July 12, 2021 [16 favorites]
Also, Nielsen's delivery of the rambling monologue about living with a PE teacher in his younger days is some of the funniest comic delivery I've ever seen. It's a perfect deadpan combination of silliness and actual pathos.
posted by cubeb at 8:03 PM on July 12, 2021 [16 favorites]
Club Flamingo had me in tears laughing.
posted by azpenguin at 8:54 PM on July 12, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by azpenguin at 8:54 PM on July 12, 2021 [2 favorites]
"Mind if I change?" -- showgirl walks behind the partition and continues talking but when she comes back out it's a different actress wearing the same outfit although the voice remains the same.
posted by straight at 8:59 PM on July 12, 2021 [10 favorites]
posted by straight at 8:59 PM on July 12, 2021 [10 favorites]
My favorite bit was Rex Hamilton as Abraham Lincoln in (and only in) the opening credits. Speaking of, According to Wikipedia, John Belushi filmed a "special guest star" bit, but it was pulled when he died (Florence Henderson's bit replaced his.)
I remember reading that one of the reasons it was canceled was that you actually had to pay attention to the show to get all the jokes, and a lot of viewers weren’t used to that.
Was that ever actually tested? I've had the impression that it was just the accepted wisdom of the suits. It certainly didn't air long enough to get any traction. (It was a replacement series to begin with.)
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 10:09 PM on July 12, 2021 [3 favorites]
I remember reading that one of the reasons it was canceled was that you actually had to pay attention to the show to get all the jokes, and a lot of viewers weren’t used to that.
Was that ever actually tested? I've had the impression that it was just the accepted wisdom of the suits. It certainly didn't air long enough to get any traction. (It was a replacement series to begin with.)
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 10:09 PM on July 12, 2021 [3 favorites]
Every so often I do think about how much better these were than the movies based on them, and I don't think it's necessarily a matter of the length, but the presentation — the surest way for Leslie Nielsen to kill a joke was to try to sell it, and in the movies they started having him go goofy in a way that absolutely did not play to his strengths. The "he had a mind" monologue might be a perfect example of the sort of thing he was better suited to.
posted by DoctorFedora at 10:48 PM on July 12, 2021 [8 favorites]
posted by DoctorFedora at 10:48 PM on July 12, 2021 [8 favorites]
The DVD of the full series is under $20, and like "Sledge Hammer!" (<$25) it should be owned by everybody!
It's a level of plagiarism that seems impossible today.
I would guess that it's more like Sealab 2021 or Space Ghost Coast to Coast or The Brak Show where the production studio owns the rights to the original material.
I wouldn't have guessed this was only 6 episodes, maybe 10. It was a big and known deal at the time, the ZAZ movies were very popular (look how old I sound!) and the sweet spot of Generation X were floating over the PG-13 waterfall. That's why I assumed it went for more episodes: it wasn't not-watched.
posted by rhizome at 11:21 PM on July 12, 2021 [7 favorites]
It's a level of plagiarism that seems impossible today.
I would guess that it's more like Sealab 2021 or Space Ghost Coast to Coast or The Brak Show where the production studio owns the rights to the original material.
I wouldn't have guessed this was only 6 episodes, maybe 10. It was a big and known deal at the time, the ZAZ movies were very popular (look how old I sound!) and the sweet spot of Generation X were floating over the PG-13 waterfall. That's why I assumed it went for more episodes: it wasn't not-watched.
posted by rhizome at 11:21 PM on July 12, 2021 [7 favorites]
I have fond memories of watching some of these episodes at theater camp in the early 90s (someone had a video tape). No one appreciates goofy humor like theater kids.
posted by lunasol at 11:59 PM on July 12, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by lunasol at 11:59 PM on July 12, 2021 [2 favorites]
My least favorite thing about the Zucker-Abrams-Zucker productions is that David Zucker went on to become a huge wingnut, writing An American Carol in 2008. Also, Kentucky Fried Movie contains a gigantic usage of the N-word in one of its many throwaway skits, which, it was the point and illustrated attitudes towards it, but that bit still doesn't really hold up today, especially with recent events casting a harsh light at the problems African Americans still face.
But Police Squad is golden.
posted by JHarris at 12:47 AM on July 13, 2021 [5 favorites]
But Police Squad is golden.
posted by JHarris at 12:47 AM on July 13, 2021 [5 favorites]
(I use that italicize-the-last-word rhetorical trick a lot, it seems.)
posted by JHarris at 3:11 AM on July 13, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by JHarris at 3:11 AM on July 13, 2021 [4 favorites]
I second and third all the comments about the differences between Police Squad and The Naked Gun movies and how Frank Drebin is too buffoonish in the movies to make them work as well.
