Surely This Is A Sad Day

Leslie Nielsen has died.  F. Scott Fitzgerald famously observed there are no second acts in American lives, but Nielsen proved him wrong.

As a young man, Nielsen played romantic and action leads in numerous films and TV shows. His most famous early role is probably Commander John J. Adams, leader of the mission in the classic 1956 sci-fi film Forbidden Planet.  He worked regularly, but never quite reached top star status.  To be honest, Nielsen was usually pretty bland, often coming across as just another pretty face.

Then, well into his 50s, he got a part in Airplane! (1980).  It was a spoof of action films that featured many formerly serious actors, all playing the anything-for-a-laugh comedy in perfect deadpan style.  The film was a huge hit and launched Nielsen into a career in comedy.

The creators of Airplane! hired him to star in Police Squad!, a sitcom that mocked TV cop shows in the same style.  The show was a cult item, beloved by a coterie but canceled after six episodes. It's still very much worth watching. That could have been the end, but a few years later the producers made a film based on the series, The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad!  It was a hit, followed by two sequels, The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell Of Fear and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult.  From that point on, Nielsen became the go-to guy for spoofs.  Even though these films were not as well-received as his earlier comedies, his new persona just about wiped out memories of his older work.  It sometimes seemed he was a man set free, as his joking around on talk shows (including a fondness for whoopee cushions) demonstrated.

I love Airplane! and a lot of the Police Squad! stuff.  Some people think the anything-for-a-laugh style is easy, but when you live or die on each joke, you've got to keep things on a high level.  Nielsen at his height was probably the best at performing this kind of comedy.  If I have any complaints, it's that in later years he resorted to mugging, when playing it straight is half the fun.