Leslie Nielsen Movies
Although his career stretches back half a century and includes over 100 films and countless TV programs, Leslie Nielsen gained true fame late in his career, when he starred in a series of comic spoofs beginning with 1980's Airplane!.The son of a Canadian Mountie and the brother of Canada's future Deputy Prime Minister, Nielsen was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, on February 11, 1926. He developed an early knack for acting when he was forced to lie to his disciplinarian father in order to avoid punishment, and he went on to become a radio announcer after serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force during WWII (despite being legally deaf, the result of a childhood illness). To prepare himself for his future career, Nielsen studied at Toronto's Academy of Radio Arts, which was run by CBC commentator and future Bonanza star Lorne Greene. After several years in radio, he won a scholarship to New York's Neighborhood Playhouse, where he studied acting under Sanford Meisner and dance under Martha Graham. He then spent five years appearing on such live television programs as Tales From Tomorrow before making his film bow in Ransom! (1956). With the exception of his starring roles in the sci-fi classic Forbidden Planet (1956) and the popular Debbie Reynolds-vehicle Tammy and the Bachelor (1957), much of Nielsen's early work was undistinguished; he was merely a handsome leading man in an industry overstocked with handsome leading men. An attempt to do a "Davy Crockett" by starring as Francis Marion in the Disney TV saga The Swamp Fox resulted in a nifty title tune but little else. Nielsen went on to star in such series as The New Breed, Bracken's World, and Hawaii Five-O (1968), but found he was more in demand as a heavy than as a hero.
A notorious offscreen practical joker and cut-up, Nielsen was not given an onscreen conduit for this trait until he was cast in the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker spoof Airplane (1980). This led to his deadpan characterization of monumentally inept police lieutenant Frank Drebin on Z.A.Z.'s cult TV series Police Squad, which in turn spawned the 1988 hit The Naked Gun and two sequels. Nielsen also found success in a number of other film spoofs, so much, in fact, that those familiar only with his loopy comedy roles are invariably surprised that, once upon a time, he took himself deadly seriously in films like Harlow (1965) and The Poseidon Adventure (1972). Nielsen died at the age of 84, of pneumonia, in late November 2010. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1969
The made-for-TV Deadlock stars Leslie Nielsen as Lt. Sam Danforth (since this is long before the Police Squad era, Nielsen plays it straight). The white Danforth finds himself at ideological loggerheads with black district attorney Leslie Washburn (Hari Rhodes). Racial tensions are escalated when a black ghetto kid is killed by a cop, and a white reporter covering the case also turns up dead. Future stars Fred Williamson and James McEachin show up in supporting roles. First telecast February 22, 1969, Deadlock served as the pilot episode for The Professionals, a single-season component of NBC's rotating series The Bold Ones. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1969
Made for television, Trial Run is a slick, cynical tale of blind ambition. James Franciscus plays a young attorney who'll do anything to reach the top. To this end, Franciscus uses not only his employer Leslie Nielsen, but his faithful secretary Diane Baker, who has long sacrificed her own happiness for Franciscus advancement. Our "hero" finally comes acropper as a result of his torrid affair with Nielsen's wife Janice Rule. The ending of this one is a beaut, which is why we're not divulging any more details. Trial Run first aired January 18, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1968
Released theatrically overseas, How to Steal the World was comprised of two episodes from the American TV series Man from U.N.C.L.E. U.N.C.L.E. agents Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Ilya Kuriakin (David McCallum) investigate when fellow agent Barry Sullivan and European general Leslie Nielsen disappear. Shortly afterward, five of the world's top scientists are mysteriously abducted. The trail leads to the Himalayas, where Sullivan has set himself up as potential world dictator, hoping to use the combined talents of the scientists to build a device that will spread mind-controlling gas throughout the planet. How to Steal the World was originally telecast in two weekly installments as the "The Seven Wonders of the World Affair"--the final two episodes of Man From U.N.C.L.E., which had been cancelled by NBC to make way for Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1968