Police Squad is such a glitchy little minus world of a cop show. The narrative is constantly being fed bad data and tries really hard to roll with it and keep going despite how utterly incongruous things are. Somehow the show holds it all together to be watchable enough for us to appreciate and laugh at the weirdness, and a big part of what makes it all work is the actors being so serious and deadpan with their delivery. After all, their characters still exist in a 1960s police drama even if someone has so obviously rocked the cartridge.
I think the problem with the Naked Gun series (and ZAZ films in general, possibly excepting Airplane!) is that they forget this glitchyness. Everyone's always in on the joke and aware of how silly things are and the formula gets reduced to just lazily piling on as many gags as possible with an emphasis on sight gags because they're cheap and easy to write.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:33 AM on July 13, 2021 [8 favorites]
Police Squad is such a glitchy little minus world of a cop show. The narrative is constantly being fed bad data and tries really hard to roll with it and keep going despite how utterly incongruous things are. Somehow the show holds it all together to be watchable enough for us to appreciate and laugh at the weirdness, and a big part of what makes it all work is the actors being so serious and deadpan with their delivery. After all, their characters still exist in a 1960s police drama even if someone has so obviously rocked the cartridge.
I think the problem with the Naked Gun series (and ZAZ films in general, possibly excepting Airplane!) is that they forget this glitchyness. Everyone's always in on the joke and aware of how silly things are and the formula gets reduced to just lazily piling on as many gags as possible with an emphasis on sight gags because they're cheap and easy to write.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:33 AM on July 13, 2021 [8 favorites]
Came for the Red Rock Cider adverts, wasn't disappointed.
"Hey, you over there! In the shadows!"
(Hank Marvin turns around)
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to accompany me."
(Hank Marvin grabs guitar)
posted by Major Clanger at 4:54 AM on July 13, 2021 [3 favorites]
"Hey, you over there! In the shadows!"
(Hank Marvin turns around)
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to accompany me."
(Hank Marvin grabs guitar)
posted by Major Clanger at 4:54 AM on July 13, 2021 [3 favorites]
Yeah, the I'm a locksmith...and I'm a locksmith bit is great, but for me, this has always been the highlight of that episode, probably the whole series, and possibly all of human achievement.
No, no, no...locksmith.
posted by Naberius at 5:55 AM on July 13, 2021 [4 favorites]
No, no, no...locksmith.
posted by Naberius at 5:55 AM on July 13, 2021 [4 favorites]
I thought this might predate the Project Binky first episode, but no.
posted by beowulf573 at 6:16 AM on July 13, 2021
posted by beowulf573 at 6:16 AM on July 13, 2021
the formula gets reduced to just lazily piling on as many gags as possible with an emphasis on sight gags because they're cheap and easy to write.
BASEketball remains a classic.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 6:59 AM on July 13, 2021 [1 favorite]
BASEketball remains a classic.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 6:59 AM on July 13, 2021 [1 favorite]
No, no, no...locksmith.
From the same episode (because I couldn't stop watching.)
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 7:43 AM on July 13, 2021 [6 favorites]
From the same episode (because I couldn't stop watching.)
ACT IIIt may be a blessing it was only six episodes. I don't see how they could keep up that pace.
GESUNDHEIT
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 7:43 AM on July 13, 2021 [6 favorites]
Such an awesome, glorious, high-density show. I've made VHS and DVD copies for friends and family.
"You take a chance getting up in the morning, crossing the street or sticking your face in a fan."
posted by doctornemo at 8:21 AM on July 13, 2021 [2 favorites]
"You take a chance getting up in the morning, crossing the street or sticking your face in a fan."
posted by doctornemo at 8:21 AM on July 13, 2021 [2 favorites]
Don't forget the scientist!
Ted Olson, Scientist : So you see, Katy, objects get their shape from the arrangement of their molecules. If you apply force to these molecules their arrangement is altered, the shape of the object is changed. Now, did you bring me your Crying Judy doll?
Katy : Here she is, Mr. Olson.
[she hands the doll over]
Ted Olson, Scientist : Alright, let's see what happens when we put Crying Judy in the trash compactor.
///
Ted Olson, Scientist : So Billy, electrostatic particles are created by an imbalance of electrons. The resulting charge is what we scientists call static electricity.
Billy : Gee...
