Leslie Nielsen | A Serious Talent | A Docu-Mini

I love the way you play it so straight I love the way I guess the director told you it's the it's not a comedy act as though this is deadly serious you leave the director you the thing is that we know that we're being funny but you can't let the audience know for one second that you're trying to be funny not for one second although I will do almost anything I can for a laugh I said almost I didn't say I would do anything for a LAN Webster's dictionary defines deadpan as marked by an impassive matter-of-fact manner style or expression I however believe three words should be added see Leslie Nielsen surely you can't be serious I am serious and don't call me Shirley when examining acting in comedy there's few who did it so seemingly effortless as Leslie Nielsen did his ability to take ridiculous material and deliver it so completely earnestly as a talent that no actor has been able to come close to sits and probably never will well that's great I've been dating too nice girl an author she wrote the book on male sexual dysfunction and you've probably read it I beg your pardon while I've spent previous documentaries talking about comedy actors who struggled to break into drama Leslie Nielsen's story is so incredible because he actually did the complete opposite spending the first three decades of his film career as a serious character actor then at age 54 he accepted a film role that would not only reinvent his career but his entire screen persona taking him from a bit part dramatic actor to a comedy megastar overnight it's one of those rare success stories where an amazingly talented performer was given a second chance later in life becoming the sensation they were always meant to be this is the story of the man who took that chance a man who defied the odds and will forever exemplify why it's never too late to achieve your dreams a man named Leslie Nielsen Leslie Nielsen's first screen performance came in 1950 in an anthology drama called studio 1 you want me to write it down for you then you know what's going on none of your business whatever it is well it is yours someone's accused your daughter of murdering her husband having recently trained at the prestigious New York Actors Studio Leslie was beginning a new phase in his life acting on film I think this letter was written by someone in the house whom why then perhaps it's better not to find out who or why you think one of us is responsible I won here in the family or in the house at just age 24 Leslie often excelled at playing the dashing young protagonist in these live TV productions but the field was overly saturated with similar acting types which prevented him from being a clear standout in their early film and TV appearances that he made why did that the commander aim right between the eyes fire in 1956 he got a huge break being cast as a lead in the sci-fi film The Forbidden Planet our current generation may not know just how influential this film was for the genre but it was actually the first film to depict humans traveling via starship of their own to another planet Nilsson plays that starships - and Commander John Jay Adams kid you don't realize what's loose on this planet that's what he says I don't believe it nothing could be immune to that thing the film was a financial success being released during the sci-fi boom of the 50s today it's widely accepted as a cult classic and one of the pioneers of the sci-fi genre pending further evidence you deprived of space panel privileges for me - sir no me - sir will stand 20 extra watches I'll have less streaming aboard the ship he appeared next in a film called Tammy and The Bachelor in 1957 playing the romantic lead to Debbie Reynolds title character a worldly young man and handsome - I just know that living and dying and getting born I don't know about loving but I figure I can learn co-starring Leslie Nielsen by 1959 however he was becoming frustrated with the lack of film roles he was being offered after auditioning for Ben Hur in 1959 and failing to get the part Leslie returned to acting for television beginning with a series for Disney called the Swamp Fox Swamp Fox that's what talkin called me and I'm much obliged him for the idea we'll hold up here by Dan was strike by night well hit him so fast and so often he won't know where to look for us next in 1961 he was cast as the lead in the police drama called the new breed he was hopeful it would be a success for him and show audiences he could be a lead in a police drama we could work this deal together you and I get him money all of it don't hang targets on our backs either you mean that yeah I'm a nerd sadly though it was canceled after one season he continued working making guest appearances on some of the most popular shows the 1960s where's my coat listen you're in shock I can't leave now Tony I tell you my son is in the shop over there as the 60s came to an end with his prime behind him Leslie just accepted that he probably wasn't meant to be a leading man in film and spent nearly all the 1970s continuing to play character parts in film and television the talent why are you hounding Beth honey me oh no I'm not having anybody oh well what I'm trying to do is get to the bottom of this thing Leslie was excelling at playing side characters and disaster films in particular so much so that when Jim Abraham's David Zucker and Jerry Zucker set out to make a parody of the whole genre called airplane they knew Leslie would have to be a part of it I'm just looking for a doctor there's nothing to worry about stewardess I think the man sitting next to me as a doctor sir excuse me sir I'm sorry I have to wake you your doctor that's right we have some passengers they're very sick could you come take a look yes of course one of the reasons airplane works so well as a comedy was because it was filled with serious character actors from the disaster films of the 1970s it may be easy to overlook that today simply because airplane made these guys look like comedy veterans never seen a grown man naked in directing Leslie as dr. Rumaki directors just told him to deliver his lines as he would if this film were a serious drama I think they underestimated just how well he would handle that task you'd better tell the captain we've got to land as soon as we can this woman has to be got into a hospital a hospital what is it it's a big building with patients but that's not important right now captain how soon can you land I can't tell you can tell me I'm a doctor no I mean I'm just not sure what can't you take a guess well not for another two hours you can't take a guess for another two hours airplane was a smash hit critics praised Leslie's performance for his playing against tight but in reality he was just putting into practice what he had been perfecting the past three decades reading his lines earnestly I think the same quality that makes both ring true and works for both drama and comedy is credibility you must be believed then it can be really funny especially insanity if you believe in sanity then it could be funny for his next project Leslie but gets a play the lead as a police officer in his own television series again only this time it wasn't a drama please go away I don't want to answer any more of your questions was her body at a time like this mrs. twice we would have come earlier but your husband wasn't dead then the filmmaking team on airplane loved working with him so much that they crafted the role of lieutenant Frank Drebin for him and their follow up to airplane had been a recent wave of gorgeous fashion models found naked and unconscious and laundromats in the West Side unfortunately I was assigned to investigate holdups of neighborhood credit unions a parody of police procedurals called police squad once again the series worked so well because everything is played straight despite developing a strong fan base it was canceled after only four of the six filmed episodes had aired the TV series was far ahead of its time as Leslie later explained we thought it was going to be one of the biggest hits of the season and we realized after been on for about four he was pulled out in America because the ratings