Movie Mondays: The Lunacy of Leslie Nielson

While trying to spice up the blog and add a little flavor, I decided to add a weekly segment called Movie Mondays where I stroll through favorite movies, quotes, and clips. So, in honor of April Fools day, I'm doing my first month of Movie Mondays on spoof and parody movies. First up, is my love for Leslie Nielson movies. It's hard to imagine in his younger day he was an A list actor starring with the likes of Debbie Reynolds in Tammy. He's probably most well known now for his goofy roles in the Naked Gun movies, Wrongfully Accused, Dracula: Dead and Loving It, and the Scary Movie spinoffs.

First up is one of my favorite Leslie Nielson spoofs, and it's probably the one that got him his start in parody movies.

It's the movie Airplane. If you've never seen it, check out the trailer cuz it's hilarious! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaXvFT_UyI8

Leslie Nielson doesn't come in for a wee bit in this movie that sp

oofs the great airline disaster movies of the 70's. But when he does, it's HILARIOUS! He plays Dr. Rumack, and here's some of my favorite lines of his:

Rumack: Can you fly this plane, and land it?
Ted Striker: Surely you can't be serious.
Rumack: I am serious... and don't call me Shirley.

[an epidemic of food poisoning is sweeping the plane]
Captain Oveur: What is it, Doctor? What's going on?
Rumack: I'm not sure. I haven't seen anything like this since the Anita Bryant concert.

Rumack: What was it we had for dinner tonight?
Elaine Dickinson: Well, we had a choice of steak or fish.
Rumack: Yes, yes, I remember, I had lasagna.

Srsly, my favorite character in this movie is Johnny, one of the guys in the flight control because is a such a smart ass and a goober! My favorite part is when they're coming in for a landing, and all the sudden the lights on the runaway go dark for Stryker and Elaine then it pans to the picture of Johnny unplugging the cord to the lights and going, "Just kidding!"

Here's some of my favorite lines from him:

Striped controller: Bad news. The fog's getting thicker.
Johnny: [jumps to an

overweight controller

] And Leon is getting laaaaarrrrrger.

Reporter: What kind of plane is it?
Johnny: Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big Tylenol

[reading newspaper headlines]

Rex Kramer: Passengers certain to die!
Steve McCroskey: Airline negligent.
Johnny: There's a sale at Penney's!

Steve McCroskey: I need the best man on this. Someone who knows that plane inside and out and won't crack under pressure.
Johnny: How about Mister Rogers?

You gotta love Lloyd Bridges character who takes the news on the ground pretty hard, and with each turn of bad news

comes the following lines!

Steve McCroskey: Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit drinking & Steve McCroskey: Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit smoking &

Steve McCroskey

: Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue AND Steve McCroskey: Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit amphetamines.

And of course, who can forget the pedofile pilot, Captain Oveur with lines like these:

Captain Oveur: You ever been in a cockpit before?
Joey: No sir, I've never been up in a plane before.
Captain Oveur: You ever seen a grown man naked?

and a little later: Captain Oveur: Joey, have you ever been in a... in a Turkish prison? And a little later Captain Oveur: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?

Next of my Leslie Nielson favorites is Wrongfully Accused. It's a parody of The Fugitive, Titanic, Braveheart, The Usual Suspects, and even Lord of the

Dance!

Favorite lines:

Ryan Harrison: We can go away right now. I pack light. Everything we need is right here in my pants.

Ryan: How dare you, sir!
Guard: How dare YOU!
Ryan: No, how dare you!
Guard: No, no, how dare you!
Ryan: How dare you "no no" my how dare you!
Guard: You dare to dare me?
Ryan: How dare you how dare me when I how dare you, you big pee-pee head!
Guard: You are the Pee-pee head!
Ryan: Mr. Booger lips, ca-ca mouth!

---

Judge: Ryan Harrison, a jury of your peers have found you guilty of murder. On August 12th at Stillwater Federal Prison you shall have your sentence carried out. You shall be executed buffet style: lethally injected, electrocuted, and placed before a firing squad. May God have mercy on your soul, you bastard you.

Lt. Fergus Falls: There are two things that frost my butt: It's a snow cone about that high, and the other one is Ryan Harrison.

Ryan Harrison: [to Cass] When you shot me at point blank range, I knew you loved me.

Hilarious Scenes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVr5AJz2xNo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH8_i5S1Oqw

Up next week is the Mayhem and Majesty of....

Mel Brooks movies!!