Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
On its own it is just a startled protest, which is why the reply makes it. Nielsen's flat 'I am serious' turned a stock disaster-movie line into the best pun setup in American comedy. People use the first half as an automatic prompt for the second, and the film's casting of grave, serious actors in a farce is what made the deadpan land.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Airplane!Show the scene
Mid-flight in Airplane!, the crew and many passengers are down with food poisoning, and Elaine has found a passenger, Ted Striker, a traumatised former fighter pilot. Dr. Rumack, played by Leslie Nielsen, asks Ted whether he can fly the plane and land it. Ted answers with the line. Rumack replies that he is serious, and not to call him Shirley. The American Film Institute ranked that exchange number 79 on its list of the top 100 movie quotations. Robert Hays plays Ted.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: Airplane!Cockpit dialogue between Rumack and Striker, with the AFI noteReference checked
- Wikipedia: Airplane!Cast and PlotReference checked
Context reviewed
