Comments on: Police Squad! In Color

Police Squad! In Color

not_on_display — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:05:47 -0800

In 1982, the comedy team of Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker introduced Police Squad! to network TV viewers. It lasted six episodes before being cancelled. What, you missed it? You weren't even born? Here are episodes two, three, and four.

• More clips: 1 2 3. • A compilation of episode epilogues. • The Police Squad series spawned three successful spinoff movies (clip 1, clip 2 [interspersed with Airplane! clips], Siskel and Ebert review), but lesser known spinoffs included a series of advertisements in the UK for Red Rock Cider. (Leslie Nielsen also starred in a series of commercials broadcast in Holland for Dutchtone: 1 2 3.) • Leslie Nielsen also farted on a morning show in the UK. Turn up the volume. • The DVD's pretty cheap, too.

By: zzazazz

zzazazz — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:08:38 -0800

The Club Flamingo sight gag is still one of the best delayed laughs I have ever had.

By: bondcliff

bondcliff — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:12:09 -0800

You forgot the InColor tag.

By: crapmatic

crapmatic — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:15:31 -0800

I admit I never sat down and watched the show, but the credit rolls were hilarious. They totally took 1970s TV credits to the cleaners.

By: DU

DU — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:15:54 -0800

Thursday.

By: Damn That Television

Damn That Television — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:16:24 -0800

By: DU

DU — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:20:48 -0800

Leslie Nielsen also appears in (among other things, I assume) an episode of MASH. I remember when I came across it I was all "oh man this is going to be SO GREAT". Except it was a straight role. Confused the hell out of me.

By: tommasz

tommasz — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:20:56 -0800

They were pretty much responsible for O.J. Simpson's movie "career", but the movies were great nonetheless. Nice beaver!

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:23:27 -0800

There is a moment during The Poseiden Adventure when Leslie Nielsen, then the straightest of straight guy actors, playing the captain of the doomed ship, looks out a the tidal wave rolling toward him that will kill him and overturn his pleasure cruiser, and then turns to his first mate and says "Oh, by the way, happy New Year." It is the funniest moment in his career.

By: burnmp3s

burnmp3s — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:25:04 -0800

If you've seen Airplane! and the Naked Gun films a lot of the jokes will seem old, but this show is a classic. I don't think it's possible to cram more stupid gags into one show. My favorite running gag was the shoeshine boy who knew the word on the street about everything from theology to firefighting, especially the episode where Dick Clark asked him what Ska was.

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:25:18 -0800

Surely this post isn't serious.

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:25:56 -0800

It's dead serious. And don't call me Shirley.

By: djrock3k

djrock3k — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:26:31 -0800

Penn State - State Pen "Tell that bomber to take off!" Al. It was truly too good for TV.

By: pointystick

pointystick — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:36:21 -0800

I came across Leslie Nielsen as Revolutionary War hero Francis "Swamp Fox" Marion one night on TV. It was...strange.

By: Saxon Kane

Saxon Kane — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:38:08 -0800

In 2008, the ~~comedy director~~ purveyor of shit like Superhero Movie David Zucker introduced An American Carol to American ~~film viewers~~ morons.

By: veedubya

veedubya — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:38:28 -0800

Except it was a straight role. Confused the hell out of me. Leslie Nielsen also played Commander JJ Adams, in Forbidden Planet. "We're all part monsters in our subconscious, so we have laws and religion!"

By: pjern

pjern — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:39:36 -0800

One of the reasons advanced for the cancellation of Police Squad! was that the viewer 'had to pay attention', and the networks didn't want any part of that.

By: roll truck roll

roll truck roll — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:42:24 -0800

I read somewhere that when Zucker approached Nielson with the idea, Nielson said, "Wouldn't it be better if you got someone funny?"

