Ruthless People

Jim Abrahams is an American movie director and writer. Abrahams was born in Shorewood, Wisconsin, to a Jewish family, and attended Shorewood High School. He is known for the spoof movies that he co-wrote and produced with brothers Jerry Zucker and David Zucker, such as Airplane! and The Naked Gun... series. The team of Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker really began when the three men grew up together in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Abrahams later produced movies on his own such as Big Business, and further honed his skills in parody with Hot Shots! and its 1993 sequel Hot Shots! Part Deux. Abrahams and his wife Nancy also founded The Charlie Foundation To Help Cure Pediatric Epilepsy to inform the epilepsy community of the efficacy of the ketogenic diet.
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David Zucker is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Zucker was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Charlotte and Burton Zucker, who was a real estate developer. He graduated from Shorewood High School. Zucker is married to Dr. Danielle Zucker, with whom he has two children,... Charles and Sarah. His younger brother, Jerry, is his filmmaking partner. The Zucker brothers have a sister, Susan Breslau. Zucker's movies include The Kentucky Fried Movie in 1977, The Naked Gun in 1988, The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear in 1991, BASEketball in 1998, Scary Movie 3 in 2003, its sequel Scary Movie 4 in 2006 and An American Carol in 2008. He co-directed several films including Airplane! in 1980 and Top Secret! in 1984; along with his brother, Jerry, and Jim Abrahams, the trio make up the ZAZ team of directors. He has also worked with Pat Proft and Craig Mazin . Looking back on his career in 2009, Leslie Nielsen said the best film he appeared in was The Naked Gun, and that Zucker was his favorite director to work with.
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Jerry Zucker is an American film director known for his role in directing comedy spoof films, and the hit film Ghost. Zucker was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Charlotte and Burton Zucker, who was a real estate developer. He graduated from Shorewood High School. Zucker's early career... work started with Jim Abrahams and brother David Zucker at the Kentucky Fried Theatre on Pico Blvd in West Los Angeles where they honed their comedic skills doing skits in front of a live audience. From there the three went on and together co-directed Airplane! in 1980 and then went on to do Top Secret! in 1984, and Ruthless People in 1986. In 1990, he lent his directorial skills to the dramatic genre with Ghost, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. Recent directorial efforts of Zucker's include the 2001 film Rat Race . Like his brother David Zucker, Jerry often cast his mother, Charlotte , and his sister, Susan Breslau, in small roles in his films. Along with Jim Abrahams, the Zuckers constitute the "ZAZ" team of directors.
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Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker are an American comedy filmmaking trio consisting of Jim Abrahams and brothers David and Jerry Zucker who specializes in slapstick comedy films during the 1980s and the early 1990s. They knew each other during their childhood years; growing up in Shorewood, Wisconsin... and attended Shorewood High School, which is sometimes referenced in their work. While attending the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the trio formed a theater group called "Kentucky Fried Theater". This led to their sketch film, The Kentucky Fried Movie , which was written by the group and directed by John Landis. This was followed in 1980 by their breakout hit, Airplane!, which remains a revered comedic milestone. Subsequent film collaborations including Top Secret!, Ruthless People and The Naked Gun. All of their projects relied heavily on parodies, visual gags and breaking of the fourth wall, and established a strong cult following.
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