- 1991movierewind
Episode #2: Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear
Updated: Apr 25, 2021
Listen to Episode 2 (and a half) of the Podcast here while you enjoy the show notes.
SUMMARY - Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear rejoins Frank Drebin (played by Leslie Neilsen) and the rest of the Police Squad as they try to solve the mystery of a bombing at a solar power research facility. All signs point to the heads of coal, nuclear and oil, and their ringleader Quentin Hapsburg (played by Robert Goulet). To make matters worse for Frank, his ex girlfriend Jane Spencer (played by Priscilla Presley) is dating Hapsburg. Can the Police Squad save the day yet again and maybe get the girl back?
Screenplay by David Zucker and Pat Proft; Directed by David Zucker and released on June 28, 1991.
FILM DISCUSSION
No VHS/DVD this time, so there weren't any fun previews to share. Here are some of the topics we discussed.
The plot is totally unimportant, or it should be in a movie like this. Even so the stakes have been lowered as we go from shooting the Queen to the wrong person giving a speech.
There's some great physical comedy on display. Barbara Bush's look-a-like took several hits.
And some fun, unexpected moments, but most of the comedy comes from verbal jokes rather than absurdist visuals.
Of course there are some parody's including a long scene referencing "Ghost," which was directed by Jerry Zucker, the brother of "Naked Gun 2 1/2's" director.
We go into detail about some of the post-movie life of some of the actors, such as Anthony James (who played main thug Hector Savage)
We also spend some time talking about the life and career of this lounge singer, played by Colleen Fitzpatrick.
In 1991, Colleen started a band called Eve's Plum that saw some success.
Then later in life, she rebranded as a pop star named Vitamin C and her story doesn't stop there.
We also talk about the main cast, of course. Here is the article we referenced when talking about Priscilla Presley's acting career - https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1995/jan/03/on-her-own-priscilla-presley-proves-shes-a-plucky/
Awards talk - The only one of note here is the MTV Movie Awards, because our second episode ending up having our second Best Kiss nominee.
TRUE CRIME & POP CULTURE
We usually try to tie some true crime information into the movie or week of release. The obvious connection this time around was the murder trial of O.J. Simpson. This has been covered by thousands of sources, so we won't go into things too much further here.
The Top Song of the Week was:
Paula Abdul "Rush Rush" featuring Keanu Reeves in an homage to "Rebel Without a Cause"
The Top Country Song was Garth Brooks "Thunder Rolls" - Apologies if the video doesn't work. We couldn't find an official version to embed, and this one might get taken down.
TV Listings - This week's TGIF listing and the shows on the other channels too.
RANKINGS & RATINGS
Nikki 1-5 star scale - 3 out of 5
Jon 0-4 star scale - 2 1/2 out of 4
Would you watch again? - We agreed again that we would, but the original is superior and we'd rather watch that instead.
If you want to watch Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear, as of this recording in February 2021, it’s available on CBS All Access (now Paramount +), Crackle, FuboTV, Sundance, Digital Rental, VHS, DVD. Check your local listings
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