If you've ever wondered where Jim Abrahams and David Zucker came up with those hilarious jokes in Airplane!, the answer isn't strictly their warped minds. Many of the scenes set up for the gags were directly cribbed from 1957's Zero Hour! It's a movie about an ex fighter pilot named Stryker, who... well, see for yourself.
And I'd always thought it was a spoof of the Airport movies. Of course, the writers did have warped minds, and saw this classic movie, replete with so many unfunny-yet- ripe-for-the-funny lines, as a perfect structure for the brilliant comedy it ultimately became.
I thought that was the ONLY way Hollywood worked. Hell knows they haven't entertained anyone in eons.
those lazy writers ripped every word from the Zero Hour script
imagine if they tried that crap today ..LOL
Would you settle for "parroty"? They copied a lot of stuff, but made fun of it at the same time.
The similarities between the two Billies is eerie.