Frank Dayton (Leslie Nielsen) leads a group of crooks in a caper to steal one and a half million dollars from an Air Force base. Dayton is the tough-guy military leader who recruits Mike (Rory Calhoun), ex-Nazi Max (Hans Gudegast), sadistic killer Barney Barry (Barry Sadler), and failed French artist Claude (Pat Renella) in the scheme. Singer Laine Kazan plays the romantic interest for Dayton as the nightclub songbird Leda. Sadler, who's "Ballad Of The Green Berets" was a pro-war, right-wing anthem, would later serve time for murder in real life in an ironic twist on his cinematic character in the film. Nielsen, always the consummate professional, would gain a large following as a comedic actor in such films as Airplane and The Naked Gun. Ironically, his character name in the latter series of films was Frank Drayton. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rory Calhoun, Leslie Nielsen, (more)
- 1968
Elveron is one of those corruption-ridden towns just ripe for reforming by idealists like doctor James Franciscus. He has tried to conduct business honestly, while all the powerful folks around him have pulled strings and paid off authorities to keep certain awkward business and personal deals under the rug. But now, a murder trial involving important people threatens to become one more farcical cover-up. Franciscus vows that the truth will be heard, despite strongarm threats from crooked law officer Leslie Nielsen. The fact that Shadow Over Elveron is a 1968 TV movie should leave no doubt as to the outcome for this strident little civics lesson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1967
Melvyn Douglas made his TV-movie debut in Companions in Nightmare. Douglas plays a famous psychiatrist who conducts a group-therapy session with several high-priced professionals. One of the patients turns out to be a murderer; the truth will come out, and it will be a shocker. Gig Young, Anne Baxter, Patrick O'Neal, Dana Wynter and Leslie Nielsen are among the special guest suspects (aren't they always?) Filmed late in 1967, Companions in Nightmare was first telecast on November 23, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1967
Rosie! is directly based upon Ruth Gordon's play A Very Rich Woman, which was itself based upon a French play by Philippe Heriat, but the indirect source for all three versions is Shakespeare's King Lear. Rosalind Russell has the Lear part, here transformed from a powerful king into a rich, madcap grandmother by the name of Rosie Lord. Unlike in Shakespeare, however, Rosie does not abandon her wealth voluntarily; instead, her viperish children make an assault on her in an attempt to claim their inheritance while Rosie is still alive. They succeed in getting her declared mentally incompetent and thrown into a grotesque asylum, an experience that is so traumatic that she nearly does go insane. Fortunately, Rosie's beloved granddaughter Daphne (Sandra Dee) is appalled at what has happened; she moves into high gear, contacting an ex-lover of Rosie's (played by Brian Aherne) who also happens to be a powerful and skilled attorney. A lengthy court battle ensues, with both sides determined to come out triumphant. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rosalind Russell, Sandra Dee, (more)
- 1967
Code Name: Heraclitus is an expanded version of a TV drama first seen in January of 1967 on Bob Hope Chrysler Theatre. Stanley Baker stars as a British spy who investigating the past of Signe Hasso, the widow of secret agent Kurt Kasner. Hasso is suspected of selling cold war secrets to the Communists. To ascertain the truth, it is necessary to "rebuild" Kasner and send his living counterpart behind the Iron Curtain. Though originally advertised in TV Guide as a two-part Chrysler Theatre drama, it appears as though Code Name: Heraclitus was whittled down to 60 minutes for its first telecast, then later released in its uncut form to European movie houses. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1967
Never once does Bobby Darin sing "Mack the Knife" or "Splish Splash" in Gunfight in Abilene. Instead, he plays a peaceable western sheriff, determined to stave off an outlaw invasion. The head outlaw is Leslie Nielsen, which makes this film very hard to watch with a straight face these days. The Universal City backlot gets a good workout in the blood-spattered finale of Gunfight in Abilene, which barely made the theatrical rounds before entrenching itself on late night television. The film should not be confused with Gunfighters of Abilene, a 1960 oater starring Buster Crabbe. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bobby Darin, Emily Banks, (more)
- 1967
