This book was hysterically funny--I remember the movie well, and learning how the three producers (THREE!) got this amazing serious cast together and got this movie off the ground was well worth the seat time! It's almost magical how it all came together, and that serious actors such as Leslie Nielsen (who is of course remembered as a major comedy star now) created such a comedic tour de force! I enjoyed this book so much that I immediately bought a copy for my brother's birthday, because I knew he would enjoy the "making of" and the magic behind the movie, both the technical details and the history of how it came to be, as much as I did. 10/10 would recommend! Thank you to NetGalley for an advance reader's copy. Please note my review is independent and my opinions are my own.

If you love the movie Airplane, you'll love this recounting of behind the scenes laughs and hijinks even more! A light read that will cheer you up instantly. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This is such a great book, full of photos from the production and stories from the producers. Lots of inside stories, including that the "Jive Lady" played by Barbara Billingsly was originally offered as a part to Harriet Nelson, but she turned down the role because she felt odd about swearing on camera. Afterwards she admitted turning down the role was a mistake!

Would you believe that today there are people who didn't know Lloyd Bridges or Leslie Nielsen were both originally dramatic actors? That's all because of AIRPLANE.

Fans of the film should love, but there are just some really funny stories here that will make anyone laugh.

Great behind the scenes look about one of my favorite comedies. It’s such a classic movie and reading how it was made was so interesting.

Surely You Can't Be Serious is a nonfiction book about the making of the 1980 movie. Airplane! is pretty much the one comedy movie that I actually really like and rewatch consistently, so I thought it would be fun to learn more about how the movie was made!

If you are a big Airplane! fan like me, I highly recommend reading this book! I knew nothing about how the film was made and was not alive when it was premiered, so I had no idea what the reaction was, or really what movies were like at the time. This book gave a lot of context to the jokes and characters. It was also really interesting to hear the long road the directors had to make the movie. I wasn't super interested in their work before the movie so more skimmed through those sections, which worked pretty well.

Overall, definitely read this book if you're interested in the movie! 4 stars from me. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Airplane is one of the most insane movies I have ever watched. It's chock-full of things that would never fly today while never being insulting or demeaning. It's just fun despite it feeling like it shouldn't be.
This book is the story of three friends who had a good idea and some luck on their side to get it made. It wasn't an easy thing and they had to fight for the chance, but it sounds like they had a lot of fun along the way.
Ultimately, it's not as funny to hear about a hilarious movie getting made as it is to watch it, but reading about the enthusiasm and energy that went into making it was a different type of joy. You get excited right along with the creators and creatives who had a hand in making it.
It's also an incredibly interesting and different view of how movies got made in the 70s/80s. Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker had zero knowledge about movies but a great desire to get their silly movie made. The steps they took were unconventional and a lot of it was straight-up serendipitous, and I feel like that's something that comes through in the movie.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the entertaining read!

My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book and the making of this movie, as this is a very popular movie and one of my dad's favorite movies, I remember when he came to the theaters to watch this with my Mom and me. The actors that played in the movie are iconic. Lots of funny behind-the-scenes information and pictures.

Pick this book up, you will enjoy it!! :)

Are you a fan of the movie Airplane! ? If you are, then you need to read this book. With details that no one else could have, this is THE book about the movie and the stories behind the movie and the men behind it. I so enjoyed this book, that I told everyone I know about this book!

Princess Fuzzypants here: My family are all big movie fans. We love movies and thus, I am often lured to read books about the making of films I have enjoyed. I have never enjoyed one of those books more than this one. Two brothers and a friend who began to collaborate in making people laugh in university went on the write and direct one of the funniest movies ever. More than forty years later, people still riff the lines. Up until that time, there was nothing like it and since then most similar efforts have been pale imitations.

What made this book so delightful was it was set up like a discussion. One thought or vignette led naturally into the next until the whole tale was told. I suspect the greatest test of a “making of” book is whether the reader wants to pull out the movie and see it again. We will be pulling out Airplane as soon as possible.

Thanks for a fun movie and thanks for a fun book. Five purrs and two paws up.

From their start through the creation of this comedy classic, Surely You Can't Be Serious interviews the writers, directors, actors, and others about the process and impact this movie had on so many. It's filled with interesting stories, funny banter, and cool connections to making this masterpiece. Any fans of the movie would be well served to grab this read.

An origin story of the minds behind the classic comedy Airplane! And a behind the scenes look at filming.
I loved this movie and enjoyed this book. Definitely makes me want to rewatch this film.
I wish the book had gone a little deeper in the relationships of the creators, it felt very surface level. But an enjoyable book non the less.

