‘Airplane!’ Turns 45: 6 Hilarious Behind-the-Scenes Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

AIRPLANE!, Julie Hagerty, Robert Hays, 1980, — Paramount/courtesy Everett Collection

Before there was a Scary Movie or Naked Gun, there was Airplane! While studios execs didn’t initially see much value in a disaster movie parody, they begrudgingly changed their tune after the Zucker brothers (David and Abraham) and their friend Jim Abrahams (collectively known as ZAZ) scored a ton of positive buzz with their cult classic Kentucky Fried Movie. They were given the green light from Paramount to proceed with Airplane!, paving the way for one of the funniest films of all time.

As we celebrate this comedy classic’s release on July 2, 1980, let’s take a look at some behind-the-scenes tidbits you probably didn’t know.

1The movie was treated like a drama on set

From the eternally quotable lines to the insane visuals, there are plenty of reasons why Airplane! has stood the test of time. However, all of the film’s creators agree that the most important not-so-secret sauce behind the film’s success was the mandate that carried through every single moment of shooting: treat the film like a drama.

There are no winks or nods to the audience here – every actor plays their part seriously, letting the dialogue and sight gags get the unexpected laughs. While studio heads questioned this approach at first, most agree that this tactic helps the comedy shine while still allowing fans to care about the story.

2Leslie Nielsen carried around a fart machine

Believe it or not, Leslie Nielsen was largely known for dramatic roles prior to starring in Airplane! and the Naked Gun series. Perhaps the intensity of his work led him to seek out a – dare we say – release, as throughout filming, he developed a habit of playing with a machine that made gas noises. Even scene partner Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has gone on record saying that he thought that Nielsen had some sort of intestinal problem at first.

Nielson eventually convinced most of the crew to purchase their own fart machines, causing a constant symphony of turbulent tooting. He later became famous for his fart machine after bringing it on several late night talk shows, including Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

3Most of the jive talk was rewritten by the actors

A big priority for Airplane! was parodying the overly serious tone of 1970s disaster movies like Airport 1975. To this end, the film’s creators landed on a scene where a flight attendant struggles to communicate with two Black passengers who spoke in exaggerated slang, creating a comedic highlight (and, possible, the movie’s most memorable moment).

During auditions, two longtime friends named Norman Alexander Gibbs and Al White began improvising their lines to perfection, causing ZAZ to hire them immediately and apologize for their own comparatively lame attempt at scripting “jive”. The twist in the movie came with the cameo arrival of Barbara Billingsley, best known as the prim-and-proper mom on Leave It to Beaver, who surprised audiences by “translating” the jive fluently.

4The PA announcers in the film were the real deal

For the longest time, Abrahams and the Zuckers couldn’t find the right actors to play feuding PA announcers, so they sought out the voiceover artists who produced the actual airport PA recordings. Unbelievably, the duo turned out to be a married couple who had sold the PA system to the airport. Their audition was a home run, landing them the most memorable mic work of their careers. Who knew that a husband and wife would be the perfect pair to make us laugh by getting on each other’s nerves?

5The film was shot alongside a real rager

(c)United Artists. Courtesy: Everett Collection.

Airplane! was filmed at Culver City Studios at the same time as a slightly more serious film was in production: Martin Scorsese‘s boxing drama Raging Bull. In other words, it’s entirely possible that Robert De Niro was filming some of cinema’s most iconic scenes at the very time that Barbara Billingsley was speaking in jive just a stroll away.

6The crash scene was almost a disaster – for the budget

Airplane! wrapped filming on August 8, 1979, with its final scene featuring a 747 crashing through a glass wall into the airport terminal.

The elaborate shot involved a fake airplane nose mounted on a 10-ton flatbed truck, specially tempered safety glass, 100 extras, and 50 stunt performers—making it one of the film’s most ambitious and expensive sequences. Even Howard Koch, the production head at Paramount known for his relaxed and supportive demeanor, was taken aback by the sheer scale and cost.

Thankfully, the enormous endeavor paid off: the scene earned a big laugh in the movie, became a highlight in trailers and promotional material, and served as the iconic backdrop for cast and crew photos.