By: Oriole Adams

Oriole Adams — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:45:52 -0800

Exactly, pjern. Mr. Adams and I just recently watched the DVD of this series (I'd watched it when it originally aired, but didn't remember much) and, just like Airplane!, there was always something going on, whether a clever pun in the dialog or a sidescreen sight gag or even a humorous label on a filing cabinet in the background. Far too much for viewers to concentrate on (admittedly, we made liberal use of the rewind button in order to verify "Did you see...?" or "What was that guy in the background doing?") Another "trademark" of the series that cracked me up was the final freeze frame while the credits rolled. Only it wasn't an actual freeze frame; it was Nielson and his co-star playing "statues" and holding still while everyone else in the background continued to move.

By: Atom Eyes

Atom Eyes — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:46:53 -0800

Leslie Nielsen also farted on a morning show in the UK. It's a gag. He's been bringing that gadget along with him to talk show appearances for years.I've got to give him props, though, for not letting on to the hosts that it was a joke in that clip. Also, my brother and I loved Police Squad!. I think it was the fake freeze-frame endings that clinched it for us. After it was canned, we wouldn't see such delicious absurdity on our TV screen again until Get a Life, nearly a decade later.

By: CollectiveMind

CollectiveMind — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:55:53 -0800

I was on my honeymoon when, over a bottle of champagne, my new wife and I got (temporarily) stuck on the opening starring credits, including Florence Henderson getting machine-gunned in the kitchen. Wow.

By: Thorzdad

Thorzdad — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:56:53 -0800

Wow. Only 6 episodes? It certainly gave me more entertainment than *13* episodes of any regular show.

By: porn in the woods

porn in the woods — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:11:31 -0800

I loved the shoeshine guy, the town's nomenclature ("The Bank" and "The Museum") and the dopey lab assistant who was so tall his head and shoulders were always out of the frame. Wore out VHS dubs until Police Squad! saw DVD reissues.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:11:45 -0800

Not to be confused with Emergency!, which was a long-running series from the 1970s. Oddly, the show is being re-run some places now. (I first saw it when Mrs. FLT and I tuned in for a Family Guy episode, and realized this was the Rampart referred to in Wayne's World).

By: krautland

krautland — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:15:23 -0800

always loved this stuff. only one question. how on earth did they film those episodes in less than a week each?

By: bondcliff

bondcliff — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:23:50 -0800

"I have an awesome idea for a post on Metafilter." "What is it?" "It's a community weblog where over 60,000 people gather to bitch about everything on the internet. But that's not important right now."

By: hifiparasol

hifiparasol — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:44:30 -0800

It's a different kind of website altogether.

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:46:39 -0800

hifiparasol: It's a different kind of website altogether. "It's a different kind of website"

By: bondcliff

bondcliff — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:58:03 -0800

Cigarette?

By: Shfishp

Shfishp — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:59:17 -0800

Thursday. Yes, DU! That line was a laugh 'til I cried line that nearly broke my rewind button. Awesome.

By: ODiV

ODiV — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:59:28 -0800

I liked Police Squad!, but I can also see why it was canceled. It was pretty damn formulaic. If they had changed it up at all, then it might have been more appealing to me. Or maybe that was part of the charm? When Mel Brooks reuses jokes ("Walk this way.") I find it hilarious. Having the improper scientist and the informative shoe polisher in every episode of Police Squad! got a little old.

By: gfrobe

gfrobe — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:01:01 -0800

Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.

By: davidmsc

davidmsc — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:03:03 -0800

Arguably the funniest TV show ever created. That, and "Duckman."

By: potsmokinghippieoverlord

potsmokinghippieoverlord — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:05:06 -0800

It's too bad David Zucker got, you know, weird.

By: DevilsAdvocate

DevilsAdvocate — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:06:04 -0800

Cigarette? Yes, it is.

By: tomcooke

tomcooke — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:10:02 -0800

Vincent Ludwig: Drebin! Jane Spencer: Frank! Frank Drebin: You're both right. Thanks for the post, I have a feeling I haven't actually seen all 6 episodes of Police Squad, I'll check these out sometime.

