From the files of _Police Squad_! An unlikely revival of a short-lived TV series that's pure slapstick 101; goofball comedy in its most condensed form, with equal parts love and scorn for the long line of self-serious detective shows it shamelessly lampoons. Like the Zucker brothers' previous comic jam, _Airplane!_, this is largely an excuse to spill jokes, gags and puns at an incredible pace, with zany antics and wacky laughs piled so high that I'm impressed they found room for a story in-between. Granted, it's not much of a story - the nonsensical villainous plot involves mind-control bracelets and the Queen of England - but it's enough to connect the dots, to feed the writers with fresh material for new riffs and keep the whole production from growing stale.

Leslie Nielsen appears in his best-remembered role, standing tall as the hard-boiled, yet totally brainless, police detective Frank Drebin. Not necessarily the first stop in his transition from dramatic roles, but certainly the moment where the dam broke and he slid into full-time, high-profile comedies. He's the anchor that holds the whole rocking boat in place, a real pro at maintaining straight faces in the most trying of circumstances. The supporting players are less consistent: Priscilla Presley sure wasn't hired for her acting, and it's awkward seeing OJ Simpson in a sympathetic light (though, at the time, it was a good casting), but George Kennedy is excellent as Frank's long-suffering partner and Ricardo Montalbán clearly relishes the chance to get slummy and slimy with a loose villainous role.

Bottom line, _The Naked Gun_ doesn't aim to be more than a silly, light flood of themed punchlines, and it nails that bullseye. Repeatedly. Not every swing is a smash hit, but the sheer volume of material ensures a side-splitter or two in most scenes, with a few achieving near-legendary status. I could watch these YouTube clips until the end of time.