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

This movie is a big-screen continuation of the cult cop spoof series Police Squad! (1982). The title was changed to avoid confusion with the Police Academy film franchise, which were also co-created by Pat Proft. David Zucker remembers that they were given a list of about twenty potential titles, and they chose "The Naked Gun" because it "promised so much more than it could possibly deliver".

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Goofs

In the opening scene, just as the Ayatollah starts speaking Frank Drebin (in disguise) is standing side by side with the Ayatollah's chair. Immediately following the next edit he is suddenly standing facing the chair.

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Quotes

[Frank grabs a baseball bat and gets one of the umpire's attention]
Frank: Oh, excuse me. Could you tell me... is this an official bat?
[Frank strikes the umpire's head with the bat knocking him out]

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Crazy Credits

[Note: Mr. Weiss is the Second Unit Director]

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Connections

Referenced in The Angry Video Game Nerd: Ricky 1 Review (2008)

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Soundtracks

The Star Spangled Banner
(1814) (uncredited)
Music by John Stafford Smith
Lyrics by Francis Scott Key
Played at the ballgame and sung by Leslie Nielsen

User Reviews

Screamingly funny!

"The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" is the first movie based on the 1982 cult classic TV sitcom "Police Squad!" And this movie stands up next to "Airplane!" as one of the funniest movies ever made. That's no surprise, since the same team (Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker) that made "Airplane!" made "The Naked Gun". This movie is quite similar to "Airplane!" in the way it presents its jokes. Rapid fire, and you can't stop laughing. My kind of comedy. "The Naked Gun" has some of the biggest laughs in a movie that I've ever seen. Leslie Nielsen is perfect in his return to the role of inept cop Lt. Frank Drebin. Priscilla Presley is very funny in her film debut. George Kennedy, Ricardo Montalban, and even Nancy Marchand (a decade before "The Sopranos") get big laughs amongst the craziness. And love that opening title sequence. Very original. And unlike the "Police Academy" series, "The Naked Gun" sequels lived up to the original 1988 film. The first one is still the best, but "Naked Gun 2 1/2" and "Naked Gun 33 1/3" were very funny too. That's why "The Naked Gun" series is the funniest movie series ever made. I wish Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker would dream up an idea for a fourth "Naked Gun" picture. If they do, I'll see it in a flash.

**** (out of four)