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Police Squad [DVD] [1983]
 
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Police Squad [DVD] [1983]

DVD ~ Leslie Nielsen
4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
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  • This item: Police Squad [DVD] [1983] DVD ~ Leslie Nielsen

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Police Squad [DVD] [1983]
87% buy the item featured on this page:
Police Squad [DVD] [1983] 4.9 out of 5 stars (18)
£8.98
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Product details

  • Actors: Leslie Nielsen, Alan North, Rex Hamilton, Ed Williams, William Duell
  • Writers: David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: 6 Nov 2006
  • Run Time: 144 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000I0QSOE
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,560 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

    Popular in this category:

    #63 in  DVD > Television > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
In addition to spawning the popular Naked Gun movie franchise, Police Squad! had a lasting impact on TV comedy, and it's still a guilty pleasure. Hot from the success of Airplane! two years earlier, the ZAZ team (brothers David and Jerry Zucker and writing partner Jim Abrahams) decided to spoof TV cop shows, using the late '50s Lee Marvin series M Squad and the popular series format of Quinn Martin Productions (e.g., The Streets of San Francisco) as their template for supremely silly, gag-laden satire. With Airplane! star Leslie Nielsen as straight-faced detective Frank Drebin and Alan North as Drebin's befuddled boss, Capt. Ed Hocken, this half-hour series quickly established an irresistible combination of nonstop sight gags, non sequiturs, and repeated routines ("Cigarette?" "Yes, it is") that dared viewers to pay close attention or miss the laughs if they didn't. Ironically, this very quality--you had to actually watch the show instead of casually listening for punchlines--is what ultimately sealed the series' fate. After only six poorly rated episodes, Police Squad! was canceled without fanfare, and six years passed before Drebin returned as the bumbling hero of The Naked Gun.

In addition to the rib-tickling disparity between onscreen episode titles and narrated titles, and "special guest stars" (including William Shatner, Robert Goulet, Lorne Greene, and others) who get killed in the opening credits, loyal viewers could count on a weekly dose of hilarity from Nielsen, North, and their supporting players. Character actor William Duell appeared each week as shoeshine boy "Johnny the Snitch," capable of answering literally any question if you repeatedly greased his palm (a gag that led to info-seeking cameo appearances by Dick Clark, Dr. Joyce Brothers, baseball manager Tommy Lasorda, and others). And while original Mission: Impossible costar Peter Lupus poked fun at himself as the dim-witted Det. Norberg (later played by O.J. Simpson in the Naked Gun movies), Ed Williams--an actual high school science teacher--is hilarious as "Mr. Wizard"-like lab technician Ted Olson, who dispenses dubious science lessons to unsuspecting children. The fast-paced barrage of humour guaranteed that every episode would deliver as many hits as misses, and while some of the jokes have lost their punch, Police Squad! still delivers the belly-laughs... and always will, as long as humans have an appetite for shameless stupidity. --Jeff Shannon

Synopsis
Join accident prone Detective Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) as he bumbles his way through every task put in front of him, oblivious to the blazing trail of incompetence he leaves in his wake. Charming and debonair--but utterly clueless--Drebin always manages to catch his man, albeit through a series of happy coincidences, rather than any discernable talent. A riotous spoof, POLICE SQUAD successfully lampoons the detective genre with its melange of literal jokes, non-sequiturs, and good old-fashioned slapstick. But it's Nielsen's finely-honed deadpan delivery that hits the funny bone time and again (he would later reprise his role in the hugely popular NAKED GUN films). Collected here is every episode from the first series.

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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews
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 (16)
4 star:
 (2)
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Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars There are 8 million stories in the Naked City. Here are six., 18 May 2007
By MarmiteMan (Norwich, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
Ah yes, I remember it well. Remember first seeing them, remember where I was, remember what I was doing, and remember whom I was not doing it with/to [sigh]. Produced by ABC, the series saw its first US transmission on 4 March, 1982, but I believe its first UK transmission was in 1989 on BBC2, late-evening.

"My name is Sergeant Frank Drebin, Detective-Lieutenant, Police Squad, a special division of the Police Department"

Forget done-to-death POLICE ACADEMY, this is the best police drama spoof ever! Yes, you may now have guessed it, I refer to POLICE SQUAD (in colour), that marvellous creation of David and Jerry Zucker with Jim Abrahams, who gave us other classics such as AIRPLANE! and, of course, THE NAKED GUN series - which fans may recall of its subtitle comes "from the files of Police Squad."

Which is the original, featuring Leslie Nielsen parodying his previous 'serious' cop series THE PROTECTORS and THE NEW BREED, delivering puns and non-sequiteurs whilst playing it straight amid an avalanche of sight and sound gags. He had recently done deadpan comedy in AIRPLANE! but in POLICE SQUAD (in colour) he found his niche. The opening credits always featured Drebin, his boss Ed Hocken (Alan North) and Abraham Lincoln (Rex Hamilton) confidently returning fire following an ambush by assailants unknown, and "tonight's guest star" suffering some spectacular death, often after they, too, had confidently returned fire during an ambush. Drebin is then seen in his car, with deliberately-awful backdrops, introducing the flavour of the episode. "I'd just come from the stockyards. We'd gotten reports of hundreds of cows had been senselessly slaughtered in the area, but I couldn't find any evidence. I stopped off for a hamburger and checked in with headquarters. My boss was already there."

