Airplane! (Don't Call Me Shirley! Edition) Reviews

• Shirley would be pleased

  
  By AQP1VPK16SVWM on 2005-12-10
  A clever, funny parody of disaster movies (bad melodramas such as "Zero Hour" and "The High and The Mighty" along with "Airport" were the prime targets here), "Airplane! The `Don't Call Me Shirley' Edition" manages to combine silliness, puns and with topical humor in a style that recalls something out of an alternate off-kilter universe. Filled with melodramatic, over-the-top music, deliberately bad acting and every cliché about plane disasters you can imagine, "Airplane!" aims wildly and accurately most of the time taking the wind out of the sails of bad (and some good ones, too such as "Jaws")movies everywhere. Evidently the writing/directing team of Zucker, Zucker and Abrahams (who wrote "Kentucky Friend Movie" for director John Landis and later went on to crate "The Naked Gun" films) caught "Zero Hour" on TV and realized that this overripe melodrama was just right to be plucked and served up as comedy (something it verged on anyway).
  
  Robert Hays plays Ted Striker(the name of Dana Andrews' character in "Zero Hour!") a former fighter pilot who is now afraid to pilot planes since a disastrous mission years before. Striker books a seat on the flight of his girlfriend Elaine (Julie Hagerty) in hopes of working out their relationship. When the crew and passengers are brought down by food poisoning Ted has to overcome his fears to pilot the plane to safety.
  
  While the film looks very good (and better than its previous edition), I was a bit disappointed by the amount of dirt and debris. I thought that a deluxe edition like this would have a nearly pristine print and that Paramount would have the film digitally cleaned up. Overall the film looks good but could have been tweaked more for this special edition. The soundtrack sounds pretty good overall and is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 with dialogue clear and little distortion.
  
  The extras are where this edition truly shines. "Airplane! The `Don't Call Me Shirley Edition" doesn't have any of the conventional special features you'd expect. There's no "making-of" documentary or featurettes on the film per se. The "Long Haul Version" allow you to watch the film with frequent detours into comments by the actors (Hays is present but Julie Hagerty curiously isn't), writers/directors and other production crew. We also get deleted scenes in the "Long Haul" section that are quite amusing in many instances as well. Included in the "Long Haul" version are clips from the movie that inspired the Zuckers/Abrahams "Zero Hour". We also get the theatrical trailer and a clever menu that presents some of the classic scenes from the film as if you're watching an animated version of those horrible safety/disaster cards they place on airplanes drawn in the same style. This is like watching the movie, deleted scenes and a documentary at the same time. It's a great conceit and works pretty well here. There is also a subtitle track that features trivia about the movie and points out visual mistakes, etc. throughout the movie.
  
  There's a good commentary track featuring the directors sharing stories about the production of the movie. This sounds like the commentary track from the previous edition. The commentary track provides a lot of amusing stories, trivia and background about the movie. Many of the comments are also echoed in the extended branching edition of the movie so listening to the commentary track really can't compare to watching the seamlessly branching edition.
  
  A classic comedy that still works amazingly well, this special edition of "Airplane!" is well worth it for the fans of the movie. Although the image quality could have been cleaned up a little bit more for this presentation, it's a pretty minor issue really as the "special features" make this edition worthwhile for fans of this classic bit of madness.
  
  
  
  

• Classic satire

  
  By APRU373UYVK2Y on 2004-11-09
  Anyone who has ever seen one of a host of abysmal 1970's disaster flicks could have predicted that they were ripe for a satire, but I doubt anyone could have predicted that "Airplane" would have set the gold standard for the spoof. In addition, since it appears on TV so often, seeing it on DVD is almost a new experience because all of the scenes that were cut for content seem like new jokes.
  
  I can't imagine anyone is unfamiliar with the plot (such as it is), but by way of a brief summary, a passenger jet is in trouble when the entire flight crew, and many of the passengers, fall ill from the in flight meal. It's up to Ted Striker to bring down the plane safely; but there's just one problem, he hasn't been able to fly since his last abortive raid during "the war". Oh, and his estranged girlfriend is one of the stewardesses. However, where a disaster film would turn this into an overwrought melodrama, absolutely nothing, and I do mean nothing, is taken seriously in "Airplane".
  
  In fact, it is almost remarkable how much is packed into this film. Literally every scene contains a joke or a sight gag or a double entendre. There's so much going on that in spite of dozens of viewings, I still find something new more often than not. Eve the sound effects are a gag, as all of the exterior shots of the plane (which is a model that is so fake it's hilarious) feature the sound of a prop plane even though it is obviously a jet.
  
