Jim Abrahams, the renowned writer-director, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 80. His impact on the comedy genre was profound, leaving an indelible mark with works like Airplane!, Police Squad!, and The Naked Gun films. His son Joseph shared the news with The Hollywood Reporter. A Comedy Legend's Journey and Legacy
Early Beginnings and the Kentucky Fried Theater
James Steven Abrahams was born on May 10, 1944, in Shorewood, Wisconsin. His friendship with the Zucker brothers began in their childhood when their fathers were business colleagues and the families attended the same synagogue. They all went to Shorewood High School and the University of Wisconsin at Madison. In 1971, they founded the Kentucky Fried Theater in Madison, a mix of improvisational sketches and pre-taped spoofs. This multimedia revue became the foundation for their unique comedic style, which they called "comedy judo," using audiences' expectations against them. It was so popular that they re-created the experience in Los Angeles in 1972. John Landis caught one of their shows and convinced them to turn their bits into a movie script, which led to the creation of The Kentucky Fried Movie. The film featured a lineup of sketches including "Catholic High School Girls in Trouble," "Cleopatra Schwartz," and "A Fistful of Yen," along with spoofs of commercials. Donald Sutherland, Henry Gibson, Bill Bixby, Tony Dow, and George Lazenby made cameos, and Abrahams and the Zuckers played various characters.The Airplane! Phenomenon
While scouring TV for material, Abrahams and the Zuckers stumbled upon Zero Hour! (1957). They saw the potential for parody and secured the rights for $2,500. They commandeered the film's plot and dialogue and named their hero Ted Striker after Dana Andrews' character. Michael Eisner, running Paramount at the time, greenlit the project. Airplane! opened in June 1980 and was a huge success, bringing in $83.5 million on a modest budget of $3.5 million. It was the No. 3 grossing big-screen comedy in history at the time. The humor was a concoction of satire, spoof, burlesque, slapstick, raunchy dialogue, and low-comedy sight gags. The direction was wild and wooly, with a good eye for visual jocularity. Instead of using comedians, they used familiar TV drama actors like Peter Graves, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, and Leslie Nielsen to deliver their tongue-in-cheek dialogue, which added to the humor.Police Squad! and The Naked Gun Franchise
After the success of Airplane!, Abrahams and the Zuckers turned to TV and created Police Squad! in 1982, a midseason send-up of police procedurals starring Leslie Nielsen. Though it aired just six episodes before being canceled, cable reruns gave it a new following. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! was directed by David Zucker and made it to the big screen in 1988, grossing $78.8 million. Nielsen reprised his role as Det. Frank Drebin alongside squadmates played by George Kennedy and O.J. Simpson, generating two sequels.Other Ventures and the Charlie Foundation
After struggling to find a follow-up film after Airplane!, Abrahams directed Big Business (1988) starring Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin and co-wrote and helmed Hot Shots! (1991) and its 1993 sequel. He also directed Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael (1990) and Jane Austen's Mafia! (1998). In 1993, his son Charlie developed a difficult-to-control form of epilepsy. They put him on a ketogenic diet, and his seizures stopped within days. Out of gratitude, they founded the nonprofit Charlie Foundation for Ketogenic Therapies in 1994 to help fight epilepsy, other neurological disorders, and select cancers. He also directed a 1997 ABC telefilm about a woman and a son with epilepsy.In conclusion, Jim Abrahams' contributions to the comedy genre and his work with the Zuckers brothers have left a lasting legacy. His ability to turn the genre on its ear and create timeless comedies will be remembered for generations to come.
