

Surely You Can't Be Serious
The True Story of Airplane!
Author: David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker
Narrator: "Weird Al" Yankovic, Arne Schmidt, Barry Diller, Beau Bridges, Bill Hader, Bob Weiss, David Zucker, Dick Chudnow, Hunt Lowry, James Murray, Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, Jimmy Kimmel, Joe Praino, John Landis, Jon Davison, Joyce Bulifant, Julie Hagerty, Ken Collins, Laura Orrico, Lee Bryant, Lloyd Schwartz, Lorna Patterson, Marcy Goldman, Matt Stone, Michael Eisner, Molly Shannon, Pat Proft, Patton Oswalt, Peter Farrelly, Rich Markey, Robert Hays, Ross Harris, Sarah Silverman, Tom Parry, Trey Parker
Unabridged: 7 hr 53 min
Format: Digital Audiobook Download
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Published: 10/03/2023
Categories: Nonfiction, Performing Arts, Film, Biography & Autobiography, Arts & Entertainment
Synopsis
"funny and weirdly inspirational, satisfying both the comedy obsessive and the merely curious."—The New York Times
"Sprinkled throughout are anecdotes from some of our most successful comedians today, like Weird Al, Bill Hader, and Jimmy Kimmel, telling the stories of what a comedy gamechanger this movie was. A funny and enjoyable listen about a cult classic. Certainly recommended for comedy fans, but also for those with an interest in Hollywood and movie making." —Booklist
Surely You Can't Be Serious is an in-depth and hysterical look at the making of 1980s comedy classic Airplane! by the legendary writers and directors of the hit film.
Airplane! premiered on July 2nd, 1980. With a budget of $3.5 million it went on to make nearly $200 million in sales and has influenced a multitude of comedians on both sides of the camera.
Surely You Can’t Be Serious is the first-ever oral history of the making of Airplane! by the creators, and of the beginnings of the ZAZ trio (Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker) – charting the rise of their comedy troupe Kentucky Fried Theater in Madison, Wisconsin all the way to premiere night. The directors explain what drew them to filmmaking and in particular, comedy.
With anecdotes, behind the scenes trivia, and never-before-revealed factoids, these titans of comedy filmmaking unpack everything from how they persuaded Peter Graves to be in the movie after he thought the script was a piece of garbage, how Lorna Patterson auditioned for the stewardess role in the back seat of Jerry’s Volvo, and how Leslie Nielsen’s pranks got the entire crew into trouble, to who really wrote the jive talk. It also features testimonials and personal anecdotes from well-known faces in the film, television, and comedy sphere, proving how influential Airplane! has been from day one.
Four decades after its release, Airplane! continues to make new generations laugh. Its many one-liners and visual gags have worked their way into the mainstream culture. This fully organic expansion of the ZAZ trio’s fan-base, prompted solely by word-of-mouth, comes as no surprise to longtime fans. When all around us is in flux, laughter is priceless.
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.