Comedy legend
“Naked Gun” director Jim Abrahams is dead
Jim Abrahams, director of cult films like “Top Secret!” and “The Naked Gun”, is dead. Together with the Zucker brothers, he redefined the comedy genre in Hollywood.
The film world has lost one of its greatest comedy directors: Jim Abrahams, who, together with siblings David and Jerry Zucker, made cult films such as “Top Secret!” and created the “Naked Gun” series is dead. The filmmaker died on Tuesday at his home in Santa Monica at the age of 80.
Together with the Zucker brothers, Abrahams revolutionized the comedy genre in the 1980s. The trio achieved their breakthrough together in 1980 with “The Incredible Journey in a Crazy Plane (“Airplane!”, 1980), an over-the-top disaster film parody. The film in which Leslie Nielsen launched his second career as a comedian was not just a commercial one success, but also made it into the list of the 1000 best films in the New York Times.
Jim Abrahams went from underdog to cult director
Born on May 10, 1944 in tranquil Shorewood, Wisconsin, Abrahams began his career far away from Hollywood glamour. Together with his childhood friends David and Jerry Zucker, he first wrote the independent film “Kentucky Fried Movie”, which was directed by John Landis.
The big breakthrough came with “Airplane!”, which redefined the film parody genre. The characteristic humor – characterized by wordplay, visual gags and stoically presented absurdities – became the trio’s trademark.
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A comedy dynasty is born
In the years that followed, Abrahams and the Zuckers created other comedy classics. With the short-lived TV series “The Naked Gun” (“Police Squad!”, 1982) and the resulting “The Naked Gun” films, they finally established Leslie Nielsen as a comedy star. The trilogy grossed over $216 million worldwide.
Abraham’s other credits include films like “Top Secret!” with Val Kilmer and “Hot Shots!” with Charlie Sheen. His last work was the mafia parody “Mafia! – One noodle doesn’t make spaghetti!” from 1998.
The director is survived by his wife of almost 50 years, Nancy Cocuzzo, as well as three children and three grandchildren. His comedic legacy lives on in countless films – and not least in the new edition of “The Naked Gun” scheduled for this summer, starring Liam Neeson.
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Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
