Police Squad!

Police Squad! In Color
Format	Police procedural spoof
Created by	Jim Abrahams David Zucker Jerry Zucker
Developed by	Paramount Television
Starring	Leslie Nielsen Alan North Peter Lupus Ed Williams William Duell
Narrated by	Leslie Nielsen
Theme music composer	Ira Newborn
Opening theme	"Theme from 'Police Squad!'"
Composer(s)	Ira Newborn
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	6 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Jim Abrahams David Zucker Jerry Zucker
Running time	30 minutes
Production company(s)	Paramount Television
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC.[1]
Original run	March 4 – July 8, 1982[1]
Chronology
Followed by	The Naked Gun film series

Police Squad! is a television comedy series first broadcast in 1982, created by Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker and starring Leslie Nielsen. A spoof of police procedurals, the series was packed with ZAZ's usual sight gags, wordplay 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 (especially the opening credits) and the late 1960s series Felony Squad.^[2] Although cancelled after only six episodes, it spawned the successful Naked Gun film series.

Contents 1 Overview 2 Opening sequence 3 Writing 4 Cancellation 5 Cast 5.1 Main cast 6 Running gags and well-known sequences 6.1 Title sequence 6.1.1 Titles 6.2 Running gags 6.3 Music 7 Awards and nominations 7.1 Emmy Awards 7.2 Other awards 8 Home video releases 9 Spin-offs 9.1 The Naked Gun films 9.2 Red Rock Cider commercials 9.3 Other spin-offs 10 References 11 External links

Overview

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] The show gained a strong cult following through repeat broadcasts,^[4] which led to The Naked Gun film series. Many gags from the show were recycled for the 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 co-starred 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 played herself in Episode 4 of the television series.^[5]

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.

Opening sequence

The show's opening sequence was a satire on traditional opening sequences of crime dramas at that time, and of the 1950s, particularly Quinn Martin shows such as M Squad and The Fugitive.^[6] The opening credits have a portentous narrative over the opening titles which made a big feature of the show being "...in color" (a common real-life feature in opening credits and promos of TV shows in the 1960s, before color broadcasting became the norm).^[6] Nielsen and North are introduced as their characters, they are seen being shot at, and shooting back at their pursuers.^[7] Abraham Lincoln impersonator Rex Hamilton appeared in the opening credits of each episode, dramatically returning gunfire to John Wilkes Booth, though he did not appear in any episode.^[8] Hank Simms, who had worked as an announcer for some of Quinn Martin's programs, would announce the title of each episode,^[6] though the spoken title would never match the title caption.^[9][10]

Another recurring gag used in the opening sequence was the introduction of a "special guest star", a celebrity who would be introduced then immediately murdered during the credits.^[11] Lorne Greene, Georg Stanford Brown, Robert Goulet, William Shatner, Florence Henderson and William Conrad appeared as special guest stars during the show's run.^{[11][12][13][14]} A scene with John Belushi, tied to blocks of concrete under water,^[15] was filmed but replaced with footage of Henderson, due to Belushi's subsequent death before the episode was broadcast.^[6] Belushi's death came as a shock to Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker, as they had joked about Belushi's death after he almost choked during the filming of the scene.^[6] A list of possible celebrity death shots was included on the show's DVD release in 2006.^[16]

Writing

The show was set to mock cop procedurals the same way Airplane! mocked disaster movies.^[14] Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker wrote the pilot episode,^[17] in which most straight lines were directly copied from an M Squad episode.^[18] Pat Proft, who had worked with the ZAZ on Airplane! and The Kentucky Fried Movie,^[19] wrote the third episode.^[20] Robert Wuhl was invited to join the writing staff after he had auditioned for the lead role in Airplane!. He would co-write the show's second and sixth episodes with Tino Insana.^[9][20][21] Both episodes contained cultural references to old movies such as On the Waterfront and The French Connection.^[9] In the audio commentary Wuhl recorded for the DVD release, he mentioned that it was a nice opportunity, but that he did not really feel a connection with the show, especially because of its short run.^[9]

Cancellation

ABC announced the cancellation of Police Squad! after four of its six episodes had aired in March 1982. The final two episodes were aired that summer. According to the DVD Commentary, then-ABC entertainment president Tony Thomopoulos said "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 close 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."

Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, has said, "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." ^[22]

Cast

Main cast

Leslie Nielsen portrayed Sergeant Frank Drebin, Detective Lieutenant Police Squad. Jerry Zucker explained that the name Drebin was picked blindly from the phone book.^[17] Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker had met Nielsen when working on Airplane! (1980) and felt their kind of humor matched.^[17] The team felt Nielsen would be perfect as Drebin as the character lampooned the roles Nielsen had played in television dramas such as The Bold Ones: The Protectors and S.W.A.T..^[23] Ed Williams co-starred as lab technician Ted Olson; Williams had been a science teacher for many years and had done a little acting. Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker were amazed by his performance.^[17]

• Leslie Nielsen - Detective Frank Drebin
• Alan North - Captain Ed Hocken
• Peter Lupus - Officer Norberg
• Ed Williams - Ted Olson, Scientist
• William Duell - Johnny the Snitch
• Ronald "Tiny Ron" Taylor - Al

Of the main cast, Nielsen, Taylor & Wiliams were the only ones who returned and portrayed their original characters in The Naked Gun film series. Captain Ed Hocken was portrayed by George Kennedy in the film series, while O.J. Simpson played Officer Nordberg.

Running gags and well-known sequences

Title sequence

The title sequence was packed with sight gags, and was mostly inspired by the opening credits of M Squad.^[24]

A selection of other influences include:

• Spoofing 1960s police shows N.Y.P.D. and Hawaii Five-O, the opening credits would show a red flashing squad car light going down a city street. This would be carried over to the Naked Gun films, which has the light traversing many different environments just by going through doors, like a women's locker room or a hockey rink.
• The opening stated that it was "In Color." In the 1960s, when color was starting to replace black and white on television, many series filmed in color included the fact in their opening. On ABC, this voice-over replaced the musically oriented color logo. This practice ended when color had completely replaced black and white in television, long before the series first aired.
• All of the major regular characters are vocally introduced just before a burst of gunfire comes in their direction, at which they take cover and return fire. Notably, Leslie Nielsen as Frank Drebin returns fire in a different direction from the one from which he was shot at.
• When Captain Hocken is introduced in his office, someone off-screen 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 is shown during the theme (where he is described as 'starring', despite playing no other role) 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, also produced by Robert K. Weiss).

Titles

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. This seems to stem to the fact that titles for dubbed episodes in other languages are most of the time changed to a different context and this seems to be a spoof of it. The list of episode titles, with the on-screen graphic title followed by the announcer's title in parentheses. Although presented on DVD with episode three as episode five, the commentary reveals that Rendezvous at Big Gulch (Terror in the Neighborhood) is actually the third episode:

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 used in the series of commercials for Red Rock Cider (see below)

Running gags

• Frank Drebin's rank constantly changes, often many times within a single scene, or even a single sentence. 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). 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 matches the episode number, for example, 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?" (or "Coffee?") as if offering, to which they would respond "Yes, I know" or "Yes, it is."^[25] Drebin's usual response would be a slightly nonplussed "Well..." This joke was used in The Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult
• Drebin would be shown driving, narrating himself from off-camera (in the style of Dragnet and M Squad) 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 would be shown driving in reverse, while narrating off-camera about driving "back to the office"
• The elevator makes stops in interesting places, including at the diving board of a swimming pool and onstage at a nightclub
• Drebin frequently needs to meet with Johnny, the omniscient shoeshine boy, for "the word on the street". Johnny will not 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:
  • A priest inquires about Johnny's views on life after death
  • A doctor asks Johnny how to perform an operation
  • Tommy Lasorda wonders about baseball, specifically his problems with his pitching staff; Johnny chides Lasorda for trading Tommy John
  • Joyce Brothers talks with Johnny about psychology
  • A fireman is instructed how to fight a fire at a furniture warehouse
  • Dick Clark asks about ska and has Johnny give him more "Secret Formula Youth Cream" which he smears on his face

• The Act II label is followed by a joke:
  • Act II: Bruté?
  • Act II: Gesundheit
  • Act II: Richard III
  • Act II: Ball III
  • Act II: Lieber
  • Act II: Yankees One
• The weekly criminal is always sent to "the Statesville 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. Since episodes 3, 4, and 5 were aired out of production sequence, this caused some inconsistency when certain culprits were named before their respective episodes had aired.
• The glass door of the squad room has "Police Squad" written on it in gold in such a manner that from whichever side it is viewed, 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 often wears a shirt relevant to the conversation between Ed and Drebin, usually involving locations. Other characters mention something he is wearing on his head, even though his head is always out of frame due to his height.
• 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.
• Frank Drebin talks to what at first appears to be an off-screen intercom on his desk, at which point the camera cuts to show a very small police officer standing next to him.
• Frank Drebin seems to be able to do anything that is required of him to solve a case and do it successfully. For instance, he plays basketball to speak to a witness, and with the use of an obvious stunt double pulls off some impressive moves. When he is undercover he manages to pull off whatever job his cover is. For instance, he runs a very successful locksmith shop, and becomes an amazing stand-up comedian and singer.
• There is a map of the New York City area, as well as a map of Downtown Chicago hanging in Police Squad Headquarters, making the true location of the series a mystery. In one episode, Ed and Drebin are seen looking at a group of thumbtacks in a map of Minneapolis.
• When Hocken briefs Drebin on a new case, either will usually refer to the 'same M.O. as the others' despite it being an isolated case with no apparent related crimes.