By: Fuzzy Monster

Fuzzy Monster — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:14:38 -0800

Police Squad! I love it. When I saw the first Naked Gun movie, I actually passed out because I was laughing too hard.

By: Greg Nog

Greg Nog — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:19:22 -0800

I have an idea. Let's say this is a good post...

By: Fuzzy Skinner

Fuzzy Skinner — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:21:47 -0800

I have the series on 2 VHS tapes on my bookshelf. NEVER fails to make me laugh.

By: Horace Rumpole

Horace Rumpole — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:25:07 -0800

This post's special guest star... Horace Rumpole. [falls out of 10th story window] Aiiieeee!!!!

By: jbickers

jbickers — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:25:47 -0800

Don't forget about Sledge Hammer!, an imitation which followed a few years later and was pretty darn good iteslef.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:31:08 -0800

There was a point where he tried to revive his non-comedy appeal, with the 1987 film Nuts, where he beats up, and then is killed by, a hooker played by Barbra Streisand. I don't know which was weirder: Leslie Nielsen playing a prostitute-beating john. Or the fact that Barbra Streisand is playing a woman that is supposed to be attractive enough to be able to charge men for sex.

By: Lacking Subtlety

Lacking Subtlety — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:33:08 -0800

One of the occasionally funniest TV Shows ever. In the words of my friend puddy. "Sure, it's mostly gags. But when the gags worked, there was nothing better."

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:35:47 -0800

OK, a few more Police Squad! links I've dug up--very nineties: 1 2.5 3.3333333

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:43:29 -0800

Det. Frank Drebin: 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. --- Mrs. Twice: 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: How about this: he threw himself on a grenade and saved the battalion. Yeah, that's it. Det. Frank Drebin: No, no, wait a minute, how about he was killed by a left wing insurgence from Paraguay? Det. Frank Drebin: [Twice is crying uncontrollably now] No, Bolivia. Capt. Ed Hocken: I got it! I got it, he, he was traded to the Cubs for Reggie Jackson.

By: orville sash

orville sash — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:47:40 -0800

I don't know which was weirder: Leslie Nielsen playing a prostitute-beating john. Or the fact that Barbra Streisand is playing a woman that is supposed to be attractive enough to be able to charge men for sex. Have you ever actually seen a prosititute? /drift My dad tends to bellow when he laughs, and I remember when I saw these for the first time, I could barely catch any of the jokes over his laughter. They're pretty special.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:54:35 -0800

I must kill...the queen...

By: Dark Messiah

Dark Messiah — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:09:01 -0800

Oh man, I'm digging my VHS copies out tonight. (Gotta love pawn shops.)

By: TDavis

TDavis — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:22:37 -0800

I think that "Airplane" and "Police Squad" shorted out some part of my brain that reacts to funny stuff. Nothing since then has made me, quite literally, fall on the floor with laughter.

By: kittens for breakfast

kittens for breakfast — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:28:09 -0800

Easy as it is to crack on Zucker now for horrors like An American Carol, even the widely reviled Scary Movies (3 and 4, anyhow) are not without their charms: I see your Leslie Nielsen, and raise you an Anna Faris.

By: Pallas Athena

Pallas Athena — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:38:23 -0800

I... I love Police Squad. There, I've said it.

By: slimepuppy

slimepuppy — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:41:53 -0800

My favorite bit of dialogue (paraphrased) from Naked Gun that I will remember for as long as I live: Frank: What would he be doing in the red light district? Ed: Sex, Frank? Frank: Uh, not right now Ed, we've got work to do.

By: waraw

waraw — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:57:16 -0800

It was one of those 24-hour wicker places.

By: ijoshua

ijoshua — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:03:20 -0800

Is this some kind of bust?

