# Best Zucker Abrams Zucker collaboration? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 27, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510 "2020-07-27T16:37:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510/1 "2020-07-27T16:37:20Z")
_Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510/1))_ They directed the other four…which is best? ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2020, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510/2 "2020-07-27T16:50:58Z")
Backward and forward. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/JY-0c_hu26A/maxresdefault.jpg "Top Secret (1984) ◄◄ Backwards Scene ᴴᴰ") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY-0c_hu26A) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/czuC1LWcPMc/hqdefault.jpg ""Top Secret!" Backwards Swedish Bookstore, Forwards") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czuC1LWcPMc) ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2020, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510/3 "2020-07-27T19:07:19Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > Backward and forward. > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY-0c\_hu26A](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY-0c_hu26A) > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czuC1LWcPMc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czuC1LWcPMc) Loved that scene. It rivals the opening tracking shot in _Touch of Evil_… ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2020, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510/4 "2020-07-28T08:29:13Z")
I love Airplane! but Top Secret gets my vote. Sure it’s more of a mishmash but the Beach Boy parody is priceless . ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2020, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510/5 "2020-07-28T08:34:40Z")
By the way, that middle name should be “Abrahams”, not “Abrams”. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2020, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510/6 "2020-07-28T11:59:42Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > By the way, that middle name should be “Abrahams”, not “Abrams”. My bad. This wasn’t a case of a typo…I looked up the collaboration to see which movies they had to their credit, so I had the name right in front of me. Yet I always thought it was Abrams and I looked right through it. I learned something new today 😬 > [@kitap](#): > > I love Airplane! but Top Secret gets my vote. Sure it’s more of a mishmash but the Beach Boy parody is priceless . I liked the visual gags. The vehicles driving in a circle at 3:00 is a favorite. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/CFGFd3GQxgA/maxresdefault.jpg "top secret - best bits") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFGFd3GQxgA) ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2020, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510/7 "2020-07-28T12:13:12Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > By the way, that middle name should be “Abrahams”, not “Abrams”. Just re-release Airplane! with some lens flare added in. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2020, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510/8 "2020-07-28T21:42:31Z")
While I do love _Airplane!_ I voted for _Ruthless People_. Although _Airplane!_ is brilliantly done, at the end of the day is is a snarky parody of a cheesy movie. Think MST3K covering _Zero Hour_, but with a full movie studio and budget at their disposal. _Ruthless People_ is hilarious, has quotable lines, but also has a fairly complex plot with multiple twists. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/waf46eBajkw/hqdefault.jpg "This Could Very Well Be The Stupidest Person On The Face Of The Earth") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waf46eBajkw) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2020, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510/9 "2020-07-28T23:11:06Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > _Ruthless People_ is hilarious, has quotable lines, but also has a fairly complex plot with multiple twists. It’s been a long time since I saw “Ruthless People”, and I think it was the only time, so I don’t remember any quotable lines from it, but has ANY movie more quotable lines than “Airplane”? ETA: I LIKED Ruthless People. I don’t want to denigrate it, it’s just too long back. I also like “Top Secret” al lot, which I saw originally in the theater and have seen a few times more. I’m just more accustomed to Airplane and Top Secret. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2020, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510/10 "2020-07-28T23:15:12Z")
Take him to Detroit. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2020, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510/11 "2020-07-28T23:21:16Z")
AIrplane because it’s the funniest movie ever made. Although the others aren’t far behind. Are you lonesome, tonight? Is your kitchen, a fright… ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2020, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510/12 "2020-07-28T23:24:09Z")
What about the “Naked Gun” movies? Weren’t they also Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker productions? I liked all three parts as much as Airplane and Top Secret. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2020, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510/13 "2020-07-28T23:45:06Z")
