A No-Nonsense Cast
Paramount suggested comedic actors like Bill Murray and Chevy Chase. Before taking on Leslie Nielsen for the role of the doctor, Paramount suggested Dom Deluise. And Barry Manilow was a suggestion for Ted Striker. But Jerry Zucker explained that he and the other two had a concept and a shared sense of humor. According to Jerry, “the key to the whole Airplane! concept and to our shared sense of humor was to do everything straight, so we did.”
Source: MoviestillsDB.com, copyrights: Paramount Pictures
The reason they chose Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, and Leslie Nielsen was because of their reputation for playing no-nonsense characters. Until Airplane!, these actors had never done comedy. Their “straight-arrow” personalities and delivery made the satire funnier. Lloyd Bridges was reluctant to take the role, but his sons convinced him to do it.