Ted Olson, Scientist : It's, it's just like when your mom takes a dress out of the dryer, puts it on and it clings to every supple curve and soft, round...
[there's a loud crash from the hall, then Frank enters]
Ted Olson, Scientist : Oh Hi Frank. Eh, why don't you run along now, Billy. Next week don't forget to bring in those magazines you found under your father's bed.
Billy : Ok, Mr. Olson. Bye.
[leaves]
posted by doctornemo at 8:23 AM on July 13, 2021 [4 favorites]
Ted Olson, Scientist : So you see, Katy, objects get their shape from the arrangement of their molecules. If you apply force to these molecules their arrangement is altered, the shape of the object is changed. Now, did you bring me your Crying Judy doll?
Katy : Here she is, Mr. Olson.
[she hands the doll over]
Ted Olson, Scientist : Alright, let's see what happens when we put Crying Judy in the trash compactor.
///
Ted Olson, Scientist : So Billy, electrostatic particles are created by an imbalance of electrons. The resulting charge is what we scientists call static electricity.
Billy : Gee...
Ted Olson, Scientist : It's, it's just like when your mom takes a dress out of the dryer, puts it on and it clings to every supple curve and soft, round...
[there's a loud crash from the hall, then Frank enters]
Ted Olson, Scientist : Oh Hi Frank. Eh, why don't you run along now, Billy. Next week don't forget to bring in those magazines you found under your father's bed.
Billy : Ok, Mr. Olson. Bye.
[leaves]
posted by doctornemo at 8:23 AM on July 13, 2021 [4 favorites]
I'm slow today...but I'm not getting the "no, no, no locksmith" joke.
posted by snwod at 8:52 AM on July 13, 2021
posted by snwod at 8:52 AM on July 13, 2021
(I use that italicize-the-last-word rhetorical trick a lot, it seems.)
It's okay.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:29 AM on July 13, 2021 [1 favorite]
It's okay.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:29 AM on July 13, 2021 [1 favorite]
I'm slow today...but I'm not getting the "no, no, no locksmith" joke.
Yeah, the thugs had thrown a rock through the window previously as a warning, and it took out the L in the sign, leaving "ocksmith," which somehow immediately attracted someone who read it as "oxsmith" and happened to have an ox that needed some (unspecified) work done.
posted by Naberius at 9:50 AM on July 13, 2021 [3 favorites]
Yeah, the thugs had thrown a rock through the window previously as a warning, and it took out the L in the sign, leaving "ocksmith," which somehow immediately attracted someone who read it as "oxsmith" and happened to have an ox that needed some (unspecified) work done.
posted by Naberius at 9:50 AM on July 13, 2021 [3 favorites]
I loved this show when it was on, and still quote the locksmith joke whenever I can find an excuse to make it relevant - that and "Bear left." "Right, Frog" from The Muppet Movie are two of my favorite movie dialogue exchanges ever.
posted by Mchelly at 9:54 AM on July 13, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by Mchelly at 9:54 AM on July 13, 2021 [6 favorites]
I had this friend whose first name was Lock, and somehow he got put into some online phone number database as [LastName] Lock, and he began getting calls from people thinking he was a locksmith. I tried telling him the Police Squad! locksmith joke but he was too annoyed to appreciate it.
posted by JanetLand at 9:59 AM on July 13, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by JanetLand at 9:59 AM on July 13, 2021 [2 favorites]
They didn't even get to air all six episodes! The suits were so freaked out they preempted the last one or two for That's Incredible or Real People. It was an early lesson that anything I like will be stomped on by the Normals, and made me the effete and impudent snob I am today.
posted by whuppy at 10:10 AM on July 13, 2021 [13 favorites]
posted by whuppy at 10:10 AM on July 13, 2021 [13 favorites]
By the way, the second best joke in Police Squad is in the kidnapped girl episode (The Butler Did It (A Bird In the Hand)) in which our heroes think they heard a foghorn and ship's bell in the background when the kidnappers made their taped ransom demand. But then Drebin realizes it's actually a gas station hose and a tuba.
"We're going to have to check every tuba sales, rental, and repair shop in town that's close to a filling station."
"That's going to be a mighty tall order, Frank. This city's the tuba capital of the world!"
Note Ed almost flubbing his line there.
And then they go through the yellow pages for tuba joints.
"...we've been through hundreds of these. Acme Tubas, Tuba World, Tubas Are Us [a brief interruption by Al wearing a Tuba City t-shirt], International House of Tubas, Tuba or Not Tuba, Tuba Legation...ah, we've come to a dead end, Frank."