  The DVD doesn't have much to recommend it other than the film, but that's to be expected from an older, relatively low budget movie; and those who have seen it would agree, there can't have been much left on the cutting room floor to make up extra features. The image and sound are fine, if not spectacular, but then neither needs to be. However, having the film in widescreen is nice because some of the wide angle shots now contain people that weren't visible in the fullscreen version familiar to TV viewers.
  
  In the end, "Airplane" may very well be the king of movie satires. From start to finish it is a non-stop joke reel, and the amazing thing is that they are all still funny years after the first viewing. Fans of the movie will find this DVD to be adequate, as the transfer and sound are fine, but don't count on any new material or amazing extras. However, as I said before, I don't think this is a movie that needs a lot of extras, and the film alone is well worth the very reasonable price.
  
  Jake Mohlman.
  
  
  

• There's never been any parking in the white zone...

  
  By A3M3I2AHCGQV7F on 2003-12-08
  "Surely you can't be serious"
  "I am, and don't call me Shirley!"
  Classic lines from a classic spoof-comedy. It doesn't get much funnier than this.
  Ok so we all agree it's a classic spoof-comedy - but what about the DVD? I can't complain for lack of special features - the movie is what's important. And about the movie, I have noticed that there are parts missing (yes, scenes were cut out) of the DVD that were in the original movie!
  One such scene is when the two children are play-acting as adults drinking coffee, when he asks her how she takes her coffee, she replies, "black, like my men". This isn't in the DVD but was in the original TV version. There are a few more such incidents (One with the hysterical girl who had "never really been with a man before" - this really makes me mad - I wonder if they cut these parts out for politial correctness or ??
  It makes no sense to me. Watch your old version and then the DVD - you'll notice that scenes are cut out and that's just not right. So while the ORIGINAL movie gets ***** five stars, the DVD with it's missing scenes gets only *** and a big boo! from me.
  
  

• God's gift to humanity

  
  By AH0WIOH7ZJ1PM on 2005-11-24
  It's difficult to understate the impact this movie has had on the cinematic approach to comedy. But enough talk; this edition of Airplane! is long-awaited mainly because of the deleted scenes (including but not limited to the TBS version that screened on television only). The directors' commentary, one would hope, is improved-upon for this re-release: the original DVD (released October 24, 2000) commentary was sorely lacking. Long periods of silence interrupted by laughter, in addition to the paucity of insight from the directors, made that somewhat of a diasppointment. One hopes this re-release allows us more of an insight into the making of this exigent, time-honoured tale of yore. Keats, in reference to the future production of Airplane! once wrote: "...hear ye not the hum / Of mighty workings?"
  
  

• It's about time

  
  By A2R00IJNIHHHO3 on 2005-09-19
  I've been holding out on buying this DVD until some kind of special edition was released. It's been killing me to wait this long since I began collecting DVDs about three years ago, and since this is the funniest movie of all time. But I've noticed the trend for a couple of years now--"double-dipping" I think they're calling it--to re-release movies that have already been released once before with more features, and I just knew that one day someone would realize that "Airplane!", and hopefully the sequel, deserves this kind of release. Fortunately, I've only been fooled by 2 or 3 movies where I ended up buying a newer edition later ("True Romance" and "Clerks" come to mind). Does anybody know anything about this edition??
  
  
• This edition is contaminated with crap advertising
  By AXFX4IRIFZPAE on 2006-04-21
  Airplane is one of the funniest movies of all time -- as I remember it.
  
  Unfortunately, this DVD didn't help me remember why. I put it in my player, and was subjected to SEVEN MINUTES OF LOUD, CRASS, OBNOXIOUS, and TOTALLY IRRELEVANT ADVERTISING.
  
  Back into the box it was put, and back to Amazon it went. Shame on you, Paramount. If you want to develop a decent customer base, then don't treat us with such contempt.
  
  Amazon was very gracious about taking it back -- but you're much better off if you don't get it in the first place. There must be some other edition that's cleaner and less commercially obstreperous.
  
  Grumble.
  
  
• Barbara Billingsley Talks Jive
  By A2WLZD9BY669HY on 2000-07-05
  Yes, for all you "Leave it to Beaver" fans, Beaver Cleaver's mom speaks jive in this movie and does a fine job. It's hilarious.

  This is probably the funniest movie ever made and certainly has more laughs per minute than any other movie. There's no subtlety, this is pure slapstick, but done masterfully by all the participants. The opening disco scene where Robert Hayes parodies "Saturday Night Fever" will have you on the floor, clutching your sides as they split open from laughing so hard.