The beauty of classical music confronts the ugliness and treachery of war in this unusual drama. Lionel Evans (Charlton Heston) is the director of a well-respected symphony orchestra touring European concert halls in 1944. In the midst of one concert, the city where they are playing is attacked by German troops, and as Evans and his musicians try to escape, they are captured by Nazi soldiers led by Col. Arndt (Anton Diffring). Evans and the orchestra are taken to a castle where they are to bide their time before being executed; but it turns out that Arndt's superior, Gen. Schiller (Maximilian Schell), is a classical music buff. Schiller commands Evans and his symphony to prepare a special concert for the Nazis, but Evans realizes that the moment the concert is over, he and his musicians will be killed. The orchestra's performances, which include works by Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner, and Schubert, were performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Maximilian Schell, (more)
Roy Fleming (Don Knotts) is signed on to the space program at NASA by his father Buck (Arthur O'Connell), a gung-ho former World War I vet who is trying to make something out of his son. Roy becomes a janitor who is afraid of heights and mistaken for an astronaut through a series of comedic mishaps. (Jesse White) plays Roy's boss Donelli, with (Leslie Nielsen) as space hero Major Gifford. Knotts uses his patented brand of nervousness to perfection in this lighthearted situation comedy. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Don Knotts, Leslie Nielsen, (more)
- 1967
Leslie Nielsen, who had once studied acting under Bonanza star Lorne Greene in his native Canada, is here cast as Sheriff Paul Rowan, an old friend of Ben Cartwright. Driven to madness after twelve hard years on the job, Rowan holes up in a stable, shooting or threatening to shoot anyone who comes near him. Responding to the pleas of the Sheriff's wife Catherine (Nancy Malone), Ben tries to coax Paul into surrending and seeking out the medical attention he so desperately needs. First shown on January 29, 1967, "The Unseen Wound" was written by Frank Chase. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1966
The Plainsman was a Technicolor remake of the 1936 Cecil B. DeMille film, all about the fictional romantic triangle of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and Buffalo Bill. DeMille had the advantage of a topnotch cast: Gary Cooper as Hickok, Jean Arthur as Calamity (complete with a Wally Westmore cosmetic job!) and James Ellison as Buffalo Bill. David Lowell Rich, director of the 1966 The Plainsman, had to make do with Universal contractees Don Murray, Abby Dalton and Guy Stockwell. Denied DeMille's budget, Rich turned out a cut-rate western, wherein the "big" Indian attacks look more like Disneyland exhibits. The usually reliable Abby Dalton further weakens the film with a Southern accent that wouldn't convince a prairie dog. Originally made for television, The Plainsman was instead released theatrically--then went promptly to the small screen. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1966
Christopher Wren's classic adventure story is brought to the screen for the third time in this version, which featured several popular television stars of the day. Beau Geste (Guy Stockwell) is forced to take the blame for a crime he didn't commit in order to protect the good name of his family; he and his brother John (Doug McClure) flee the country to avoid capture and join the French Foreign Legion. Under the leadership of the sadistic Sgt. Major Dagineau (Telly Savalas), Beau and John must battle Arab troops as they try to clear their names. For this more budget-minded adaptation of the story, the three Geste brothers were whittled down to two; Wren's story wasn't filmed again until Marty Feldman's send-up of the Foreign Legion epics, The Last Remake of Beau Geste, appeared in 1977. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Guy Stockwell, Doug McClure, (more)
Of the two competing Jean Harlow biopics released in 1965, producer Joseph E. Levine's Harlow is the more slickly professional, though neither film is exactly a cinematic landmark. Carroll Baker plays 1930s "platinum blonde" Jean Harlow, who, in keeping with the portrait painted by biographer Irving Schulman and Arthur Landau (upon whose book this film is based) was a forlorn waif tossed around like a football by the predatory males of wicked old Hollywood. Prodded by a hellish stage mother (Angela Lansbury) and an implicitly incestuous stepfather (Raf Vallone), Harlow rises to the pinnacle of movie stardom but never finds true happiness. The wedding-night revelation that her new husband, producer Paul Bern (Peter Lawford), is impotent is just another devastating blow for the poor girl. After all she goes through in the film, Harlow's premature death at age 26 is almost a relief. The only person who truly, deeply, sincerely cares about her is her lovable agent Arthur Landau (played by lovable Red Buttons) who, it will be remembered, co-authored the original Harlow book. Movie buffs will derive some perverse pleasure by the script's many distortions of the facts. Whatever its shortcomings, Harlow posted a huge profit for Joe Levine and Paramount Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Carroll Baker, Martin Balsam, (more)
