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Jim Abrahams, Spoof Comedy Legend Behind ‘Airplane’ and ‘Hot Shots,’ Dead at 80

Jim Abrahams, the celebrated comedy writer and director best known for his work with brothers David and Jerry Zucker, has died at the age of 80.

Jim Abrahams, one of the writers and directors behind some of the greatest and most quotable spoof and slapstick comedies of the 20th century — including Airplane!, The Naked Gun, and Hot Shots! Their work there provided the foundation for their 1977 film debut, The Kentucky Fried Movie, which the trio wrote and John Landis directed. Kentucky Fried Movie comprised a chaotic cavalcade of sketches, many of them highly satirical film parodies, creating a kind of template for ZAZ’s forthcoming breakthrough and future successes.

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