The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad, starring Leslie Nielson as clueless police detective Frank Drebin, is a crime comedy spoof packed full of outrageous slapstick humour and juvenile gags. Here are some of our favourite quotes from the film! Frank: ‘It’s the same old story. 123Movies: Frank Drebin is persuaded out of retirement to go undercover in a state prison. There he is to find out what top terrorist, Rocco, has planned for when he escapes. Frank's wife, Jane, is desperate for a baby. This adds to Frank's problems. A host of celebrities at the Academy awards ceremony are humiliated by Frank as he blunders his way trying to foil Rocco. At 123movies.blue.
| The Naked Gun series | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | David Zucker(1 and 2) Peter Segal(3) |
| Produced by | David Zucker Jim Abrahams Jerry Zucker Robert K. Weiss |
| Written by | David Zucker Jim Abrahams Jerry Zucker Pat Proft |
| Based on | Police Squad! by David Zucker Jim Abrahams Jerry Zucker |
| Starring | Leslie Nielsen Priscilla Presley O. J. Simpson George Kennedy Ed Williams |
| Music by | Ira Newborn |
| Cinematography | Robert M. Stevens |
| Edited by | Michael Jablow (1) Christopher Greenbury James R. Symons (2) James R. Symons (3) |
Production company | Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker(1 and 2) David Zucker (3) |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| 1988–1994 | |
Running time | 253 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $65 million |
| Box office | $216.8 million |
The Naked Gun is a series of American crime comedy films, created by Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker. All three films are based on their earlier television series Police Squad!, which was cancelled after six episodes.
- 1Films
- 2Release
- 3Cast of characters
Films[edit]
From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)[edit]
Detective Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) tries to uncover a plan to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II, who is on a state visit to the USA. The main suspect is Vincent Ludwig, a rich businessman (Ricardo Montalbán), who uses a hypnotic device to turn others into murderers. As with previous ZAZ spoof comedies, the plot was mostly culled from another—more serious—movie. In this case, it was Telefon wherein people were triggered into assassins via hypnotic phone calls (indeed, dialogue in the post-hypnotic suggestion demonstration scene is copied word-for-word from Telefon).
On the case, Drebin falls in love with Ludwig's assistant, Jane Spencer (Priscilla Presley). She knows nothing about Ludwig's plot, and after the pair spend the night together, Jane helps with Frank's investigation.
The Smell of Fear (1991)[edit]
Frank discovers that Jane's new boyfriend, Quentin Hapsburg (Robert Goulet), is involved in an evil plan to kidnap Dr. Albert S. Meinheimer (Richard Griffiths), a scientist whom President George H. W. Bush (John Roarke) has chosen to determine a new national energy policy. Hapsburg plans to kidnap the real Dr. Meinheimer and replace him with a lookalike named Earl Hacker (also portrayed by Griffiths) who will endorse an energy policy according to the dictates of the energy lobby.
The Final Insult (1994)[edit]
In the third film of the series, Frank is married to Jane, and he has retired from Police Squad. The film introduces the criminal Rocco Dillon (Fred Ward), who is stuck in prison. He is contacted by Papshmir to be given a target for a bombing. Frank is pulled out of retirement. He goes undercover pretending to be a prisoner named 'Nick 'The Slasher' McGurk Jr., III' at the jail where Dillon is being held, and they break out of jail. Outside they are escorted by Dillon's gangster mother (Kathleen Freeman) to his country retreat, where Frank also meets Rocco's voluptuous moll (Anna Nicole Smith). The gang plots to blow up the Academy Awards. When Jane arrives looking for Frank, she is taken hostage.
