I was all set to write my first of four Christmas column this week, and then it happened. When it happened, I was instantly transported back to the first time I saw the movie “Airplane!”
It was released in 1980, and I was visiting a friend in Seattle. My friend said, “Hey, let’s go see this new airplane movie they have out.” I asked what it was called and he said, “Airplane!” So, I went. I never laughed so hard in my life. Some of the jokes went over my head at first. It wasn’t until I was 10 years older that I understood many of the more adult jokes in the movie. But anyone in their early teens understands:
“The hospital? What is it?”
“It’s a big building with patients, but that isn’t important right now.”
I guess I never really understood how intertwined he was in American popular culture until he passed away earlier this week. I started to think about my life without him and his work, and the thought soon became unbearable. No Frank Drebin? No Dr. Rumack? No Enrico Pallazzo jokes? It just didn’t seem possible to grow up in the 1980s without him. Thank God I didn’t have to.
He did not start out as a comedy genius, you know. He was a very serious actor in his early years. He started out in the 1950s doing television murder mysteries. He eventually graduated to “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” before moving into motion pictures. His first movie was a serious drama called “Ransom” (1956). Glenn Ford and Donna Reed were in it, too. By the time he made “Ransom!,” he was already a big television star. People knew his face, and he could make some pretty intense faces on screen.
He parlayed that look of his into several serious movies and more television appearances. Audiences were not laughing when he walked onto the screen; they were waiting to see which character would die first. He had the chiseled good looks, the straight-shooting delivery and the cool demeanor of a classic 1950s leading man. He was everything Hollywood wanted, and he became famous.
But, in 1980, he got a call that offered him the chance to make people laugh. He didn’t realize he would have to throw away his entire image from the 1950s in order to make people laugh, but he didn’t seem to care. His appeal in comedy was his 1950s image. It was the same with his “Airplane!” co-stars Robert Stack and Peter Graves. But Graves had destroyed his image with the cheesy documentary “The Mysterious Monsters” (1976), so he was jumping at the chance to be funny on purpose. Stack was just perfect because his delivery was so old school that he sounded funny every time he spoke.
As good as Graves and Stack were in “Airplane!,” they didn’t have his timing. They didn’t have his ability to be deadpan serious one minute, and then be a complete goofball the next. He was the clueless doctor that had the air of an educated man, but the mannerisms of an idiot. It was perfect, and he realized that comedy was his niche.
But Dr. Rumack in “Airplane!” was only the beginning. He would go on to create the immortal Frank Drebin in the “Police Squad” television shows and movies. Frank Drebin was to comedy what Dirty Harry was to blasting punks with a .44 magnum. It got to the point that you would laugh just watching Frank Drebin walking down a hallway. That is the work of a master comedian.
He is gone now, but he has left us a long legacy of wonderful movies to enjoy. People will be watching and enjoying his work for many generations to come. I’m sorry. What was that you said? You have no idea who I am talking about? Surely, you can’t be serious.
Rest in peace, Leslie Nielsen. Thank you for the work you did and the smiles you gave us. I don’t think anyone could have said it any better than you did.
George N Root III is a Lockport resident. His column appears every Wednesday. He can be reached at georgeroot@verizon.net.
George Root
Related Photos
-
George N. Root III is a Lockport resident. His column appears every Wednesday. Contact him at georgeroot@verizon.net.
Surely you can't be serious
- George Root
-
-
ROOT: We should drop out of Electoral College
I find it hard to believe that, in this day and age of the Internet and message texting on every phone, that we are still sticking to the Electoral College and the misguided notion that the people in Congress work for us.
-
ROOT: The wheels have started turning
As the bike messenger careened down the middle of the sidewalk, he started to run down women, children and little yip dogs on long leashes. Oh, it was awful. At that moment, DenDekker knew what he had to do. He would force every bicycle bought in New York state to be registered for an initial fee of $25 and then a fee of $5 a year after that.
-
ROOT: The watchful eye of the Internet
Attention politicians and famous people: The world is watching you.
-
ROOT: The Clint Eastwood Factor
I post a Clint Eastwood quote on my Facebook page every day. Everyone asks me why.
-
ROOT: Fine, I’ll give my 2 cents
Maybe the high school needs $6 million more to make it just right. Maybe that $6 million should be spent on athletics. Maybe not.
-
ROOT: Tale of the Monkey’s Paw
I made a New Year’s resolution to keep my desk clean. So far, the desk is actually organized and I have the necessary materials to get the rest of it under control. But my office is a mess
-
ROOT: Thank you, Tom Golisano?
Will they sell? Won’t they sell? The Buffalo Sabres have been on the market since B. Thomas Golisano first realized that the team was worth more than he paid for it.
-
Surely you can't be serious
was all set to write my first of four Christmas column this week, and then it happened. When it happened, I was instantly transported back to the first time I saw the movie “Airplane!”
It was released in 1980, and I was visiting a friend in Seattle. My friend said, “Hey, let’s go see this new airplane movie they have out.” I asked what it was called and he said, “Airplane!” So, I went. I never laughed so hard in my life. Some of the jokes went over my head at first. It wasn’t until I was 10 years older that I understood many of the more adult jokes in the movie. -
The roof! The roof!
They say the best way to get through a project is to picture the results. As I sit here looking at my family room, I can see the new paint on the walls and the new hardwood floor installed. I can see the reflections of the flames from the fireplace kissing the hardwood and making it look awesome. I can see new furniture in the fireplace room and imagine a winter of relaxing comfort.
-
ROOT: Home improvement motivation
Most of the things the wife and I want to do to our home require a lot of work. Ripping up rugs, removing old wallpaper, putting up a coat of paint or taking down the lousy crown molding job I did 10 years ago cost little or no money, but they require a lot of effort and, well, there is a football game on television.
- More George Root Headlines
-
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