- 1965
In this horror film, set in San Francisco during the Victorian age, a criminologist is often out-guessed by his little valet and a sensitive mandrake plant. He finds himself involved in a hellish situation when a disfigured wizard conjures up a demon to help him transfer his soul in to the perfect body of his popular twin brother. The criminologist stops the wizard in the nick of time. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Leslie Nielsen, Gilbert Green, (more)
- 1965
When the wife of Chaplain Craig Fletcher (Leslie Nielsen) is killed on an Army base, suspicion immediately falls upon PFC Byron Landy (Bruce Dern), a lifelong troublemaker and malcontent who has already beaten one murder rap. The angry locals demand immediate retribution against Landy, proof or no proof. It is up to Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) to defuse this volatile situation and to make certain that the actual murderer is brought to justice. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1965
In this adventurous chase film, three orphans head for the US. Unbeknownst to them, they carry with them important information--information the man who killed their father is desperate to retrieve. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1965
The Seaview takes aboard Captain Adams (Leslie Nielsen), the sole survivor of a missile test that went awry, due to an unexplained ultra-sonic force. He's determined to discover the cause of the disaster, even if it puts the submarine in jeopardy, and he won't let Nelson (Richard Basehart) or Crane (David Hedison), or his duty as a naval officer, get in his way. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- 1964
Posing as "Frank Jordan", Kimble (David Janssen) hires on as gardener for wealthy Mike Pryor (John Lasell) and his family. Meanwhile, Harold Cheyney (Leslie Nielsen), embittered over a crippling accident suffered while working for Pryor, has sworn revenge on his former partner. Cheyney plans to kidnap Pryor and hold him for ransom--but through a fluke, he ends up snatching Kimble instead. Now the perennial fugitive is trapped between the proverbial rock and hard place: Even if he manages to escape from Cheyney, he faces the likelihood of returning to Death Row. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1964
Adapted by John Collier from a story by H.G. Wells, this episode is built around the talents of child actor John Megna, best remembered for his role as the Truman Capote counterpart in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird. Obsessed by magic and magicians, Tony Grainger (Megna) begs his father, Steven (Leslie Nielsen), to take him to Mr. Dulong's magic shop as a ninth birthday present. What seems to be a harmless excursion into the black arts becomes something else entirely when Tony steps into a magic cabinet and temporarily disappears -- followed by Mr. Dulong (David Opatoshu), who disappears for keeps. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Leslie Nielsen, John Megna, (more)
A retired spy agrees to help his former boss by helping another agent get some tapes containing defense information to Paris. When his boss is killed, he must stay ahead of the rival agents, eventually learning that the female agent he is helping is one of them. He is able to defeat her and get the tapes to the proper recipients. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi
- 1963
Posing as "Harry Carson", Kimble (David Janssen) witnesses an accidental homicide committed by wealthy Martin Rowland (Leslie Nielsen). When a drifter named Arthur Tibbets (Jay Adler) is arrested for the killing, Kimble worries that if he comes forward to exonerate Tibbets, he is almost certain to be exposed as a fugitive from justice. Then there's the matter of Martin Rowland, whose entire life could be irrevocably destroyed because of a tragic mishap. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1961
In the seventh episode of Walt Disney's eight-part miniseries The Swamp Fox, Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion (Leslie Nielsen) has rescued his sweetheart Mary Videaux (Barbara Eiler) from the clutches of British officer Col. Tarleton. In their efforts to escape the British-held port of Charleston, Marion and his band of guerillas must first find themselves a sailing vessel. Mary works out a clever scheme whereby she convinces the captain of a British prison ship that she is a loyalist and that she hopes to throw Marion's men in irons. "A Woman's Courage" originally aired as part of the Walt Disney Presents anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Rating Systems
Blockbuster
BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster L.L.C.
2013 Blockbuster L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Corporation. 2013 Rovi Corporation.