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Interview: David Zucker, legendary spoof comedy writer/director
Zucker talks about making 'Airplane!' and 'The Naked Gun', the state of comedies today, his new online comedy writing masterclass, and what's next
Filed under: Kinda Sorta Maybe Like a Podcast
David Zucker has written and directed some of the biggest comedies of all time, including Airplane! and The Naked Gun. Along with his brother Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams, the legendary ZAZ (Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker) trio essentially created the film spoof, making audiences laugh with glee through straight-faced delivery of their actors since the late 70s.
On the heels of his 2023 bestseller, Surely, You Can't Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane!, (a behind-the-scenes look of the making of the cult classic), the Milwaukee-born Zucker has now embarked on his own unique spoof comedy masterclass called MasterCrash. The 9-hour course promises to teach aspiring comedy filmmakers the dos and don'ts of effective comedy filmmaking.
Plus, he's not done making films! Zucker is developing a new project to direct, The Star of Malta, which he's written with his longtime writing collaborator Pat Proft and is hoping to get to lens soon, while he's also executive producing Octoberfest from German production company Traumfabrik Babelsberg.
I had the opportunity to chat over Zoom with David Zucker last week, and their sprawling half-hour conversation covered everything from 1977's The Kentucky Fried Movie through Airplane!, Top Secret!, Ruthless People, The Naked Gun, Scary Movie 3, his new projects, and his thoughts on comedy in Hollywood over the last few years.
To join up for MasterCrash and learn ZAZ's 15 essential rules for making spoof comedy (along with collaborating with other students, taking part in Q&A's with Zucker, etc.), visit www.mastercrash.com.
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When ShowbizMonkeys.com gets a chance to interview someone cool, then it falls to our long-running (and always insecure) Kinda Sorta Maybe Like a Podcast. With no discernible format besides a good conversation, we do get to check in with some really awesome folks, including some of the industry's top comedians, musicians, actors, and filmmakers.
Kinda Sorta Maybe has featured a rotating roster of hosts over the years, led by Managing Editor Paul Little and also including stand-up comic Andrew Lizotte, prolific podcaster Matthew Ardill, comedian J.D. Renaud, and film critic Mark McLeod, along with a few one-off special guest hosts.
Tags: David Zucker, Airplane!, The Naked Gun, Scary Movie 3, Scary Movie 4, Ruthless People, Police Squad, spoof comedy, MasterCrash, The Star of Malta
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