The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991)

Lieutenant Frank Drebin discovers that his ex-girlfriend's new beau is involved in a plot to kidnap a scientist who advocates solar energy.

Director:

David Zucker

Writers:

Jim Abrahams (television series Police Squad), David Zucker (television series "Police Squad")

Stars:

Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leslie Nielsen	...	Lt. Frank Drebin
Priscilla Presley	...	Jane Spencer
George Kennedy	...	Ed Hocken
O.J. Simpson	...	Nordberg
Robert Goulet	...	Quentin Hapsburg
Richard Griffiths	...	Dr. Meinheimer / Earl Hacker
Jacqueline Brookes	...	Commissioner Brumford
Anthony James	...	Hector Savage
Lloyd Bochner	...	Baggett
Tim O'Connor	...	Fenzwick
Peter Mark Richman	...	Dunwell
Ed Williams	...	Ted Olsen
John Roarke	...	George Bush
Margery Ross	...	Barbara Bush
Peter Van Norden	...	John Sununu

Storyline

Lieutenant Frank Drebbin returns to save the day once again. This time he's out to foil the "big boys" in the energy business. A top scientist (Dr. Mainheimer) is about to publish his report on energy supply for the future. Things don't look good for the traditional suppliers; oil, coal, and nuclear. To save their industries, the suppliers kidnap Mainheimer and replace him with a decoy with a more favorable report. Jane, the doctor's secretary, is Drebin's old flame. Their passionate love affair is thus rekindled.

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Plot Keywords:

ex girlfriend | evil industrialist | american president | president | political leader | 

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Taglines:

The sequel so big, they had to add a half

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 June 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear

Filming Locations:

1400 Tower Grove Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,800,000, 30 June 1991

Gross USA:

$86,930,411

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The ship "Hapsburg Valdez," and the television commercial making fun of the hiring process of tanker captains (breathalyzers, urine tests, et cetera), are references to the Exxon Valdez oil spill, which took place on March 24, 1989. The spill resulted in eleven million gallons of crude oil being dumped into the sea. Exxon Valdez was the original name, followed by Sea River Mediterranean, and eventually just Mediterranean of the tanker owned by the former Exxon Shipping Co., a division of the former Exxon Corporation. It gained widespread infamy when the tanker, bound for Long Beach, California, Captained by Joseph Hazelwood, hit Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef and spilled an estimated eleven million U.S. gallons (forty-one million liters) of crude oil. This has been recorded as one of the largest spills in U.S. history, and one of the largest ecological disasters.

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Goofs

When Frank, Jane, and Dr. Meinheimer are in the research area, all wearing hard hats, Frank leans over a railing and his hard hat falls into some machinery. The machine starts to malfunction, and seconds later, a sharp-toothed gear flies out of the machine and jams itself into the ceiling, just inches from Frank's face. Slowing the film to frame-by-frame, it's clear that the gear springs down from inside the ceiling, not up from below.

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Quotes

Lt. Frank Drebin: [Frank, Ed, and Nordberg are staking out Hapsburg's hideout.Frank is communicating with Ed Hocken by way of a walkie talkie] Ed, I'm gonna try the roof.
Lt. Frank Drebin: [after unsuccessfully attempting to scale the roof with a grappling hook] Ed, I'm gonna try it again.

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Crazy Credits

In Case of Tornado: South-west corner of cellar

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Connections

Spoofs Ghost (1990)

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Soundtracks

BORN TO ROCK
Written and Performed by Jon Paris

User Reviews

The mariachis

David Zucker, the director of this spoof, shows he can give the viewer a fun time because the way he gave the right touch to this funny movie. "The Naked Gun 2-1/2" is a film which makes fun of other movies about an inept police detective who does everything wrong, but in doing so, he gives us an occasion for laughter that in most of the situations work.

Of course, one wouldn't imagine anyone playing this Lt. Frank Drebin, but Leslie Nielsen. This actor with the rubber face, is a natural for this type of comedy. The opening sequence with the White House dinner with the older Bushies is a hoot. Poor Barbara Bush is the butt of all the visual jokes as she is seated next to Drebin. But the best moment in the film is the rendition of "Besame Mucho" by Mr. Nielsen and George Kennedy dressed in mariachi costumes. It is a riot!

The leading lady, Priscilla Presley, seems to be the perfect match for Mr. Nielsen. They play well together. The others in the film, George Kennedy, Robert Goulet, Richard Griffiths, and the rest, do an excellent job in their clowning around to produce the laughter and good time we experience.

This is a film to recommend to anyone suffering depression.