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Police Squad!
''Police Squad!'' is an American television crime comedy series that was broadcast on the ABC network in 1982. It was created by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker, starring Leslie Nielsen as Frank Drebin. A spoof of police procedurals and many other television shows and movies, the series features Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker's usual sight gags, wordplay, and non sequiturs. It resembles the Lee Marvin police show '' M Squad'' (in particular the opening credits) and the late 1960s series '' Felony Squad''. It was canceled after six episodes, and yielded ''The Naked Gun'' film series from 1988 to 1994. Overview ''Police Squad!'' was created by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker, who had previously worked on ''The Kentucky Fried Movie'' (1977) and ''Airplane!'' (1980). They declined to work on a sequel to ''Airplane!'' and instead chose to apply the comedic approach of that film to television. The producers were contracted to produce an initial six episo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malcolm Campbell
Major Sir Malcolm Campbell (11 March 1885 – 31 December 1948) was a British racing motorist and motoring journalist. He gained the world speed record on land and on water at various times, using vehicles called ''Blue Bird'', including a 1921 Grand Prix Sunbeam. His son, Donald Campbell, carried on the family tradition by holding both land speed and water speed records. Early life and family Campbell was born on 11 March 1885 in Chislehurst, Kent, the only son of William Campbell, a Hatton Garden diamond seller. He attended the independent Uppingham School. In Germany, learning the diamond trade, he gained an interest in motorbikes and races. Returning to Britain, he worked for two years at Lloyd's of London for no pay, then for another year at £1 a week. Between 1906 and 1908, he won all three London to Land's End Trials motorcycle races. In 1910, he began racing cars at Brooklands. He christened his car ''Blue Bird'', painting it blue, after seeing the play '' The Blue ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, California, on Riverside Drive, directly across the street from Walt Disney Studios and adjacent to the Roy E. Disney Animation Building. The network's secondary offices, and headquarters of its news division, are in New York City, at its broadcast center at 77 West 66th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Since 2007, when ABC Radio (also known as Cumulus Media Networks) was sold to Citadel Broadcasting, ABC has reduced its broadcasting operations almost exclusively to television. It is the fifth-oldest major broadcasting network in the world and the youngest of the American Big Three television networks. The network is sometimes referred to as the Alphabet Network, as its initialism also represents the first three letters of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Felony Squad
''The Felony Squad'' is a half-hour television crime drama originally broadcast on the ABC network from September 12, 1966, to January 31, 1969, a span encompassing seventy-three episodes. Overview The program starred Howard Duff (as Sergeant Sam Stone) and Dennis Cole (as Detective Jim Briggs) as investigators in a major crimes unit. The setting was an unidentified West Coast city (background scenes obviously show Los Angeles, and L.A. City Hall is shown at dusk in the final scene of the opening credits). Duff's character was the veteran who was teaching his younger partner the nuances of life in this new facet of police work. Another main character was desk sergeant Dan Briggs (portrayed by Ben Alexander), the father of Cole's character. Originally titled ''Men Against Evil'', the show was set to be a soap opera-type program about a police captain. However, when the concept proved to be unworkable, the project was changed to a standard police drama with three main charact ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
M Squad
''M Squad'' is an American crime drama television series that ran from 1957 to 1960 on NBC. It was produced by Lee Marvin's Latimer Productions and Revue Studios. Its main sponsor was the Pall Mall cigarette brand; Lee Marvin, the program's star, appeared in its commercials during many episodes. Alternate sponsors were General Electric (GE), Hazel Bishop and Bulova watches. Synopsis Set in Chicago, Illinois, the show starred Marvin as Detective Lieutenant Frank Ballinger, a member of "M Squad", a special unit of the Chicago Police, assisting other units in battling organized crime, corruption and violent crimes citywide. Paul Newlan co-starred as his boss, Captain Grey. Although Marvin had been appearing in feature films since 1951, it was this series that made him a star, and he later went on to an even bigger film career afterward. Nelson Case was the announcer. The popularity of ''M Squad'' was proven in the ratings wars by the NBC network choosing a Friday night time sl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin (born Lamont Waltman Marvin Jr.; February 19, 1924August 29, 1987) was an American film and television actor. Known for his bass voice and premature white hair, he is best remembered for playing hardboiled "tough guy" characters. Although initially typecast as the "heavy" (i.e. villainous character), he later gained prominence for portraying anti-heroes, such as Detective Lieutenant Frank Ballinger on the television series '' M Squad'' (1957–1960). Marvin's notable roles in film included Charlie Strom in ''The Killers'' (1964), Rico Fardan in '' The Professionals'' (1966), Major John Reisman in ''The Dirty Dozen'' (1967), Ben Rumson in '' Paint Your Wagon'' (1969), Walker in '' Point Blank'' (1967), and the Sergeant in '' The Big Red One'' (1980). Marvin achieved numerous accolades when he portrayed both gunfighter Kid Shelleen and criminal Tim Strawn in a dual role for the comedy Western film '' Cat Ballou'' (1965), alongside Jane Fonda, a surprise hit which won ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Non Sequitur (absurdism)
