Surely You Can't Be Serious by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker

An in-depth and hysterical look at the making of 1980's comedy cult
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 an oral history of the making of Airplane! by
the creators, as well as the humble origins of the ZAZ (Zucker, Abrahams,
Zucker) trio - charting the rise of their comedy troupe Kentucky Fried Theater
in L.A. all the way to premiere day. The directors explain what drew them to
filmmaking and in particular, comedy. With anecdotes, behind the scenes trivia
and never-before-known factoids - these titans of comedy filmmaking unpack
everything from how they got Peter Graves to play his first comedy role after a
career of straight" roles, casting Leslie Nielsen, who was the prankster on set,
to that jive talk scene! The book also features testimonies and personal
anecdotes from well-known faces in the film, television, and comedy sphere -
proving how influential Airplane! has been from day one.
Today, four decades after release, the film has had another resurgence,
reaching a whole new generation through social media. This fully organic
expansion of the ZAZ trio's fan-base, prompted solely by word-of-mouth and
one-liners, comes as no (...)

Together with Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams, DAVID ZUCKER is one third of
the legendary American comedy filmmaking trio ZAZ. They knew each other
growing up in Shorewood, Wisconsin, 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. Together with David and Jerry Zucker, JIM ABRAHAMS is one third
of the legendary American comedy filmmaking trio ZAZ. They knew each other
growing up in Shorewood, Wisconsin, 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. Together with David Zucker and Jim Abrahams, JERRY ZUCKER

St. Martin's Press
On Sale: Oct 3/23
6.12 x 9.13 • 320 pages
Includes black-and-white photographs throughout and
4-color endpapers
9781250289315 • $47.00 • CL - With dust jacket
Biography / Personal Memoirs