‘Naked Gun’ Turns 35: Team on Adapting Failed TV Series, Leslie Nielsen’s Magic, Reboot Frustrations
Turning a short-lived parody TV series into a feature film was always going to involve taking a chance, but as the team behind the Naked Gun franchise learned, it wasn’t quite on the level of sticking your face in a fan.
Following the breakout success of the 1980 smash hit Airplane!, that film’s writer-director team — David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker — found themselves grounded when ABC promptly canceled their police-spoofing show Police Squad! in 1982. But the series’ co-creators refused to let the concept die and went on to adapt it for The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, which Paramount Pictures released theatrically on Dec. 2, 1988. The movie, featuring Leslie Nielsen reprising his Police Squad! lead role as accident-prone police lieutenant Frank Drebin, also starred Priscilla Presley, Ricardo Montalbán, George Kennedy and O. J. Simpson.
To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the original Naked Gun film that...
Following the breakout success of the 1980 smash hit Airplane!, that film’s writer-director team — David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker — found themselves grounded when ABC promptly canceled their police-spoofing show Police Squad! in 1982. But the series’ co-creators refused to let the concept die and went on to adapt it for The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, which Paramount Pictures released theatrically on Dec. 2, 1988. The movie, featuring Leslie Nielsen reprising his Police Squad! lead role as accident-prone police lieutenant Frank Drebin, also starred Priscilla Presley, Ricardo Montalbán, George Kennedy and O. J. Simpson.
To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the original Naked Gun film that...
- 12/21/2023
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Palm Beverly Hills has closed. Long the shorthand for industry power dining, it was for years run by Bruce Bozzi, the fourth generation in the family steakhouse business. A complicated court battle led to a 2020 sale to the hospitality firm Landry’s, whose brands include Del Frisco’s, Mastro’s and Morton’s. Below, Bozzi — husband of CAA co-chair Bryan Lourd and buzzy podcaster — sums up the storied, singular, nearly half-century run of the restaurant, which opened in West Hollywood in 1975 (where it was known for the many celebrity caricatures on the walls) and moved to Beverly Hills in 2014.
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You won’t be able to tell the story of Hollywood without The Palm. It’s where on the same day you’d find Richard Zanuck in one booth, Bernie Brillstein in another and Mike Ovitz in a third. My favorite screen memory is Karen Walker in Will & Grace...
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You won’t be able to tell the story of Hollywood without The Palm. It’s where on the same day you’d find Richard Zanuck in one booth, Bernie Brillstein in another and Mike Ovitz in a third. My favorite screen memory is Karen Walker in Will & Grace...
- 10/17/2023
- by Bruce Bozzi and As told to Gary Baum
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The episode of Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie? covering Species II was Written by Eric Walkuski, Narrated and Edited by Tyler Nichols, Produced by Andrew Hatfield and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
If you were a movie fan hanging around in 1995 – hell, if you were just a living being – you can’t forget the summer of Species. Unapologetic in its cheesiness and sleaziness, it was a like a big-budget version of the movies Joe Bob Briggs used to show during his late night marathons on The Movie Channel. In other words, it was pure heaven. Gory and sexy in equal measure, it made a splash thanks to its irresistible premise – an alien-human hybrid mega babe screws guys to death while an eccentric group attempts to stop her before she bangs humanity into extinction. Yep, pure heaven. The movie made over $113 million at the worldwide box office; considering its $35 million budget,...
If you were a movie fan hanging around in 1995 – hell, if you were just a living being – you can’t forget the summer of Species. Unapologetic in its cheesiness and sleaziness, it was a like a big-budget version of the movies Joe Bob Briggs used to show during his late night marathons on The Movie Channel. In other words, it was pure heaven. Gory and sexy in equal measure, it made a splash thanks to its irresistible premise – an alien-human hybrid mega babe screws guys to death while an eccentric group attempts to stop her before she bangs humanity into extinction. Yep, pure heaven. The movie made over $113 million at the worldwide box office; considering its $35 million budget,...
- 10/6/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The 1991 two-part "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "Unification" was a banner event for Trekkies. Although Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) appeared in the show's pilot as a 137-year-old man, the events of the series were meant to be far enough removed from the original "Star Trek" series to assure no further crossovers. "Next Generation" was determined to shake off the legacy of its forebear and forge its own path.
After five seasons, however, the new legacy was established. "Next Generation" had lasted longer than the original series, and its characters were now recognizable on their own merits. "Next Generation" became its own thing. It was only then, when the show could stand on its own two legs and didn't require constant references to the original series, that a guest spot from a beloved original series character could take place. In "Unification," Spock (Leonard Nimoy) returned. Trekkies loved it, not just because they loved Spock,...
After five seasons, however, the new legacy was established. "Next Generation" had lasted longer than the original series, and its characters were now recognizable on their own merits. "Next Generation" became its own thing. It was only then, when the show could stand on its own two legs and didn't require constant references to the original series, that a guest spot from a beloved original series character could take place. In "Unification," Spock (Leonard Nimoy) returned. Trekkies loved it, not just because they loved Spock,...
- 9/17/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Looking back on his 35-year career at the Red Sea Film Festival, Andy Garcia noted how far things had changed since he started out as a Cuban American actor. “When I started there were no opportunities. Only gang members.” He would tell casting directors: “I didn’t study Latin acting 101, I studied Shakespeare and Tennessee Williams.” Has the situation improved? Garcia offered qualified optimism: “It’s gotten better, especially in the casting. Not so much in the stories.”
His career has included working alongside stars like Sean Connery, Al Pacino and George Clooney, and under the direction of top helmers such as Francis Ford Coppola, Brian De Palma and Steven Soderbergh.
“It was a dream for me to be an actor and work on films. I’ve really been blessed, but I’m still dreaming. There are a lot of things I want to do, but I’ve had a...
His career has included working alongside stars like Sean Connery, Al Pacino and George Clooney, and under the direction of top helmers such as Francis Ford Coppola, Brian De Palma and Steven Soderbergh.
“It was a dream for me to be an actor and work on films. I’ve really been blessed, but I’m still dreaming. There are a lot of things I want to do, but I’ve had a...
- 12/5/2022
- by John Bleasdale
- Variety Film + TV
Part of what makes "The Hunt for Red October" so great is that its focus forgoes the traditional "good guys vs. bad guys" plot for something that's a lot more complex. The film tells the story of Captain Marko Ramius (Sean Connery), the commanding officer of the Red October, a Soviet submarine with the ability to move through the water virtually undetected thanks to the use of a special kind of technology called "the caterpillar." At the start of the film, Ramius' motivations are unclear. At first, it seems that he is planning to utilize the caterpillar to launch a surprise attack on the United States. However, thanks to the smarts of CIA analyst, Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin), it becomes clear that Ramius is not trying to harm the United States at all, but rather he, along with a handful of other crew members on the submarine, are trying to defect.
- 11/15/2022
- by Miyako Pleines
- Slash Film
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