Airplane!
A 1980 parody of disaster films, especially Zero Hour!
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Airplane! (also released as Flying High!) is a 1980 American comedy that marked the directorial debut of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker, with Jon Davison producing. The film stars Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty, alongside Leslie Nielsen, Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Lorna Patterson, Stephen Stucker, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It spoofs disaster movies, especially the 1957 Paramount film *Zero Hour!*, from which it takes its plot, main characters, and some dialogue. It also pulls elements from *Airport 1975* and other *Airport* series films. The comedy relies on surreal humor and rapid slapstick, featuring visual and verbal puns, gags, running jokes, and satirical bite.
Released by Paramount Pictures, the film was both a critical and financial hit, earning $171 million worldwide on a $3.5 million budget. Its creators won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Comedy and received nominations for the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and the BAFTA for Best Screenplay. Over time, *Airplane!* has gained a strong reputation and is now regarded as one of the greatest comedies ever made, inspiring countless references, homages, and parodies. It ranked sixth on Bravo's 100 Funniest Movies list. In a 2007 Channel 4 survey in the UK, it was named the second-greatest comedy, behind *Monty Python's Life of Brian*. In 2008, *Empire* magazine included it among the 500 Greatest Movies of All Time, and in 2012 it topped a poll of the 50 Funniest Comedies Ever. In 2010, the Library of Congress selected *Airplane!* for preservation in the United States National Film Registry, citing it as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
**Plot**
Ex-fighter pilot Ted Striker, a traumatized war veteran now driving a taxi, suffers from a pathological fear of flying and a "drinking problem" that sees him splash beverages everywhere but his mouth. His wartime girlfriend, flight attendant Elaine Dickinson, ends their relationship before boarding her flight from Los Angeles to Chicago. Ted finds her breakup note, races to the airport, and buys a ticket on the same flight to win her back. Once aboard, Elaine continues to reject him. Ted tells other passengers the story of how they met, boring them so thoroughly that several attempt suicide. The pilots, including first officer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, entertain a chil
- Release year
- 1980
- Genre
- Comedy
- Directors
- David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker
- Producer
- Jon Davison
- Studio
- Paramount Pictures
- Budget
- $3.5 million
- Worldwide gross
- $171 million
Lore & Background
The film was written by Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker (ZAZ) while they performed with the Kentucky Fried Theatre. They unintentionally recorded the 1957 film Zero Hour! while taping late-night television for comedy material, and found it to be a perfectly classically structured film. The script originally stayed close to the dialog and plot of Zero Hour!, and ZAZ obtained the rights from Warner Bros. and Paramount for about $2,500. The script was originally called The Late Show and was completed around 1975, but they were unable to sell it until it reached Paramount through Michael Eisner.
Reader's Guide
Airplane! was a critical and commercial success, grossing $171 million worldwide against a budget of $3.5 million. The creators received the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Comedy, and nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and for the BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay. Since its release, the film's reputation has grown substantially, and it is now considered one of the greatest comedy films ever made, inspiring numerous references, homages, and further parodies in popular culture. It ranked sixth on Bravo's 100 Funniest Movies, and in a 2007 survey by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom it was judged the second-greatest comedy of all time. In 2010, Airplane! was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.
Did You Know?
- The film borrows its plot, central characters, and some dialogue from the 1957 Paramount film Zero Hour!.
- The creators received the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Comedy.
- In 2010, Airplane! was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
- The film grossed $171 million worldwide against a budget of $3.5 million.
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