Posted on 11/28/2010 6:06:17 PM PST by John W
Canadian funnyman and actor Leslie Nielsen has passed away in hospital in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
The star of comedy hits such as "Airplane" and the "Naked Gun" series dies of complications from pneumonia, according to his nephew Doug Nielsen, who lives in Richmond
Doug Nielsen told CJOB that the actor passed away at a hospital in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The Canadian actor had been hospitalized for nearly two weeks as a result of pneumonia.
"Just in this last 48 hours, the infection has gotten too much and today at 5.30, with his friends and his wife by his side, he just fell asleep and passed away," Doug told the radio station.
I had recently watched both “Police Squad” and “The Naked Gun” on DVD and they both came with an audio commentary by the writer/producers. Nielsen was signed to do Airplane! because he’d done so many serious roles (much like Peter Graves and Lloyd Bridges) and it turned out he loved being a ham. So when the Airplane! producers were looking for a lead for Police Squad, they went to Leslie who was thrilled to do more of the comedy spoof genre.
What was funny was that when the producers tried to cast The Naked Gun, the studio did not want Peter Lupus in the role of Nordberg (he was Nordberg on Police Squad) because they thought he looked too nice - more like a male model than a cop. So they suggested O.J. Simpson. The studio told the producers that Simpson “looked like someone who could be violent if he had to”. Little did they know then...
“Good-night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!”
I shall miss his humor that always made a lot of sense even when being serious:
"I'm in command of 18 competitively selected super-perfect physical specimens with an average age of 24.6 who have been locked up in hyperspace for 378 days. It would have served you right if I hadn't... and he... oh go on, get out of here before I have you run out of the area under guard - and then I'll put more guards on the guards!"
And when not:
"I'm sorry I can't be more optimistic, Doctor, but we've got a long road ahead of us. It's like having sex. It's a painstaking and arduous task that seems to go on and on forever, and just when you think things are going your way, nothing happens."
So, see ya, Shirley. It has been quite a party!
RIP I didn’t know he was sick.
I love the Naked Gun movies. They should have made Naked Gun 444 and a 1/4. A recast Nordberg (”You look different Nordberg, you didn’t used to look like Omar Epps did you?”) could have been falsely accused of spousicide.
Have you ever seen a grown man naked?
RIP Mr. Nielson.
Robert Blake would’ve been an excellent replacement for O.J.’s character.
Did they make a “you look different, Nordberg?” joke in the first Naked Gun movie? On the TV show (Police Squad), Nordberg was played by a gigantic white guy whose face we never saw.
Not than I recall. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the first one.
Hopefully they’ll be airing frequently in tribute.
I’ve owned a copy of that movie on every format it’s ever been on. Did you know it’s the first Hollywood flick to feature the Theremin as a musical instrument?
RIP Mr. Nielson. You will be missed.
That was funny!!!
Good tagline, BTW - hope the Rangers lock him up long term.
How ‘bout a Naked Gun sequel with both OJ and Robert Blake in it?
RaccoonRadio might also remember this, but David Zucker was on the Howie Carr Show ~2/3 years ago talking about a movie he was making and politics and Zucker said Frank Drebbin was not of the same political viewpoints as he was (since Zucker converted to the “Right” side, I take it Frank Drebbin was a lefty in real life).
Still, he's one of the very few lefties who's work I supported and enjoyed. RIP!
Me too.
First electronic movie score, period.
The C57-D's United Planets' flag flies at half mast.
Me too.
First electronic movie score, period.
The C57-D's United Planets' flag flies at half mast.
Ed Hocken (George Kennedy): That's no way for a man to die.
Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen): No ... you're right, Ed. A parachute not opening ... that's a way to die. Getting caught in the gears of a combine ... having your nuts bit off by a Laplander, that's the way I wanna go!
RIP, Leslie Nielsen.
Partly based, although Nielsen's performance was inspired by the Detective Inspector (left of picture) in another 60s cop show The New Breed
My friend Frank posing with WBZ's Jordan Rich and his other "movie panel" friends, Garry and Marilyn Armstrong, at the WBZ radio studios--and yes Garry is the former Ch 7 reporter
Little did he know it, too. It gave him a second career, doing comedy by playing it straight.
Worked a bit for Lloyd Bridges as well. Robert Stack, not so much.
A story about the movie goes that Bridges couldn't get into his character, find the motivation, etc, and Stack had to tell him, "Lloyd, we are the joke."
Amen!
An American Carol - right. Thanks. I have not seen it yet, although I should.
Look at you - plugged into the media scene, you high roller you!!! Hamilton and Wenham are calling...bring the Grey Poupon. :)
Garry Armstrong - look at him!
Bummer about your friend...maybe he’s seen the light though?
He was always great, no matter what he did. Humor was his forte’. Took him a while to find it, but he did, to our benefit, just like George Hamilton IV. (Zorro, the Gay Blade comes to mind...)
I knew that was coming!
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