Jim Abrahams Dies: ‘Airplane!’, ‘Naked Gun’ & ‘Police Squad!’ Writer-Director Was 80
deadline.comJim Abrahams, part of the writing-directing-producing team behind such comedy touchstones as Airplane!, the Naked Gun films, and Police Squad!, died Tuesday at his Santa Monica home.
He was 80. His son, Joseph Abrahams, confirmed the news to our sister site The Hollywood Reporter. Along with brothers David and Jerry Zucker, Abrahams also was behind laugh-inducing — and often intentionally groan-inducing — comedy films including Top Secret!, Ruthless People and the Top Gun spoofs Hot Shots!
and Hot Shots! Part Deux. Students of the Mel Brooks School of Anything for a Laugh, the trio paired absurd situations with deadpan lines and fueled Leslie Nielsen’s unlikely rise to leading man after 30 years in the business.
The trio got their big-screen start writing The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), a series of decidedly un-PC vignettes directed by John Landis that ranged from silly to uproarious to “what the hell?!” and back.
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