The filmmaker, who died this Tuesday, November 26 at the age of 80, had also directed and scripted the films “Is there a cop to save the queen?” and “Top secret!” alongside brothers Jerry and David Zucker.
His humor made the whole world laugh. Jim Abrahams, the screenwriter and director to whom we owe cult comedies Is there a pilot on the plane?, Hot Shots!, Top Secret! et Is there a cop to save the queen?died this Tuesday, November 26.
According to his son Joseph, contacted by the American media The Hollywood Reporter, the filmmaker died of natural causes at his home, located in Santa Monica. He was 80 years old.
Revival of comedy with “ZAZ”
Forming the cult trio nicknamed “the ZAZ” alongside brothers David and Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams contributed to the revival of comedy in the United States by dynamiting its codes with offbeat humor and a unique sense of the absurd and the parody.
The three friends first became known in 1977 when they worked on the script for the sketch film Hamburger movie sandwich by John Landis. But it was in 1980 that the ZAZ achieved recognition with Is there a pilot on the plane?a hilarious parody of 60s/70s disaster movies (Airport, At zero hour), filled with original visual gags and absurd, now cult lines.
A real success at the time, Is there a pilot on the plane? will generate $158 million in revenue worldwide and just under 3 million admissions in France and will establish Jim Abrahams and the Zucker brothers as major figures in comedy.
Trilogy success “Is there a cop…”
Having difficulty matching the success of Is there a pilot on the plane? the ZAZ turned to television in 1982, and produced the series Police Squadfor ABC, with Leslie Nielsen, who will give birth to the trilogy Is there a cop…
In 1984, Jim Abrahams co-wrote and co-directed with David and Jerry Zucker a new parody, Top Secret!an anachronistic pastiche of World War II films, starring Val Kilmer as a rock star invited to perform at a festival in the German Democratic Republic. Despite crazy gags and crazy staging, Top Secret! will meet with failure among the general public.
The ZAZ nevertheless returned to success in 1986 with Is there anyone to kill my wife? but above all two years later with the cult Is there a cop to save the queen?first part of the wacky adventures of Inspector Frank Drebin, played by Leslie Nielsen, adapted from their TV series Police Squad.
Three sequels will follow this classic. A fourth part is also expected for 2025, directed by Akiva Schaffer, with Liam Neeson in the role of Frank Drebin.
In addition to ZAZ, Jim Abrahams also shone solo by directing the film in 1991 Hot Shotsparody of Top Gun with Charlie Sheen and his sequel, Hot Shots! 2in 1993, which this time made fun of the saga Rambo. Among his latest contributions, the filmmaker had scripted the film Scary Movie 4 in 2006.
