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	Films: 1, 2 David Zucker Film: 3 Peter Segal
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
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	1988 (1988) –1994 (1994)
Running time	253 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Naked Gun is a series of crime comedy films written and produced by the comedy filmmaking trio Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker and distributed by Paramount Pictures. All three films were based on their short-lived 1982 ABC television series Police Squad!, which was cancelled after six episodes. The first two films were directed by David Zucker, and the third film was directed by Peter Segal.

Films

From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

Main article: The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

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 (played by Ricardo Montalbán), (who works with Papshmir, a recurring villain) who has a way of turning anyone into an unknowing assassin at the press of a remote control. It appears that the victims are responding to a post-hypnotic suggestion, but the film makes no effort to clarify the point. As with previous ZAZ spoof comedies, the ostensible "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 (played by 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)

Main article: The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear

Frank discovers that Jane's new boyfriend, Quentin Hapsburg (played by Robert Goulet), is involved in an evil plan to kidnap Dr. Albert S. Meinheimer (portrayed by Richard Griffiths), a scientist whom President George H. W. Bush (portrayed by John Roarke) has chosen to determine a new national energy policy. Hapsburg plans to kidnap the real Dr. Meinheimer and replace him with a look-a-like 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)

Main article: Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult

In the third film of the saga Frank is married to Jane, and he's retired from Police Squad. The film introduces the criminal Rocco Dillon (played by 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' McGuirk 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.

Naked Gun 4

A fourth film was first mooted while Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult was still in production. In a 1992 interview, the Zuckers said they were determined to follow up with a fourth film called Naked Gun 4: This Is Really It.^[1] Leslie Nielsen suggested the title of Naked Gun 4: The Second Final Insult, "because then everybody will be asking what 'the first final insult' was."^[2]

In 2003, David Zucker said of a making another Naked Gun film that "We would really like to. The studio just doesn’t get the joke though. They’re not interested in the franchise."^[3]

In a 2007 radio interview, "Weird Al" Yankovic, who had cameos in all three Naked Gun films, confirmed that he had been approached about appearing in a fourth.^[4]

In 2008, a direct to DVD Naked Gun film was reportedly in development for the Paramount Famous Productions label.^[5] In 2009, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that 25 films and television series had qualified for production tax credits, including Naked Gun 4.^[6][7] In a May 2010 interview, Nielsen said he had heard about plans for a fourth film but was "not yet involved".^[8]

Naked Gun 4: Rhythm of Evil was reported to be in the early stages of production at the time of Nielsen's death in November 2010.^[9]

Release

Reception

• The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! – 89% at Rotten Tomatoes^[10]
• The Naked Gun 2¹⁄₂: The Smell of Fear – 55% at Rotten Tomatoes^[11]
• The Naked Gun 33¹⁄₃: The Final Insult – 52% at Rotten Tomatoes^[12]

Box office

• The first film grossed around $78,756,177^[13]
• The second film grossed around $86,930,411^[14]
• The third film grossed around $51,132,598^[15]

Cast and characters

Main characters

• Leslie Nielsen as Sergeant Frank Drebin, Detective Sergeant Lieutenant Police Squad. He's the main character of all three films and the former TV series Police Squad!. In the first movie he meets Jane Spencer and they fall in love; in the second film they resume their romance; in the third film they are married, and Frank is retired from the force. He is known for being a bumbling fool, oblivious to the disasters he constantly triggers. Some of the other characters are occasionally annoyed with his behavior, but no one ever seems to notice what a complete idiot he is. In fact, his boss always congratulates him on successfully wrapping up a case, no matter how much chaos Frank caused in the process. He, Ted Olsen, and Al (who only appeared in the first film) are the only characters who appeared in both Police Squad! and the Naked Gun films that were portrayed by the same actors.^[16] Archive footage of Frank Drebin was used in various other films, documentaries and TV series.
• Priscilla Presley as Jane Spencer (Jane Drebin in the third film). In the first film she is Vincent Ludwig's assistant, but knows nothing about his world domination plans. After she spends the night together with Frank, she helps him with his investigation. In the second film, her relationship with Frank is revealed to be over. She has a new boyfriend, Quentin Hapsburg. This is the second time she falls for a man with evil plans. She and Frank make up during the end of the second film. In the third film (in which she is married to Frank, who is retired from the force) the audience learns that she is now a lawyer.
• O. J. Simpson as Officer Nordberg, one of Frank's colleagues. He and Frank are partners for about five years, and he's Frank's best friend as stated in the first film. Nordberg always gets himself in very painful situations in all of the films. (In the TV series, Nordberg was portrayed by Peter Lupus.)
• George Kennedy as Captain Ed Hocken, Frank's boss. Ed encourages Frank to talk to Jane in the second movie. It's revealed in the first film that he is married to a woman named Ethel, although in the second film he is married to a woman named Edna (and it is stated that he has been for 30 years). In the TV series Police Squad!, he was portrayed by Alan North.
• Ed Williams as Ted Olson, a scientist who works at the lab. In Police Squad!, Ted was always giving a highly suspect or dangerous lesson to a kid, in a parody of Watch Mr. Wizard. This joke was not recycled for the films. Ted does create a couple of new inventions, which include: the Swiss-army shoe, the anti-graffiti wall, and the cufflink dart. He, Frank Drebin, and Al are the only characters who each appeared in both Police Squad! and the Naked Gun films portrayed by the same actor.^[16]
• Ronald "Tiny Ron" Taylor as Al a very tall colleague of Frank, whose head is always out of frame. Al was recurring character on Police Squad! but only made a cameo in the first movie.

