It WAS creepy! That's why it was so funny!
Recently, I had someone ask me: "Have you ever seen a ....."
What it was is actually irrelevant. But, he asked it with exactly the same inflection and a voice similar to Peter Graves.
And it creeped me out. I couldn't say "no" and get away fast enough.
You really should watch the DVD with the interviews and commentary. You learn little bits of trivia such as Leslie Neilson has his own fart machine and used it to produce flatulent sounds when Capt. Oveur became ill and passed out.