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Set some time after the television series, Lt. Frank
Drebin returns from a vacation in Beirut to find that his wife has left
him when he returns to Los Angeles.
Finding out from Ed that Detective Nordberg (O.J. Simpson) has been critically injured whilst on a stake-out, Fortunately although Nordberg was shot over 40 times, they all missed his vital organs! Rushing to the hospital, Drebin tries to
console Nordberg's wife - he tells her that Police Squad will still
keep Nordberg on even if he is a helpless vegetable. Visiting Ludwig to ask him some routine questions, Drebin is introduced to Jane Spencer (Priscilla Presley), secretary to Ludwig. Finding no records about the boat, the pair decide to meet up again on a more personal basis. After a public meeting with Mayor Barkley (Nancy Marchand) in order to discuss the upcoming royal visit from Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, Frank enjoys an afternoon in the company of Jane. Catching up with Captain Hocken and police scientist Ted Olsen (Ed Williams), Frank is given some cuff links which fire little darts which paralyse a person for a few seconds.
Whilst checking to see how Nordberg is doing in hospital, Drebin finds one of the doctors hypnotized trying to suffocate him. Chasing the doctor (with the assistance of a learner car driver and her teacher), Drebin only succeeds in having the doctor crash into a fireworks factory. Becoming suspicious of Ludwig, Drebin decides it's time to take a closer look at Ludwig's offices.
Discovering that it is Ludwig behind the attempt on Nordberg's life, and that there is a plan to assassinate the queen. Unfortunately whilst he finds this out, he manages to start a fire in Ludwig's offices. Escaping out the window, Drebin manages to crawl along the window ledge. Fortunately he manages to get inside one of the other apartments on the same floor... unfortunately at the time he had a stone phalis in his hand when a young lady was getting undressed!
Told by the mayor to stay out of the way of the party for the Queen to be held in her honour that night, where Ludwig will be one of the main guests. Drebin goes off on a meeting which Jane tells him Ludwig has arranged at a meat packing factory. It proves to be a set up, and Frank only just manages to escape.
Gate crashing the party, Drebin confronts Ludwig, but without proof he cannot arrest him. Believing Jane to be involved, he breaks off the blossoming relationship between them both. After a minor incident in which Drebin ends up on a table with the Queen(!), he is relieved of duty until after the Queen's visit.
Finding out that it looks as if the Queen's assassination attempt will take place at the California Angels baseball game, Frank goes in disguise to infiltrate the game.
Managing to disguise himself as one of the referee's, Frank finds out that it is one of the players who will try to shot the Queen at Ludwig's command. Trying desperately to body search each player whilst the game is in play, chaos ensues as a fight breaks out on the pitch.
Fortunately, Lt Drebin is able to save the Queen when he accidentally fires one of his cuff link darts on a spectator, who lands on the assassin!
Enraged, Ludwig takes Jane upto the balcony and takes her hostage. Frank is able to get Jane away and fires another dart at Ludwig - "Is he dead?" a spectator asks. "No, no, he's only stunned" Frank replies, before Ludwig falls off the balcony to be flattened by (among other things) a steam roller.
But even with his death Ludwig manages a last trick, Jane picks up a gun and is about to fire it at Frank. Frank's calm soothing voice and his talk of marrying her manages to break the hypnotic trance. |
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This first movie in the series is a great start.
No previous knowledge of the Police Squad tv series is necessary to enjoy this title. There are a lot of laugh out loud moments: when Frank goes to the restroom with the radio microphone on; Frank's break in of Ludwig's offices and escape onto the window ledge; Frank's meeting with the Queen. All of these are moments which even now make me laugh when I think about them. It was a shame that so many of the characters from the television series were recast, although George Kennedy as Captain Ed Hocken is very funny. Hard to believe that this is the same actor who appeared in all of the Airport movies as grizzled engineer Joe Patroni. The new characters introduced in this movie are also pretty funny. Priscilla Presley as Jane Spencer is very good... taking the role seriously (ie not deliberately playing it tongue in cheek) but able to take a prat fall with the best of them. The guest villain is the marvellous Ricardo Montalban as Vincent Ludwig. Montalban is probably best known to today's audiences either for his role as Mr Roarke in the original Fantasy Island television series, or as his role as Khan Noonian Singh in the Star Trek television episode and movie. A few cameo roles in this movie as well: John Houseman as the driving instructor, Reggie Jackson (playing himself), and 'Weird' Al Yankovic (making his first appearance as himself in this movie series). Also making a debut is the character of Papshmir, who is behind Ludwig in this movie, and who would be the man hiring the villain in the third movie as well.
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