were not high they got worse and worse it's the kind of humor that doesn't belong on television on the small screen because you had to what if Thermopolis who is the head of programming at ABC said it didn't make it because you had to watch it what he meant was you had to pay attention to it it's a kind of humor you have to pay attention to failure had come to Leslie Nielsen again yet he persevered going back to playing character parts in film and TV shows at around this time he landed a role in the horror anthology film creep show his role in the film is actually one of my favorite performances of his like great video just look at the quality of that big I'm sorry she lost the coin toss I had to bury her further down the beat saw his character is just so menacing and pure evil it really shows what an amazing character actor he was able to switch between comedy and drama roles so flawlessly meanwhile the police squad series was released to VHS in 1985 and became a rental hit it was only then that Paramount realized how foolish they had been to cancel it so soon but they made good on their mistake in the best way possible [Music] nice beaver thank you I just had it stuffed nobody help you with that the naked gun from the files of police squad was released in 1988 Leslie reprised his role as lieutenant Frank Drebin in the film it would mark his first theatrical lead in the film in over 30 years while the film followed a formula set by its predecessors delivering silly material completely deadpan Wilma I promise you whatever scum did this not one man on this force will rest for one minute until he's behind bars now let's grab a bite to eat yeah it also allowed Leslie to show off his talent as a physical comedian something he hadn't done an airplane and man is he wonderful at slapstick just you bet you do orange grove acres of em as far as the eye could see much like airplane the film was a smash hit at 62 years old Leslie Nelson was finally a leading man in a number-one film in the country while airplane had opened new doors for him the Naked Gun completely blew those doors off their engines so people who might say they're gonna take a failed television show it make a full-length feature film out of it they're nuts they're not nuts oh no they're not that's at all what you saw the film yeah do you think they're nuts no no no oh I think they're nuts yeah well they are not the film showed everyone what a power for a box-office lead Leslie could be and Studios were actually commissioning films based on him being in them a Naked Gun sequel appropriately titled The Naked Gun two and a half the smell of fear followed in 1991 again becoming number one at the box office of pods release 210 blechtman Street that's a red-light district wonder why Savage is hanging out down there sex right oh no not right now we got work to do and Leslie was loving the warm reactions of audiences ah do you like all the attention that you're getting now do you like the fact that people go Looney when they see I think it's terrific and you know it really is nice too I love particularly the the affection that goes with to make a gun count of humor because I met when I did Saturday Night Live when I walked out on the audience's right there and you can see them looking at me it was just such a feeling of it's just like a warmth the grima's Leslie Nielsen became more and more popular he started appearing on TV interviews all around the world these usually formulaic interviews were made into a spectacle by Leslie thanks to a literal trick up his sleeve you'd like to see see it [Applause] what the hell are you doing what is the what is the whole let's show this you heard the rude noises entered thanks yes I am getting but son I got that for an Oklahoma City Jack Martin was the senior golf pro and one night he said Leslie I'm going to give you something to change your life a fart machine that he used to prank interviewers after scouring the internet for these interviews I am pleased to present Leslie's finest work in this series I'm always associated with being now you know a man who has a background in education I'm well mannered you know I have to protect protect that immature don't you think well it was the salmon sometimes you just hit get a wrong piece of salmon yeah no we did six shows that the comedy is what I really love yeah you know up until that point it doing so now you you had not done a great deal of comedy before airplane had you or well just a little bit people see you playing these roles I love having your concern I think anything you know pun is supposed to be the lowest form of humor there's only one other that I know enjoy doing comedy all right well then let's we'll start now then we'll begin did you hear the starter pistol he just seemed to take such great joy in bring laughter to other people the Naked Gun 33 and 1/3 came in 1994 and will become the last film in the series still reaching number one at the box office upon release continuing to make Leslie Nielsen a box-office champion at almost 70 years old in 1995 he teamed with the other king of Paradis Mel Brooks for Dracula dead and loving it children of the night mess they make I am come direct EULA Dracula dead and loving it is one of those movies where all the pieces were lined up for it to be a huge success yet it's somehow misfired failing financially and critically and as of today is the last film directed by Noah Brooks I'm getting in the habit of saying it's really not that bad in reference to a lot of critically panned movies I talked about on this channel but honestly this movie truly isn't that bad it doesn't live up to the magic of Young Frankenstein for sure but it's still a fun movie and Leslie Nielsen is just perfect in it even though the film failed the box office it didn't stop other Studios from continuing to cast Leslie as the lead in their comedy films [Applause] as the 90s came to an end Leslie had dominated the decade with some of his films he had twice been in films that were number one at the box office and starred as the lead in over nine comedy films he would also become popular with the whole new generation of fans thanks to his performance as president Harris and the scary movie films mr. president we've just received word the planet is under attack by aliens okay sir they've already wiped out some of our cities if nothing is done they'll kill us all I see well I'll handle that for a minute but right now I need to find out what's happening with the darker I however can remember growing up watching him fondly as he hosted the Three Stooges shorts on AMC hello Scrooge fans today you're in for a rare treat even though he would never reclaim his status as a box-office megastar after the 90s he still kept working in parody films all throughout the 2000s infecting new generations with his expert comedy timing you're not my father but I love you like your father did I believe in you like your father did I had sex with your mother just like your father did Leslie kept working in parody films until his death in 2010 at age 84 when looking back on his career there's such inspiration to take away from it but the real big break was somewhere in that time span even before airplane I had decided I woke up one morning and decided that I had been taking myself too seriously and I just stopped it and had been continuing to stop it ever since [Music] along with that kind of thing when you stop taking yourself seriously then you stop blaming people for things that have happened to you and the moment you stop blaming people about anything if any blame media you look to yourself you go for the laughs so my life today is like a vacation his approach to comedy acting actually makes for an amazing life philosophy showing us it's never too late to reinvent yourself and do what makes you happy his failure to become the actor he thought he wanted to be would actually lead him down the road to success there will never be another Leslie Nielsen a man whose story teaches us not to take things too seriously and reminds us that we should always keep laughing at the little things what's different about you and the real president nothing in just do you want to say [Music]

