Home/Episodes/The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
‘The Naked Gun’ With Bill Simmons and Kyle Brandt
July 2, 2024 · The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) · Comedy · Crime · 1:36:19 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill Simmons▶ 5:31The scene where he opens the drawer looking for something and says 'bingo' and pulls out a bingo card.
Bill Simmons▶ 25:00Nordberg foiled at the docks — OJ's opening run of eight disasters (shot by seven people, hits his head, burns his hand, the 'wet paint' jacket, window on the hand, face in the cake, bear trap, overboard)
Kyle Brandt▶ 6:00The scene where they go to the water and there's a chalk outline floating on the water.
Kyle Brandt▶ 25:37Endorsed the Nordberg docks scene — 'brilliant start to the movie,' praising OJ's perfect physical comedy and the paint-on-the-jacket beat — but the window cuts off before he names a pick of his own
What's Aged the Best
Bill Simmons▶ 13:12Agrees Naked Gun holds up well; also praises its lean 85-minute runtime (vs. bloated modern movies) as something that's aged well/holds up as a virtue
Kyle Brandt▶ 10:16Naked Gun's lack of cell phones/technology and its simple LA/baseball-game setting means it holds up well, unlike Airplane which looks very dated because it's confined to an old-fashioned plane setting
What's Aged the Worst
Bill Simmons▶ 26:05Agrees O.J. Simpson as Nordberg has aged the worst, tracing his career arc from Monday Night Football/commercials to Naked Gun revitalizing him, right up until the murder of his wife ended everything
Kyle Brandt▶ 26:00O.J. Simpson's presence/casting as Nordberg in Naked Gun — likely the strongest 'aged worst' answer in the podcast's history, given the murders that followed his career and this role
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill Simmons▶ 28:06OJ Simpson is like if Charles Barkley were 'Nordberg' — great career that somehow got more elevated/beloved after it ended
Kyle Brandt▶ 27:26OJ Simpson pre-fame was like Marshawn Lynch's beloved personality combined with Randy Moss's ability/infamy potential — a national treasure level athlete in the 70s/80s
Big Kahuna Burger Award
Kyle Brandt▶ 49:12George Kennedy's ballgame food binge (beer, creamsicle, grapes, and an entire cake, one after another)
Best Quote
Kyle Brandt▶ 59:13Ed asking 'What do you know about the guy?' and the response 'Not much. Olympic gymnast. Best sex she's ever had. That's all I heard about the guy.'
Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Bill Simmons▶ 59:51Leslie Nielsen should have been a bigger star and gotten one truly great, Oscar-nominated 'Fletch'-style movie — he never got his signature film.
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:01:19Naked Gun is the funniest movie of the 1980s, beating out Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, Coming to America, and Vacation because it never veers away from pure comedy.
Casting What-Ifs
Bill Simmons▶ 1:03:47Notes Bo Derek was wanted for Jane ('works,' 'pretty good'); floats recasting Priscilla Presley with a 70s TV icon like Lynda Carter or Jaclyn Smith, and also considers Raquel Welch during her Letterman-era renaissance; ultimately says he's fine with Priscilla Presley as cast; for director's commentary picks Chris Collinsworth over Tony Romo, then agrees both should be included
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:07:01Counters Bill's picks with Markie Post for Jane/Priscilla Presley role (acknowledges she may be too young for Frank), praises Raquel Welch as his all-time number one, and argues Tony Romo should do the director's commentary alongside Dr. Joyce Brothers, then agrees both Romo and Collinsworth should be included
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill Simmons▶ 1:09:14Shares several trivia facts: Queen Elizabeth attended an A's/Orioles game where Reggie Jackson was coaching; Drebin's dance was performed by dancer 'Johnny Disco'; the fish-feeding scene mirrors Bruce Lee's Game of Death (though Bruce Lee doesn't stab the fish with a pen); the Naked Gun team originally wanted the Brewers but the league pushed them to use the Mariners; the Dodgers refused involvement due to the baseball fight/gun scene, so the movie uses Angels Stadium exteriors while claiming it's an Angels-Mariners game filmed partly at Dodger Stadium.
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:09:36Names the other 1988 steamroller-villain comedies as A Fish Called Wanda and Who Framed Roger Rabbit; also points out the first interior stadium shot in Naked Gun is actually Wrigley Field, despite exterior shots being Angels Stadium and the rest being Dodger Stadium — concluding 'it's Naked Gun, who cares.'