There were three regular supports in the series. There was Nordberg (played by Peter Lupus - strongman Willy Armitage in the MISSION IMPOSSIBLE TV series) but who became O.J. Simpson in THE NAKED GUN. There was 'Dr. Olson' in the lab, who was slightly sinister, if not seedy as he explained some physical or chemical procedure to some wide-eyed pre-teen kid amazed to be at the police station ("Run along Jenny, and next week I'll show you why women can't play professional football."). He featured only once in THE NAKED GUN, much toned-down. By my favourite character did not: Johnny the Snitch, who - for a consideration - always has the word-on-the-street, but also advises genuine professionals on tricky technical procedures, eg. Dr. Joyce Brothers (noted psychologist), Dick Clark (noted TV presenter), Tommy Lasorda (celebrated coach of the L.A. Dodgers), et al.

The TV series POLICE SQUAD (in colour) received two Emmy nominations (Nielsen as lead comedy actor and Zucker, Zucker & Abrahams as series writers, 1982), and a Satellite Nomination (best DVD release of a TV show, 2006). Incredibly, however - and I quote from Cult, the strip that used to run down the edge of the Radio Times - "ABC cancelled Police Squad after six programmes, reportedly because it required above-average concentration from US viewers." [am folding it up again, and it's going back in the wallet] Well, we love hearing that of Americans, of course, however unfair, but this apparent 'shortcoming' was elaborated upon during the interview with Leslie Nielsen. It was due to screen size: whilst Nielsen and North were being deadpan in the foreground, both around and behind them there was too much going on for most viewers to follow on a small television screen. So several years later they expanded the format and made THE NAKED GUN. And the rest, as they say, is expenses!

And now finally available on DVD: POLICE SQUAD (in colour) THE COMPLETE SERIES. A single disc, all six classic episodes are backed-up by a great Special Features list: the above-mentioned Leslie Nielsen Interview, "Behind The Freeze Frames" Featurette, Gag Reel (what we call out-takes!), Casting Test - Alan North, Casting Test - Ed Williams, Producers' Photo Gallery Of Scenery Sets And Props, List Of Celebrity Death Shots and Production Memo Highlights. Don't understand why it is rated 15, though; am pretty sure the British censor would rate it 12A or even PG.

POLICE SQUAD, THE COMPLETE SERIES (did I mention it's in colour?) - RECOMMENDED!
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars At last, 9 April 2007
By Matty (London) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
Finally Police Squad is out on DVD and it has a bunch of special features. The interview with Leslie Nielsen is ok and the featurette is pretty good. The gag reel is appalingly bad though, definitely one of those things you only watch once. The best part of this DVD is the six episodes themselves. The series was axed after the first series simply because no one watched it in the US, which is hard to believe but true nonetheless. My fave episode is the fifth one but they are all very funny. And if it hadn't been for this show we might never have had The Naked Gun films. Also its a shame Alan North wasn't in the films because he's brilliant as Ed in this show. This is a DVD that could be watched over and over and still be funny.
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Laughs shame only 6 episodes, 28 Feb 2007
By D. Newstead "dazzling33" (Middlesex UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
Ok so why only 6 episodes or is that just a joke too and they made more.
Brilliant all the way through from the special guests always being killed off in the credits and such basic old fashioned humor it is brilliant. My wife and I are in hysterics on the train in the morning watching it. Love the forensics guy doing the experiments and the you can see what is going to happen but cant believe it when it does it is so great.

I loved the 1st 2 Naked Gun films and this is a welcome addition to my collection.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Lets just say............
Lets just say, "This was the most brilliant, but shortest, TV comedy series after Fawlty Towers". OK, Frank, "This was the most brilliant, but shortest, TV comedy series after... Read more
Published 7 days ago by Jeff Porter

5.0 out of 5 stars A must in your DVD collection.
Well what can i say... legendry is the first thing that comes to mind. Only ever six episodes is a crime, but what there is, its pure genius.
Published 2 months ago by Mr. C. Woodward

5.0 out of 5 stars "What's the word on the street, Johnny?"
Buying this DVD is essential, as it is impossible to get all of the gags (visual and verbal)in one viewing. Read more
Published 4 months ago by S. Geers

5.0 out of 5 stars Too good for television?
A brilliantly funny parody - great to have it all on DVD with extras at such a reasonable price. I particularly love the shoe-shine boy who not only gives tips to the cops but... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Midlander

5.0 out of 5 stars Frankly great
I had 3 episodes on video, but it's now great to have the whole series.

"Who are you, and how did you get in here?"
"I'm a locksmith... Read more
Published 4 months ago by A. Freeman

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Brilliant Stuff
As with one other reviewer, I recall seeing this in 1983 or 1984 on Grampian TV (must have been a local ITV thing) at around 6pm. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mr. N. Simpson

5.0 out of 5 stars Marmite Man Correction
Slight correction to MarmiteMan's review. Police Squad was shown on TV long before 1989, I beleive 1983. I finished school in 1983 and remember 'discussing' it at school. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mr. T. Glister

5.0 out of 5 stars Police Squad - An American Comedy which is funny for Brits
Ironic that it got cancelled then. This was because 'you had to watch it to understand it', obviously they never watched 'Lost' then cause i don't bloody understand that even now... Read more
Published 23 months ago by T. Lindsay

5.0 out of 5 stars irony can be pretty ironic sometimes
cant believe there was only 6 in the series.and the outtakes are even worse.a rare thing something from the u.s. that is funny.loved it then and now
Published on 25 Jun 2007 by D. abbott

5.0 out of 5 stars An instant classic!
one of the funniest things i have seen in a long time. I am not sure why it is a 15 though????
Published on 13 May 2007 by The Beast

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