I’m not quite sure I know how I would feel to be Leslie Nielsen. On one hand he was once called the Olivier of spoofs by film critic Roger Ebert. But on the other hand, it may seem a bit demeaning that his serious manner of acting which began in such classic films as Forbidden Planet and The Poseidon Adventure has segued into one spoof after another. Surely one can’t discount the hilarious roles that he played in Airplane!, The Naked Gun series, and of course the greatest of all spoof TV shows, the short lived Police Squad. And don’t call him Shirley.
Unfortunately, Nielsen is a case of typecasting to the extreme. His long succession of crummy, low-budget, and sometimes direct-to-video films following his acclaimed spoofs include Mel Brooks’ Dracula: Dead and Loving It, Repossessed, Spy Hard, Wrongfully Accused, 2001: A Space Travesty, and Scary Movie 3 and 4. And these are the best of the sorry lot.
Even still, Leslie Nielsen has become somewhat of a legend, so it was a no-brainer to pick up a nice signed photo and have my picture taken with him when he appeared at the October 4, 2008, Hollywood Collectors Show. Naturally he was charging for both the signature and the photo with him.
The best story that came out of the situation occurred when I asked him to write his character name in The Naked Gun as well as writing his famous quote from Airplane! “And don’t call me Shirley.” For some reason, this seemed to confuse him, but he obliged. After I had gotten my photo inscribed and walked away, I realized that he never actually signed his real name to the photo. I had to return to his table and ask that he apply his John Hancock in addition to the other writings on the photo!
Celebrity encounters from the 2008 Hollywood Collectors Show will continue…
Leave a Reply