Future films[edit]
On December 13, 2013, Paramount announced that a reboot of the franchise was in development, with Ed Helms starring as Drebin and Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant co-writing the screenplay.[1]However, on January 11, 2014, Garant stated that the film will be more of a sequel than a reboot.[2] In March 2015, David Zucker referred to the film as more of a reboot than a sequel, stating that it will not have same spoofing style as the original series while disagreeing with the choice of Helms as the lead saying 'I would want somebody who had never been in a comedy'. Zucker was approached by the studio to produce the film.[3] In August 2015, Helms gave an update on the film stating 'You have to make something that a contemporary audience is going to like. We haven't seen many of those slapstick movies in a while, so I'm not sure what the right angle is on it', echoing Zucker's comments on the film's modern take.[4] Zucker stated in 2017 that he was working on a script for a fourth Naked Gun film with Pat Proft.[5] He described the film's plot as being about the son of Frank Drebin.[5]
Release[edit]
Reception[edit]
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! | 87% (54 reviews)[6] | 76 (13 reviews)[7] | A−[8] |
| The Naked Gun 21⁄2: The Smell of Fear | 57% (40 reviews)[9] | 65 (21 reviews)[10] | B+[8] |
| Naked Gun 331⁄3: The Final Insult | 54% (35 reviews)[11] | 63 (21 reviews)[12] | B+[8] |
Box office[edit]
| Film | Release date | Total grossing |
|---|---|---|
| The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad![13] | December 2, 1988 | $78,756,177 |
| The Naked Gun 21⁄2: The Smell of Fear[14] | June 28, 1991 | $86,930,411 |
| Naked Gun 331⁄3: The Final Insult[15] | March 18, 1994 | $51,132,598 |
| Film Totals | $216,819,186 |
Cast of characters[edit]
Main characters[edit]
- Leslie Nielsen as Sergeant Frank Drebin, Detective Sergeant Lieutenant Police Squad. He is the protagonist of all three films and the former TV series Police Squad!. In the first film, he meets Jane Spencer and they fall in love; in the second film, they resume their romance; in the third film, they are married, and Frank is retired from the force. Frank is a very successful police officer, who seems to solve all crimes by accident, many times causing mayhem and havoc in the process, usually not noticing at all.
- Priscilla Presley as Jane Spencer (Jane Spencer Drebin in the third film). In the first film she is Vincent Ludwig's assistant, but knows nothing about his world domination plans. After she spends the night together with Frank, she helps him with his investigation. In the second film, her relationship with Frank is revealed to be over. She has a new boyfriend, Quentin Hapsburg. This is the second time she falls for a man with evil plans. She and Frank make up during the end of the second film. In the third film (in which she is married to Frank, who is retired from the force) the audience learns that she is now a lawyer. At the end of the third film, Jane gives birth to a son, who looks like Nordberg, leading Frank to believe the two had an affair and chases after his colleague. However unbeknownst to him, Ed is escorting Jane to her room, holding her and Frank's real baby.
- O. J. Simpson (Peter Lupus, TV series) as Officer Nordberg, one of Frank's colleagues and friend. He and Frank are partners for about five years, and he is Frank's best friend as stated in the first film. Nordberg always gets himself in very painful situations in all of the films. He finds himself being chased after by a resentful and enraged Frank when he believes that Nordberg had an affair with Jane.
- George Kennedy (Alan North, TV series) as Captain Ed Hocken, Frank's boss and friend. Ed encourages Frank to talk to Jane in the second movie. It is revealed in the first film that he is married to a woman named Ethel, although in the second film he is married to a woman named Edna (and it is stated that he has been for 30 years).
- Ed Williams as Ted Olson, a scientist who works at the lab. In Police Squad!, Ted was always giving a highly suspect or dangerous lesson to a kid, in a parody of Watch Mr. Wizard. This joke was not recycled for the films. Ted does create a couple of new inventions, which include: the Swiss-army shoe, the anti-graffiti wall, and the cufflink dart. He, Frank Drebin, and Al are the only characters who each appeared in both Police Squad! and the Naked Gun films portrayed by the same actor.[16]
- Ronald 'Tiny Ron' Taylor as Al, a very tall colleague of Frank, whose head is always out of frame. Al was a recurring character on Police Squad! but only made a cameo in the first film.