  Leslie Nielson, Robert Stack and Lloyd ("I guess I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue") Bridges all turn in sterling, hilarious performances. Robert Stack's scene where he beats up everyone in the airport is just another in a long line of classic scenes.

  This movie is as funny as it was 20 years ago when it was released. The AFI recently listed it at number 10 on their all-time "Funniest Movies" list and they blew it. It should have been number one. It's *that* funny.
  
  

• The Plane Wreck That Is The Shirley Edition!
  By A1KDHHQRGC1PCN on 2005-12-17
  Like many fans of this movie, I'd waited for this bells & whistles edition then quickly snapped it up on the first day of rerelease. Well....though it's nice to see this film again, it did come with it's lil' bit o' surprises.
  
  The Print: Most rereleases that I've seen tend to have a newer transfer...at least one that outshines the previous and doesn't make us feel we're watching an 'OK' print. This one here has a liveable, but still noticeable amount of scratches and mystery objects that appear in the frame. I was expecting a bit better considering this is the day and age of restoration. Here, they didn't seem to do much of, if anything to the print, so we're left with one that is slightly better than a good TV quality picture. Hardly a 'special edition' copy of this film.
  
  Features: I noticed immediately when I played the film alone, that it stopped or sputtered in the framerate at times. I'd stopped counting at about five, but still managed to finish the movie fine despite these annoyances. Well, I come to find out, as others have pointed out, the ballyhoo'd special features are chopped up and mixed into the movie (you enact this in the setup menu). Well, after looking at where these special features popped up when enacted, then going back to watching the same scene with them off....bingo....the sputtering I was seeing was exactly where these parts would normally come in. My point being....BEWARE......on some players this will cause a jittery film experiance at times if your just trying to watch it straight thru. My Apex & Koss Players refuse to play the film without these jittery spots, but my Playstation 2's both play the film normally. So just be informed, and keep this in yer back pocket. I'd took my first copy back for an exchange thinking it was defective, then got the replacement and it did the same. This is my first film of hundreds that I can only play on the PS2...lol....and the film.... what can I say that hasn't been said....unfortunately packed into a good intentioned, but rather lamely executed DVD Release. Was this an intern's project? Where's the menu for the special features to see them seperately instead of thru that grating pause so the disc can switch layers or dresses or whatever it does. Gaaaah!
  
  But yea....AIRPLANE: 5 stars.....SHIRLEY PRESENTATION: 3
  
  
• The "Star Wars" Of Comedy Films!
  By A3BN8S0FFHK3XC on 2002-06-25
  Airplane! was recently called "One of the top ten funniest movies of all time." This is very well deserved. Airplane is a film that keeps throwing gags at us and we all keep laughing so hard that by the time we've finished the movie we have to catch our breath. A absoloutley hilarious joke comes, we laugh, we start to stop laughing, and another one comes that's even funnier than the one before it and we laugh before we can catch our breath! It takes strong comic talent for a movie to keep us laughing like that! Let's explore this classic spoof film.

  Flight 209 is heading to Chicago. It's March 5th and Elaine Dickenson (Julie Hagerty) has just run away from her ex-boyfriend Ted Striker (Robert Hays). However, Ted comes home early, finds her note, and speeds to the airport to stop her before she gets on the flight and intends to change her life in Chicago. His attempts to get her back fail, so he follows her on the plane, haunted by flashbacks of his expierience in the war, where he lost most of his squadron while on a foolish attack. Bad luck takes the day when all the pilots become very ill courtesy of food-poisoning in the fish. Even more bad luck comes when passengers start getting sick for the same reason and now it's up to Ted to land the plane with the help of his ex-girlfriend, a doctor (Leslie Nielson), stewardess Randy (Lorna Patterson), a loony air-port controller by the name of McCroskey (Lloyd Bridges), and and old friend (?) from the war, Rex Cramer (Robert Stack).

  It may sound serious, but not one thing is meant to be taken seriously in this unbelievably hilarious film. Every shot (yes) has something funny in it, whether it is subtle (the air-plane makes a propellor blade noise) or some very out-in-the-open ones I will not give away. Let's just say, watching this movie may be the most hilarious expierience of your life.

  All the actors are right on. Delighfully acting serious amidst all the slap-stick things going on, it's pitch perfect. Robert Hays is swell as paranoid Striker, and Hagerty is good as his ex, but those who deserve special recognition are surely Leslie Nielson (Don't call me Shirley!), Lloyd bridges (Look's like I picked the wrong week to quit smoking), Robert Stack (No, that's just what they'll be expecting us to do!) and Steven Stucker as the clueless Johnny (Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes and curtains in the windows and wheels, and it looks like a big tylenol). But this an excellent cast.

