Research Catalog
Surely you can't be serious : the true story of Airplane!
- Title
- Surely you can't be serious : the true story of Airplane! / David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker ; interviews by Will Harris.
- Author
- Zucker, David, 1947-
- Publication
- New York, NY : St. Martin's Press, an imprint of St. Martin's Publishing Group, 2023.
- ©2023
Items in the Library & Off-site
Filter by
1 Item
| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person. | Text | Use in library | MFLP (Airplane) 23-4363 | Performing Arts Research Collections - Theatre |
Details
- Additional Authors
- Description
- 345 pages : illustrations; 24 cm
- Summary
- "Surely You Can't Be Serious is an in-depth and hysterical look at the making of 1980's comedy classic Airplane! by the legendary writers and directors of the hit film. Airplane! premiered on July 2nd, 1980. With a budget of $3.5 million it went on to make nearly $200 million in sales and has influenced a multitude of comedians on both sides of the camera. Surely You Can't Be Serious is the first-ever oral history of the making of Airplane! by the creators, and of the beginnings of the ZAZ trio (Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker) - charting the rise of their comedy troupe Kentucky Fried Theater in Madison, Wisconsin all the way to premiere day. The directors explain what drew them to filmmaking and in particular, comedy. With anecdotes, behind the scenes trivia, and never-before-revealed factoids, these titans of comedy filmmaking unpack everything from how they persuaded Peter Graves to be in the movie after he thought the script was a piece of garbage, how Lorna Patterson auditioned for the stewardess role in the backseat of Jerry's Volvo, and how Leslie Nielsen's pranks got the entire crew into trouble, to who really wrote the jive talk. The book also features testimonials and personal anecdotes from well-known faces in the film, television, and comedy sphere -- proving how influential Airplane! has been from day one. Four decades after its release, Airplane! continues to make new generations laugh. Its many one-liners and visual gags have worked their way into the mainstream culture. This fully organic expansion of the ZAZ trio's fan-base, prompted solely by word-of-mouth, comes as no surprise to longtime fans. When all around us is in flux, laughter is priceless." --
- Alternative Title
- Surely you cannot be serious
- Subject
- Genre/Form
- Criticism, interpretation, etc.
- History
- Informational works.
- Comedy films.
- Disaster films.
- Contents
- The premiere -- "Get me Rex Kramer!" -- Kentucky Fried Theater -- Bob and Julie -- Madison -- Leslie -- Dial-A-Fart -- Hollywood -- Stucker -- The Tonight Show -- Zero Hour! -- Landis -- Kentucky Fried Movie -- Beaver's Mom -- The movie business -- Back to the drawing board -- The studios -- Michael Eisner -- Paramount -- Howard -- Kareem -- Culver City Studios -- There are no rules -- Postproduction -- Success at last.
- Call Number
- MFLP (Airplane) 23-4363
- ISBN
- 9781250289315
- 1250289319
- 1250289327
- 9781250289322
- 9781250289322 (canceled/invalid)
- LCCN
- 2023023655
- OCLC
- 1391697536
- Author
- Zucker, David, 1947- author.
- Title
- Surely you can't be serious : the true story of Airplane! / David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker ; interviews by Will Harris.
- Publisher
- New York, NY : St. Martin's Press, an imprint of St. Martin's Publishing Group, 2023.
- Copyright Date
- ©2023
- Edition
- First edition.
- Type of Content
- text
- Type of Medium
- unmediated
- Type of Carrier
- volume
- Chronological Term
- 1900-1999
- Added Author
- Abrahams, Jim, 1944- author.Zucker, Jerry, author.Harris, Will, interviewer.
- Research Call Number
- MFLP (Airplane) 23-4363