***** I have received and read an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for giving my honest feedback. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.*****

Reading the book was almost as much fun as watching the movie!

There's really not much to say- if you like the movie, you'll like the book.

It's a great ride down memory lane, and you learn so much about the making of the movie that you'll want to go out and watch it again.

This book about the making of the movie Airplane was just as much fun if not more than watching the actual movie. Because in the book they were things I missed in the movie like with the white zone and red zone abortion conversation I totally missed there’s some really great gem’s like there’s getting June Cleaver to be the jive translator which OMG I couldn’t wait to get to that chapter how they got the great actors and actresses they did to play the parts in Avon the chapters on Kentucky Fried theater and how that whole thing came together were interesting from there in fights the people quitting the group right before show time to how they got one of the greatest minds and comedic movie writing to be a part of their group of course it was before his genius was known throughout Hollywood but still! This is a great book there’s so much in it from their appearance or non-appearance on the Tonight Show so much much more I absolutely enjoyed this book and highly recommend it an absolute treasure to have for any fan of the movie. I want to think Saint Martin’s press and Net Galley for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

A delightful book about the making of a landmark movie, one that still manages to be hilarious over 40 years later. SURELY YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS is a guide to the making of AIRPLANE! led by the people most familiar with the territory, the film's trio of writer/directors known as ZAZ. The still-fizzy byplay between the three principals as they recount their story after a friendship that has lasted decades is the best illustration of their approach to comedy. They also do a very good job of explaining how a group of Midwestern comics with no connections to the movie business were able not only to break in, but make a groundbreaking film. (The book makes it plain that the Hollywood of the late 1970s and early '80s was far more open to taking risks.) ZAZ's story is supplemented by quotes from many of AIRPLANE!'s stars and production staff, as well as contemporary talents like Bill Hader and Adam McKay who explain how influential the movie was and continues to be. It's a rarity: a book about a laugh-out-loud movie that is itself funny.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker for an ARC of this book!!**

Rumack: "Can you fly this plane, and land it?"
Ted Striker: "Surely you can't be serious."
Rumack: "I am serious... and don't call me Shirley."

Whether you're a casual fan who may have heard the above exchange in passing, or a diehard who giggles nonstop when Rex Kramer launches into his rambling speech to no one at the end of the film ("Do you know what it's like to fall in the mud and get kicked... in the head... with an iron boot? Of course you don't, no one does. It never happens. Sorry, Ted, that's a dumb question... skip that.", which coincidentally was my Twitter byline for AGES) and have seen this movie more times than you can even count, the crazy-but-true story of how the ICONIC film Airplane! was made is the behind-the-scenes deep dive you never knew you needed...until now!

Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker (or Team ZAZ, as they are affectionately called) take you on a bumpy ride as twisted and unpredictable as the airplane's journey itself. From their early years in the midwest, to their Kentucky Fried Theater live show to the Kentucky Fried MOVIE...and on to the MASSIVE success of Airplane! itself, this book covers a LOT of ground--some already tread in the film's commentary track, but with in-depth perspectives and hilarious behind the scenes stories that haven't come to light until now. And most of it is fun, once you get into the rhythm of the book.

However, this takes a while...so if you're a fan of linear progression, be prepared to be patient.Whereas most memoirs etc. might take you from point A to point B in someone's life in pretty straightforward, chronological way, this book kind of turns that concept on its head. We pop from the lives of ZAZ to making of the film, then back in time 10 years, then forward 10 years to learning about Leslie Nielsen, then back to meeting Stephen Stucker and working with him in Kentucky Fried Theater, and then forward again...etc. With all of the turbulence, I was half expecting to see the Fasten Seatbelts (or Putanadaseatbeltz, if you prefer) sign to come on at any time.

The good? Even though the screen caps and film quotes (guaranteed to make you snicker, every time) are sort of just plopped intermittently throughout the book, not to mention quotes and reflections from comedy icons who have loved and been inspired by the film over the years (everyone from Weird Al to Maya Rudolph to Trey Parker and Matt Stone make an appearance), this scattershot approach didn't completely derail the reading experience for me. Once I allowed myself to go with the flow a bit, I found myself swept into nostalgia and LOVING all of the behind-the-scenes tidbits. Believe it or not, David Letterman actually screen tested for this movie...until he decided he wanted absolutely nothing to do with acting...but ZAZ might just have played that screen test on an episode of Letterman's show years later (!)

