# The comedy Airplane! was released 30 years ago! Surely you can't be serious! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 10, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249 "2010-07-10T21:33:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249/221 "2010-09-20T20:37:01Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > [still sitting in taxi] Well … I’ll give this thread another twenty minutes, but that’s it! [/ssit] In cab #1960? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249/222 "2017-10-04T14:26:44Z")
I know you’ll all want to get this T-shirt: [http://www.sportys.com/wrightbros/don-t-call-me-shirley-t-shirt.html](http://www.sportys.com/wrightbros/don-t-call-me-shirley-t-shirt.html) ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249/223 "2017-10-04T14:32:48Z")
Ted, I have the strangest feeling we’ve been through this exact same thing before. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249/224 "2017-10-04T14:40:20Z")
Since this has been resurrected: Oveur gets called over to the white courtesy phone, and in the middle of his conversation with the Mayo Clinic gets interrupted with news of an emergency call from Mister Hamm on Line Five – which, of course, prompts Peter Graves to declare _“All right, give me Hamm on Five and hold the Mayo.”_ By all that’s holy: _why?_ Who takes all the time to set up a gag like that, and then stops right before having that second call come in on the white phone? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249/225 "2017-10-04T15:33:39Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Since this has been resurrected: Oveur gets called over to the white courtesy phone, and in the middle of his conversation with the Mayo Clinic gets interrupted with news of an emergency call from Mister Hamm on Line Five – which, of course, prompts Peter Graves to declare _“All right, give me Hamm on Five and hold the Mayo.”_ > > By all that’s holy: _why?_ Who takes all the time to set up a gag like that, and then stops right before having that second call come in on the white phone? I’ll tell you who: a person who knows that the gag is a play on “ham on rye and hold the mayo”. No one orders a “ham on white”. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249/226 "2017-10-04T15:36:51Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > By all that’s holy: _why?_ Who takes all the time to set up a gag like that, and then stops right before having that second call come in on the white phone? “Hamm on Five” is supposed to sound like “Ham on Rye”, and ordering a sandwich ‘on rye’ was a standard trope at the time. I think ‘on white’ would work better for a comedy today because ‘ham on rye’ isn’t as common of an expression, but at the time they were hitting a familiar note. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249/227 "2017-10-04T15:43:07Z")
Do you like gladiator movies? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249/228 "2017-10-04T16:20:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Roger Murdock: Flight 2-0-9’er, you are cleared for take-off. > > Captain Oveur: Roger! > > Roger Murdock: Huh? > > Tower voice: L.A. departure frequency, 123 point 9’er. > > Captain Oveur: Roger! > > Roger Murdock: Huh? > > Victor Basta: Request vector, over. > > Captain Oveur: What? > > Tower voice: Flight 2-0-9’er cleared for vector 324. > > Roger Murdock: We have clearance, Clarence. > > Captain Oveur: Roger, Roger. What’s our vector, Victor? > > Tower voice: Tower’s radio clearance, over! > > Captain Oveur: That’s Clarence Oveur. Over. > > Tower voice: Over. > > Captain Oveur: Roger. > > Roger Murdock: Huh? > > Tower voice: Roger, over! > > Roger Murdock: What? > > Captain Oveur: Huh? > > Victor Basta: Who? It still cracks me up, decades later. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249/229 "2017-10-04T16:47:49Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > It still cracks me up, decades later. Me too! ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249/230 "2017-10-04T17:04:49Z")
[Every joke from “Airplane!” ranked from worst to best.](https://bullshit.ist/every-joke-from-airplane-ranked-bada7d0e7c0f) ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249/231 "2017-10-04T17:28:23Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > [Every joke from “Airplane!” ranked from worst to best.](https://bullshit.ist/every-joke-from-airplane-ranked-bada7d0e7c0f) That’s exactly what I’d have expected them to do! ---
**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:** [October 4, 2017, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249/232 "2017-10-04T17:49:44Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I know you’ll all want to get this T-shirt: [http://www.sportys.com/wrightbros/don-t-call-me-shirley-t-shirt.html](http://www.sportys.com/wrightbros/don-t-call-me-shirley-t-shirt.html) Want soooo badly ---
**Author:** ![TPWombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TPWombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TPWombat)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249/233 "2017-10-04T21:56:25Z")
I just wanted to wish this thread good luck. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249/234 "2017-10-04T22:58:20Z")
They bought their tickets, they knew what they were getting into. I say, let 'em crash. ---
**Author:** ![4d3fect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/4d3fect/32/9728_2.png) [@4d3fect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/4d3fect)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249/235 "2017-10-04T23:46:35Z")
[native log drumming] ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249/236 "2017-10-04T23:51:53Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > [Every joke from “Airplane!” ranked from worst to best.](https://bullshit.ist/every-joke-from-airplane-ranked-bada7d0e7c0f) Any list that has “Surely you can’t be serious” as the 44th best joke in “Airplane!”, can’t be serious. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2017, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249/237 "2017-10-05T01:55:17Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > Any list that has “Surely you can’t be serious” as the 44th best joke in “Airplane!”, can’t be serious. The “oh, stewardess; I speak jive” scene is waaaaaaay too low. I mean, reasonable folks can disagree about where it ranks compared to _other_ stuff; but other instances of _jive_ stuff, which was there to build to that payoff, scored higher? C’mon. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2017, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249/238 "2017-10-05T02:40:47Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > The “oh, stewardess; I speak jive” scene is waaaaaaay too low. I mean, reasonable folks can disagree about where it ranks compared to _other_ stuff; but other instances of _jive_ stuff, which was there to build to that payoff, scored higher? C’mon. Seriously. Cut me some slack Jack! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2017, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249/239 "2017-10-05T03:04:51Z")
Listen, Betty, don’t start up with your White Zone shit again. ---
**Author:** ![eunoia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eunoia/32/97_2.png) [@eunoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eunoia)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2017, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249/240 "2017-10-05T03:24:18Z")
Ahh the classics… My favourites are quick sight gags like the spinning newspaper headlines montage showing how different outlets are covering the breaking story, ending with an Enquirer-like paper with the headline “Boy Trapped In Refridgerator Eats Own Foot.” That’s the T-Shirt I’d buy. Another I’d forgotten before buying the movie is a scene where Captain Oveur casually picks up a copy of Modern Sperm magazine from the “Whacking Material” section of the airport newsstand. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-comedy-airplane-was-released-30-years-ago-surely-you-cant-be-serious/546249.md?page=13)