"Police Squad!" (1982)TV series

Creators:

Jim Abrahams
David Zucker
Jerry Zucker
(more)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

4 March 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Mystery

Plot:

Sight-gags and non-sequiturs dominate this spoof of police dramas. The six episodes formed the basis for later very successful "Naked Gun" movies.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Spoof | Different Gags During Credits | Police Detective | Urban

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Leslie Nielsen	...	Det. Frank Drebin (6 episodes, 1982)
Alan North	...	Capt. Ed Hocken (6 episodes, 1982)
Rex Hamilton	...	Abraham Lincoln (6 episodes, 1982)
Ed Williams	...	Ted Olson, Scientist (6 episodes, 1982)
William Duell	...	Johnny the Snitch (6 episodes, 1982)
Peter Lupus	...	Norberg (4 episodes, 1982)

(more)

Series Directed by
Joe Dante		(2 episodes, 1982)

Series Writing credits
Jim Abrahams		(6 episodes, 1982)
David Zucker		(6 episodes, 1982)
Jerry Zucker		(6 episodes, 1982)
Tino Insana		(2 episodes, 1982)
Pat Proft		(2 episodes, 1982)
Nancy Steen		(2 episodes, 1982)
Neil Thompson		(2 episodes, 1982)
Robert Wuhl		(2 episodes, 1982)

Series Produced by
Jim Abrahams	....	executive producer (6 episodes, 1982)
Richard Correll	....	associate producer (6 episodes, 1982)
Deborah Hwang-Marriott	....	associate producer (6 episodes, 1982)
Robert K. Weiss	....	producer (6 episodes, 1982)
David Zucker	....	executive producer (6 episodes, 1982)
Jerry Zucker	....	executive producer (6 episodes, 1982)

Series Original Music by
Ira Newborn		(6 episodes, 1982)

Series Cinematography by
Sherman Kunkel		(6 episodes, 1982)

Series Film Editing by
Tom Benko		(3 episodes, 1982)
Malcolm Campbell		(3 episodes, 1982)

Series Casting by
Sally Powers		(6 episodes, 1982)

Series Art Direction by
Seymour Klate		(6 episodes, 1982)

Series Set Decoration by
Bruce A. Gibeson		(6 episodes, 1982)

Series Makeup Department
Linda Buffa	....	hair stylist (6 episodes, 1982)
Ron Walters	....	makeup artist (5 episodes, 1982)

Series Production Management
Ron Fury	....	unit production manager (6 episodes, 1982)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alice West	....	second assistant director (6 episodes, 1982)
Rusty Meek	....	first assistant director (4 episodes, 1982)
Jack Clements	....	first assistant director (2 episodes, 1982)

Series Sound Department
Richard Bryce Goodman	....	sound mixer (6 episodes, 1982)

Series Stunts
Ralph Garrett	....	stunt coordinator (6 episodes, 1982)
Gene LeBell	....	stunts (unknown episodes)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Michael Butler	....	costumer: men / costume supervisor (6 episodes, 1982)
Karen Kaufman	....	costumer: women (6 episodes, 1982)

Series Music Department
Darryl Duran	....	music editor (5 episodes, 1982)

Series Other crew
Tino Insana	....	story editor (6 episodes, 1982)
Jan Kemper	....	script supervisor (6 episodes, 1982)
David Misch	....	executive story editor (6 episodes, 1982)
Pat Proft	....	executive script consultant (6 episodes, 1982)
Nancy Steen	....	story editor (6 episodes, 1982)
Neil Thompson	....	story editor (6 episodes, 1982)
Robert Wuhl	....	story editor (6 episodes, 1982)

Production Companies

• Paramount Television

Distributors

• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1982) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Paramount Home Video (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Paramount Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Entertainment Finland (2007) (Finland) (DVD)

Runtime:

30 min (6 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Finland:K-18 (DVD) (2007) (self applied) | Australia:M | USA:TV-PG | Norway:15 (DVD) (2007) | Sweden:15 (DVD) (2007) | Denmark:15 (DVD) (2007)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Ave., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Television

Trivia:

Each week Frank's snitch, Johnny the Shoeshine boy who knew everything, would meet with someone else that Johnny could give useful if esoteric information to. In the last three episodes he met with real-life people Dick Clark, Joyce Brothers, and Tommy Lasorda (even providing Clark with a special bottle of anti-aging face cream).

Quotes:

Det. Frank Drebin: Cigarette?
Mary: Yes, I know.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Operation Double 007 (#6.8)" (1993)

Insane Humor

This is the brief series that lead to the NAKED GUN trilogy. Leslie Nielsen gets to play madman with all the delicious relish he can bring to the part of the straight-faced detective.

The stories are parodies of all the very, very, very serious and very, very, very important police and crime shows on TV over the years. Nothing escapes the satiric bashing that goes on here. The guest stars each week are murdered in the opening scene and then are never heard of again. The titles of the episodes don't fit the narration. Nielsen's own narration is a wonderful satire of all the crime story voice-overs going back to film noir and DRAGNET. And -- wonder of wonders -- the show is "In Color!"

No pun goes un-punned. No sight-gag is left un-gagged. Nothing is spared. Imagine the Marx Brothers and Three Stooges in a crime movie setting, and that gives you a hint of what POLICE SQUAD is all about. This is one of the funniest shows ever made for TV, but since it is satire, it of course had only a short run. Nevertheless, I loved it.