Editing Leslie Nielsen (section)

===Comedy: ''Airplane!'' and ''The Naked Gun''===
{{Main|Airplane!|The Naked Gun}}

In an early comedic appearance, Nielsen appeared on ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]'' in 1973 as the title character in "[[The Ringbanger]]". 

Nielsen's supporting role of Dr. Rumack in [[Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker]]'s (ZAZ) 1980's ''[[Airplane!]]'' was a turning point in his career. The film, a parody of disaster films such as ''[[Zero Hour!]]'' and ''[[Airport (1970 film)|Airport]]'', was based on building a comedy around "serious" actors better known for their dramatic roles. Other "straight" stars in the film included [[Robert Stack]], [[Peter Graves]], and [[Lloyd Bridges]].

Nielsen's deadpan delivery contrasted with the absurdity surrounding him. When asked, "Surely you can't be serious?", his curt, now iconic response was: "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley." In several later interviews, he reflected on the line: "I thought it was amusing, but it never occurred to me that it was going to become a trademark. It's such a surprise&nbsp;... the thing comes out, people say, 'What did he say?!'."<ref name="KJZZ">{{cite web |title=Leslie Nielsen Interview (Radio) |publisher=KJZZ 91.5 FM |url=http://kjzz.org/news/arizona/archives/200402/leslieneilsen |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100521130007/http://kjzz.org/news/arizona/archives/200402/leslieneilsen |archive-date= 21 May 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Nielsen said he was "pleased and honoured that [he] had a chance to deliver that line".<ref name="YahooNe"/> As of 2010, the comedic exchange was at number 79 on the [[American Film Institute]]'s [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes]].<ref name="AFI">{{cite web |title=AFI.com |work=AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes |url=http://www.afi.com/100years/quotes.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714151852/http://www.afi.com/100years/quotes.aspx |archive-date= 14 July 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The American Film Institute included the film in its list of the top ten comedy films of all time in 2008,<ref name="MIL">{{cite news| last=Dudek| first=Duane| title=25 years and still laughing; Airplane!' maintains its cruising| work=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]]| url=http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=332493|access-date=23 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430053901/http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=332493 |archive-date=30 April 2008}}</ref> and a 2007 survey in the United Kingdom judged it the second-greatest comedy film of all time after ''[[Monty Python's Life of Brian]]''.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4573444.stm "Life of Brian named best comedy"]. [[BBC News]]. Retrieved 18 January 2014</ref> In 2012, ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' voted it number one in the 50 Funniest Comedies Ever poll.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.empireonline.com/features/50comedy/default.asp?film=1| title=The 50 Funniest Comedies Ever – 1. Airplane!| work=empireonline.com}}</ref> Critics praised the film, which also proved a long-term success with audiences.<ref name="RT1">{{cite web|title=Airplane! (1980)| work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]| url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/airplane/| access-date=23 February 2009}}</ref> In 2010, ''Airplane!'' was selected for preservation in the [[National Film Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]].<ref name="congress">{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jaseG0DbTvl6sIv1uPc-xelSmvjg?docId=c086d710fa42415cbeff1a6a2f80aa36|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231205322/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jaseG0DbTvl6sIv1uPc-xelSmvjg?docId=c086d710fa42415cbeff1a6a2f80aa36|url-status=dead|archive-date=31 December 2010|title='Empire Strikes Back' among 25 film registry picks|access-date=28 December 2010}}</ref><ref name="hollreporter">{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/empire-strikes-airplane-25-movies-65915|title='Empire Strikes Back,' 'Airplane!' Among 25 Movies Named to National Film Registry |access-date=28 December 2010 | work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |first=Mike |last=Barnes |date=28 December 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230174923/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/empire-strikes-airplane-25-movies-65915 |archive-date=30 December 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The directors cast Nielsen for his ability to play like "a fish in water", saying: "You could have cast funny people and done it with everybody winking, goofing off, and silly&nbsp;... we wanted people to be oblivious to the comedy."<ref name="MIL"/> For Nielsen, ''Airplane!'' marked a career shift from dramatic roles to [[deadpan|deadpan comedy]]. When it was suggested his role in ''Airplane!'' was [[Typecasting (acting)|against type]], Nielsen protested that he had "always been cast against type before", and that comedy was what he always wanted to do.<ref name="CastType">{{cite news |last1=Dalton |first1=Andrew |last2=Thomas |first2=Bob |title='Airplane!', 'Forbidden Planet' actor Nielsen dies |work=[[The Monitor (Texas)|The Monitor]] |url=http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBIT_LESLIE_NIELSEN?SITE=TXMCA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101208205723/http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBIT_LESLIE_NIELSEN?SITE=TXMCA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT |archive-date= 8 December 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1982, ZAZ cast Nielsen in a similar style, in their [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC TV]] series ''[[Police Squad!]]''. The spoof series introduced Nielsen as Lt. [[Frank Drebin]], the stereotypical police officer modeled after serious characters, such as [[Joe Friday]], in earlier police TV dramas.

