Leslie Nielsen refered to Forbidden Planet as a movie from his Donald Duck Peirod-and it is possible to hear a bit of fast talking duckiness if you listen carefully. Forbidden Planet was Leslie Nielsen’s one claim to fame before he found immortality on Airplane. Of course, the real star of Forbidden Planet was Robbie The Robot.
Leslie Nielsen died of pneumonia at the age of 84.
Airplane was an amazing movie and Leslie Nielsen was amazing as Doctor Rumack. His deadpan delivery was pretty much the same as his regular acting, only the lines were changed.
Rumack: “Can you fly this plane and land it?”
Striker: “Surely you can’t be serious.”
Rumack: “I am serious. . . and don’t call me Shirley.”
Like most working actors, Leslie Nielsen took any job that came his way. His list of credits on IMDB go back to 1950 and there are no gaps when he wasn’t working. I watched a few episodes of Naked Gun, but I wasn’t that impressed with most of the rest of his dumb movies. Still, it’s always good to see someone enjoying the second half to their career.