  The directing is handled by the now famous Zucker brothers and Abraham, whose only previous film was The Kentucky Fried Movie. The directing is very Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker, which means HILARIOUS. Knowing what they're doing, they're the ones who wrote this beautiful script!

  The DVD for the film is a cut above most Paramount features, but still seriously lacking, especially for such a classic film. There's a commentary by the director's that runs out of steam after about half an hour (it's one of those commentaries where they say they're gonna talk about a certain thing and never do). The commentary was a big dissipointment for me, because I expected info on how a lot of gags got thought up. Nothing like that here. A trailer is also included, but it's very long and ruins a lot of the funniest moments by putting them along with stupid music and making the movie look very unfunny.

  The presentation quality of the film is actually very good, though. The picture is not bad at all, much brighter than the mushy presentations of previous video and TV incarnations of the film. The grain has been very reduced to a minimum and the quality is very good for a 22 year old movie. The sound is a new remastered 5.1 surround that gets the job done admirably. After videos that would go from LOUD LOUD LOUD to quiet quiet quiet, this new sound is great. Well-balanced and with the music well-placed and the voices clear, you'll love the new sound (why Paramount's Friday The 13th movies are getting treated with Mono soundtracks is beyond me).

  However, a complaint I hold against this DVD the most is- where are those TV scenes? When the movie plays on TV, it includes some cool extra scenes that extend the running time and add some more laughs. They include more scenes with the little kids acting like adults and more scenes with Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Robert Hays and Julie Hagery, as well as Robert Stack and Lloyd Bridges. They are nowhere on this DVD. BIG dissipointment. I don't think Paramount quite get the point of DVD. They re supposed to be movies on disks with superior picture and sound quality as well as interesting behind the scenes features and DELETED SCENES. Anyway, that's the big thing missing on this DVD.

  Airplane was followed by a sequel, Airplane 2 The Sequel which failed to keep the laughs the original had going and usually recycled stuff from the first film with new actors. Also, it missed a lot of great characters from th original. Leslie Nielson, Robert Stack, Lorna Patterson, a lot of people missing from the sequel. That movie is good fun, there are some good laughs, but the original will always be the best. Period.
  
  

• For what it is, it couldn't be better
  By A26TSW6AI59ZCV on 2005-02-14
  After a series of very serious (and sometimes well-made) "Airport" movies, "Airplane" came along and made fun of absolutely everything. It featured sight gags (Robert Hays had a shameful "drinking problem" in that he always missed his mouth when drinking a glass of water), puns ("Surely, you jest!" "Stop calling me 'Shirley'!"), caricatures (a pilot who is so cool that he wears shades under his shades), and skits (Barbara Billingsley as an older lady who can speak "jive" and translates another passenger's statements for everyone). The movie pretends to be serious, in the situations that arise, but absolutely everything is tongue-in-cheek. There is nothing serious about this movie, or in this movie, except its ability to make you laugh. If you're looking for absurd, light comedy, this would be a great choice.
  
  
• Every thing you ever wanted to know about air travel
  By A20EEWWSFMZ1PN on 2005-10-23
  Leslie Nielsen has been around for a long time and in many leads before striking out on a road to comedy. This is but one story. However it was a turning point for him from leading man in "Forbidden Planet" (1956), to serious doctor in" Airplane!" (1980), to Field Guide in "National Geographic's "The Savage Garden" with Leslie Nielsen (1997)
  
  Airplane has a great cast including Robert Stack (playing himself), Lloyd Bridges (glub glub), and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (just as defensive as ever).
  
  This movie is unique. It is the first; I have seen displaying one liners with serious intent. It was not just slapstick or Abbot and Costello. This particular film uses the "Airport" movies as the basis of most of its humor.
  
  It worked well enough for sequels and other films to be made in the new genre. I keep it with the Leslie Nielsen Collection.
  
  Airplane 2 - The Sequel
  
  
• This one's for George Zip!
  By A21B2TJBWCSK1R on 2005-12-16
  This movie perfected the rapid-fire machine gun style of comedy pioneered by comedians like the Marx brothers. The logic was that if one joke failed, you were too busy laughing at another joke that came along immediately afterwards to notice. This approach works beautifully because the number of jokes that work far outnumber the ones that don't. The Zucker Abrahams Zucker team created a dense structure of gags that fell into two different categories: ones that were visual in nature (Ted orders a plane ticket for the smoking section and he's handed a ticket that is literally smoking) or verbal (The doctor asks, "What was it we had for dinner tonight?" to which Elaine responds, "We had a choice, steak or fish." He replies, "Yes, I remember. I had lasagna.").
  
