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Surely You Can't Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane! - Hardcover | Diverse Reads

Surely You Can't Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane!

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An in-depth and hysterical look at the making of 1980's comedy cult classic Airplane! by the legendary writers and directors of the hit film.

Airplane! premiered on July 2nd, 1980. With a budget of $3.5 million it went on to make nearly $200 million in sales and has influenced a multitude of comedians on both sides of the camera.

Surely You Can’t Be Serious is an oral history of the making of Airplane! by the creators, as well as the humble origins of the ZAZ (Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker) trio – charting the rise of their comedy troupe Kentucky Fried Theater in L.A. all the way to premiere day. The directors explain what drew them to filmmaking and in particular, comedy. With anecdotes, behind the scenes trivia and never-before-known factoids – these titans of comedy filmmaking unpack everything from how they got Peter Graves to play his first comedy role after a career of “straight” roles, casting Leslie Nielsen, who was the prankster on set, to that jive talk scene! The book also features testimonies and personal anecdotes from well-known faces in the film, television, and comedy sphere – proving how influential Airplane! has been from day one.

Today, four decades after release, the film has had another resurgence, reaching a whole new generation through social media. This fully organic expansion of the ZAZ trio’s fan-base, prompted solely by word-of-mouth and one-liners, comes as no surprise to longtime fans. When all around us is in flux – laughter is priceless.

ISBN-13: 9781250289315

Media Type: Hardcover

Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

Publication Date: 10-03-2023

Pages: 352

Product Dimensions: 7.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

DAVID ZUCKER, JIM ABRAHAMS, and JERRY ZUCKER are American comedy filmmaking legends. They knew each other growing up in Shorewood, Wisconsin, which is sometimes referenced in their work. While attending the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the trio founded a small theater known as The Kentucky Fried Theater in 1971, which led to their sketch comedy film The Kentucky Fried Movie in 1977. This was followed by the trio's breakout hit Airplane! in 1980, which remains a revered comedic milestone.