Top 10 Hilarious Facts About The Naked Gun 1988

Top 10 Hilarious Facts About The Naked Gun (1988)

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were looking at fun and funny facts about the original Naked Gun released in 1988.

#10: Recycled Police Squad! Jokes

Before The Naked Gun, there was Police Squad! The short-lived series, which ran on ABC for six episodes, is full of hilarious gags, although some you might find familiar. Since Police Squad! wasnt widely seen when it aired, it makes sense why The Naked Gun filmmakers reused a few jokes. Some are variations of past jokes, like silly chalk outlines. Others are directly lifted, like Frank crashing his car into garbage cans and Al having a banana stuck on his face. The pilots climax has two gags that were later recycled. First, the culprit throws her wig at Frank, similar to the pillow that nearly suffocates him in The Naked Gun. They then engaged in a close-range shootout, just like in The Naked Gun 2½.

#9: Its Part of 1988s Steamroller Trilogy

The Naked Gun kicked off one of cinemas funniest trilogies, but did you know its part of another trilogy? Well, an unofficial one, at least. 1988 gave us three classic comedies with a common link: a steamroller. In Who Framed Roger Rabbit, a steamroller flattened Judge Doom, revealing his toony nature. A Fish Called Wanda also sees Kevin Kline get steamrolled. Kline even claimed in his Oscar acceptance speech that John Cleese told him, I want to write a movie where you get run over by a steamroller. Finally, there was The Naked Gun, in which Vincent Ludwig meets his end via steamroller and bus and marching band. We suppose steamroller accidents happen more often than you think. Just ask Ed about his father.

#8: A Reference I Could Feel In My Hip Pocket

The Naked Gun franchise is known for parodying other movies. Some are iconic even if you havent seen them. Others are for the true cinephiles. One such example is when Frank first meets Jane Spencer. The scene is reminiscent of the 1975 neo-noir film Farewell, My Lovely, from Janes red dress, to her greeting atop a staircase, to Franks inner monologue. In fact, Franks comments about her hair and curves are almost identical to Robert Mitchums dialogue. Both even say, She was giving me a look I could feel in my hip pocket. This is where the line between parody and plagiarism gets a little blurry, although its not the first time that the Zucker-Abrahams team took lines from other movies. Those whove watched Airplane! and Zero Hour! back to back know what we mean.

#7: Weird Al Surprised His Dates With His Cameo

Weird Al Yankovic pops up in all three original Naked Gun movies. By The Final Insult, a Yankovic cameo was expected. In the original, though, the audience didnt see it coming. Neither did the dates that Yankovic brought to the movie. Yankovic made multiple trips to the theater to watch The Naked Gun, bringing a different date each time. The comedic musician neglected to tell his dates that he was in the film. So, the ladies were even more caught off guard than Leslie Nielsen when they got to the scene at the airport where Weird Al steals Franks thunder. Making the moment even more surreal, Yankovic wore a Hawaiian shirt on his dates, matching the one he had in the film.

#6: Leslie Nielsen Performed For the Actual Queen

Needless to say, the filmmakers didnt get the real Queen Elizabeth II to star in the film. That job fell to Jeannette Charles, who also impersonated the Queen in National Lampoons European Vacation and Austin Powers in Goldmember. Leslie Nielsen did have a close encounter with the real Queen, however. No, he didnt tackle her across a table, but Nielsen did perform for the Queen and a few thousand others. In 2005, Nielsen did a comedy bit at Saskatchewans Centennial Gala with the Queen in attendance. At the end, the Queen shook hands with the talent. Nielsen wasnt sure if the Queen had seen The Naked Gun, although he reflected, We simply looked at each other. There seemed to be an exchange of hidden meaning.

#5: Ricardo Montalbán Had a Gag Cut

As the villainous Vincent Ludwig, Ricardo Montalbán opened himself up to the silliest scenarios. One joke crossed a line for Montalbán, however. In the finished film, Frank says that Nordberg is at a hospital called Our Lady of the Worthless Miracle. According to director David Zucker, the name was originally Our Lady of the Never Had the Pickle. Montalbán requested that the line be changed, supposedly due to his Catholic upbringing. The filmmakers honored Montalbáns wishes, but that wasnt the end of this joke. In 1996, Nielsen headlined another parody movie, Spy Hard. Although Jim Abrahams and the Zucker brothers werent involved, Spy Hard tried to replicate their style. Case in point, theres a convent named Our Lady of the Never Had the Pickle.

#4: Mel Brooks Pitched a Joke

If youve seen the TV series Get Smart, youll notice a few parallels to The Naked Gun. Not only do both center on a bumbling authority figure, but some jokes are suspiciously similar, like the shoe gadgets. Its hard to say how much of The Naked Gun mightve been inspired by Get Smart, but at least one joke supposedly came straight from that shows co-creator, Mel Brooks. At the baseball game, Frank goes undercover as an umpire, accidentally getting struck in the head with a bat. Reportedly, Brooks himself suggested this sight gag, which made it into the movie. Funny to think that Brooks would later direct Nielsen in Dracula: Dead and Loving It. From getting hit with a bat to turning into one.

#3: Hey, Its the Directors Mom!

Director David Zucker frequently worked with his brother Jerry. The Naked Gun didnt just bring the brothers together, but their parents as well. Their father, Burton Zucker, briefly appears as a photographer, but their mother, Charlotte, gets a meatier role. Charlotte Zucker plays Dominique, Vincent Ludwigs assistant. Ludwig demonstrates his hypnotic beeper on Dominique, having her fire a gun. It thankfully isnt loaded. Zucker gave his parents small roles in The Naked Gun sequels as well. In The Naked Gun 2½, Charlotte Zucker is the woman who says, For a man in a wheelchair, he gets around marvelously. Then in Naked Gun 33 , she made one more cameo as a medical receptionist who tells Frank to take a number. Charlotte appeared in Jerrys directorial outings as well. Remember the bank teller from Ghost?

#2: Silly Comedy, Serious Actors

Just as Leslie Nielsen originally came from a dramatic background, The Naked Gun sought actors who werent necessarily known for comedy. Two examples were a pre-scandal O. J. Simpson and a post-Elvis Priscilla Presley. For the latters role, the filmmakers almost went with Bo Derek, who turned them down. Ricardo Montalbán was cast thanks to his work in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which coincidentally had a brainwashing subplot. The studio was adamant about casting an Oscar winner. The role of Ed Hocken thus went to George Kennedy, who was previously pursued for Lloyd Bridges role in Airplane! given his work in the Airport franchise. The driving instructor was also played by an Oscar winner, John Houseman, this being his final role.

#1: Why the Title Changed

Given its TV roots, you might wonder why the film wasnt called Police Squad. Paramount feared being confused with Police Academy, which released a fifth movie that same year. Both franchises even had a common link in writer Pat Proft. The filmmakers received a list of about 20 potential names. Ronald Zhivago and BAM BAM BAM! were considered, but they chose The Naked Gun because, according to David Zucker, it promised so much more than it could ever possibly deliver. In France, the film was titled Is There a Cop to Save the Queen?, mirroring the countrys title for Airplane!, Is There a Pilot on This Plane? While Police Academy comparisons were avoided, the title is similar to The Nude Bomb, a Get Smart movie.

Do you have any Naked Gun trivia to share? Let us know in the comments.