The opening sequence for ''Police Squad!'' was based on the 1950s show ''[[M Squad]]'', which starred [[Lee Marvin]], and opened with footage of a [[police car]] roving through a dark urban setting with a big band playing a jazz song in the background. The [[Hank Simms]] voice-over and the show's organization into acts with an epilogue was homage to [[Quinn Martin]] police dramas including ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]'', ''[[The Streets of San Francisco]]'', ''[[Barnaby Jones]]'', ''[[The F.B.I. (TV series)|The F.B.I.]]'', ''[[Dan August]]'' and ''[[Cannon (TV series)|Cannon]]''. Nielsen portrayed a serious character whose one-liners appeared accidental next to the pratfalls and sight gags that were happening around him. Nielsen received an [[Emmy Award]] nomination for his performance and despite positive critical reviews, the series was cancelled after just six episodes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emmys.com/celebrities/leslie-nielsen |title=Leslie Nielsen |work=Television Academy}}</ref><ref name="BIO">{{cite web |title=Leslie Nielsen |publisher=[[The Biography Channel]] |url=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_story/150:519/1/Leslie_Nielsen.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240525025049/https://www.webcitation.org/5ufWoKHlM?url=http://public2.bio.lalababy.co.uk/biographies/leslie-nielsen.html |archive-date= 25 May 2024 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Six years after cancellation of ''Police Squad!'', the film ''[[The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!]]'' returned Nielsen to his role as Frank Drebin. It involved a ruthless drug king using [[hypnosis]] to attempt an assassination on Queen [[Elizabeth II]]. Nielsen did many of his own stunts: "You have an idea of how you're going to do something, and it's your vision&nbsp;... unless you do it, it really doesn't stand a chance."<ref name="KJZZ"/> This movie grossed over $78&nbsp;million and was well received by critics.<ref name="MOJO">{{cite web |title=The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! |work=[[Box Office Mojo]] |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=nakedgun.htm |access-date=23 February 2009}}</ref><ref name="RT2">{{cite web |title=The Naked Gun – From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)|work=Rotten Tomatoes|date=2 December 1988 |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/naked_gun_from_the_files_of_police_squad/|access-date=23 February 2009}}</ref> Ebert's {{frac|3|1|2}}–star review (out of four) noted: "You laugh, and then you laugh at yourself for laughing."<ref name="Ebert2">{{cite news |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |title=The Naked Gun |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19881202/REVIEWS/812020301/1023 |date=12 December 1988 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101109114346/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19881202%2FREVIEWS%2F812020301%2F1023 |archive-date=9 November 2010 |url-status=dead |access-date=12 May 2017 }}</ref>

''The Naked Gun'' spawned two sequels: ''[[The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear]]'' (1991) and ''[[Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult|Naked Gun {{frac|33|1|3}}: The Final Insult]]'' (1994). ''The Naked Gun 2½'' grossed more than the original, with $86.9 million, while ''{{frac|33|1|3}}'' grossed $51.1 million.<ref name="MOJO2">{{cite web|title=The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=thenakedgun2.htm|access-date=23 February 2009}}</ref><ref name="MOJO3">{{cite web|title=The 33 1/3: The Final Insult|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=thenakedgun3.htm|access-date=23 February 2009}}</ref> Nielsen remained open to a fourth ''Naked Gun'' film, although he doubted that it would be produced — "I don't think so", he said in 2005. "If there hasn't been one by now, I doubt it. I think it would be wonderful."<ref name="About">{{cite news |last=Topel |first=Fred|title=Scary Movie 3 |publisher=[[About.com]] |url=http://actionadventure.about.com/cs/weeklystories/a/aa102403.htm| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051225060616/http://actionadventure.about.com/cs/weeklystories/a/aa102403.htm |archive-date=25 December 2005 |access-date=23 February 2009}}</ref>

Nielsen briefly appeared on the [[World Wrestling Federation]] program in the summer of 1994 on ''[[WWE Raw|WWF Monday Night Raw]]'', spoofing the role of Frank Drebin. Nielsen and ''Naked Gun'' co-star [[George Kennedy]] were hired as sleuths to unravel the mystery of [[the Undertaker]], who had disappeared at January's [[Royal Rumble (1994)|Royal Rumble]] event. At [[SummerSlam (1994)|SummerSlam 1994]], in a ''Naked Gun'' parody, they were hot on the case (in fact, they were standing on a case). Although they did not find the Undertaker, the case had been closed (the literal case had been shut), thus they solved the mystery.<ref name=wcrap>{{cite book|title=Wrestlecrap: The Very Worst of Pro Wrestling|last=Baer|first=Randy|author2=R.D. Reynolds|publisher=ECW Press|year=2003|page=[https://archive.org/details/wrestlecrapveryw00rdre/page/168 168]|isbn=1-55022-584-7|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/wrestlecrapveryw00rdre/page/168}}</ref> In 1990, Nielsen appeared as a Frank Drebin type character in advertisements for [[Red Rock Cider]] in the [[United Kingdom]].

Nielsen's few dramatic roles following his comedic success in ''Airplane!'' included the [[horror films]] ''[[Prom Night (1980 film)|Prom Night]]'' (1980) and ''[[Creepshow]]'' (1982). He appeared as a dramatic and unsympathetic character in the 1986 comedy ''[[Soul Man (film)|Soul Man]]''. His final dramatic role  was as Allen Green, a violent client killed in self defense by prostitute Claudia Draper ([[Barbra Streisand]]) in [[Martin Ritt]]'s courtroom drama ''[[Nuts (1987 film)|Nuts]]'' (1987).