and don’t call me Shirley.
Come on, everyone’s using it, it’s one of the classic comedy lines of all times, in one of the classic comedy films of all time.
And it’ll be what actor Leslie Nielsen is remembered for. From the days of him being the romantic lead in films like the Forbidden Planet, to the days he was the villain in the likes of Columbo and other TV shows, to being the captain of the Poseidon. To what he became known as – a comedy actor – because of that role in “Airplane!” Where his delivery was so deadpan it made the lines that much funnier.
Six episodes of “Police Squad!” followed but didn’t become a hit until six years later when the character Frank Drebin was revived for the hit film “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!” and the following couple of sequels. Which lead to more and more appearances in the same vain in the same type of spoof flicks.
But you’ll never beat the lines from “Airplane!” or the first “Naked Gun” films.
…nice beaver…