By: ob

ob — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:17:39 -0800

So many great gags in that show, but what made it superb were the subtle visual gags. Words back to front on glass doors, some people walking through doors while others just walk through the hole in the set. I have to watch these now...

By: sswiller

sswiller — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:20:16 -0800

There's something on the side of your mouth, Al. ... No, no. The other side. *THUMP

By: ninazer0

ninazer0 — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:44:23 -0800

I am NEVER going to get any work done today!! Thankyou, not_on_display!!!

By: Horace Rumpole

Horace Rumpole — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:50:31 -0800

Is this some kind of bust? Yes, it's very impressive.

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:11:49 -0800

I enjoyed the gunfights from 2 feet away. Rex Hamilton firing back as Lincoln. And the whole parody of the t.v. gimmick where people can just suddenly become great at anything, like where he becomes nightclub comic Tony DeWonderful and everyone's dying laughing - "Where are you from - 'Bald'emore?" ( A to Z police squad encyclopedia) I popped in a tape of the opening theme way back when I was in a driving course, broke everyone up.

By: popechunk

popechunk — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:15:09 -0800

I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith. That is an exact bullseye in my sense of humor. I laughed so hard that I couldn't breathe the first time I heard that. I bought these DVDs, and heartily recommend them to anyone. The commentary track is pretty good, too, with lots of backstory about the directors' dealings with the suits at ABC.

By: gimonca

gimonca — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:29:44 -0800

It was a little hunch back at the office.

By: wittgenstein

wittgenstein — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:13:53 -0800

Smedleyman has it. I love love love "rex hamilton as Abraham Lincoln" and then Lincoln fires back. That made me laugh out loud. Another scene I remember evenafteralltheseyears is "Why don't we talk in the Japanese Garden?" and it's a patio with Japanese people standing motionless in pots. That made me laugh out loud too.

By: pmurray63

pmurray63 — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:33:24 -0800

About a year and a half ago TCM showed the 1957 movie Zero Hour!, which is the (straight dramatic) basis of Airplane! What a strange experience it was to watch. The non-joke dialogue is taken word-for-word from it, along with plot points, montages, shots, etc. I now know what deja vu and Superman's bizarro world must be like, watching a movie I'd never seen before but was thoroughly familiar with. Back on topic ... you wonder how long they could have kept up the level of humor on Police Squad!

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:48:37 -0800

pmurray63: Zero Hour!, which is the (straight dramatic) basis of Airplane! I just watched this: a remix of the trailer for Airplane!. It's eerily like what you just described.

By: computech_apolloniajames

computech_apolloniajames — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:03:20 -0800

Watching that show on TV when it was originally aired is one of my favorite memories of time spent with Mom. We laughed so hard.

By: pmurray63

pmurray63 — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:07:48 -0800

Try this: Airplane! vs. Zero Hour!

By: jettloe

jettloe — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:39:50 -0800

+ sorry for hitting post before it was ready - this is a bit cleaned up: Police Squad was great - Naked Gun not so much I thought - cause they changed the universe of the show - in Police Squad no one reacts to Drebin's actions as anything unusual - whereas in Naked Gun he's treated by others as an idiot/buffoon = a much more standard way of doing things, (Pink Panther), but not as pure, man.

By: atchafalaya

atchafalaya — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:45:11 -0800

I remember Nielsen's suit in one episode was made with alternating blue and gray horizontal stripes so it looked like something was wrong with your television.

By: device55

device55 — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:04:14 -0800

"Tonight's special guest star: William Shatner!" Squeee!

By: Fuzzy Skinner

Fuzzy Skinner — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:24:10 -0800

Seargents Takeraway and Booker.

By: sapere aude

sapere aude — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:39:49 -0800

sswiller: There's something on the side of your mouth, Al. ... No, no. The other side. *THUMP I wondered if anyone else would remember this. Holy MOLY I almost pissed myself laughing. I think it was an entire chicken that fell from the tall guy's face above the picture.