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[17]	David Zucker	The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!	David Zucker directed the first two films
Driving Instructor[18]	John Houseman	The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!	Final appearance[17]
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

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.

In the second film, Zsa Zsa Gabor has a cameo as herself, slapping the police car siren featured in the intro. 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 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.

References

1. ^ "Series plan for 'Little Man'". Dallas Morning News. 1992-02-12. 
2. ^ "In Step With: Leslie Nielsen". The Herald-News. 1992-06-14. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nDAaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oiQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4987,2960180&dq=naked-gun-4&hl=en. 
3. ^ "David Zucker Talks 'Scary Movie 4', 'The Naked Gun 4'". KillerMovies. 2003-12-09. http://www.killermovies.com/s/scarymovie4/articles/3391.html. 
4. ^ "Get This". Austereo Radio Network. 2007-03-12. 
5. ^ "The Naked Gun 4 In Development". FilmJunk. 2008-08-20. http://www.filmjunk.com/2008/08/20/the-naked-gun-4-in-development/. 
6. ^ "Gov. Schwarzenegger Announces First 25 Productions to Qualify for Film & Television Production Incentive". 2009-07-27. http://gov.ca.gov/press-release/12906/. 
7. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (2009-07-28). "Films and TV Series to Get Tax Credits". The New York Times (New York Times). http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/29/arts/29arts-FILMSANDTVSE_BRF.html. 
8. ^ "Leslie Nielsen talks Naked Gun 4 on BBC WM". BBC News (BBC). 2010-05-04. http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/birmingham/hi/tv_and_radio/newsid_8659000/8659793.stm. 
9. ^ "Comedian Leslie Nielsen dies at 84". Xinhua. 2010-11-28. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/entertainment/2010-11/29/c_13627029.htm. 
10. ^ "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/naked_gun_from_the_files_of_police_squad/. Retrieved 2009-09-13. 
11. ^ "The Naked Gun 2¹⁄₂: The Smell of Fear (1991)". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/naked_gun_2_12_the_the_smell_of_fear/. Retrieved 2009-09-13. 
12. ^ "The Naked Gun 33¹⁄₃: The Final Insult (1994)". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/naked_gun_33_13_the_final_insult/. Retrieved 2009-09-13. 
13. ^ "BoxofficeMojo". The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=nakedgun.htm. Retrieved January 19, 2008. 
14. ^ "BoxofficeMojo". The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=thenakedgun2.htm. Retrieved January 19, 2008. 
15. ^ "BoxofficeMojo". The Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=thenakedgun3.htm. Retrieved January 19, 2008. 
16. ^ ^{a b} In the films, Hocken was portrayed by George Kennedy, and Nordberg by O.J. Simpson, Johnny and Lincoln both didn't return in the films and Al only appeared in the first film.
17. ^ ^{a b} "The Internet Movie Database". The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095705/trivia. Retrieved January 19, 2008. 
18. ^ "The Internet Movie Database". John Houseman. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002144/. Retrieved January 19, 2008. 

External links

• The Naked Gun series at AllRovi
• The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! at the Internet Movie Database
• The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! at AllRovi
• The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear at the Internet Movie Database
• The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear at AllRovi
• Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult at the Internet Movie Database
• Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult at AllRovi