Writer and director Jim Abrahams, who was responsible for some of the funniest movies and TV of the 1980s-90s, died on Nov. 26. He was 80. Frequently working with Jerry Zucker and David Zucker, Abrahams wrote and directed Airplane! and TV’s Police Squad!, both of which should put him in a comedy hall of fame. He was also behind the Naked Gun movies, Kentucky Fried Movie (his launching pad), Hot Shots! (he did love exclamation marks), Big Business, Welcome Home Roxy Carmichael, and Ruthless People. The stars of Airplane!, Abrahams said, were “really spoofing their own images. There's something endearing about them having a laugh at their own expense. The thing that’s unique about Airplane! is that we cast serious actors and told them not to take themselves too seriously.”
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