Apex Mountain
Bill Simmons▶ 1:12:06For O.J. Simpson, rejects both Naked Gun and Umpiring as his apex (says no to both, seemingly implying his career peak was elsewhere/negative, like The Juice persona)
Bill Simmons▶ 1:12:44For Reggie Jackson, says no to Naked Gun being his apex (his real apex being his 3-homer World Series game)
Bill Simmons▶ 1:13:08For the California Angels franchise, says it's either Naked Gun or almost beating the Red Sox in '86 - leans toward Naked Gun being the apex for Angels fans
Bill Simmons▶ 1:13:31For 'bad guy toupees' as a category/theme, Naked Gun/Fantasy Island is apex, tying into his personal love of bad toupees (references Steve Sanders' dad in 90210 as favorite ever)
Bill Simmons▶ 1:14:34Best National Anthem of all time: Marvin Gaye at 1983 NBA All-Star Game (unassailable); Mount Rushmore includes Whitney Houston Super Bowl, Desert Storm anthem, and argues Enrico Palazzo (Naked Gun) belongs in the top 4
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:11:37For Leslie Nielsen, argues the sequel (Naked Gun 2 1/2) was actually his bigger commercial apex/what led to his later career, pushing back on Bill's pick of the original
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:15:56Agrees Enrico Palazzo scene is iconic and notable in National Anthem history, but doesn't give his own definitive ranking; adds context about Roseanne Barr and Carl Lewis
Picking Nits
Bill Simmons▶ 1:20:57Questions why there's toxic waste in a meatpacking factory; notes Frank should lose his job/badge after killing five actors during a public Julius Caesar performance, calling it one of the big LAPD scandals of the 80s; flags Angel Stadium morphing into Dodger Stadium as a continuity error
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:20:09Multiple nits: leadoff hitter taking three straight down-the-middle strikes is unrealistic; Reggie Jackson wearing a watch during a game seems anachronistic for the 80s; the giant boobs billboard is geographically wrong (it's south of Orange County, not near LA/the airport); questions why the Mariners are fighting the Angels when it's Frank's beef with Reggie Jackson, not theirs
Is This Movie Better With
Bill Simmons▶ 1:22:20Yes, Sam Jackson could have been worked in nicely - as the pap smear guy, the George Kennedy role (dart to the neck), or the guy at Pier 32 negotiating with Frank
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:22:28Agrees Sam Jackson fits, riffs on him delivering the pap smear line and taking the dart to the neck ('Fly motherfucker')
Best Double Feature
Bill Simmons▶ 1:25:37Naked Gun 2 1/2, said he'd want to watch it again right after finishing the first film
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:25:51Platoon, paired for full tonal contrast with The Naked Gun (pausing Naked Gun before the music video scene, watching all of Platoon, then resuming Naked Gun)
Coach Finstock Life Lesson
Bill Simmons▶ 1:28:28The 'You take a chance getting up in the morning, crossing the street, or sticking your face in a fan' speech about being on a team
Who Won the Movie
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:28:40Leslie Nielsen - after 40 years as a working actor (e.g. Love Boat), Naked Gun made him a major movie star, leading to two sequels and more spoof films
Movies Referenced (42)
Directors Referenced (3)
David Zucker
4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Airplane!, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!▶ 4:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Actors Referenced (75)
Reggie Jackson
20 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt · Known for The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!▶ 2:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Leslie Nielsen
15 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt · Known for Airplane!, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!▶ 2:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Ricardo Montalban
9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt · Known for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, Escape from the Planet of the Apes▶ 2:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Joyce Brothers
8 mentions · Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons · Known for The King of Comedy, Spy Hard▶ 11:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗
O.J. Simpson
8 mentions · Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons · Known for Capricorn One, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!▶ 2:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Priscilla Presley
8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt · Known for The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!▶ 2:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Dan Aykroyd
5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt · Known for Ghostbusters▶ 14:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗
John Candy
5 mentions · Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons · Known for Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Uncle Buck, Spaceballs▶ 14:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Writers Referenced (6)
Danny McBride
1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Underworld▶ 1:02:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗
James Cameron
1 mentions · Kyle Brandt · Known for Avatar, Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day▶ 50:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Cinematographers Referenced (2)
Kai Blamey
1 mentions · Kyle Brandt · Known for Annihilation▶ 1:11:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Lotfi El Gorda
1 mentions · Kyle Brandt · Known for Aquaman, Noah▶ 48:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