It's second best because it's not as compact and direct as the ocksmith gag. But "Tuba Legation" just kills me. I am dead now.
posted by Naberius at 10:13 AM on July 13, 2021 [10 favorites]
"We're going to have to check every tuba sales, rental, and repair shop in town that's close to a filling station."
"That's going to be a mighty tall order, Frank. This city's the tuba capital of the world!"
Note Ed almost flubbing his line there.
And then they go through the yellow pages for tuba joints.
"...we've been through hundreds of these. Acme Tubas, Tuba World, Tubas Are Us [a brief interruption by Al wearing a Tuba City t-shirt], International House of Tubas, Tuba or Not Tuba, Tuba Legation...ah, we've come to a dead end, Frank."
It's second best because it's not as compact and direct as the ocksmith gag. But "Tuba Legation" just kills me. I am dead now.
posted by Naberius at 10:13 AM on July 13, 2021 [10 favorites]
So glad someone found the Red Rock Cider adverts. When I picked the series up on DVD a few years back, I watched it through and laughed myself sick, but was thoroughly confused not to find the one specific joke I remembered from when they'd been on in my childhood: "You over there, in the shadows". Vanishingly rare for adverts to be that good.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 10:13 AM on July 13, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 10:13 AM on July 13, 2021 [3 favorites]
Oof. Didn't notice the window and thought he had a cow. Like I said, slow. :D
posted by snwod at 10:26 AM on July 13, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by snwod at 10:26 AM on July 13, 2021 [1 favorite]
One of the things that makes the show so great is that every actor is 100% committed to taking everything seriously. They play their roles for all they are worth, without the slightest hint that they know what they are doing is ridiculous. There's an almost studied obtuseness to all the characters -- the way they respond to everything in the most literal-minded way, like they completely flatten out the context of every question. It's a kind of brilliant stupidity also in that they are answering the questions, even giving the "right" answers, just in the completely wrong situations.
I think what makes the show better than the films is that the premise of the show is essentially, "What if life really were as absurd as these dumb cop shows?" and then they push that absurdity to the limit which sort of "breaks" the real world around them so it adapts to their ridiculous behavior. Like in the first episode, when Frank & Ed are standing outside the bank talking, and in the background some EMTs are carrying out this impossibly long stretcher for the whole scene. Because in cop shows, you've gotta have that scene of them wheeling the body out behind the officers, and since they are standing their talking for a while, they just gotta keep carrying out the stretcher. Or in another episode when Frank is on the phone and walking around the station, and the cords are like 20 feet long. Or the shoe-shine guy who just happens to know all the details of whatever case Frank's working on. It's like the real world has to accommodate their ridiculous behavior so that show will "work" and they will get the criminal in the end. It's a brilliant comment on how dumb their sources were.
[Side note: My opinion of Robert Wuhl shot up about 1000% when I learned that he wrote a couple of the episodes.]
In the movies, on the other hand, the premise seems more like, "What if these ridiculous people were cops in the real world?" So their absurdity sticks out against everyone else, who are all behaving in more-or-less "normal" ways. Yes, Frank and the others do make the world around them a little more nonsensical, but the films highlight the contrast between the Frank et al. and everyone else. It's like the filmmakers didn't trust their audience to get the joke, so they had to make it really, really obvious: "look how goofy these people are, isn't that ridiculous?!"
Finally, I don't know if it was Abrahams or the Zuckers or somebody else who had the brilliant idea of casting Leslie Nielsen in comedies, but that was one of the most fucking inspired casting choices ever, and the world owes them a debt of gratitude. Every moment he's on screen is goddamn gold -- the way he reacts when Sally Decker throws her wig in his face is one of the funniest moments ever.
posted by Saxon Kane at 10:47 AM on July 13, 2021 [20 favorites]
I think what makes the show better than the films is that the premise of the show is essentially, "What if life really were as absurd as these dumb cop shows?" and then they push that absurdity to the limit which sort of "breaks" the real world around them so it adapts to their ridiculous behavior. Like in the first episode, when Frank & Ed are standing outside the bank talking, and in the background some EMTs are carrying out this impossibly long stretcher for the whole scene. Because in cop shows, you've gotta have that scene of them wheeling the body out behind the officers, and since they are standing their talking for a while, they just gotta keep carrying out the stretcher. Or in another episode when Frank is on the phone and walking around the station, and the cords are like 20 feet long. Or the shoe-shine guy who just happens to know all the details of whatever case Frank's working on. It's like the real world has to accommodate their ridiculous behavior so that show will "work" and they will get the criminal in the end. It's a brilliant comment on how dumb their sources were.
