Do you think Chevy Chase has ever been funny?

[PLATO]

Ahh! You do understand.

[Sava]

I get it. But Bush hate was generally motivated by policies... not because people thought he was a gay muslim nazi paedophile.

[Guynemer]

Leslie Nielsen (a Canadian) had an entire and fairly substantial career as a serious actor (first TV role was in 1948) before he did Airplane!, Police Squad, and Naked Gun. While he was never considered a great actor, Nielsen was known for his leading man looks, commanding voice, and serious demeanor.

This.

He was most known for his performances in Westerns, wasn't he?

[Guynemer]

I love this line. And I'm not providing context to people who haven't seen it.

Look!

It's Enrico Palazzo!

[kentonio]

I'll double down and put Leslie Nielsen right behind Chase on the Not Funny list.

How ****ing dare you.

[PLATO]

I get it. But Bush hate was generally motivated by policies... not because people thought he was a gay muslim nazi paedophile.

Or maybe they thought he was a homophobic crusading Nazi cocaine user?

[Sava]

Or maybe they thought he was a homophobic crusading Nazi cocaine user?

The crazies don't balance out. Sorry. Democrats shout down the truthers. Republicans embrace the birthers. They even have their own caucus. Even the "mainstream" Republican presidential candidate catered to their psychotic whims.

[Elok]

How about we all agree Pauly Shore was the bottom of the barrel?

[-Jrabbit]

Nope. Not quite the same.

Obama doesn't play basketball for a living.

Actually my analogy works fine, since Leslie Nielsen never worked as a comedian in his life.
If I had said "comic actor" you would have a point.

But I was mostly trolling to see who who would bite on the Obama threadjack opening.

[Sava]

Actually my analogy works fine, since Leslie Nielsen never worked as a comedian in his life.

you deserve a facepalm for this

If I had said "comic actor" you would have a point.

This is my point. You are quibbling about "comedian" when he was a comedic actor. The difference between those two is not as big as President/basketball player.

[Colonâ„¢]

Leslie Nielsen (a Canadian) had an entire and fairly substantial career as a serious actor (first TV role was in 1948) before he did Airplane!, Police Squad, and Naked Gun. While he was never considered a great actor, Nielsen was known for his leading man looks, commanding voice, and serious demeanor.

The whole freaking POINT was that he wasn't a comedian. Airplane! was all about casting against type (it also had serious actors Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges and Peter Graves doing deadpan roles), and it revitalized Nielsen's career.

Criticizing Leslie Nielsen as a comedian is like criticizing Obama as a basketball player.

Alright "whole generation of comedic actors" then. Doesn't matter. They, like many of their peers, still have this annoying "I am doing something funny, you MUST laugh" vibe over them.

[The Mad Monk]

The crazies don't balance out. Sorry. Democrats shout down the truthers. Republicans embrace the birthers. They even have their own caucus. Even the "mainstream" Republican presidential candidate catered to their psychotic whims.

Wait, what? Even Glenn Beck despised the birthers.

[Sava]

Wait, what? Even Glenn Beck despised the birthers.

He tried to have it both ways... hating the birthers while also questioning Obama's birthplace.

[The Mad Monk]

You know I love you like a brotha from anotha motha, but you got to back that **** up.

[-Jrabbit]

You are quibbling about "comedian" when he was a comedic actor. The difference between those two is not as big as President/basketball player.

I'm not the one quibbling; you're the one ignoring my point and focusing on critiquing a throwaway analogy. I'm the old man giving much-needed perspective to what I see as Wezil's short-sighted criticism of Leslie Nielsen. The fact that it was Leslie Nielsen delivering those deadpan lines -- THAT WAS THE JOKE, and he had both the gravitas and the self-awareness to make it work. But it was the directors of Airplane! (Zucker, Zucker and Abraham IIRC) who saw the possibility and talked him into doing it, thus launching Nielsen into a second career.