Music

The opening and closing music was penned by composer Ira Newborn. The jumping big band/blues theme (a parody of the M Squad theme composed and performed by Count Basie) 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.^[26]

Awards and nominations

Emmy Awards

1982 - Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Leslie Nielsen - Nominated.^[27]
1982 - Outstanding Writing In A Comedy Series - David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker - for the episode: A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise) - Nominated^[27]

Other awards

2006 - Satellite Award for Best DVD Release of a TV Show - "The Complete Series" - Nominated ^[28]

Home video releases

In 1985, Paramount Home Video first released all six episodes of the show on VHS, Betamax, and LaserDisc; Paramount released the show on two separate volumes: Police Squad!: Help Wanted! and More! Police Squad!, each volume containing three episodes.^[29][30] On the release of the show, Washington Post critic Tom Shales commented "People can rent them and laugh, and then cry that ABC was so cruel."^[31]

Paramount and CBS DVD first released the series on DVD in 2006 in a keepcase, on one disc.^[32] The DVD contained various extras, including actual production notes from network executives, a "freeze-frame" that was filmed but never used, bloopers, casting tests, and an interview with Nielsen.^[33] Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker, producer Robert K. Weiss and writer Robert Wuhl recorded audio commentary for the first, third and sixth episodes.^[34] Critics universally praised how the show was still funny more than 20 years after its cancellation.^[35][36][37] The DVD set was nominated for a Satellite Award for Best DVD Release of a TV Show, though it lost to the DVD set of the eighth season of Fox's The Simpsons.^[38] While the Police Squad VHS and Beta videocassette releases had audio only playable in mono sound, the 2006 CBS/Paramount DVD release had its audio remastered and all 6 episodes are available in Dolby Digital 5.1.

Spin-offs

The Naked Gun films

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.^[39] The hit comedy 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 the most successful of the three, grossing around $86,930,411.^[40] (while Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult grossed $51,132,598^[41]) Roger Ebert rated the first movie 3½ out of four stars, and gave 3 stars to the two following films.^[42] The second film won a Golden Screen award for Best Picture.^[43]

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", 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,^[44] 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 re-used for the commercials (see above), they included:

• There Go My Trousers (Terror in the Night)
• Operation Undercover (The Secret Assignment)^[45]
• My Wife Ate A Walrus (The Amy Johnson Story)^[24]

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).

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. This footage can be viewed on the DVD release.

The Police Squad! characters were resurrected during the WWE's Summerslam 1994 PPV. In this guise, they were looking for The Undertaker, who in storylines had previously vanished.^[46]

References

External links

• Police Squad! at the Internet Movie Database
• Police Squad! at TV.com
• The TV MegaSite's Police Squad Site
• Intro video for TV series "M Squad"
• Transcribed scripts for all 6 episodes at policesquadscripts.com

The Naked Gun film series Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker Films From the Files of Police Squad! • The Smell of Fear • The Final Insult Police Squad! (Episodes) "A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise)" • "Ring of Fear (A Dangerous Assignment)" • "The Butler Did It (A Bird in the Hand)" • "Revenge and Remorse (The Guilty Alibi)" • "Rendezvous at Big Gulch (Terror in the Neighborhood)" • "Testimony of Evil (Dead Men Don't Laugh)" Related articles Lieutenant Frank Drebin

Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker David Zucker Jim Abrahams Jerry Zucker Collaborative works The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) Airplane! (1980) Police Squad! (1982) Top Secret! (1984) Ruthless People (1986) The Naked Gun (1988–1994) David Zucker films The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991) BASEketball (1998) My Boss's Daughter (2003) Scary Movie 3 (2003) Scary Movie 4 (2006) An American Carol (2008) Jim Abrahams films Big Business (1988) Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael (1990) Hot Shots! (1991) Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993) Jane Austen's Mafia! (1998) Jerry Zucker films Ghost (1990) First Knight (1995) Rat Race (2001)