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023 Airplane! Explained: Behind the Scenes of the 1980 Parody Classic
In this episode, Michelle and Cherie taxi down memory lane to revisit the 1980 parody classic Airplane!, inspired by their recent Unsolved Mysteries nostalgia spiral and, of course, the eternally serious Robert Stack. The sisters dig into their earliest memories of watching the movie on heavily edited TV broadcasts (because no parent in the ’80s was taking their kids to see this movie), and the era of airplane disaster flicks that somehow became a whole genre.
They discuss the origins of Airplane! — including its roots in the obscure 1957 film Zero Hour — and how the Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker trio built a spoof empire by hiring dramatic actors who had absolutely no business being this funny. Expect a parade of delightful trivia: Robert Stack doing an impression of someone doing an impression of Robert Stack, why Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the better choice over Pete Rose, the parade of cameo royalty (Barbara Billingsley speaking jive! Ethel Merman being Ethel Merman!), and all the iconic gags that still make them snort-laugh.
They also explore why Airplane! is unmistakably a product of its time — complete with jokes that absolutely would not make it to screen today — and whether younger generations would “get it” at all. Spoiler: probably not.
But for those who lived through the smoky-cabin, no-security, ashtray-in-the-armrest era of commercial flight?
This movie still hits different.
In This Episode:
✈️ Memories of watching Airplane! on TV as kids
✈️ How the disaster-film craze of the ’70s spawned this parody
✈️ The Zero Hour connection
✈️ Casting choices that almost happened (Barry Manilow??)
✈️ Why serious dramatic actors = comedic gold
✈️ Jokes that land… and the ones that would never fly today
✈️ Could Airplane! be made in 2025?
✈️ Should people who haven’t seen it watch it now?
✈️ Where you can stream Airplane! today
Where to Watch:
Available on Amazon Prime Video, MGM+, and YouTube TV with subscriptions.
Rental options: Apple TV, Vudu/Fandango, Google Play Movies.
Connect With Us:
📣 Facebook: My Sister Made Me Watch This
📧 Email: [email protected]
⭐ Rate & review to help others find the show!
View all episodes
By MichelleIn this episode, Michelle and Cherie taxi down memory lane to revisit the 1980 parody classic Airplane!, inspired by their recent Unsolved Mysteries nostalgia spiral and, of course, the eternally serious Robert Stack. The sisters dig into their earliest memories of watching the movie on heavily edited TV broadcasts (because no parent in the ’80s was taking their kids to see this movie), and the era of airplane disaster flicks that somehow became a whole genre.
They discuss the origins of Airplane! — including its roots in the obscure 1957 film Zero Hour — and how the Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker trio built a spoof empire by hiring dramatic actors who had absolutely no business being this funny. Expect a parade of delightful trivia: Robert Stack doing an impression of someone doing an impression of Robert Stack, why Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the better choice over Pete Rose, the parade of cameo royalty (Barbara Billingsley speaking jive! Ethel Merman being Ethel Merman!), and all the iconic gags that still make them snort-laugh.
They also explore why Airplane! is unmistakably a product of its time — complete with jokes that absolutely would not make it to screen today — and whether younger generations would “get it” at all. Spoiler: probably not.
But for those who lived through the smoky-cabin, no-security, ashtray-in-the-armrest era of commercial flight?
This movie still hits different.
In This Episode:
✈️ Memories of watching Airplane! on TV as kids
✈️ How the disaster-film craze of the ’70s spawned this parody
✈️ The Zero Hour connection
✈️ Casting choices that almost happened (Barry Manilow??)
✈️ Why serious dramatic actors = comedic gold
✈️ Jokes that land… and the ones that would never fly today
✈️ Could Airplane! be made in 2025?
✈️ Should people who haven’t seen it watch it now?
✈️ Where you can stream Airplane! today
Where to Watch:
Available on Amazon Prime Video, MGM+, and YouTube TV with subscriptions.
Rental options: Apple TV, Vudu/Fandango, Google Play Movies.
Connect With Us:
📣 Facebook: My Sister Made Me Watch This
📧 Email: [email protected]
⭐ Rate & review to help others find the show!