ZAZ's journey has been nothing if not unconventional, and if you didn't know this already, this film is not only a parody of airplane disaster movies in general, but is at times a DIRECT parody of the film Zero Hour!, with some of the shots matching frame for frame and even uses some of the same dialogue. The beauty of Airplane is that it is so iconic, so funny, and has the perfect blend of drama, romance, and comedy for it to work as a film even without this point of reference (but being the diehard fan I am, I feel like eventually I'll have to give the source material a watch, even just so I can say I did it).

The tale ends with ZAZ's current adventures, and to say each of them is a departure from the comedy writing and directing they embarked upon together in the 80's is a bit of an understatement...but to find out more, you'll have to make it to the end of the runway on your own!

Because after all, Rex Kramer said it best: "Flying a plane is no different than riding a bicycle.

...

It's just a lot harder to put baseball cards in the spokes."

4 stars

#SurelyYouCantBeSerious @StMartinsPress

Surely You Can't Be Serious? An entire book about the (arguably) funniest movie ever, Airplane? By its creators? Sign me up (and feel free to call me Shirley)!

There hasn’t been a book about the making of Airplane before and now there is. Yay! Admittedly, it is better to watch the movie at least once before reading it. But that is easy because it bounces around regularly among streaming services-not bad for a forty-year-old movie. However, the main fans of this book will be those who saw Airplane when it first came out (hello, Boomer). It was something completely new, and just silly, at a time when everything else was so serious. It continued the Mel Brooks movie parody tradition in a completely stupid way. I don’t think I’m explaining this well. Just watch the movie and whatever you remember in between fits of giggling will impress you too.

For existing fans, this book is a backstage look at how the Zuckers took serious actors down a completely different comedy road—preferably with a straight face. And how they fought the moviemaking establishment to bring their boyish idea of comedy to the screen.

Whether you are a new or existing fan, Surely You Can't Be Serious is a perfect after party (where everyone rehashes everything that happened at last night’s party even though the night is only hazily remembered). It’s a twister! It’s a twister! 5 stars and a favorite!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

This book would be a fun gift for any Airplane! fanatics - I must admit that even though I do work in the aviation industry, I’m not the hugest fan of this movie of its comedy style. I still enjoyed this book, though, especially all the photos and quotes that had me giggling.
BUT a lot of this book is about the movie creators and their comedy acts before the movie was made. It’s super interesting to read about people creating their own success “back in the day.” I feel like stories like theirs just wouldn’t happen now. And if you’re looking for an oral history of the start and success of Zucker, Abrahams, & Zucker, this is the book for you, but strictly an Airplane! fanatic book this is not.
I liked all the quotes from other comedians strewn throughout. And, again, this book would make a great gift. My husband (who also works in the aviation industry IS what I’d call an Airplane! fanatic) so I mostly read this for him and now we’re watching the movie.
One star removed because *most* of this book isn’t about Airplane!

Do you like gladiator movies? Ever feel like you picked the wrong day to quit smoking? Then this may be the book for you... I'm completely serious (and don't call me Shirley).

Funny and informative. These guys are just naturally funny and it shows all through this book. It covers the early beginnings of Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker from their days as founders of The Kentucky Fried Theater group right up to the making of Airplane! It even gives a brief summation of what they've been up to since then and where they are now.

Great interviews, past and present, from almost everyone involved as well as comments from some of the filmmakers and comedians who have been inspired by Airplane! I literally laughed out loud while reading this book. The funniest memoir I've read since Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother.

Highly recommended.

This book will make a great gift for every dad. I love the movie Airplane! and really enjoyed reading this oral history a la Live! From New York! It was wonderful to "hear" ZAZ talk about working with Leslie Nielsen, Robert Stack, Peter Graves, and Lloyd Bridges.

As a fan of Naked Gun and Police Squad I enjoyed reading the backstory of ZAZ and how they took their vision from Wisconsin to LA. So much of how things played out for them would not be possible today. It's a fantastic memoir on ZAZ, inspirational for anyone who needs a little kick towards creativity, and who maintains a love in their heart for one of the most absurd comedies ever made.

Surely You Can't Be Serious by David Zucker; Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker is hands down one of the funniest books I've ever read.
A cool and funny nostalgic title to be enjoyed more as we age.
This trio left me laughing, smiling and wanting to hunt this movie down to watch it.
It was an amazing and very amusing time. I loved every second of it.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!