Surely You Can't Be Serious

The True Story of Airplane!

By: David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker

Narrated by: "Weird Al" Yankovic, Arne Schmidt, Barry Diller, Beau Bridges, Bill Hader, Bob Weiss, David Zucker, Dick Chudnow, Hunt Lowry, James Murray, Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, Jimmy Kimmel, Joe Praino, full cast

Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

This program is read by the authors (David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker), Laura Orrico and Joe Praino, with special appearances by an all-star cast of comedy giants, including the film's stars, Julie Hagerty and Robert Hays, as well as Beau Bridges, Barry Diller, Michael Eisner, Peter Farrelly, Bill Hader, Jimmy Kimmel, John Landis, Patton Oswalt, Trey Parker, Molly Shannon, Sarah Silverman, Matt Stone, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Lee Bryant, Joyce Bulifant, Dick Chudnow, Ken Collins, Jon Davison, Marcy Goldman, Ross Harris, Hunt Lowry, Rich Markey, James Murray, Tom Parry, Lorna Patterson, Pat Proft, Arne Schmidt, Lloyd Schwartz, and Bob Weiss.

"funny and weirdly inspirational, satisfying both the comedy obsessive and the merely curious."—The New York Times

"Sprinkled throughout are anecdotes from some of our most successful comedians today, like Weird Al, Bill Hader, and Jimmy Kimmel, telling the stories of what a comedy gamechanger this movie was. A funny and enjoyable listen about a cult classic. Certainly recommended for comedy fans, but also for those with an interest in Hollywood and movie making."—Booklist

Surely You Can't Be Serious is an in-depth and hysterical look at the making of 1980s comedy classic Airplane! by the legendary writers and directors of the hit film.

Airplane! premiered on July 2nd, 1980. With a budget of $3.5 million it went on to make nearly $200 million in sales and has influenced a multitude of comedians on both sides of the camera.

Surely You Can’t Be Serious is the first-ever oral history of the making of Airplane! by the creators, and of the beginnings of the ZAZ trio (Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker) – charting the rise of their comedy troupe Kentucky Fried Theater in Madison, Wisconsin all the way to premiere night. The directors explain what drew them to filmmaking and in particular, comedy.

With anecdotes, behind the scenes trivia, and never-before-revealed factoids, these titans of comedy filmmaking unpack everything from how they persuaded Peter Graves to be in the movie after he thought the script was a piece of garbage, how Lorna Patterson auditioned for the stewardess role in the back seat of Jerry’s Volvo, and how Leslie Nielsen’s pranks got the entire crew into trouble, to who really wrote the jive talk. It also features testimonials and personal anecdotes from well-known faces in the film, television, and comedy sphere, proving how influential Airplane! has been from day one.

Four decades after its release, Airplane! continues to make new generations laugh. Its many one-liners and visual gags have worked their way into the mainstream culture. This fully organic expansion of the ZAZ trio’s fan-base, prompted solely by word-of-mouth, comes as no surprise to longtime fans. When all around us is in flux, laughter is priceless.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2023 David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“The Zucker brothers and Abrahams debut with a rollicking oral history unpacking how their 1980 comedy Airplane! was made … This is a must-read for anyone who loves the film.”—Publishers Weekly

“This delightful book, like Airplane! and many other ZAZ productions, is multilayered, incisive, and surprising … A hilarious, well-structured account of and tribute to a significant film.”—Kirkus Reviews

“If some day they ever wrote a book about how Airplane! got made, I’m sure it would be a bestseller.”—The Pittsburg Picayune

Was the movie as good as the book?

For everyone that only watched the movie, instead of reading the book, this is proof that the movie was better than the book! If you’ve enjoyed the movie, listen to this! Great background on………

Shirley Fantastic!

Just a wonderful listen, warm, funny, insightful, love these guys and was a joy to hear about their journey from those actually there.

Funny history of a very funny movie

Too many comments from people unrelated to the production of Airplane . Would have been nice to hear more from those involved with Airplane, from studio staff all the way down to set hands.

what a ride

I had so much fun re-warching the movie after this book and I watched Kentucky Fried Movie for the first time! Much like the movie, there were so many great moments in the book! You'll just have to read (or listen, like me) for yourself

Now do The Naked Gun!

A great look at an amazing movie. If you have the time, I’m guessing this works better as a physical book. Some of the guest narrators are great: Jimmy Kimmel, Matt Stone, Trey Parker, Sarah Silverman, Bill Hader, and most of the cast. But the majority of the book is read by ZAZ, and while they are terrific directors, their readings feel wooden.

Still, an excellent book that will have you rewatching Airplane! immediately.

Hilarious!

As funny as the movie. Great story behind this brilliant trio as told by them.

Great to hear the backstory!

When I first saw AIRPLANE!, I laughed so hard I bruised some ribs. Listening to this book 43 years later, I thought I might have some laughing episodes similar to what I previously experienced. SO THERE.

Very good

Exactly what you hope it is. They need me to type more worlds. Ignore this last bit

Story of overcoming obstacles to fulfilling objective

Tidbits of good trivia.
makes me want to watch airplane for the 101st time
And explore their other movies that I never watched

I always wondered about the zuckers burger stand. This audiobook answered everything!

I'm not a big fan of confessional style bios, but this was chock full of info. Didn't know about the preproduction and post production politics. A must-listen for airplane fans.