Police Squad!

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Police Squad!

Title Screen
Format Crime Comedy
Created by Jim Abrahams
David Zucker
Jerry Zucker
Developed by Paramount Television
Starring Leslie Nielsen
Alan North
Peter Lupus
Ed Williams
William Duell
Rex Hamilton
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
No. of episodes 6 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive
producer(s)		 Jim Abrahams[1]
David Zucker[1]
Running time 30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel ABC[2].
Original run March 4, 1982 – July 8, 1982[2]
Chronology
Followed by The Naked Gun film series
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Police Squad! is a television comedy series first broadcast in 1982. It was a spoof of police dramas, packed with visual gags and non sequiturs. While a parody of many television shows and movies, it bore a particular resemblance to the Lee Marvin cop show, M Squad.[citation needed]

Police Squad! was created by the comedy filmmaking trio Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker, who had previously worked together on The Kentucky Fried Movie and Airplane!. Despite critical acclaim, the show was cancelled by ABC after just six episodes.[3] This was enough to gain a strong cult following through repeat broadcasts,[4] which led to the 1988 film version The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! and two further sequels. Many gags from the show were recycled for the films.

Leslie Nielsen played a role that was written especially for him,[5] as Detective Frank Drebin in the series and all three films. Alan North played the role of Captain Ed Hocken on the show; in the films, the role was played by George Kennedy. Peter Lupus also co-starred on the show as Officer Norberg (in the films, O.J. Simpson appeared as the similarly named Officer Nordberg). Ed Williams, who played scientist Ted Olson on the show, would reprise his role in the films, making him and Nielsen the only two actors from the series to appear in the movies. Robert Goulet, who appeared as one of the "special guest stars" who were invariably killed off at the beginning of their episodes, would appear as villain Quentin Hapsburg in the second Naked Gun film. Dr. Joyce Brothers played herself in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! She also played herself in Episode 4 of the television series.[6]

The show was presented in the style of a Quinn Martin show of the early 1970s,[7] with a portentous narrative over the opening titles which made a big feature of the show being "...in color", followed by numerous gags. Each episode would similarly play credits over a 1970s style freeze frame of the final scene, except that the frame was not frozen – the actors simply stood motionless in position while other activities (pouring coffee, convicts escaping, chimpanzees running amok) continued around them.

One noticeable difference between the series and the films is in the portrayal of Frank Drebin. In the series he is shown to be considerably more competent and strait-laced, and less Maxwell Smart-like than he is depicted in the films. The TV portrayal of Drebin was never intended to be overtly comic, merely a sendup of the ultra-serious Dragnet-like portrayal of TV cops. In the series, Drebin was intended to be the archetype of the straight man, in contrast to the rampant hilarity going on around him. It was not until the films that Drebin was changed to a more outwardly comic character.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Cancellation

ABC announced the cancellation of Police Squad! after four of its six episodes had aired in March of 1982. The final two episodes were aired that summer. According to then-ABC entertainment president Tony Thomopoulos (on Entertainment Tonight), "Police Squad! was cancelled because the viewer had to watch it in order to appreciate it." What Thomopoulos meant was that the viewer had to actually pay attention to the show in order to get much of the humor, while most other TV shows did not demand as much effort from the viewer. In its annual "Cheers and Jeers" issue, TV Guide magazine called the explanation for the cancellation "the most stupid reason a network ever gave for ending a series."[citation needed]

Matt Groening is quoted as saying "If Police Squad! had been made twenty years later, it would have been a smash. It was before its time. In 1982 your average viewer was unable to cope with its pace, its quick-fire jokes. But these days they'd have no problems keeping up, I think we've proved that."[citation needed]

[edit] Cast

[edit] Main Cast

Drebin, Norberg and Hocken, The main cast of Police Squad!
Drebin, Norberg and Hocken, The main cast of Police Squad!

Of the main cast, Nielsen, Williams and Taylor were the only ones who returned and were portrayed by the same actors in The Naked Gun Series.

