Airplane! (1980): 15 Weird Facts You Didn't Know!

But behind the deadpan delivery was a production shaped by legal risks, last-minute casting, and jokes that almost didn't make it out of the editing room.

Here are 15 things you probably didn't know about how Airplane! got made—and how close it came to never getting cleared for takeoff.

1. It's a Remake—Almost Line for Line

The writers discovered the 1957 film Zero Hour! during a late-night TV binge. It featured food poisoning on a flight, a war-traumatized pilot, and even a character named Ted Striker. They bought the rights, reused entire lines of dialogue, and recreated some of the camera setups almost exactly. Airplane! wasn't a loose parody. It was a direct spoof built on a real movie.

2. Otto the Autopilot Was Inflated by Hand

Otto, the inflatable co-pilot, was kept "alive" between takes using a bicycle pump hidden between his legs. Crew members crouched below the frame to inflate him manually. It was a low-tech gag, and the awkward valve placement made the cast break character constantly. Still, the absurdity worked—and Otto became one of the film's most recognizable characters.

3. The Flashing Passenger Nearly Got the Scene Cut

One blink-and-you-miss-it moment—a topless passenger running across the frame during chaos—almost cost the film its PG rating. Paramount execs wanted it removed, worried it would hurt box office returns. The filmmakers convinced them to leave it in for a test screening. The audience roared. The scene stayed.

4. Peter Graves Thought It Would Ruin His Career

Known for playing straight-laced authority figures, Graves was alarmed by the script—particularly the scenes involving "gladiator movies" and "Turkish prisons." He initially turned the role down. The directors insisted they wanted serious actors to deliver absurd lines straight. Graves eventually gave in. At the premiere, he expected silence. Instead, the audience erupted. It ended up expanding his career, not killing it.

5. Christopher Lee Turned It Down—and Regretted It

Before Leslie Nielsen was cast, the role was offered to Christopher Lee. He didn't understand the tone and passed, choosing instead to appear in Spielberg's 1941. That film flopped. Airplane! didn't. Lee later called it one of the biggest missed opportunities of his career.

6. They Had a Lawyer on Set Full-Time

Because so much of the script borrowed from Zero Hour! and mirrored elements of other disaster films, Paramount hired a legal consultant to review every scene as it was shot. Every costume, prop, and line of dialogue was vetted to make sure it didn't cross the line from parody into infringement.

7. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Collapsed During Filming

Jabbar's cameo as co-pilot Roger Murdock worked on paper—but on set, it was brutal. Dressed in full pilot gear under hot studio lights, the 7'2" NBA legend passed out twice. He finished his scenes without complaint, but shooting had to be adjusted around him due to heat and space limitations.

8. Some Airport Crowd Shots Were Real

Several terminal scenes were filmed at LAX using actual travelers as background extras. With no announcement and limited security coordination, the filmmakers rolled cameras as passengers walked through. Most had no idea they were being filmed. Their reactions were unscripted—and made the final cut.

9. Over 200 Studios Rejected the Script

Before Paramount picked it up, the script was turned down repeatedly. Studios didn't know what to make of it. It didn't follow a traditional structure, and the humor was too specific. Eventually, a late-night pitch meeting at Paramount turned things around. Even then, the greenlight came with minimal expectations.

10. Early Test Screenings Fell Flat—Until They Added Sound Effects

The first few audience screenings didn't go well. Jokes landed softly, and the room stayed quiet. The filmmakers added cartoon-style sound effects—boings, crunches, squeaks—and tested it again. The difference was immediate. What felt flat before now played as fast-paced comedy. The edits stayed.

11. Leslie Nielsen Had Never Done Comedy Before

At the time, Nielsen was known for serious roles in films like The Poseidon Adventure. He had no comedy background. That's exactly why they cast him. The filmmakers wanted actors who would treat the material seriously. Nielsen delivered every line like it was a drama—and that's what made it funny. It relaunched his career and led directly to The Naked Gun series.

12. One Airline Considered Legal Action

The airport signage, uniforms, and plot bore resemblance to the Airport franchise, and one airline briefly considered suing for defamation. To avoid it, the producers added a legal disclaimer clarifying that all characters and airlines were fictional. It worked. The lawsuit never materialized.

13. Steven Spielberg Was a Fan Before It Opened

After a private screening, Spielberg praised the film's editing, pacing, and joke timing. He told Paramount they had a major hit on their hands. Coming from the most successful director in Hollywood at the time, the endorsement carried real weight—and helped change how executives viewed parody films.

14. Ethel Merman's Final Film Role Was Also Her Strangest

Broadway legend Ethel Merman appears briefly as a delusional war veteran who believes he's… Ethel Merman. In a full wig and makeup, she sits up in a hospital bed and belts out "Everything's Coming Up Roses." It was surreal, unexpected, and completely on brand for Airplane!. It was also her final appearance on film.

15. It Made $170 Million on a $3.5 Million Budget

The film was shot on a modest budget with no big stars. It went on to gross over $170 million worldwide, becoming one of the highest-earning comedies of the 1980s. In the U.S., it was second only to The Empire Strikes Back that year and outperformed The Blues Brothers—a film with more hype, more music, and a much bigger marketing push.

Bonus Fact: The "Leave It to Beaver" Courtroom Scene That Got Cut

One deleted scene involved the airline being sued in court for everything that happened in the movie. The twist: the case was presided over by the adult cast of Leave It to Beaver—Jerry Mathers, Tony Dow, and Barbara Billingsley—all in character. Test audiences didn't respond, and the scene was pulled. But for those who saw early cuts, it remains one of the strangest cameos that never made it off the runway.

Airplane! was never meant to be a franchise or a statement. It was a late-night joke turned into a low-budget gamble. But it broke box office records, launched second careers, and redefined what cinematic parody could be. Behind every deadpan delivery was a production constantly on the edge—legally, physically, and comedically.