I’ve loved comedies my whole life, and my personal favorite “sub-genera” of the category are the spoof movies, which are films that lampoon other known categories of film. One of the first greats of the spoof genera was the 1980 classic “Airplane!”, which parodied disaster movies, and launched the carriers of writer and directors David Zucker, Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams. Hot on their success of “Airplane!”, the team launched a TV series in 1982 titled “Police Squad!”, which was a lampoon of the pulpy crime and cop genera, and stared Leslie Nielsen as the stern but dimwitted Lt. Frank Drebin. The show didn’t last long, with only six episodes total, but the potential for greatness was still there. Eventually, the team adapted their failed TV show into a movie in 1988 titled “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!”, and just like “Airplane!” before it, the film sits in the halls of the great comedy spoof classics and is personally one of my all-time favorites.
Just like in the show, Lt. Frank Drebin is on the case of an underground drug smuggling operation, after his partner Nordberg was nearly killed. The investigation leads Frank to the much-respected Vincent Ludwig, who’s secretly conspiring with a league of assassins to kill Queen Elizabeth the second, during her visit to America. Caught in the middle is Ludwigs attractive assistant Jane, who’s sent to keep the detective distracted, only for the two to gradually fall in love. Truthfully, in a film like this, the plot doesn’t matter at all, and instead it’s the presentation of how everyone treats their roles like a grounded police story, while the world around them is a live-action cartoon where anything and everything goofy and random can happen.
The tone is instantly set with the opening credit sequence, which is an extension of the title card from the show, as we follow the POV of a siren from a cop car. It especially gets the energy going strong with the theme music by Ira Newborn. He previously composed the music theme for the “Police Squad” show, and it’s elevated into greatness here in the movie.
Along with the iconic “Pink Panther” score, this is one of my favorite music themes for a comedy franchise. Speaking of the series, both this movie and its sequels make a running joke of this intro, in which the car is obliviously driving off the road, in the way of other people, into homes and then the joke gets funnier as the car seemingly appears in random places, like the tracks of a rollercoaster, or bumper cars, and even more outlandish settings as the series went on. It’s one of my favorite traditional opening credit sequences that’s part of a franchise, and they always get the hummer going on a high note. For me, I love it when the surrounding environment of a comedy becomes a character in-of itself, where visual gags and cartoony elements are commonplace, and the hummer comes from how characters either under react or go just as animated.
The film also knows how to set up jokes and then deliver funny pay off’s more than once. When our hero visits the villain, who’s basking in his valuable collection, we want to see things comedically fall apart. While we quickly get a satisfying payoff in the moment, an even bigger payoff comes much later.
Needless to say, this movie never lets the momentum die down, as it’s constantly throwing joke after joke at the audience, sometimes direct and in your face, while other times it’s little details in either the background or foreground. This way the film is just as funny with repeat viewings, as you can laugh at the jokes you missed the first time. It's a presentation which the Zucker and Abrams team utilized brilliantly in “Airplane!”, but I feel was perfected with “The Naked Gun”, largely because of the characters. While the cast in “Airplane!” worked great at being straight faced genera types in a silly world, I feel the cast in “The Naked Gun” have just a little more personality to compliment the zany environment, while still acting like they belong in a serious cop film.
Aside from the Zucker Brothers and Abrahams, credit also goes to screen writer Pat Proft, who together helped add some flair to the characters and make them stand out in this goofy landscape. Leslie Nielsen reprised his role from the show as Lt. Frank Drebin and for me, this is the character I most affiliate with the actor. While he already proved a funny talent in “Airplane!”, this is when his comedic chops were perfected. He once again keeps a serious demeanor, but with a joyous personality ready to take over at any moment, depending on how the situation around him changes. His expressions and reactions are consistently hilarious, but it’s not a one-note silly performance either, as they feel like the quirks of a character. Many of his quirky lines bring out the biggest laughs when he conveys them with a chill and sincere delivery: “I promise you, no man on this police force is going to rest until we find out who tried to kill my partner … now let’s go grab a bight to eat”.