By: damn dirty ape

damn dirty ape — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:05:48 -0800

We still have Robot Chicken.

By: RavinDave

RavinDave — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 23:14:49 -0800

ODiV: I liked Police Squad!, but I can also see why it was canceled. It was pretty damn formulaic. If they had changed it up at all, then it might have been more appealing to me. Or maybe that was part of the charm? 1.) Formulaic is GOOD. It's a pillar of comedy. People prefer terra familiaris to incognito -- but they hate to admit it because they think it makes them sound shallow. 2.) Your "guess" about why it was canceled is, almost the exact opposite of the truth. This was a very popular show; it provided watercooler chat and endless quotes. It was also popular with the "in" crowd; big-time celebrities were scrambling to get cameos (see: Belushi, John). How it did with advertisers, I can't say -- it wasn't really given enough time. Anyway, when the show was canceled, there was a bit of a backlash. People were pissed and baffled. Curiously -- the studio provided a reason (so there's no need to guess). I remember, because their explanation was kinda offensive and caused a bit of a backlash as well. They actually came out and flatly said that they wanted a more breezy show for that timeslot. They were concerned that there were too many gags (yes -- they said "too many gags") and that viewers ACTUALLY HAD TO PAY ATTENTION to enjoy the show. Understand? It was "too" clever for their imagined demographic.

By: Pope Guilty

Pope Guilty — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 01:59:53 -0800

So basically it was Arrested Development twenty years early.

By: mannequito

mannequito — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 03:18:28 -0800

Exactly, Pope Guilty

By: Spatch

Spatch — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 06:03:02 -0800

The conflicting titles for each episode still get me every time. I think, though, my favorite gag involved the fake freeze-frame at the end, especially when they froze while someone was pouring coffee.

By: robocop is bleeding

robocop is bleeding — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 06:32:17 -0800

And don't forget Top Secret!. "I know a little German. He's sitting over there." [Midget in lederhosen waves.] Abrahams, Zucker, and Zucker are foundations of my sense of humor.

By: The Card Cheat

The Card Cheat — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 07:12:09 -0800

As hard as I laughed the first time I saw The Naked Gun, my favourite memory of it is watching my mom - who has never been given to excessive displays of amusement - nearly choke to death during the scene where Drebin sets fire to the villain's apartment and has to crawl out on to the balcony, from statue to statue, breast to breast to...

By: Cookiebastard

Cookiebastard — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 07:22:03 -0800

Oh God! The orthodontist's office where everyone in the waiting room has progressively more and more elaborate headgear! I haven't seen it in over a decade and I still laugh thinking about it! Also from the same episode: I *shlurp* am not *shluurp* an animal *shluuurp* I *shlurp* am a human *shlurp* being!

By: 1f2frfbf

1f2frfbf — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 08:44:59 -0800

No love for the classic Kentucky Fried Movie? Possibly the ultimate movie for entertaining ADD teenagers, or least it was for me and my friends at a formative period in my life.

By: djrock3k

djrock3k — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 09:11:28 -0800

Thanks Cookiebastard. I now remember Drebin going thru the dentist's file cabinet, occasionally drooling into it due to the dental appliances in his mouth. Thought I would die laughing. And yes, Top Secret was more of a heir to Police Squad due to the change in approach to Drebin's character. Sledge Hammer deserves it's own post...

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 09:20:56 -0800

No love for the classic Kentucky Fried Movie? Kentucky Fried Movie doesn't need your love, because it has *smash* BIG JIM SLADE!

By: Jonathan Harford

Jonathan Harford — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 09:33:02 -0800

The mere fact that you call making love "Pop-Pop" tells me that you're not ready. What?

By: slimepuppy

slimepuppy — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:54:46 -0800

We forge our tradition in the spirit of our ancestors. You have our gratitude.

By: CollectiveMind

CollectiveMind — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 19:01:38 -0800

Oh my Gosh, I'm listening to the theme right now, and it's still great!