This past Tuesday, Nov. 26th, Airplane! director Jim Abrahams has been reported to have quietly passed on in Santa Monica. His son Joseph told the public his father died of natural causes due to his elderly age.
Jim Abrahams’ Comedic Journey
Forming ZAZ
Abrahams didn’t begin writing and directing until 1971. He told Unpacking The Problem that after he graduated from the University of Wisconsin, he became a Milwaukee private investigator. His childhood friends, Jerry and David Zucker were kept busy. David was currently a construction expeditor while his younger brother, Jerry was finishing college.
One day, Abrahams and David settled down to catch up on each other’s lives. Then David invited him to his house to mess around with videotaping equipment. From there, the two friends created a spoof scene of Ali McGrath’s A Love Story. Family and friends including Jerry loved what they had created.
The three of them found and rented a room at the back of a bookstore in Madison. Together, Abrahams and the Zucker Brothers wrote and performed improvised comedy skits for their show program, Kentucky Fried Theater. The trio called themselves ZAZ which is short for Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker.
Breaking into The Hollywood Mainstream
ZAZ later moved to California and produced their first film, Kentucky Fried Movie in 1977. It introduced audiences to parody comedy, combining crude humor with improvised acting. The trio soon struck gold in 1980 when they created the parody film Airplane! Abrahams and the Zucker Brothers based the film off of the 1957 disaster movie, Zero Hour. Paramount Pictures greenlit the film with a budget of $3.5 million. ZAZ managed to make an overturn of $83.5 million.
By using the tension of an emergency airplane landing, the spoofs can be placed in exaggerated serious moments. Airplane! also presented the late Leslie Nielson’s most famous role, Dr. Rumack. His scenes showed his calm demeanor despite the plane going through turbulence. Not once does Nelson flinch, panic, or scream throughout the film which supports Abrahams’ humor. He continued to work with ZAZ for Police Squad! and its film series, Naked Gun.
Abrahams and The Zuckers Split
After following Airplane!’s success, the Zucker Brothers decided to separate from Abrahams. When ZAZ produced their kidnap comedy, Ruthless People in 1986, there were creative disputes on the film’s direction. Touchstone Pictures credited the trio as the main writers when in reality, most of the movie was written by Dale Launer.
Abrahams went on to produce more comedy spoofs, some with original stories to follow. In 1988, he created a female cast comedy, Big Business where two pairs of sisters discover how they are connected. Then 1991, he released his Top Gun parody, Hot Shots! starring former comedian, Charlie Sheen. Abrahams’ last known work for screenwriting was when David brought him aboard for Scary Movie 4.
A Soul Who Made The World Laugh
Jim Abrahams made his mark in the film industry with his comedic genius. If it wasn’t for David Zucker introducing him into filmography, he would have continued being a private investigator. The reason why ZAZ’s comedy became a staple is because of their cooperation and natural ability to goof around.
After all, Abrahams and the Zucker Brothers have been great friends since their childhood. They launched their directing careers by creating spoofs of popular films. They inspired future directors to try and follow in their footsteps. It’s unknown what Abrahams did after retiring from the writing spotlight. What we do have left of him are the interviews that are spread around the Internet to hear parts of his life story. He was 80 years old at the time of his passing.
