current_members active pseudonym subject influences nationality genre article_title name medium
david zucker jim abrahams jerry zucker 1977-1994 kentucky fried theatre parodies , visual gags peter sellers , monty python , woody allen american slapstick comedy zucker , abrahams and zucker
 zucker , abrahams , and zucker film
zucker , abrahams and zucker

zucker , abrahams and zucker -lrb- abbreviated zaz -rrb- were an american comedy filmmaking trio consisting of jim abrahams and brothers david and jerry zucker who specialized in writing slapstick comedy films during the 1980s and the early 1990s .
the trio knew each other during their childhood years , growing up in shorewood , wisconsin , and attended shorewood high school , which is sometimes referenced in their work .
while attending the university of wisconsin -- madison , the trio formed a theater group called `` kentucky fried theater '' , which led to their sketch comedy film , `` the kentucky fried movie '' .
this was followed in 1980 by the trio 's breakout hit , `` airplane ! ''
, which remains a revered comedic milestone .
subsequent collaborations include the tv series `` police squad ! ''
and the films `` top secret ! ''
, `` ruthless people '' , and `` the naked gun '' .
all of their projects relied heavily on parodies , visual gags and breaking of the fourth wall , and established a strong cult following .
the notable stylistic exception is `` ruthless people '' , a more traditional farce that was directed by the trio , but unlike their other productions , not written by them .
prominent zaz players include leslie nielsen , lloyd bridges , robert stack , rowan atkinson , whoopi goldberg , and charlie sheen .
the trio 's status as a three-person team of co-directors is highly unusual , although some of their later projects were directed by david zucker working solo , and with jerry zucker and abrahams credited only as producers and/or writers .
each member of the group has also had individual careers : david zucker directed `` baseketball '' , `` my boss 's daughter '' , and `` scary movie 3 '' and `` 4 '' .
abrahams directed `` hot shots ! ''
and `` jane austen 's mafia ! '' .
jerry zucker directed `` ghost '' , `` first knight '' , and `` rat race '' .
of the three , jerry zucker has found the most mainstream non-comedic success including `` ghost '' and `` first knight '' , which grossed $ 505 million and $ 127 million worldwide respectively .
