Airplane!
(1980)

Starring: Robert Hayes Julie Hagney, Leslie Nelson, Lloyd Bridges, and Kareem Abdul Jabar.

Whenever I need a good laugh, I just watch this movie, and I roar! It has that "stupid" humor that creates those unstoppable laughing attacks. Because of sheer boredom, I listened to the audio commentary concerning this comedy, and it was actually pretty interesting. Originally, Airplane was supposed to be a short little comedy making fun of movies with airplanes interspersed with little funny commercials, but the producer liked the "airplane" plot more than the stupid commercials. These commentators were funny, and they told stories about each of the actors, including Kareem Abdul Jabar. His role was originally intended for Pete Rose, and they were extremely surprised when he wanted to make the movie, because he obviously did not need the money from this movie. They recalled reading the newspaper article about Kareem buying himself a hairpiece. Then, the writers knew Kareem was serious about acting as Roger Murdock, the co-pilot. Leslie Nelson was not even their first pick -- they wanted George Kennedy! I start snorting uncontrollably when I hear, "I am serious, and stop calling me Shirley."

I love Lloyd Bridges: "Look's like I picked the wrong day to stop sniffin' glue." The scene where he screams that the plane is coming straight at them, and crashes into the glass window is hilarious. And we cannot forget my favorite character -- the only actor who was allowed to improvise and add to the dialogue of the movie -- Johnny, an assistant in the traffic control center. "The tower.... The tower.... Rapunzel.... Rapunzel." and "And Leon's getting larger!" always provide the catalyst for much laughter. This movie is just a light-hearted spoof that will tickle your funny bone repeatedly. Excellent movie! :-)