By the end of his career, Emmy-nominated actor Lloyd Bridges had fully embraced his comedic chops, starring in parody films ...

“Airplane!” (1980) ZAZ also spurred Leslie Nielsen’s rise to fame. The actor had been working in TV and film for three decades and became the most unlikely of Hollywood leading men.

Jim Abrahams, the writer-director who with the Zucker brothers created Airplane!, ... Jerry Zucker, producers Howard Koch and Robert K. Weiss and Jim Abrahams on the set of 1980’s’ Airplane!

When I learned of the death of Jim Abrahams, who along with Jerry and David Zucker wrote, directed and produced the comedy film “Airplane!” (1980), I asked the obvious question: “Surely you ...

Julie Hagerty with, from left, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (lying down), Leslie Nielsen and Peter Graves in “Airplane!” (1980), the first film that the team of Mr. Abrahams and the Zucker brothers ...

After that came "Airplane!" (1980), which sparked a long career in comic filmmaking for the trio, often referred to by the acronym ZAZ. The three were jointly credited as writers and directors of ...

The trio, known as ZAZ, went on to make “Airplane!” in 1980, “Top Secret!” in 1984 and “Ruthless People” in 1986. “Airplane!” earned a BAFTA nomination for best screenplay and ...

Shorewood High School graduate Jim Abrahams, a co-creator of the zany "Airplane!" and "Naked Gun" movies, has died at age 80. His death was confirmed in an email from his sister Jane Butenhoff.

Jim Abrahams, center, is joined by his partners Jerry Zucker, left, and David Zucker at an event honoring their work on movies such as “Airplane!” and the Naked Gun series in 2009 during a ...