Let’s play a game, faithful readers, called “Name That Movie.”
When his significant other leaves him, he boards the plane she’s on, hoping for another chance.
Then fate intervenes, and both pilots, and a number of passengers, develop food poisoning.
Image by Zanda Rice
If you said 1980’sAirplane!, you’re right.
If you said 1957’sZero Hour!, you’re also right.
In the words of Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers), “Exsqueeze me?
Image via Paramount Pictures
A baking powder?”
Extremely, precisely, remarkably faithful.
The ‘Zero Hour!’
So, they, wisely, stuck to the plot ofZero Hour!
(Abrahams admits, “We weren’t screenwriters at all, we were joke writers.").
So close, in fact, that they feared facing a copyright battle in court.
Now, granted full creative freedom, they could useZero Hour!as they saw fit.
Paramount Helps ZAZ Repurpose ‘Zero Hour!’
to Get ‘Airplane!’
After the crew becomes sick with food poisoning, a neurotic ex-fighter pilot must land a commercial airplane full of passengers safely.
Eisner stated that it was to be on a jet plane and in color.
But it wont be at this studio.
They ceded, and confessed it was the right call.
‘Airplane!’
Lifts Almost Everything from ‘Zero Hour!’
The classic comedy is now streaming on Netflix, and available in a new, deliciously remastered Blu-ray.
How ZAZ cleverly achieves this is by extending the scenes with an unexpected, silly capper.
Rapunzel, Rapunzel!”
This woman has to be gotten to a hospital.
Elaine Dickinson (Julie Hagerty): A hospital?
Dr. Rumack: It’s a big building with patients, but that’s not important right now.
