 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2008) |
| ZAZ | |
|---|---|
| Born | David Zucker: October 16, 1947 Jim Abrahams: May 10, 1944 Jerry Zucker: March 11, 1950 |
| Other name(s) | Kentucky Fried Theatre |
| Occupation | Directors Actors |
| Years active | 1977-present |
Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker (also known as ZAZ) is a comedy filmmaking trio consisting of Jim Abrahams and brothers David Zucker and Jerry Zucker that specializes in slapstick comedy. The three knew one another during childhood - growing up in Shorewood, Wisconsin, and attending Shorewood High School (which is sometimes referenced in their work). While attending the University of Wisconsin–Madison the trio formed a theater group called "Kentucky Fried Theater". This led to a sketch film, The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), which was written by the group and directed by John Landis.
This was followed in 1980 by their breakout hit, Airplane!, which remains a revered comedic milestone. Other ZAZ collaborations included the television series Police Squad! (1982), the features Top Secret! and Ruthless People and the feature film spinoffs of Police Squad!, the three Naked Gun films. All of these projects relied heavily on parodies, visual gags and breaking of the Fourth Wall, and established a strong cult following. The notable stylistic exception is Ruthless People, a more traditional farce that was directed by ZAZ, but unlike their other productions, not written by them.
Prominent ZAZ players include Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, Rowan Atkinson, Charlie Sheen, and Anna Faris.
ZAZ's status as a three-person team of co-directors is highly unusual, although some of their later projects were directed by David Zucker working solo, and with Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams credited only as producers and/or writers. Each member of the group has also had individual success:
- Jerry Zucker with the comedy Rat Race. Of the three, Jerry has found the most mainstream non-comedic success, directing the films First Knight and Ghost, which grossed over $500 million.
- David Zucker with the hits Scary Movie 3, and Scary Movie 4 as well as BASEketball.
- Jim Abrahams with hits Hot Shots! and Hot Shots! Part Deux, as well as Jane Austen's Mafia!.
The team's most obvious influences include Mel Brooks and The Marx Brothers.
External links
- David Zucker at the Internet Movie Database
- Jim Abrahams at the Internet Movie Database
- Jerry Zucker at the Internet Movie Database
- "The Zucker Touch"
|
|||||||||||||||||
 |
This article about a United States film director is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
