The Naked Gun

This article is about the film series. For the first film in the series, see The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
The Naked Gun series

Region 1 DVD cover for the film series box set
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! created by Zucker, Abrahams, and 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)
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release dates
  • 1988 (1988)

  • 1994 (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 short-lived ABC television series Police Squad!, which was cancelled after six episodes.

Films

From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

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)

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)

In the third film of the saga, 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's 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.

Reboot

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 won't 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]

Release

Reception

Film Rotten Tomatoes
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad![5] 86%
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear[6] 58%
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult[7] 53%
Average ratings 66%

Box office

Film Release date Total grossing
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad![8] December 2, 1988 $78,756,177
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear[9] June 28, 1991 $86,930,411
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult[10] March 18, 1994 $51,132,598
Film Totals $216,819,186

Cast of characters

Main characters

Main villains

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. 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

Character Portrayer Film Other Notes
Man fixing a picture up onto the wall of his house[12] David Zucker The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! David Zucker directed the first two films
Driving Instructor[13] John Houseman The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! Final appearance[12]
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 33⅓: The Final Insult Also made a cameo in Scary Movie 4

Recurring cameos

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

Bruce Barbour as Leslie Nielsen stunt double and Leslie Hoffman as Jeannette Charles aka 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 Vanna White, Mary Lou Retton, Florence Henderson, Morgan Fairchild, Shannen Doherty, and Elliott Gould.

References

  1. "Ed Helms Firing Up 'The Naked Gun' Reboot for Paramount (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. 2013-12-13. Retrieved 2013-12-13.
  2. "The Naked Gun Reboot Will be More Sequel Than Remake". ComingSoon.net.
  3. Brown, Kat (March 11, 2015). "Naked Gun Reboot 'Won't Be That Kind of Movie' says David Zucker". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  4. Polowy, Kevin (August 5, 2015). "Ed Helms Updates Us on 'Naked Gun' Reboot, Answers 'Things We've Always Wondered'". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  5. "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
  6. "The Naked Gun 212: The Smell of Fear (1991)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
  7. "The Naked Gun 3313: The Final Insult (1994)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
  8. "BoxofficeMojo". The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
  9. "BoxofficeMojo". The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
  10. "BoxofficeMojo". The Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
  11. 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.
  12. 1 2 "The Internet Movie Database". The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
  13. "The Internet Movie Database". John Houseman. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
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