Customer Reviews

More Police Squad [VHS]

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"Police Squad," which aired in 1982, starred Leslie Nielsen as Detective Frank Drebin, Alan North as Captain Ed Hocken, Ed Williams as scientist Ted Olson, William Duell as Johnny the Snitch, and Rex Hamilton as Abraham Lincoln. This second tape preserves the final three episodes from the short-lived but well-remembered comedy created by the Zucker Brothers. Once again, I have included both the title that appeared on the screen and the one intoned by the narrator (in that order), as well as the "guest star" who is killed off in the credits that week.

(4) "Revenge and Remorse"/"A Guilty Alibi," with guest star William Shatner (dodgers gunfire but then drinks poison), finds Frank investigating the death of a judge and prosecutor who are killed in explosions. The prime suspect is Eddie Casales, a bomber just released from jail, but Frank (as always) has other ideas. (5) "The Butler Did It"/"A Bird in the Hand," takes out guest star Robert Goulet (firing squad after refusing a blindfold) before Frank has to race the clock to find a kidnapped young socialite. Meanwhile, Johnny the Snitch gets a visit from a desperate Tommy Lasorda. I love it when the monkey runs around during the end credits while everybody pretends to stand frozen. (6) "Testimony of Evil"/"Dead Men Don't Laugh," with guest star William Conrad (also thrown from car with knife in chest a'la Lorne Greene in the pilot), Frank has to go undercover as "Tony Dawonderful," a so-bad-he's-funny comic, to infiltrate a night club and break up a drugs ring.

"Police Squad" was one of the funniest television shows ever and the movies, while welcomed, lack the simple charm of these episodes. For my money, Nielsen just mugs it up to much on the silver screen, although Priscilla Presley makes up for an awful lot. This is one of those rare shows that is as funny as you remember it being when you catch it again on videotape.

The tape contains the last three episodes of the series. I can't believe there were only 6 in the series! These are absolutely halarious, the jokes do not stop. Nielsen was never funnier and Alan North is perfect as Ed Hawkins. If you liked the Naked Gun and the Airplane! films you will love this. This is one of the most original televison series ever created. I keep hoping that another tape of unkown episodes will surface. Wouldnt that be dreamy? I love how the special guest star of each episode dies during the opening theme. Brilliant!

The last three episodes of this failed TV series are very funny. Don't miss it.

Just received the entire series on DVD today. It appears there is mucho extras such as an interview with Leslie N., Behind the freeze-frame featurette, Gag reel, various casting tests, a photo galleery of scenery, sets and props, a list of celebrity death shots, and production memo highlights. I can hardly wait to get home to view it with my boys 12 and 14 years old. I know that a "special guest star" sequence was filmed with John Belushi but was shelved because of his [then recent] untimely death. I believe it should be released along with any other un-aired episodes. After all, they have finally begun releasing Saturday Night Live in total season DVDs so anything looks possible

:D Merry Christmas all...

This review applies to both "Police Squad!" tapes.

Not that many people know about this show anymore, and that's a pity. It is one of the most hilarious parodies ever made. From the opening credits (where each week's guest star is killed) to the closing credits (which sends up the then common trend of "freezing" the last image) it's a non-stop hoot. As others have said,the "Naked Gun" movies came from this series, but this is better than the movies. They don't have to fill 90+ minutes, so it's more tightly focused.

When ABC ran the series, they never gave it a chance and canceled it after six episodes. I remember a reviewer describing them as "The network of the Philistines" for that. That's apt. This show parodies the TV cop shows that were in vogue then. You don't have to have seen those shows to appreciate this one, but you do have to pay attention. A lot of the wit is in the dialogue, and it's like English humor, the punch line is not telegraphed and the characters often do not even react to it, they take it as totally normal.

If you lived through that era, this uproarious show will be even better. During the late '70s - early '80s, producer Quinn Martin dominated the cop show airwaves. "The Rookies", "Barnaby Jones", Cannon", etc. were everywhere. This series, while great in its own right, parodies the style of those shows in particular. The sytle, the way each segment is introduced as an "Act", the narration--in fact, they even got the narrator from the Quinn Martin shows for this series!

I can not praise this show highly enough. Because not that many people know this show now, it may never show up on DVD. The most likely time it would have was when the Naked Guns came out on DVD. but it didn't happen. So if you have a shot at getting them on VHS, grab 'em NOW and treasure them.

This was a great video. me and my dad loved all the Naked Gun movies and of course, we had to get these. I got This one and Police Squad, Help Wanted for my dad for Christmas. He loved the videos. They Are very funny.(Aren't all of leslie neilsons are!) If you liked all the other movies Leslie Neilson played in...You will love this!

It's hard to describe just how funny this series was; filled with stupid joke upon stupid joke, it's genius. If you liked any of the many Zucker et al films (Airplane, Naked Gun), you have to like these, because this is where all of the jokes that would later be spread across all of those films came from. It's brilliant!

"Well, I guess he'll be doing all of his hustling up at the Stateville Prison from now on, with Mary the boxers wife, and Sally Decker!"

"Then where did this rock come from..."

Good try by gagmeister Proft, Abrams

and Zucker, but jokes getting a bit stale.

Slapstick usually works best, first. Fol-

lowed by three Naked Gun/ Police Squad

sequels:

The Naked Gun ***

The Naked Gun 2 1/2 **.5

The Naked Gun 33 1/3 **

Although this is an okay tape, it is not as funny as the first. If you buy the first one and like it, consider buying this one. The name of the first tape is Police Squad: Help Wanted.

From what I read years ago, there were actually 8 (maybe 9)"Police Squad" episodes, but the network killed the series before all aired. Execs there apparently knew what we liked better that we. They probably figured "What's the point of Nielson informing the show's many fans that a hospital is "a big building full of sick people, but that's not important now."