[Side note: My opinion of Robert Wuhl shot up about 1000% when I learned that he wrote a couple of the episodes.]
In the movies, on the other hand, the premise seems more like, "What if these ridiculous people were cops in the real world?" So their absurdity sticks out against everyone else, who are all behaving in more-or-less "normal" ways. Yes, Frank and the others do make the world around them a little more nonsensical, but the films highlight the contrast between the Frank et al. and everyone else. It's like the filmmakers didn't trust their audience to get the joke, so they had to make it really, really obvious: "look how goofy these people are, isn't that ridiculous?!"
Finally, I don't know if it was Abrahams or the Zuckers or somebody else who had the brilliant idea of casting Leslie Nielsen in comedies, but that was one of the most fucking inspired casting choices ever, and the world owes them a debt of gratitude. Every moment he's on screen is goddamn gold -- the way he reacts when Sally Decker throws her wig in his face is one of the funniest moments ever.
posted by Saxon Kane at 10:47 AM on July 13, 2021 [20 favorites]
It's like the filmmakers didn't trust their audience to get the joke, so they had to make it really, really obvious: "look how goofy these people are, isn't that ridiculous?!"
Thank you Saxon Kane! That's exactly the concept I've been trying to work out in my head throughout this entire thread.
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:52 AM on July 13, 2021 [5 favorites]
Thank you Saxon Kane! That's exactly the concept I've been trying to work out in my head throughout this entire thread.
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:52 AM on July 13, 2021 [5 favorites]
Very well put, Saxon Kane!
[Side note: My opinion of Robert Wuhl shot up about 1000% when I learned that he wrote a couple of the episodes.]
As did mine. Also, Joe Dante directed two episodes. (And one was directed by Georg Stanford Brown, who had been a real TV cop in 96 episodes of The Rookies) And I was charmed to discover that the late Tino Insana was the story editor for the show and co-wrote an episode with Wuhl. (Tino Insana provided the voice of Mr. Grouper on Bubble Guppies, which probably doesn't mean as much to the rest of you who don't have little girls who used to binge on Bubble Guppies for hours and hours and hours.)
posted by Naberius at 11:25 AM on July 13, 2021 [4 favorites]
[Side note: My opinion of Robert Wuhl shot up about 1000% when I learned that he wrote a couple of the episodes.]
As did mine. Also, Joe Dante directed two episodes. (And one was directed by Georg Stanford Brown, who had been a real TV cop in 96 episodes of The Rookies) And I was charmed to discover that the late Tino Insana was the story editor for the show and co-wrote an episode with Wuhl. (Tino Insana provided the voice of Mr. Grouper on Bubble Guppies, which probably doesn't mean as much to the rest of you who don't have little girls who used to binge on Bubble Guppies for hours and hours and hours.)
posted by Naberius at 11:25 AM on July 13, 2021 [4 favorites]
Mrs. Twice : Oh, poor Ralph! And what about my daughter? What am I going to tell her?
Capt. Ed Hocken : Yeah, you're gonna have to tell her something. Tell her he went on a long trip.
Det. Frank Drebin : No wait a minute, how about a big monster came and took him to daddy heaven?
Det. Frank Drebin : [Mrs Twice starts sobbing louder] Nah...
Capt. Ed Hocken : What about this: he threw himself on a grenade and saved the battalion. Yeah, that's it.
[Mrs. Twice starts sobbing stronger]
Det. Frank Drebin : No, no, wait a minute, he was killed by a left wing insurgence from Paraguay?
Det. Frank Drebin : [Mrs. Twice is sobbing uncontrollably now] No, Bolivia.
Capt. Ed Hocken : I got it! I got it, he, he was traded to the Cubs for Reggie Jackson.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:41 AM on July 13, 2021 [6 favorites]
Capt. Ed Hocken : Yeah, you're gonna have to tell her something. Tell her he went on a long trip.
Det. Frank Drebin : No wait a minute, how about a big monster came and took him to daddy heaven?
Det. Frank Drebin : [Mrs Twice starts sobbing louder] Nah...
Capt. Ed Hocken : What about this: he threw himself on a grenade and saved the battalion. Yeah, that's it.
[Mrs. Twice starts sobbing stronger]
Det. Frank Drebin : No, no, wait a minute, he was killed by a left wing insurgence from Paraguay?
Det. Frank Drebin : [Mrs. Twice is sobbing uncontrollably now] No, Bolivia.