Channel: Hats Off Entertainment

Views: 587,041

Rating: 4.9683843 out of 5

Keywords: leslie nielsen, leslie nielsen biography, leslie nielsen documentary, leslie nielsen interview, leslie nielsen fart, airplane, airplane movie, naked gun, naked gun movies, spy hard, mr magoo, 80's comedy, don't call me shirley, frank drebin, police squad, scary movie, parody movie

Id: FzBuGMPGTC8

Length: 20min 4sec (1204 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 30 2020

Reddit Comments

[u/HowyadoinOK]

It's the same old story. Boy finds girl, boy loses girl, girl finds boy, boy forgets girl, boy remembers girl, girls dies in a tragic blimp accident over the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.

GoodYear?

No, the worst.

[u/Godzilla52]

"Like a blind man at an orgy, I was going to have to feel things out".

[u/DeLorean83]

Frank: That’s the red-light district. I wonder why Savage is hanging around down here.

Ed: Sex Frank?

Frank: uh no, not right now Ed. We’ve got work to do.

[u/lemonsquooze]

Hey look it’s Enrico Pallazo!

[u/Nagsheadlocal]

My brother died of ALS - when he was still able to leave the care facility, I'd check him out and take him to a movie because he loved movies more than anything. So one weekend I took him to see "Naked Gun" and neither of us knew much about it. When Nielsen utters the immortal line "Nice beaver!" I noticed my brother gasping, thought he was having a seizure and started getting his mask and oxygen bottle out of the bag. He waived me off - just laughing so hard he was actually crying.

Always wanted to meet Nielsen just to shake his hand and say "Thanks" for that moment of pure joy in my brother's too-short life.

Edit: thanks for the gold, kind internet stranger. Stay safe!

[u/Dammit_forgot_pw]

Police squad was a masterpiece of television. People never get my references when I say common pygmies but I laugh to myself anyway.

[u/justgetoffmylawn]

Who are you? How'd you get in here?

I'm a locksmith. And I'm a locksmith.

[u/Sirnando138]

Dr. Rumack: Captain, how soon can we land?

Capt. Oveur: I can't tell.

Dr. Rumack: You can tell me, I'm a doctor

[u/lasssilver]

I was watching an old western the other day.. on in the background.. and sure enough a young Leslie Nielsen was in it. I so wanted him to say something funny.. he didn’t, he just said cowboy stuff.