[edit] Guest stars

During the opening credits of each episode, a well-known actor is introduced as a "special guest star", but then meets a grisly death during the introduction,[3] thus completing their appearance on the show. Stars included:

  1. Lorne Greene (stabbed and thrown from a speeding car)
  2. Georg Stanford Brown (crushed by a falling safe)
  3. Robert Goulet (executed by firing squad)
  4. William Shatner (dodges a salvo of bullets but drinks poisoned wine)
  5. Florence Henderson (gunned down while singing in a kitchen)
  6. William Conrad (stabbed and thrown from a speeding car)

A sequence was filmed with John Belushi (chained to concrete blocks underwater) but the actor died shortly before the episode was due to air, and the producers decided not to use the scene. According to the Internet Movie Database the producers wanted to include the Belushi scene when Police Squad was rebroadcast in the 1990s, but the footage could not be located and is presumed lost.[citation needed]

[edit] Running gags and well-known sequences

[edit] Title sequence

The title sequence was packed with sight and visual gags. A selection:

  • Spoofing 1960s police show N.Y.P.D., the opening credits would show a red flashing squad car light going down a city street.
  • Again spoofing Quinn Martin's crime dramas, the announcer was Hank Simms. Simms has done the introductory announcing for most of Martin's shows, like The F.B.I., The Streets of San Francisco and Barnaby Jones to name a few.
  • The 1982 tv show stated it was "In Color", because in the 1960s when color was starting to replace black and white on television programs, those Quinn Martin shows that were filmed in color included the fact in their opening credits.
  • When Captain Hocken is introduced in his office, someone offscreen starts shooting the place up, with ridiculous results (people catching on fire, jumping out windows, etc; one woman even throws her baby on the floor as she runs away).
  • Rex Hamilton stars in a quick spot as Abraham Lincoln, who is narrowly missed when shot at, and returns fire. According to Pat Proft, had the show been renewed for a second season, this sequence would have been replaced by Mahatma Gandhi brandishing an assault rifle (a gag which later appeared in the Weird Al Yankovic film UHF, apparently developed independently).
  • The getting shot at and shooting back part was taken from the Lee Marvin cop show, M Squad.[8]

[edit] Titles

See also List of Police Squad! episodes

The opening sequence of each episode ends with an on-screen graphic listing the title of the episode, accompanied by an announcer's voice-over intentionally giving a different title for the episode. The list of episode titles, with the on-screen graphic title followed by the announcer's title in parentheses:

  1. A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise)
  2. Ring of Fear (A Dangerous Assignment)
  3. The Butler Did It (A Bird in the Hand)
  4. Revenge and Remorse (The Guilty Alibi)
  5. Rendezvous at Big Gulch (Terror in the Neighborhood)
  6. Testimony of Evil (Dead Men Don't Laugh)

This joke was also used in the series of commercials for Red Rock Cider (see below)

[edit] Running gags

  • Frank Drebin's rank constantly changes, often many times within a single scene. He often introduces himself (in narrative) as "Sergeant Frank Drebin, Detective Lieutenant Police Squad", which is a non-existent rank made up of three real ones. (Larger police departments often have Detective Lieutenants and Detective Sergeants, but NOT all three titles.) Also, in the first episode, a witness first refers to Drebin as 'Sergeant' then a few lines later calls him both 'Lieutenant Drebin' and finally 'Captain Drebin'.
  • Drebin repeatedly drives into something (usually trash cans) when he parks his car. The number of trash cans he hits indicates the episode number e.g. one in episode one, two in episode two, and so on.
  • Each episode had a crime lab scene where Ted Olson is giving a highly suspect or dangerous lesson to a kid, in a parody of Watch Mr. Wizard, when Frank interrupts him.
  • Ted uses the doorway while Frank walks around the set. This gag is repeated in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
  • Drebin would offer a cigarette or coffee to people he was interviewing with the line "Cigarette?", to which they would respond "Yes, I know" or "Yes, it is."[9] Drebin's usual response would be a slightly nonplussed "Well..." This joke was used in The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult.
  • Drebin would be shown driving, narrating himself from off-camera (in the style of Dragnet) and at some point would mention driving through the "Little Italy" section of the city, with stock footage of the Roman Colosseum visible behind the car. This gag was carried over to the films.
  • Drebin frequently needs to meet with Johnny, the omniscient shoeshine boy who knows everything, for "the word on the street". Johnny won't actually tell Frank anything until Frank slips him a bribe (often saying, "I dunno anything about it," or, "It's a big city," until he's paid). Each time Frank leaves Johnny, a specialist or celebrity arrives, and asks Johnny for advice about their particular profession:
  • The Act II label is followed by a joke:
  • The weekly criminal is always sent to "the Statesville Prison" (a pun on State Prison). Captain Hocken recites the names of the criminals caught in the previous episodes, so by episode six, five names are recited plus the final culprit.
  • The glass door of the squad room has "Police Squad" written on it in gold in such a manner that whichever side you look at it, one of the words is written backwards.
  • The Zucker Brothers hailed from Shorewood, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. In every episode, a discreet reference is made to Milwaukee.
  • Al is often seen wearing a shirt relevant to a conversation of Ed and Drebin, usually involving locations
  • The moment before the ending credits, the characters would freeze up and hold a pose, while action in the background continued normally during the credits, parodying the "freeze-frame" credit endings typical of police dramas and action shows of the era.

