Luke Kalamar: The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
If there is one thing I’ve learned from the entertainment industry, it’s that adaptations are very rarely as good as the original material. Bargain bins nationwide are packed full with the remains of unfathomable failures. Yet for every Bewitched or The Dukes of Hazzard, there are a select few that actually become something better. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! is a defining example. Based off of the Police Squad! TV series (which was cancelled after only six episodes), Naked Gun was a slapstick comedic spoof of crime movies. It starred Leslie Nielsen as Lieutenant Frank Drebin, a real American hero who constantly bumbled his way to victory. Along with him were some huge names like Priscilla Presley (Jane Spencer), Ricardo Montalbán (Vincent Ludwig), and O.J. Simpson (Officer Nordberg), who makes watching these movies now even more surreal.
To this day, I have only seen snippets of Police Squad!, but I am very familiar with The Naked Gun. As a massive fan of the late genius Leslie Nielsen, The Naked Gun absolutely slays me everytime. This is classic comedy at its peak. It’s on par with Airplane! in my mind. The random sight gags and dry jokes have stuck with me since my first screening. Seriously, I still remember that amazingly brief bingo scene with a huge smile on my face. Not to sound like an old duddard (I’m only 24), but they really don’t make movies like this anymore. The Naked Gun is just Nielsen at his best and deserves a rightful place on any classic comedy lists. It’s the film I’d point to for anyone looking to experience some Nielsen mastery. Then I’d direct them to the sequels and Wrongfully Accused for some more.
Great…now I want a Nielsen marathon.
Serenity.
Damn! How did that slip my mind? There may be an addition coming to this piece.
Any of the “Jackass” movies.