  Airplane! is a landmark comedy in that it spawned countless imitators - some by the original ZAZ team - and many more by other filmmakers. However, this film is the best of the bunch, followed closely by other ZAZ gems like Top Secret! and the first Naked Gun film. This comic team eventually split up to do their own films but none have come close to the low-brow brilliance of their initial collaborations.
  
  Carried over from the previous DVD release is an audio commentary by producer Jon Davison and writer/directors Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and David Zucker. They take us through the genesis of the project and joke around like the old friends that they are. This is an amusing, informative track that fans of this movie will enjoy.
  
  The "Long Haul Version" allows you to watch deleted scenes and new interviews with cast and crew as you're watching the movie. In a bafflingly inept move, you cannot watch this stuff on its own, you have to watch it as you're watching the movie. Some memorable cast members appear, including Hays, Graves and Nielsen, along with Davison and the ZAZ team. It's great to hear everyone reminisce about what it was like to make the movie and how they feel about it now.
  
  If you are looking for even more factoids, than you can enable the "Trivia Track" feature that runs steady supply of information on the screen that pertains to the movie and the cast and crew.
  
  Finally, there is a theatrical trailer.
  
  
• Slap Stick Slop
  By on 2000-10-04
  This is nothing more than slap stick slop. There is no acting. There is no plot and no theme. If you like pointless mindless movie fare, then this is for YOU! Want a movie where you don't have to think? This is your movie! Like jokes that are silly and nonsensical? Here you go. Enjoy. Purely garbage.
  
  
• It's AFI's #10, but it's my #1
  By A2S02XWWNNHUIX on 2000-11-28
  This movie made the AFI top ten comedies of all time and for very good reasons. This movie is hilarious from start to finish. The comedy is pure slapstick and in your face, but you cannot help but enjoy it. Even twenty years after it's release to the theatre's it is still knee slapping hilarious. Who can forget these classic scenes:

  Robert Hayes' drinking problem

  Julie Hagerty's attempt to "fix" the automatic pilot

  Barbara Billingsly talking jive

  Robert Stack assaulting everyone in the airport

  Lloyd Bridges smoking, drinking, pill popping, and glue sniffing

  Ask yourself here would Leslie Neilson be today without "Airplane"? This is the movie that spawned the entire movie spoof genre, and without a doubt the best. If you have never seen this movie you have been missing out on one of the funniest movies ever made. This is a must have for any serious collector.
  
  

• Not What I Hoped...
  By AYZSZR4TII8OX on 2005-12-15
  While this film is a true classic, this particular issue is not as good as I would have hoped for.
  
  The story, you know it, it dosen't need rehashing. The special features on this disc is really what I'm disappointed with.
  
  I like the "follow the white rabbit" features, but to basically chop a making-of featurette into 60-some parts and scatter them throughout a movie to where you have to constantly leave said movie... is just annoying. There were only three deleted scenes presented (the Hijack scene, additions to the Kid Professionals conversation, and the water cooler with Kramer and McCroskey). There were other deleted scenes that appeared in the TV version. My biggest complaint is, where are these deleted scenes, and if you were going to include these, why not just put them on a menu in the special features like 95% of the other DVDs that are out there.
  
  Now, to the positives. The picture and sound are excellent, although I can't tell much of a difference between this release and the first DVD release.
  
  My recommendation: If you don't mind the annoying white rabbit every so often as the only way to access special features, then this is probably for you.
  
  2 out of 5.
  
  
• Say No to Triple-Dip Rereleases
  By A1YUDUB20HKEDS on 2006-06-09
  This is sheer baloney! Here is one of several DVD's releases YET AGAIN with a few more extra bits thrown in. Write to the companies putting these movies out in re-released form, and tell them you want to BOYCOTT this behavior. The only release that ever did the RIGHT THING as far as I know was Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs, where you were sent a rebate off the purchase price if you had older versions of the movie, and upgraded. And these movie companies have the gall to run anti-piracy ads before their movies? PLEASE! The consumer is playing fair, so why can't movie companies play fair. If you're fed up like I am over this behavior, SPEAK UP! Say No to Triple-Dip Rereleases...
  
  
• I Laughed So Hard, My Sides Hurt!
  By A14GPF8YJD485T on 2000-09-20
  This is one of the funniest films that I have ever seen! TedStriker's (aka- actor Robert Hays) "drinking problem" kills me! And some of the lines are just too funny - like, "This is serious. We need to get these people to a hospital" " A hospital? What is it?" "A big building with patients - but that's not important now" Of course, my favorite line is between Robert Hays and Leslie Nielson "Surely, you can't be serious!" "Yes, I am serious. And don't call me Shirley"

  BUY IT! You'll love it!
  