The same charm also applies to love interest Jane, played by Priscilla Presley, who puts on a seductive femme fatale persona, but is deep down too bubbly and emotional to keep up appearances. The two have surprisingly cheerful chemistry, and their banter provides some of the best chuckles. After coming home from a date night, Jane asks “Can I interest you in a nightcap”, to which Drebin pleasantly responds with “No thanks, I don’t where them”, and for me, little details like that go a long way. Speaking of their date, we also get a funny music montage set to Herman’s Hermits “I’m into Something Good”, complete with music video credits, and a great punchline at the end.
Richardo Montalban is also perfectly cast as the sinister Vincent Ludwig, who feels like a genuine villain out of any real pulpy crime thriller. It makes the comedy surrounding him all the better, as he conveys a genuinely intimidating presence, yet still has all the right reactions to the silly mishaps of our hero. The character of Captain Ed Hocken carries over from the show, but is now played by George Kennedy, and all the better for it. We also have O. J. Simpson as Det. Nordberg, who exists only to be horribly punished in every scene he’s in. Lastly, Weird Al Yankovic, who was a big fan of Zucker and Abrams comedies, makes a cameo, and would continue to make appearances in the series moving forward … as well as the theme song for “Spy Hard”.
When it comes to funny highlights in the film, one of my favorites is a silly car chase, which features our hero stuck in the back seat of a teen driving lesson, with the late John Houseman in his final role as the unflinching driving teacher, who’s hilariously calm about all the cause unfolding around him. The majority of the jokes stick a landing with me, and like I said earlier, there’s perfect variety and detail in which the hummer is presented. Comedy of course is subjective, and like any film from the genera, I can see the crass jokes on display either working for viewers or turning them off. Speaking from my own viewing experiences with the film, one particular scene involving our hero under cover as an opera singer brought out equal reactions of both big laughs and absolute disgust. Probably the one moment I could have done without involves exposed human statues on a building, which was a bit much.
The whole third act of the movie revolves around a baseball game, and even though the movie didn’t start this way, I can’t help but look back on this film as one of the funniest sports movies I’ve ever seen. Everything at this ballgame is comedy gold, and features my favorite moment of our hero under cover as an umpire, looking for a potential assassin among the players. He starts taking this mission seriously but quickly gets caught up in the fun of the moment and ends up putting on a show for the crowd. We also get another great music montage set to Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.”, and amusingly features our hero oblivious to some illegal items on the field while investigating the players.
On a side note, I first saw this movie recorded off of TV, in which it was an extended cut, featuring jokes either expanded on or absent from the theatrical version.
With that said, it also omitted most of the adult jokes, and thus, I missed the original punch line to the classic stuffed beaver scene. While it took me a minute to adjust to the trimmed down theatrical presentation on DVD, it’s obviously still the superior version, and paced better, allowing for the jokes to hit harder and faster, without overstaying their welcome. Following after the first movie came a sequel in 1991 titled “The Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell Of Fear”, which I actually saw before the original classic, got the hooked on the series, and is exceptionally funny in its own right. The original trilogy of films concluded in 1994 with “Naked Gun 33 ½: The Final Insult”, and once again, was another hilarious outing with these characters. In 2025, we got a legacy sequel simply titled “The Naked Gun”, this time staring Liam Neeson … and surprisingly, it was a hilarious outing that matched the high points of the original and is one of the better legacy sequels. Without question, this is my favorite long running comedy franchise, and I feel each instalment works and delivers some big laughs.
Going back to the original classic movie “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!”, it not only earns its status as one of the great comedy classics, but for me, it has a comfortable place among my all-time personal favorite comedy movies.
As film critic Roger Ebert put it, it’s a movie that will either make you laugh or not, and how much you like the film depends on how much it makes you chuckle. For me, I’ve been around the block with comedies that lose their hummer over time, but the original “Naked Gun” still gets me howling even on repeat viewings to this day. It’s relentlessly funny, with its non-stop jokes, detailed environments, and an excellent cast. I honestly think this was the greatest performance of Leslie Nielsen’s career, as he manages to pull off a convincing yet hilarious performance all at the same time. With competent writing, fast past hummer, and a fantastic performance from one of my favorite actors, “The Naked Gun: From: The Files of Police Squad!” holds up for me as one of the greatest “Spoof movies” and hits its target with a perfect bullseye.
Thanks for
reading my review of the 1988 comedy classic “The Naked Gun: From the Files
of Police Squad!” … and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!
