Book Recommendation – Surely You Can’t Be Serious

The majority of my reading has been done with the help of audiobooks.  However, for Christmas I received an actual physical book.  The book has been on my wishlist since I heard it was coming out. 

One of my all-time favorite comedies is Airplane!  It is guaranteed to make me laugh, no matter how many times I have seen it.  It is full of fantastic actors and the jokes never stop.

In Surely You Can’t Be Serious, the film’s creators offer up the stories behind it. 

Reading a physical copy of the book was nice for a few reasons.  First, it was loaded with some great photos.  Second, because I was already familiar with the movie, it was like hanging out with old friends.  Lastly, I never felt as though it was dragging.  It was a quick read loaded with great stories and things that I hadn’t heard before.

Here is the Goodreads Synopsis:

Surely You Can’t Be Serious is an in-depth and hysterical look at the making of 1980’s comedy classic Airplane! by the legendary writers and directors of the hit film.

Airplane! premiered on July 2nd, 1980. With a budget of $3.5 million it went on to make nearly $200 million in sales and has influenced a multitude of comedians on both sides of the camera.

Surely You Can’t Be Serious is the first-ever oral history of the making of Airplane! by the creators, and of the beginnings of the ZAZ trio (Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker) – charting the rise of their comedy troupe Kentucky Fried Theater in Madison, Wisconsin all the way to premiere night. The directors explain what drew them to filmmaking and in particular, comedy. With anecdotes, behind the scenes trivia, and never-before-revealed factoids – these titans of comedy filmmaking unpack everything from how they persuaded Peter Graves to be in the movie after he thought the script was a piece of garbage, how Lorna Patterson auditioned for the stewardess role in the back seat of Jerry’s Volvo, and how Leslie Nielsen’s pranks got the entire crew into trouble, to who really wrote the jive talk. The book also features testimonials and personal anecdotes from well-known faces in the film, television, and comedy sphere – proving how influential Airplane! has been from day one.

Four decades after its release, Airplane! continues to make new generations laugh. Its many one-liners and visual gags have worked their way into the mainstream culture. This fully organic expansion of the ZAZ trio’s fan-base, prompted solely by word-of-mouth, comes as no surprise to longtime fans. When all around us is in flux – laughter is priceless.

If you are a fan of the movie, you will love this book. If you are a fan of comedy films, you will be surprised at just how Airplane! changed how comedy films were done.  You’ll also be surprised at the many people who were inspired and influenced by the movie.

I loved this book!  Surf to Amazon or rush to your local book store or library to get a copy!

“A library?!  What is it?”

“It’s a big building with books, but that’s not important right now….”

5 out of 5 stars!