Capt. Ed Hocken : I got it! I got it, he, he was traded to the Cubs for Reggie Jackson.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:41 AM on July 13, 2021 [6 favorites]
One of my favorite gags is from The Naked Gun, the creepiness of seeing O.J. Simpson notwithstanding.
Nurse in hospital: "Mrs. Nordberg, I think we can save your husband's arm. Where would you like it sent?"
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 12:23 PM on July 13, 2021 [3 favorites]
Nurse in hospital: "Mrs. Nordberg, I think we can save your husband's arm. Where would you like it sent?"
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 12:23 PM on July 13, 2021 [3 favorites]
Tino Insana provided the voice of Mr. Grouper on Bubble Guppies, which probably doesn't mean as much to the rest of you who don't have little girls who used to binge on Bubble Guppies for hours and hours and hours.
Or for older millennials like me, you may know him best as the voice of Dr. Reginald Bushroot on Darkwing Duck.
One of my favorite gags is from The Naked Gun, the creepiness of seeing O.J. Simpson notwithstanding.
Mine is the pillow attack scene, complete with dramatic music sting when the weaponized pillow hits the target.
posted by Servo5678 at 12:47 PM on July 13, 2021 [1 favorite]
Or for older millennials like me, you may know him best as the voice of Dr. Reginald Bushroot on Darkwing Duck.
One of my favorite gags is from The Naked Gun, the creepiness of seeing O.J. Simpson notwithstanding.
Mine is the pillow attack scene, complete with dramatic music sting when the weaponized pillow hits the target.
posted by Servo5678 at 12:47 PM on July 13, 2021 [1 favorite]
I loved this show when it was on, and still quote the locksmith joke whenever I can find an excuse to make it relevant - that and "Bear left." "Right, Frog" from The Muppet Movie are two of my favorite movie dialogue exchanges ever.
Too many good lines to choose from in The Muppet Movie. My personal favorite non sequitur is "They don't look like Presbyterians to me."
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 12:47 PM on July 13, 2021 [5 favorites]
Too many good lines to choose from in The Muppet Movie. My personal favorite non sequitur is "They don't look like Presbyterians to me."
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 12:47 PM on July 13, 2021 [5 favorites]
It’s a movie reference rather than the series but my wife sometimes asks me what the weather’s going to be and I’ll respond with “the weathermen say there’s a 50/50 chance for rain, though there’s only a 10% chance of that.”
posted by MorgansAmoebas at 1:09 PM on July 13, 2021
posted by MorgansAmoebas at 1:09 PM on July 13, 2021
I'm not sure why, but "What's a goonluka?" is one of the funniest lines ever.
posted by Saxon Kane at 2:46 PM on July 13, 2021
posted by Saxon Kane at 2:46 PM on July 13, 2021
Finally, I don't know if it was Abrahams or the Zuckers or somebody else who had the brilliant idea of casting Leslie Nielsen in comedies, but that was one of the most fucking inspired casting choices ever, and the world owes them a debt of gratitude.
I really liked him in Due South playing off Gordon Pinsent. It's kind of a shame they weren't in more things together.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:43 PM on July 13, 2021
I really liked him in Due South playing off Gordon Pinsent. It's kind of a shame they weren't in more things together.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:43 PM on July 13, 2021
I want to live in the universe where a movie-going Abraham Lincoln returns gunfire when fired upon.
posted by storybored at 5:11 PM on July 13, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by storybored at 5:11 PM on July 13, 2021 [2 favorites]
I showed this to my 11-year old and he scoffed at how "old" it looked, and he wasn't picking up all the wordplay. He bailed after 5 minutes.
I'll be signing the adoption paperwork today, if any of you are interested in an 11-year-old who's otherwise great, but doesn't like Police Squad!
posted by zardoz at 5:39 PM on July 13, 2021 [11 favorites]
I'll be signing the adoption paperwork today, if any of you are interested in an 11-year-old who's otherwise great, but doesn't like Police Squad!
posted by zardoz at 5:39 PM on July 13, 2021 [11 favorites]
I suspect it loses a lot of its effect if you didn't grow up seeing cheesy 60s and 70s cop shows.
Like try to explain the "Police Squad...In Color!" joke to him.
posted by Naberius at 5:53 PM on July 13, 2021 [2 favorites]
Like try to explain the "Police Squad...In Color!" joke to him.
posted by Naberius at 5:53 PM on July 13, 2021 [2 favorites]
He bailed after 5 minutes.