[edit] Music

 

Police Squad! Opening Theme

The famous theme, composed by Ira Newborn.
Problems listening to the file? See media help.

The opening and closing music was penned by composer Ira Newborn. The jumping big band/blues theme was retained for the Naked Gun movies (along with the opening police-light visual of the Police Squad! series) and may be Newborn's best-known single tune. It has been covered by some swing-style dance bands on CD, and has even been scored in marching-band style by arranger Paul Jennings.

The animated TV series Family Guy used the theme in the opening of its "PTV" episode, complete with character Stewie Griffin's tricycle replacing the visual of the Police Squad car.[10]

[edit] Awards and Nominations

[edit] Emmy Awards

1982 - Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Leslie Nielsen - Nominated[11].
1982 - Outstanding Writing In A Comedy Series - David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker - for the episode: A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise) - Nominated[11]

[edit] Other Awards

2006 - Satellite Award for Best DVD Release of a TV Show - "The Complete Series" - Nominated [12]

[edit] DVD release

The cover of the dvd release
The cover of the dvd release

The series was released to DVD by Paramount Pictures in a keepcase, on one disc.[13] on November 6, 2006[14].in the United Kingdom, and a day later in the United States and Germany (as Die nackte Pistole! - Die komplette Serie)[14]. The DVD release was nominated for a Satellite Award for Best DVD Release of a TV Show[12]. This wasn't the first time the ZAZ were nominated for this award, they were also nominated for two other Satellite Awards for best DVD release for their early movie Airplane![15]

Special features include:

On the episodes, A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise), The Butler Did It (A Bird in the Hand) and Testimony of Evil (Dead Men Don't Laugh).

  • A gag reel (bloopers)
  • A new interview with Leslie Nielsen.
  • The castings of Alan North (Ed Hocken) and Ed Williams (Ted Olson).

[edit] Other Releases

Before the DVD release of the show the first three episodes and the last three episodes were released separately on VHS as Police Squad! Help Wanted[16] and Police Squad! Vol. 2[17] and later all six together on VHS called More! Police Squad!.[7] The episodes were released in a similar configuration on Laserdisc. For this release, some of the music used in the original series — such as “Happy Birthday” in Episode 3 — was replaced with other music.

Reruns aired on A&E in 1988, Comedy Central beginning in 1991 and in primetime on CBS during the summer of 1991 following the release of The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear.

[edit] Spin-offs

[edit] The Naked Gun Films

Main article: The Naked Gun (film series)

Six years after the cancellation of Police Squad! (see above for more information), the first Naked Gun film was released called The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!. It performed well at the box office grossing around $78,756,177.[18] It became a hit comedy, it became so popular that two sequels The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991) and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994) were released, The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear was considered best of the three, grossing around $86,930,411.[19] (while Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult grossed $51,132,598[20]) being rated 3 stars by Roger Ebert[21] and winning a Golden Screen award for best Picture[22].

