Written and directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker.

Others

• Elaine: Ladies and gentleman, this is your stewardess speaking. We regret any inconvenience the sudden cabin movement might have caused. This is due to periodic air pockets we encountered. There's no reason to be alarmed and we hope you enjoy the rest of your flight. By the way, is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?

• Kramer: All right, Striker, you listen, and listen close. Flying a plane is no different from riding a bicycle; it's just a lot harder to put baseball cards in the spokes.

• Talk Show Guest: They bought their tickets. They knew what they were getting into. I say, let 'em crash!

• Young Girl Passenger: [when offered cream for her coffee] No thank you, I take it black…like my men.

Dialogue

Striker: Surely you can't be serious?

Rumack: I am serious. And don't call me Shirley.

• Note: this exchange is ranked #79 in the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movie quotations in American cinema.

Randy: Excuse me sir, there's been a little problem in the cockpit…

Striker: The cockpit…what is it?

Randy: It's the little room in the front of the plane where the pilots sit, but that's not important right now.

Capt. Oveur: You ever been in a cockpit before?

Joey: No sir, I've never been up in a plane before.

Capt. Oveur: You ever…seen a grown man naked?

Taglines

• What's slower than a speeding bullet, and able to hit tall buildings at a single bound?
• Thank God it's Only a Motion Picture!
• The craziest flight you'll ever take!
• The Plane's going to Chicago. The Pilot's going to New York. The Passengers are going to Pieces!

Cast

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Roger Murdock
• Lloyd Bridges — McCroskey
• Peter Graves — Captain Oveur
• Julie Hagerty — Elaine
• Robert Hays — Ted Striker
• Leslie Nielsen — Dr. Rumack
• Lorna Patterson — Randy
• Robert Stack — Kramer
• Stephen Stucker — Johnny
• Barbara Billingsley - Jive Lady