  

• Airplane, don't call me shirley Edition
  By A2WENGNSNQI3EH on 2005-12-18
  If you are looking for all of the scenes we saw on the TV movie of airplane......it didn't happen. If you have the original Airplane, don't waste your money on the don't call me shirley edition.......they DID NOT put one single of the deleted scences back in it.......This IS a big disappointment
  
  
• A Groundbreaking Comedy
  By A3FQZCYG80ANO0 on 2000-11-17
  Airplane is one of those rare movies where you are glad that your DVD player has the capability to pause the film, thus saving you from missing anything when you get up for any reason. I originally saw this movie in the theater and laughed myself into a near coma, but it is the ability of video and DVD to allow the viewer to repeat the film infinitum that makes you appreciate its brilliance.

  There always seems to be something happening in the foreground, background, or even over the loudspeaker in the airport. It challenges you to pick up on all of the jokes. This isn't as easy as it sounds. You will find yourself concentrating on the blatant jokes, puns, and groaners, but missing the subtle jokes that go on in the peripheral areas of the screen.

  The use of well known "Dramatic" actors in the film adds to the hillarity. They deliver the jokes in a way that makes you believe that the absurdity is normal. This film, of course, made Leslie Nielson's career.

  I own this movie on VHS and DVD and I strongly recomend that everyone who owns a DVD player add this movie to your collection. The enhanced sound quality will ensure that you will hear all of the subtle jokes. I rank it as my number 5 favorite comedy of all time, and my top five are very close. Get it, you won't regret it.
  
  

• There's always more to say
  By A2EF64HUKVH6IU on 2001-01-24
  Airplane! is one of those movies that can never be described properly in a single review. What we have here is one seriously deranged comedy, and though most of the jokes are cheap laughs, some show tremendous subtlety and depth. The running "What is it?" joke is an ingeniously funny play on words, and Ted's "drinking problem" (splash!) is something most of us would never have imagined. A lot of the jokes work together or are seen more than once; others appear briefly but in rapid fire, so there's never a dull moment. But there are subtler jokes as well: Every time you see a shot of the jet in flight, you hear the sound of a propeller. Even the little things were attended to.

  As for the performances... well, Robert Stack and Lloyd Bridges really pack in the laughs with their dead-serious attitudes amid the chaos, their characters never realizing they're as goofy as everyone else around them.

  In a lot of ways what's kept Airplane! great is that later comedies didn't know how to pack in the laughs. This movie stuffed between the jokes with puns and sight gags that are more endearing than the jokes themselves. And nothing makes better spoof material than an overserious '70s disaster flick.

  The features on the DVD are a little disappointing; I at least would have hoped to see deleted scenes like the "Hijack" scene that appears only when the film is on TV. (I understand Airplane 2: The Sequel has a similar lack of features, which is unfortunate since my favorite scene in that movie is one of those deleted scenes only shown on television.) Still, it's a truly classic film and well worth owning.
  
  

• One of my all-time Top 5 Funny Movies
  By A3URMIVRQLZVMO on 2001-01-30
  "Airplane" put the Zucker Brothers on the directoral map, and remade the career of Leslie Nielsen (remember him as the ill-fated captain in "The Poseidon Adventure"?). It's easy to see why the Zuckers did several more of these type features (including the unbelievalby funny "Police Squad" Tv show).

  This is a truly hilarious film, but it is nearly impossible to get all of the jokes, gags, puns, and silliness in 1 or even 2 viewings. This is the staying power of this film, it always brings you back looking for more stuff, and finding it. It is truly a comedic masterpiece.

  Although several movies were spoofed in "Airplane", the first 2 "Airport" movies (1970 and 1975) were really hammered. Beginning with the opening scene of the cars pulling up to the terminal (1970) to the guitar playing nun (1975), ther is little of either film that is spared (well maybe the part about the cockpit being smashed).

  This is a must-own movie for anyone with even the smallest funny bone.
  
  

• One of the TOP THREE BEST comedies ever made!
  By AYGHUCNGQ0HMF on 2001-03-11
  It's pretty hard to say which is the #1 comedy of all time, since there are really different types of comedy. For slapstick, literal, and pure cheap comedy, this is in the top 3. It is often rated as the #1 comedy of all time.