[edit] Red Rock Cider Commercials

A series of British advertisements for Red Rock Cider made in the same style, with the opening titles changed to other names such as "Fraud Squad" or "Fried Squid", also featured Leslie Nielsen. In one of these ads, Nielsen shouts, "Hey! You, over there, in the shadows!" The man steps forward and reveals himself to be Hank Marvin[23], guitarist with sixties pop group, the Shadows. The catchphrase was "Red Rock Cider—it's not red, and there's no rocks in it." The opening titles were also re-used for the commercials (see above), they included

  • There Go My Trousers (Terror in the Night)
  • Operation Undercover (The Secret Assignment)[24]

and some other titles.

Some of the jokes that were used in the commercials were originally taken from Police Squad! such as when Frank says "Cover me!" he gets covered with a blanket, which was one of the gags taken from The Butler Did It (A Bird in the Hand).

[edit] Other Spin-Offs

After the show's cancellation (and well before production on the Naked Gun movies), the producers considered turning the show into a movie by linking several episodes together with new scenes. A few of these scenes were actually filmed (including an elaborate "freeze frame" gag involving a burning courtroom) before the project was abandoned.[citation needed]

The Police Squad characters were resurrected during the WWF's Summerslam 1994 PPV. In this guise, they were looking for The Undertaker, who in storylines had previously vanished.[25].

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Police Squad! at Tv.com. Crew. Retrieved on January 3, 2008.
  2. ^ a b The TVIV. Police Squad!. Retrieved on January 3, 2008.
  3. ^ a b Barnes and Noble. Police Squad! DVD Release. Retrieved on January 19, 2008.
  4. ^ Police Squad! at TV Guide. Premise. Retrieved on January 3, 2008.
  5. ^ Police Squad! at Tv.com. News. Retrieved on January 3, 2008.
  6. ^ Dr. Joyce Brothers at Tv.com. appearances. Retrieved on January 3, 2008.
  7. ^ a b Police Squad! Help Wanted at the All Movie Guide. Plot Synopsis. Retrieved on January 3, 2008.
  8. ^ Intro video for TV series "M Squad" at Youtube. Retrieved on January 19, 2008.
  9. ^ "A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise)". Police Squad!. 1982-03-04. No. 1, season 1.
  10. ^ "PTV". Family Guy. 2005-11-06. No. 14, season 4.
  11. ^ a b Advanced Primetime Awards Search from the Emmy Awards website
  12. ^ a b Police Squad! at the Internet Movie Database. Awards. Retrieved on January 3, 2008.
  13. ^ Police Squad! The TVIV. DVD Release. Retrieved on January 3, 2008.
  14. ^ a b Police Squad! at the Internet Movie Database. DVD Releases. Retrieved on January 3, 2008.
  15. ^ Airplane! at the Internet Movie Database. Awards. Retrieved on January 3, 2008.
  16. ^ Police Squad! at the All Movie Guide. Similar Movies. Retrieved on January 3, 2008.
  17. ^ Police Squad! Vol. 2 at the All Movie Guide. Retrieved on January 3, 2008.
  18. ^ BoxofficeMojo. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!. Retrieved on January 11, 2008.
  19. ^ BoxofficeMojo. The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear. Retrieved on January 11, 2008.
  20. ^ BoxofficeMojo. The Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult. Retrieved on January 11, 2008.
  21. ^ RogerEbert.com. The Naked Gun 2½: The smell of Fear. Retrieved on January 11, 2008.
  22. ^ The Naked Gun 2½: The smell of Fear at the Internet Movie Database. The Naked Gun 2½: The smell of Fear/Awards. Retrieved on January 11, 2008.
  23. ^ Red Rock Cider commercials on Youtube. Retrieved on January 11, 2008.
  24. ^ Red Rock Cider commercials on Youtube. Retrieved on January 11, 2008.
  25. ^ Baer, Randy; R.D. Reynolds (2003). Wrestlecrap: The Very Worst of Pro Wrestling. ECW Press, 168. ISBN 1550225847. 

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
v • d • e
The Naked Gun series
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Police Squad!
Films
Cast
Crew
Characters
v • d • e
Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker
David Zucker • Jim Abrahams • Jerry Zucker
Collaborative works
David Zucker films
Jim Abrahams films
Jerry Zucker films