Naked Gun = David Zucker only. And btw: Hot Shots was Jim Abrahams only. See chart here: > **[Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zucker,_Abrahams_and_Zucker)** > > Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker (abbreviated to ZAZ) were an American comedy filmmaking trio consisting of Jim Abrahams and brothers David and Jerry Zucker who specialized in writing slapstick comedy films during the 1980s. > David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker knew each other during their childhood years, growing up in Shorewood, Wisconsin, and attending Shorewood High School which is sometimes referenced in their work. While attending the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the trio founded a s... Jerry Zucker directed Ghost?! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8uubih798tg/maxresdefault.jpg "Ghost (1990) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uubih798tg) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2020, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510/14 "2020-07-28T23:53:36Z")
Thanks for the charts! And one Zucker directed Ghost??? 😱 It was one of the most ridiculous films I’ve ever seen, where my girlfriend and I laughed ourselves out of the cinema because the cheesiness was so brutal. I remember a scene at the end when the bad guys got sucked into hell, right through the concrete of a street, Whirling, with dark clouds around them. 🤦‍♂️ ETA: Maybe, in hindsight, it was also meant as a surreal comedy. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2020, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510/15 "2020-07-28T23:59:49Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Thanks for the charts! And one Zucker directed Ghost??? 😱 > > It was one of the most ridiculous films I’ve ever seen, where my girlfriend and I laughed ourselves out of the cinema because the cheesiness was so brutal. I remember a scene at the end when the bad guys got sucked into hell, right through the concrete of a street, Whirling, with dark clouds around them. 🤦‍♂️ Try as he might, he couldn’t stop directing comedy? 🙃 I’m like you—would have guessed all of ZAZ were behind some of those other pics. For whatever reason, they went their separate ways. Was there a falling out? Did they feel they had to go solo, get out of each others’ shadows? No idea. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2020, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510/16 "2020-07-29T00:31:27Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > Try as he might, he couldn’t stop directing comedy? 🙃 See my ETA 😄. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2020, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510/17 "2020-07-29T06:26:20Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > AIrplane because it’s the funniest movie ever made. Although the others aren’t far behind. > > Are you lonesome, tonight? Is your kitchen, a fright… “If everybody had a 12 gauge With a surfboard, too…” Also, that line about forcing him to look at Leroy Niemann paintings being a violation of the Geneva Convention. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2020, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510/18 "2020-07-29T10:14:06Z")
Can you educate me as to why just the pilot of Police Squad not the full series? ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2020, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510/19 "2020-07-29T12:02:14Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > Can you educate me as to why just the pilot of Police Squad not the full series? This page indicates that they actually _created_ the series…and that there were only six episodes. [Police Squad! - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_Squad)! > [@](#): > > According to the DVD commentary for “A Substantial Gift” (Episode 1), then-ABC entertainment president [Tony Thomopoulos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Thomopoulos) said that _Police Squad!_ was canceled because “the viewer had to watch it in order to appreciate it,” meaning that the viewer had to pay very 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_Guide)_ magazine called the explanation for the cancellation “the most stupid reason a network ever gave for ending a series.”[[26]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_Squad!#cite_note-26) Remember the “freeze frame” that wasn’t at the end of each episode? [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/A_3rJqHWYjs/hqdefault.jpg "Police Squad Epilogues") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_3rJqHWYjs) If the three created Police Squad! and it led to the Naked Gun films, why didn’t the three work on those together? This article says that it’s rare to find three directors working together because they divide the pay three ways. > **[Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker, and why they went their separate ways as directors](https://filmstories.co.uk/features/zucker-abrahams-zucker-and-why-they-went-their-separate-ways-as-directors/)** > > It’s not often you see three directors credited with a run of movies – but comedy directorial legends Zucker Abrahams Zucker ultimately had to go their own way. From Kentucky Fried Movie through to Ruthless People, the team of Jerry Zucker, David... I would also figure TV directors to earn less. A movie in theaters might generate millions and millions of dollars. Looking at the Wikipedia page: Written by David Zucker [Jim Abrahams](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Abrahams) (1 and 2) [Jerry Zucker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Zucker) (1 and 2) So as writers they were all in on the first two. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2020, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510/20 "2020-07-29T16:28:55Z")
The IMDB listing for Police Squad! lists seven different directors for the show’s six episodes. ZAZ only directed the pilot. The five other episodes were directed by others. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-zucker-abrams-zucker-collaboration/916510.md?page=2)