Robert Hays Reveals the Secret Behind Leslie Nielsen’s Infamous ‘Airplane!’ Pranks
In the archive of 1980s cinema, few “beings” have mastered the transition from serious drama to slapstick brilliance as effectively as the late Leslie Nielsen. Before he was the bumbling detective Frank Drebin, he was Dr. Rumack in the 1980 quintessential spoof Airplane!—a role that required a level of deadpan stoicism that would become his professional trademark.
However, as co-star Robert Hays (Ted Striker) recently revealed, Nielsen’s ability to keep a straight face wasn’t just a talent used for the cameras; it was a weapon used to disarm everyone from high-profile co-stars to unsuspecting extras.
The Man, The Legend, and the Fart Machine
Appearing on the Naked Lunch podcast with host Phil Rosenthal, Robert Hays took a nostalgic trip back to the set of the film that defined the disaster-spoof genre. The topic of conversation? Nielsen’s favorite companion: a small, hand-held fart machine.
According to Hays, Nielsen used the device as a social icebreaker. “He would disarm people by hiding it in his hand,” Rosenthal noted. “You’d be meeting him for the first time and he’d say, ‘It’s very nice to meet you,’ and keep a totally straight face while letting it rip.”
The “Ostracized” Extras
Hays recalled a specific moment on set where he watched the prank play out in real-time. A group of extras had just arrived for a scene, including two young women who were visibly starstruck by Nielsen’s presence.
“I saw one of the women say, ‘There’s Leslie Nielsen, I’m going to go say hello,’” Hays recounted. “She goes over there, just so excited, and a minute later she comes back looking completely bewildered. I knew exactly what happened.”
For Nielsen, the joke was a way to maintain the “Rumack” persona even when the cameras weren’t rolling. The brilliance of Airplane! relied on the actors treating the absurd dialogue with total sincerity. By pranking people with a fart machine while maintaining the dignity of a veteran dramatic actor, Nielsen was living the very essence of the movie’s humor.
A Heritage of Humor
At BeingsMag, we often discuss “heritage” in terms of cars and architecture, but there is also a heritage of Hollywood comedy. Nielsen, who passed away in 2010, left behind a legacy of “serious” comedy that transformed the industry. Before Airplane!, Nielsen was a straight-laced dramatic actor in films like Forbidden Planet and The Poseidon Adventure. His pivot to comedy was one of the most successful “second acts” in entertainment history.
Stories like those told by Robert Hays remind us that the most iconic cinematic moments often stem from a culture of playfulness behind the scenes. Leslie Nielsen wasn’t just playing a character who was oblivious to the chaos around him; he was the one creating the chaos, one hand-held device at a time.
