The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

What is The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad about?

When a devious scheme to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to America is uncovered, clueless yet well-meaning detective Lt. Frank Drebin races to stop the conspiracy, putting him face to face with the mastermind. Often incompetent to investigate and solve cases, he gives his best efforts to save the queen during a baseball game, to hilarious results.

Crew Spotlights

• The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! is a continuation of the short-lived series Police Squad! in 1982.
• Police Squad creators, David Zucker Jim Abrahams Jerry Zucker, were the same team behind the classic comedy film Airplane!
• Former baseball superstar Reggie Jackson appeared as himself. In the film, he played an outfielder for the California Angels hypnotically programmed to kill Queen Elizabeth II.
• Weird Al Yankovic, a big fan of the original Police Squad! series, appeared in a cameo.
• David and Jerry Zucker’s mother Charlotte appeared as Vincent Ludwig’s secretary, Dominique.
• Bo Derek was the first choice for the role of Jane Spencer. She was replaced by Priscilla Presley.
• Jeannette Charles, who played Queen Elizabeth II, was an actress known for her portrayals of the Queen that she was named “the Queen’s most famous lookalike”.

Fun Facts

• The ZAZ trio (Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker) were such perfectionists that filming scenes would take  up to 40 times to nail every punchline.
• The painting that Frank accidentally destroyed in Ludwig’s house was Thomas Gainsborough’s most famous work “Blue Boy”.
• Susan Beaubian, who played Mrs. Wilma Nordberg in the film, starred in the first season of American Crime Story (2016), about the O.J. Simpson murder trial.
• The Naked Gun sought actors with dramatic background, heightening every gag’s comedic impact. This led to the casting of Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, and O. J. Simpson prior to becoming a suspect in a murder trial.
• They changed the title to Naked Gun despite its Police Squad! roots to avoid any potential confusion with the Police Academy franchise.
• A legacy sequel, The Naked Gun 2025, starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, was just released. In the film, Neeson plays Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., Frank Debin’s son.

Quotable Moments

• “Wilma, I promise you; whatever scum did this, not one man on this force will rest one minute until he’s behind bars. Now, let’s grab a bite to eat.” —Frank to Mrs. Wilma Nordberg at the hospital visiting his partner Det. Nordberg.
• “It’s true what they say: Cops and women don’t mix. It’s like eating a spoonful of Drano; sure, it’ll clean you out, but it’ll leave you hollow inside.” —Frank to Jane during an encounter.
• “Protecting the Queen’s safety is a task that is gladly accepted by Police Squad. No matter how silly the idea of having a queen might be to us, as Americans, we must be gracious and considerate hosts.” —Frank talking to the press about the police squad’s duty to protect the Queen during her public appearance in America.
• “He’s on life support. Doctors say he’s got a 50-50 chance of living, though there’s only a ten percent chance of that.” —Capt. Ed Hocken explaining to Frank the likelihood of Det. Nordberg surviving his injuries.
• “Jane, since I’ve met you, I’ve noticed things that I never knew were there before… birds singing, dew glistening on a newly formed leaf, stoplights.”

Is Naked Gun streaming in Australia?

The first Naked Gun (1988) is streaming in Australia, available to watch on demand on streaming services like BINGE, Paramount+, and Netflix. To stream online free, both BINGE and Paramount+ offer a 7-day free trial. The sequels, The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1992) and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994) are available on Paramount+ and Netflix.