No end of hilarious clips went viral after Airplane! and Naked Gun’s Jim Abrahams died but this one beat the lot

John Plunkett. Updated November 27th, 2024

Sad news today that Jim Abrahams, one half of the trio of geniuses behind Airplane!, Naked Gun and the wildly under appreciated Top Secret!, has died aged 80.

Abrahams worked alongside Jerry and David Zucker on a number of hit spoofs, as co-writer and co-director of Airplane! and co-writer of The Naked Gun, and in the process became one of the most influential people of the last 50 years of TV and film comedy.

Here’s what their frequent leading man, @TheRobertHays, had to say.

My friend Jim Abrahams passed away today. What a delight he was, in every way. We met on Airplane! 45 years ago. Jerry, David and Jim were the geniuses….

— Robert Hays (@TheRobertHays) November 26, 2024

His death sent no end of clips viral …

RIP, Jim Abrahams, 1/3 of the greatest comedy trio of all time with David Zucker and Jerry Zucker.

Without "Airplane!", we never would have known how far stupid yet brilliant comedy could go in a motion picture.

And I'm surely being quite serious. pic.twitter.com/YAOaehaQnZ

— Patrick (@dannydinosaur) November 26, 2024

Responsible for one of the funniest half minutes in all of existence https://t.co/ubwt3XjYap pic.twitter.com/oF5tOVswuO

— Chris (@UpdateTheGrids) November 26, 2024

Jim Abrahams will understandably be most remembered for Airplane and Naked Gun, but I still maintain that Top Secret is one of the most underrated comedies of all time pic.twitter.com/e9W557KuYp

— Ben Palmer (@benjpalmer) November 26, 2024

The bribe scene from The Naked Gun.

RIP to the comedy icon Jim Abrahams. pic.twitter.com/fVhZpZx0Vo

— Mike Beauvais (@MikeBeauvais) November 26, 2024

And this bumper crop.

Jim Abrahams' catalogue of comedy is a work of genius. Airplane! Police Squad, Kentucky Fried Movie, Top Secret, Naked Gun, these comedies shaped our sense of humour. Here's 75 glorious Airplane! jokes in 10 minues. Jim Abrahams, dead? Surely you can't be serious.
RIP Jim pic.twitter.com/5tbxGlIFzs

— The Sting (@TheStingisBack) November 27, 2024

But our favourite – only if you really made us pick just one, and in truth we’d probably pick a different one tomorrow but anyway! – is this one.

RIP to one of the funniest to ever do it pic.twitter.com/HsjaQhJdmg https://t.co/GXMwB6QMNI

— We hebben een serieus probleem (@thepwrofgod) November 26, 2024

RIP Jim Abrahams.

Jim Abrahams, writer and director of slapstick classics such as Airplane!, Hot Shots!, and The Naked Gun, has sadly passed away.

Rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/wLB9VnUNee

— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) November 26, 2024