A non sequitur ( , ; " tdoes not follow") is a conversational literary device, often used for comedic purposes. It is something said that, because of its apparent lack of meaning relative to what preceded it, seems absurd to the point of being humorous or confusing. This use of the term is distinct from the non sequitur in logic, where it is a fallacy. Etymology The expression is Latin for " tdoes not follow". It comes from the words ''non'' meaning "not" and the verb ''sequi'' meaning "to follow". Usage A non sequitur can denote an abrupt, illogical, or unexpected turn in plot or dialogue by including a relatively inappropriate change in manner. A non sequitur joke sincerely has no explanation, but it reflects the idiosyncrasies, mental frames and alternative world of the particular comic persona. Comic artist Gary Larson's ''The Far Side'' cartoons are known for what Larson calls "...absurd, almost non sequitur animal" characters, such as talking cows, which he uses to crea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wordplay
Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, phonetic mix-ups such as spoonerisms, obscure words and meanings, clever rhetorical excursions, oddly formed sentences, double entendres, and telling character names (such as in the play ''The Importance of Being Earnest'', ''Ernest'' being a given name that sounds exactly like the adjective ''earnest''). Word play is quite common in oral cultures as a method of reinforcing meaning. Examples of text-based ( orthographic) word play are found in languages with or without alphabet-based scripts, such as homophonic puns in Mandarin Chinese. Techniques Some techniques often used in word play include interpreting idioms literally and creating contradictions and redundancies, as in Tom Swifties: :"Hurry up and get to the back of the ship," T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sight Gag
In comedy, a visual gag or sight gag is anything which conveys its humour visually, often without words being used at all. The gag may involve a physical impossibility or an unexpected occurrence. The humor is caused by alternative interpretations of the goings-on. Visual gags are used in magic, plays, and acting on television or movies. Types The most common type of visual gag is based on multiple interpretations of a series of events.Carroll, page 148 This type is used in the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film '' The 39 Steps''. Lead actor Robert Donat was kidnapping actress Madeleine Carroll and they were handcuffed. When they checked into an inn, the innkeeper assumed that they were passionate lovers because of the handcuffs. The film used dialogue that could be interpreted both ways. Another visual gag is a switched image, often at the beginning of a film. A subsequent view of the scene shows something not viewed before.Carroll, page 152 Switched movement may be the gag, such as Ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zucker, Abrahams, And Zucker
Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker (abbreviated to ZAZ) were an American comedy filmmaking trio consisting of Jim Abrahams and brothers David and Jerry Zucker who specialized in writing slapstick comedy films during the 1980s. History David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker knew each other during their childhood years, growing up in Shorewood, Wisconsin, and attending Shorewood High School which is sometimes referenced in their work. While attending the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the trio founded a small theater known as The Kentucky Fried Theater in 1971 which led to their sketch comedy film ''The Kentucky Fried Movie'' in 1977. This was followed by the trio's breakout hit ''Airplane!'' in 1980, which remains a revered comedic milestone. Subsequent collaborations include '' Top Secret!'', ''Ruthless People'', and ''The Naked Gun ''The Naked Gun'' media franchise, also known as ''Police Squad!'', consists of several American crime spoof-comedies, based on an origina ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Police Procedural
The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on either a private detective, an amateur investigator or the characters who are the targets of investigations. While many police procedurals conceal the criminal's identity until the crime is solved in the narrative climax (the so-called whodunit), others reveal the perpetrator's identity to the audience early in the narrative, making it an inverted detective story. Whatever the plot style, the defining element of a police procedural is the attempt to accurately depict the profession of law enforcement, including such police-related topics as forensic science, autopsies, gathering evidence, search warrants, interrogation and adherence to legal restrictions and procedure. Early history The roots of the police procedural have been traced to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parody
A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subject is an original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, etc), but a parody can also be about a real-life person (e.g. a politician), event, or movement (e.g. the French Revolution or 1960s counterculture). Literary scholar Professor Simon Dentith defines parody as "any cultural practice which provides a relatively polemical allusive imitation of another cultural production or practice". The literary theorist Linda Hutcheon said "parody ... is imitation, not always at the expense of the parodied text." Parody may be found in art or culture, including literature, music, theater, television and film, animation, and gaming. Some parody is practiced in theater. The writer and critic John Gross observes in his ''Oxfor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Drebin
Franklin "Frank" Drebin is a fictional character in the '' Police Squad!'' series and ''The Naked Gun'' movies played by Leslie Nielsen. Appearances Television The character of Frank Drebin was first introduced in the six episodes that were aired of the 1982 ''Police Squad!'' series on ABC, starting with the episode " A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise)". In the show which parodied other television series about the police, as with the later films, he was written to be a police sergeant and detective lieutenant of the Police Squad task force. Due to the network's complaints that the episodes were written in a linear way which required some knowledge of events of previous episodes instead of being akin to a procedural drama where episodes are generally written to be self-containing, the show was cancelled after merely four episodes, though two more were broadcast later. Film * '' The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!'' (1988) * '' The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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