  I have seen it on TV dozens of times since the 80's, and now that I don't see it as often on TV, I rent it about once or twice a year just to get a good laugh in. Even now that I've seen it MANY times, it NEVER fails to make me laugh.

  SUPER FUNNY. I don't think there is 60 seconds in this movie where something isn't happening. If the people in the foreground are being serious, WATCH THE BACKGROUND.

  There are so many killer one liners in here. I don't want to give away any scenes, but the automatic pilot getting blow up, the jive dudes talking (AND the subcaptions which are NOWHERE near what they are REALLY saying), Ted Stryker boring people into suicide with his flashbacks, the disco scene, the final approach with Stryker EXCESSIVELY sweating, the perverted pilot (Joey, have you ever seen a grown man naked?), and the lady who has convulsions and the passengers who line up to beat her.

  There are just SO MANY drop dead funny scenes in this. If you need to run to the bathroom, PAUSE THE MOVIE. Guaranteed you will miss some scenes. There is no possible you can pick up everything in one sitting. In fact, after MANY rentals, just recently I found something I had missed for 15 years of watching this movie. It has THAT much hidden in it.

  If you haven't seen this, you must have lived in a cave.

  For anyone who likes slapstick, literal, and even some basic adult humor (you will know what I mean by the automatic pilot and Elaine sitting on Teds face), this movie will have you rolling on the floor laughing.

  Too bad movies aren't still made this way. How many movies can last 20 YEAR and still be raved about? This movie is also a great cure if you are depressed. Pop it in the player and just watch it. I have seen dozens upon dozens of comedies, and this is in the top 1% of ultimate funny movies.

  Reporter: What kind of plane is it? Jacobs: Oh its a really neat plane. It's white with red stripes on it, wheels and curtains in the windows. It looks like a big tylenol.

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

  Just way too funny.
  
  

• It's dull
  By on 2002-11-20
  A guy with poor hearing answers "Don't call me Shirley" when somebody says "Surely" to him. This is the main joke in this movie. If you think this is hysterically funny, go ahead, buy it. You'll have a lot of fun, the whole movie is full of this stuff. Otherwise, pass on it, it's dull.
  
  
• Im Going to Be Brief
  By A2VOTLN4QJ5LGC on 2003-03-22
  This is the funniest movie ever made.

  Go ahead click the button. Im not helpful
  
  

• One of the funniest movies ever made
  By A19HQVND02SRWE on 2005-07-06
  Funny, funny movie from the people behind "The Naked Gun" and "The Kentucky Fried Movie". A parody of airplane disaster movies ("Zero Hour" in particular), it's clever, goofy, and sometimes *extremely* corny! One of those films that I would find myself laughing about days later.
  
  The DVD also includes one of the best audio commentaries I've ever heard, featuring writers Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and David Zucker, and producer Jon Davison.
  
  If you're thinking about picking this one up, hold off a bit, because they're coming out with a 2-disc special edition soon!
  
  
• Stupid
  By A1R35DVJ6N4I2Q on 1999-06-03
  Thos movie was horrid to the point where I could not even sit through it. And I am an immature high school freshman.
  
  
• Great Movie, Disappointing DVD
  By AH0WIOH7ZJ1PM on 2001-02-15
  Airplane! Is probably my most favorite movie of all time, for all the reasons enumerated by the other reviews on this page. However, I purchased the DVD to hear the Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker team provide anecdotes that enhanced my appreciation for the characters in the movie. While they did provide some relevant insight, most of the time the commentary consisted of droning on about production stories and boring talk. Towards the end of the movie the directors seem like they could care less, and in fact there are long pauses where nobody says anything. This is fine, because I love Airplane!, but it was a major diappointment because the other DVD's I have seen provide insight and enhancement to movies.

  If you are interested in seeing the trailer, that is certainly a bonus, as is the ability to cut to my favorite scenes. The commentary, however, was a letdown.
  
  

• I AM serious, and don't call me Shirley!
  By A29R4FCO6RFX4K on 2002-08-05
  The greatest movie spoof and funniest film of all time is on DVD! Directed by the Zucker Brothers, AIRPLANE is the king of all spoofs, putting lame attempts like SCARY MOVIE to shame. The relentless number of gags is the key here, with so many jokes it takes several viewings to catch them all. My favourite gags are the Saturday Night Fever disco mock, the mayhem jokes on the plane (crash postions etc), Stephen Stucker as Johnny ("The tower! Rapunzel!) and the very patient cab driver! And of course, one of the best lines, "Surely you can't be serious!" "I AM serious, and don't call me Shirley!" and "Joey, do you like movies about Gladiators?" Classic! The jokes come fast and frequently, providing enough weird humour to satisfy fans of this genre. Great fun. The DVD extras consist of a terrific Commenatary from the directors and a trailer. More extra stuff would be nice, but the commentary alone is worth it.
  