If it's any consolation, I was totally unimpressed by Monty Python's humor when I was a teen. It wasn't until my 20's that I started to "get it", but then I became (and remain) a huge fan. People develop their sense of humor at different speeds, so don't give up on the poor kid just yet.
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:12 PM on July 13, 2021 [5 favorites]
If it's any consolation, I was totally unimpressed by Monty Python's humor when I was a teen. It wasn't until my 20's that I started to "get it", but then I became (and remain) a huge fan. People develop their sense of humor at different speeds, so don't give up on the poor kid just yet.
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:12 PM on July 13, 2021 [5 favorites]
I was seven years old when Batman (the Adam West version) first showed up, and I loved it for the taught cliffhanger it was. By the time I was eight and a half, I couldn't believe I'd ever liked it. It was the dumbest show on TV. Only a complete fool could fall for it. By the time I was ten and a half, I could see it for the hilarious satire of all things superhero that it was. I LOVED IT !!!
and I still do.
posted by philip-random at 7:45 PM on July 13, 2021 [6 favorites]
and I still do.
posted by philip-random at 7:45 PM on July 13, 2021 [6 favorites]
And likewise when I was eleven I thought the Naked Gun movies, the Hot Shots movies, and both Airplane movies (yes, even the sequel) were the funniest movies in the world. And then I learned there's more to humor than just having random stuff happen in frame.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:59 AM on July 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:59 AM on July 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
Hey now, the Airplane movies (yes, even the sequel) are still pretty solid ("And Leon's getting laaaaarger!").
And while the Naked Gun movies are inferior to Police Squad!, the first one is pretty funny (OJ notwithstanding), and even the other 2 have their moments -- not that I am in a rush to watch any of them again, but I wouldn't turn them off on a lazy TV afternoon.
Can't speak to the Hot Shots movies, as its been a while since I've seen them, but I think I can vouch for Top Secret, Amazon Women on the Moon, and Kentucky Fried Movie.
(note: of course, all of these films have some iffy/problematic moments, the n-word scene from KFM mentioned above being one example)
posted by Saxon Kane at 9:34 AM on July 14, 2021 [2 favorites]
And while the Naked Gun movies are inferior to Police Squad!, the first one is pretty funny (OJ notwithstanding), and even the other 2 have their moments -- not that I am in a rush to watch any of them again, but I wouldn't turn them off on a lazy TV afternoon.
Can't speak to the Hot Shots movies, as its been a while since I've seen them, but I think I can vouch for Top Secret, Amazon Women on the Moon, and Kentucky Fried Movie.
(note: of course, all of these films have some iffy/problematic moments, the n-word scene from KFM mentioned above being one example)
posted by Saxon Kane at 9:34 AM on July 14, 2021 [2 favorites]
Top Secret ranks at the top for me. I recently enjoyed this discussion though they miss a key point, which is that it starts as a Cold War "drama", but by the time it's at its climax, it's somehow shifted back in time a couple of decades to World War 2 ... without anyone involved seeming to have noticed.
posted by philip-random at 10:50 AM on July 14, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by philip-random at 10:50 AM on July 14, 2021 [3 favorites]
What's most wild to me is how the Zuckers absolutely took their source material and copied it shot for shot, line for line and then threw in the over-the-top visual gags. It's a level of plagiarism that seems impossible today.
Someone has put together a video that makes this point most dramatically.
posted by Western Infidels at 10:52 AM on July 14, 2021 [6 favorites]
Someone has put together a video that makes this point most dramatically.
posted by Western Infidels at 10:52 AM on July 14, 2021 [6 favorites]
It's a level of plagiarism that seems impossible today.
And as some others suggest, ZAZ reputedly bought the rights to the source material in at least some cases (Buying the rights to "Zero Hour" and transforming it to "Airplane" is the example that comes up around the internet).
posted by Western Infidels at 10:56 AM on July 14, 2021 [2 favorites]
And as some others suggest, ZAZ reputedly bought the rights to the source material in at least some cases (Buying the rights to "Zero Hour" and transforming it to "Airplane" is the example that comes up around the internet).
posted by Western Infidels at 10:56 AM on July 14, 2021 [2 favorites]
I always thought one of the jokes in the first episode (A Substantial Gift/The Broken Promise) was that Sally Decker had a loaded gun in her purse AND one in her office desk -- how ridiculous for her to be so heavily armed! -- but after watching the shot-for-shot comparison with M-Squad I learned, nope! That's in the original.
posted by Saxon Kane at 6:20 PM on July 14, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by Saxon Kane at 6:20 PM on July 14, 2021 [3 favorites]
OK, so I've also just got to mention how much I love the little distraction move Frank always does before he punches someone, slowly raising his hand up like he's going to scratch his nose... so brilliantly stupid and totally unconvincing, and it works every time. (I don't know if that was something Lee Marvin did in M-Squad, but I do know that it was one of Patrick McGoohan's classic moves in The Prisoner.)
