| Winner of an astounding, yet not unprecedented | | | | war memories and fear of flying foreshadow a great |
| zero Academy Awards, Airplane is arguably one of | | | | disaster. With the help of Elaine, Dr. Rumack (Leslie |
| the funniest movies ever made. Long before The | | | | Nielsen), and Otto The Inflatable Pilot, Ted faces his |
| Naked Gun, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry | | | | fears and attempts to bring the plane in for a safe |
| Zucker teamed up to write this outrageous comedy | | | | landing. Helping him from the ground are Steven |
| hit which spoofs the airline disaster movies prevalent | | | | McCrosky (Lloyd Bridges) and Capt. Rex Kramer |
| throughout the 1970's. Starring a diverse cast with a | | | | (Robert Stack), a military man intimately familiar with |
| wide range of experience from Hollywood, | | | | the abilities of Ted Striker. |
| Broadway, and the NBA, Airplane follows the exploits | | | | Interspersed throughout Airplane are an endless |
| of a number of characters such as Ted Striker | | | | number of one-liners, oddities, wordplay dialogue, and |
| (Robert Hays), Roger Murdock (Kareem | | | | crazy antics. This is one movie you might have to |
| Abdul-Jabbar), and Otto The Inflatable Pilot (as | | | | watch several times before you catch every great |
| himself), all of whom will keep you laughing in the | | | | line, because the humor saturates every scene. You |
| aisles for one hour plus. | | | | won't find a single dull moment in Airplane. In fact, |
| When ex-fighter pilot Ted Striker is released from | | | | you might even learn a few disco moves from Ted |
| the hospital following the mental strain of his war | | | | and Elaine, not to mention Capt. Oveur and his |
| experience, he decides to seek out and reconnect | | | | co-pilot Roger! |
| with the love of his life, Elaine Dickinson (Julie | | | | With a truly impressive cast for a spoof, cult comedy |
| Hagerty), a woman who broke off their relationship | | | | classic (Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, and Leslie Nielsen |
| due to Striker's various problems (among which is a | | | | among others), Airplane will forever remain among |
| "drinking problem," that is, Striker's inability to pour | | | | the hallowed elite of the best comedy films ever |
| liquid into his mouth!) Now an airline stewardess, Elaine | | | | produced. Unlike most modern-era comedies, which |
| is emphatic in her assertion that she will never get | | | | tend to reflect many of the trends and fads of the |
| back together with Ted. Unwilling to take no for an | | | | day, Airplane seems to gain new altitude with each |
| answer, and certain he can prove he's overcome the | | | | generation to which it's introduced. Like Johnny |
| problems of his past, Ted follows Elaine on her flight. | | | | Carson, its wit and humor transcends every level of |
| All goes well until several passengers get sick. Victims | | | | American life, making for an enjoyable and laughable |
| of spoiled food, almost everyone on the plane stands | | | | movie watching experience. As a result, Airplane is a |
| on the brink of death as the pilots themselves pass | | | | no-brainer in the category of must-see films. If you |
| out. One of the few who is not ill, Ted is called upon | | | | haven't seen it (hard to believe), then I highly |
| to land the plane in their absence. But his haunting | | | | recommend renting it immediately. |