The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

Incompetent police Detective Frank Drebin must foil an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.

Director:

David Zucker

Writers:

Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams

Stars:

Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, O.J. Simpson

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leslie Nielsen	...	Frank Drebin
Priscilla Presley	...	Jane Spencer
Ricardo Montalban	...	Vincent Ludwig
George Kennedy	...	Ed Hocken
O.J. Simpson	...	Nordberg
Susan Beaubian	...	Mrs. Nordberg
Nancy Marchand	...	Mayor
Raye Birk	...	Pahpshmir
Jeannette Charles	...	Queen Elizabeth II
Ed Williams	...	Ted Olsen
Tiny Ron	...	Al
'Weird Al' Yankovic	...	'Weird Al'
Leslie Maier	...	'Weird Leslie'
Winifred Freedman	...	Stephie
Joe Grifasi	...	Foreman

Storyline

A rerun of many of the gags from the television series Police Squad! (1982). An Airplane! (1980)-type spoof, this time with the an incompetent Lieutenant Frank Drebin, who always "gets his man". Visual gags come thick and fast, and it's impossible to catch them all with one viewing. The plot: Queen Elizabeth II of England is coming to town, and Vincent Ludwig has plans to assassinate her using a brainwashed baseball player.

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Plot Keywords:

assassin | terrorist | good versus evil | police | queen | 

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Taglines:

The Villain. Even Mother Teresa wanted him dead.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 December 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Police Squad!

Filming Locations:

Brand Library - 1601 West moutain Street, Glendale, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,300,000, 4 December 1988

Gross USA:

$78,041,829

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The terrorist organization that Frank attacked and beat up in the opening scene was written as a nod to S.P.E.C.T.R.E., the terrorist organization in the James Bond film franchise.

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Goofs

Frank tackles Reggie, sparking the bench-clearing brawl. Reggie drops the gun but crawls out of the pile with the gun back in his hand.

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Quotes

Jane: I was only doing what I was told to do.
Frank: Like make love to me?
Jane: [gasps] FRANK!
[slaps him across the face]

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Crazy Credits

Near the ending : Special Thanks to : Tripoli Rocketry Association (ref to the scene in which the car with the villain in it crashes into a mobile scud launcher before crashing into a fireworks store) (However, this may be a legitimate thanks for the use of the name, because the Association exists.)

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Connections

Referenced in Siskel & Ebert: Terminator 2: Judgment Day/The Reflecting Skin/Naked Gun 2/12: The Smell of Fear/Europa Europa (1991)

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Soundtracks

I Love L.A.
(1983)
Written and Performed by Randy Newman
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Only Leslie Nielsen could do this!

For sheer goof-ball exuberance, you needn't look any further than "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!". Leslie Nielsen remains forever associated with the role of inept Lt. Frank Drebin, who always tries to do the right thing but always makes a mess of everything. Here, he's trying to foil an assassination attempt on Queen Elizabeth. Since this is from the people behind "Airplane!", it means that much of the humor derives from twisted dialogue and things popping out of the background. To crown it all, there's even a guest appearance by "Weird Al" Yankovic as himself. Also starring are Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, O.J. Simpson, and Ricardo Montalban.

And to think that Leslie Nielsen started out in movies like "Forbidden Planet"!