Main villains[edit]
| Character | Film | Fate | Played by: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vincent Ludwig | From the Files of Police Squad! | Falls from a stadium, then is run over by a bus, a steam roller, and the USC Trojan Marching Band. | Ricardo Montalbán |
| Quentin Hapsburg | The Smell of Fear | Falls from a great height (due to Ed accidentally pushing him out the window) but bounces off an awning and walks away, only to be mauled to death by a lion that had escaped from the zoo. | Robert Goulet |
| Rocco Dillon | The Final Insult | Falls from a catwalk in a theater, but because he has a cord attached to his ankles, the recoil elevates him and is sent flying away through the roof and into Papshmir's overflying private helicopter, which explodes seconds later (he was holding a ticking bomb). | Fred Ward |
Notable cameos[edit]
| Character | Portrayer | Film | Other Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Man fixing a picture up onto the wall of his house[17] | David Zucker | The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! | David Zucker directed the first two films |
| Driving Instructor[18] | John Houseman | The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! | Final appearance[17] |
| Baseball Announcer | Dr. Joyce Brothers | The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! | Also made a cameo in Police Squad! |
| Himself | James Earl Jones | Naked Gun 331⁄3: The Final Insult | Also made a cameo in Scary Movie 4 |
Watch The Naked Gun Free Online
Recurring cameos[edit]
| Character | Portrayer | Other notes |
|---|---|---|
| Papshmir | Raye Birk | Was the only actor to play the same villain twice in the saga, appearing as 'Papshmir' in the first and last movie. His name is a play on the pap smear gynecological test. |
| Himself | 'Weird Al' Yankovic | Has appeared in all three films—as himself in the first and last, and cameoing as a holdup man in the second. |
Other notable appearances[edit]
The Naked Gun 2 Free Online
Bruce Barbour as Leslie Nielsen stunt double and Leslie Hoffman as Jeannette Charles (Queen Elizabeth) stunt double famous slide down the banquet table
In the original film, veteran sports broadcasters Mel Allen, Curt Gowdy, Dick Enberg, Dick Vitale, Tim McCarver, and Jim Palmer are among those in a crowded booth. The baseball game features former Major League players like Jay Johnstone and, as an unexpected assassin, Reggie Jackson, as well as umpire Joe West.
In the second film, Zsa Zsa Gabor has a cameo as herself, slapping the police car siren featured in the intro, a reference to her 1989 arrest. Singer Mel Torme dances with Jane. And veteran character actors Lloyd Bochner, Tim O'Connor and Peter Mark Richman attend the climactic banquet, Bochner spoofing a classic Twilight Zone episode of his called 'To Serve Man'.
In the third film, at the Academy Awards, a musical number is performed by Pia Zadora and an award presented by Raquel Welch. Others seen at the ceremony include James Earl Jones, Olympia Dukakis, Elliott Gould, Mariel Hemingway, Mary Lou Retton, Florence Henderson, Morgan Fairchild, Shannen Doherty, and Vanna White. 'Weird Al' Yankovic also made cameo appearances in all three movies.
Video Game[edit]
A Point and click and adventure game was released, featuring Frank Drebin's long lost son, Frank Drebin Jr.[19]
References[edit]
- ^McNary, Dave (December 13, 2013). 'Ed Helms Firing Up The Naked Gun Reboot for Paramount (EXCLUSIVE)'. Variety. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
- ^'The Naked Gun Reboot Will be More Sequel Than Remake'. ComingSoon.net.
- ^Brown, Kat (March 11, 2015). 'Naked Gun Reboot 'Won't Be That Kind of Movie' says David Zucker'. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^Polowy, Kevin (August 5, 2015). 'Ed Helms Updates Us on Naked Gun Reboot, Answers 'Things We've Always Wondered''. Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ abSkubish, Jake (March 30, 2017). 'Director David Zucker talks 'Airplane!', comedy, getting his start on campus'. Daily Cardinal. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
- ^'The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)'. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
- ^'The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
- ^ abc'CinemaScore'. CinemaScore. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
- ^'The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991)'. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
- ^'The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991)'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
- ^'Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994)'. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
- ^'Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994)'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
- ^'BoxofficeMojo'. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
- ^'The Naked Gun 21⁄2: The Smell of Fear'. BoxofficeMojo. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
- ^'The Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult'. BoxofficeMojo. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
- ^In the films, Hocken was portrayed by George Kennedy, and Nordberg by O.J. Simpson, Johnny and Lincoln both did not return in the films and Al only appeared in the first film.
- ^ ab'The Internet Movie Database'. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
- ^'The Internet Movie Database'. John Houseman. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
- ^Fahey, Mike (January 4, 2012). 'The Sins of The Naked Gun Are Visited Upon Frank Drebin's Son'. Kotaku.com. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
External links[edit]
| Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Naked Gun |
- The Naked Gun series at AllMovie
- The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! on IMDb
- The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! at AllMovie
- The Naked Gun 21⁄2: The Smell of Fear on IMDb
- The Naked Gun 21⁄2: The Smell of Fear at AllMovie
- Naked Gun 331⁄3: The Final Insult on IMDb
- Naked Gun 331⁄3: The Final Insult at AllMovie
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