  
• Looks like I picked the wrong movie to watch more than twice
  By A3OI841P5R6FCH on 2003-09-07
  Like others, I enjoyed this fun little misadventure full of silly puns, droll humor, amazing sight gags, and other moments of hilarity. Well, actually I enjoyed watching it the first two times, and then got tired of all the silliness. The jokes and gags don't hold up all that well after multiple viewings with me (sadly, this has been the case with most of the other Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker comedies as well). Although I must admit, it was good to finally see the uncut and uncensored version of this flick after viewing the sanitized network rendition so many times. Who could forget such moments as the stewardess reinflating the auto-pilot? Or a certain waste product hitting a table fan in the air-traffic-control tower? Or a nice, perky pair of... um... well, you'll have to see that part for yourself...

  But if there's anything sadder than a movie that I don't find all that funny anymore, it's those people who like to recite all those `classic' gag lines from the movie. Do you know how many times I've heard that whole "Roger, Oveur" spiel over the years? More than once, which is WAY too much! Then there're those folks who love to spout those inappropriate questions that Peter Graves asks that little kid in the cockpit at the drop of a hat. I swear to God, if someone ever asks me if I like to watch movies with gladiators in them, I'm gonna show `em what it's like to be on the losing end of a gladiatorial contest!!! And, thanks to this flick, I no longer start off any question with the word `surely' anymore! And I'm never able to ask, "what is it?", without someone making some snide, tangential remark ending with, "...but that's not important now"! Then there's those weirdos who always "pick the wrong day to quit" whatever habit they're trying to break. And don't even get me started about the jive talkin'! I tells ya, `Airplane!' nuts are right up there with `Monty Python' fans on the annoyance scale when it comes to reciting their fave lines! Well, actually the `Airplane!' nuts are a step below the Pythoners; at least the former group doesn't recite their lines in really bad British accents...

  Then there's the sad case of Leslie Nielsen, who became both discovered (or re-discovered if you're a big `Forbidden Planet' fan) and type-cast with his role as the doctor. Admittedly, his overall demeanor and droll, deadpan delivery of comedic lines would help him out in the `Naked Gun' flicks. But then he became the `go-to' guy for every lame-o sight-gag-laden `Airplane!'-style comedy out there (remember `Spy Hard'? I know I sure do, even though I wish I didn't!), which pretty much sunk his chances of ever being taken seriously as a dramatic actor. `Course, I know what'cher thinkin'-- he didn't HAVE to accept all those lame roles. But hey, the guy's got a lifestyle to maintain!

  `Late

  Post Script: just a heads-up to all you wild `n' crazy `Airplane!' fans: the movie will be celebrating its 25th anniversary pretty soon. And you know what that means, right? That's right-- more'n likely, Paramount's gonna celebrate the anniversary by doing what I call the Dreaded DVD Double-Dip Maneuver on this flick (see my "So You'd Like To..." guide for more info on this annoying phenomenon). I just have a gut feeling that they're gonna re-release `Airplane!' on a special edition digital disc that'll have a heckuva lot more extras and special features than the bare-bones platter that's bein' offered here. Things such as trailers, behind-the-scenes featurettes, a feature-length commentary audio track, and all the other junk they put on deluxe DVDs nowadays. So needless to say, if you're an all-out `Airplane!' aficionado who's just gotta have it all when it comes to feature-packed DVDs, you might wanna hold off buying this particular platter, and wait a little longer. Don't become a DVD Double-Dip victim like so many others (including myself) have!

  You've been warned...

  `Later
  
  

• "Don't Call Me Shirley"
  By A37ISYORSQVKCU on 2005-10-18
  I read on another site that this edition includes deleted scenes on a "branching" option, meaning that as u r watching the movie a symbol pops up & u hit enter to go to the deleted scene. I would rather they were put back into the movie. I am not sure but maybe the deleted scenes r the scenes that were put back in when this movie aired on commercial TV. Paramount also did this with the "Naked Gun" & "Brady Bunch" movies, so I hope they re-release those as well!! It also is supp. to include a "trivia" subtitle track, telling some "new" stories about the movie. I still love "Airplane" tho!!..."Nervous?..Yes...First time?...No, I've been nervous lotsa times."...LOL
  
  

• Airplane II: The Sequel
• Young Frankenstein
• The Naked Gun DVD Gift Set
• Spaceballs
• Police Squad! The Complete Series