Just watched "A Substantial Gift" again and noticed for the first time that Frank calls himself or is referred to as Lt. Detective, Captain, Sergeant, and Lieutenant -- 3 of those in one conversation! I'll have to look for that in other episodes.
Finally: "Statesville Prison" is just... so great. It sounds totally normal, until you think about it.
posted by Saxon Kane at 6:51 PM on July 14, 2021 [2 favorites]
Just watched "A Substantial Gift" again and noticed for the first time that Frank calls himself or is referred to as Lt. Detective, Captain, Sergeant, and Lieutenant -- 3 of those in one conversation! I'll have to look for that in other episodes.
Finally: "Statesville Prison" is just... so great. It sounds totally normal, until you think about it.
posted by Saxon Kane at 6:51 PM on July 14, 2021 [2 favorites]
“Statesville” was also the prison people went to on General Hospital.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 7:13 AM on July 15, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 7:13 AM on July 15, 2021 [2 favorites]
Script for the long-lost seventh episode of Police Squad! "Testimony of Terror" or A KITTEN FOR AMY
Oh this is very good.
HOCKEN
Fair question. I'm gonna stay here for awhile. Why don't you see if Olson at the lab can help you out?
INT. LAB - DAY
Olson is talking to Drebin.
OLSON
I think I can.
DREBIN
Can what?
OLSON
Help you out.
posted by Spatch at 3:17 PM on July 15, 2021 [1 favorite]
Oh this is very good.
HOCKEN
Fair question. I'm gonna stay here for awhile. Why don't you see if Olson at the lab can help you out?
INT. LAB - DAY
Olson is talking to Drebin.
OLSON
I think I can.
DREBIN
Can what?
OLSON
Help you out.
posted by Spatch at 3:17 PM on July 15, 2021 [1 favorite]
The move that gets me, every single time, is where the lab guy goes through the door into the other room of the lab while Drebin just walks straight past the end of the set wall.
posted by flabdablet at 6:11 PM on July 15, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 6:11 PM on July 15, 2021 [4 favorites]
noticed for the first time that Frank calls himself or is referred to as Lt. Detective, Captain, Sergeant, and Lieutenant -- 3 of those in one conversation!
As he introduces himself in the driving shot that marks his first appearance in an episode: "My name is Sergeant Frank Drebin, Detective Lieutenant, Police Squad."
posted by flabdablet at 6:16 PM on July 15, 2021 [3 favorites]
As he introduces himself in the driving shot that marks his first appearance in an episode: "My name is Sergeant Frank Drebin, Detective Lieutenant, Police Squad."
posted by flabdablet at 6:16 PM on July 15, 2021 [3 favorites]
Constantly calling character by different ranks was a gag used in F. C. Burnand and Arthur Sullivan’s 1866 comic opera Cox and Box; or, The Long-Lost Brothers, based in turn on the 1847 farce Box and Cox by John Maddison Morton.
(My Dad played Mr. Box in a high school production.)
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:19 PM on July 15, 2021 [2 favorites]
(My Dad played Mr. Box in a high school production.)
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:19 PM on July 15, 2021 [2 favorites]
Noticed a rare flub: In "Rendezvous at Big Gulch (Terror in the Neighborhood)," (aka "I'm a locksmith...") there's an early scene when the enforcer thugs first confront Drebin & Norberg, and then leave with a warning. Then there's a bit where Drebin & Norberg calmly go about their work not noticing that someone is shooting up the building around them, but Frank yells "Look out!" and they both duck when a rock gets thrown through their window. When the bullet squibs first start going off Lupus (Norberg) starts to react like he's going to take cover but then quickly goes back to working as if he hadn't noticed it. I guess he either forgot that he was supposed to wait until the rock and reacted early but caught himself quickly when he saw that Nielsen wasn't reacting, or he legit was surprised by the squibs going off.
posted by Saxon Kane at 10:21 AM on July 17, 2021
posted by Saxon Kane at 10:21 AM on July 17, 2021
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::chefskiss::
posted by ewan at 12:31 PM on July 12, 2021 [51 favorites]