Surely You Can't Be Serious

By David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker

Book cover of Surely You Can't Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane!

Book description

Surely You Can't Be Serious is an in-depth and hysterical look at the making of 1980's comedy classic Airplane! by the legendary writers and directors of the hit film.

Airplane! premiered on July 2nd, 1980. With a budget of $3.5 million it went on to make nearly $200 million in…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked Surely You Can't Be Serious as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I'm a comedy nerd and I've read every oral retelling and book on the history of comedy I can get my hands on. Not only did this one make me laugh harder than any I've read, but their their path to success was as loopy as the airplane on the movie poster. You can feel the friendship of the creators and it's hard to not feel like you're friends with them as well by the end.

I love biographies and also 'behind the scenes' glimpses of my favorite shows and movies.

Airplane! is one of my top ten all-time favorite movies, and I didn't know much about the making of the movie or the trio that created it, so this was right up my alley.

I liked that the book was written as a collection of small memory snippets, as the creators and actors recalled their days of filming the movie. I also enjoyed learning about the creator's very early days in showbiz.

It all felt very honest and real, refreshingly rough around the edges…

If you love Surely You Can't Be Serious...

Ad

Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Tap Dancing on Everest By Mimi Zieman,

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route up…

Want books like Surely You Can't Be Serious?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Surely You Can't Be Serious.

Browse books like Surely You Can't Be Serious

Book cover of Ghost World
Book cover of Monster: Living Off the Big Screen
Book cover of The Cinema of George Lucas

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,590

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like Surely You Can't Be Serious, you might also like...

The Pianist's Only Daughter By Kathryn Betts Adams,

Book cover of The Pianist's Only Daughter: A Memoir

The Pianist's Only Daughter is a frank, humorous, and heartbreaking exploration of aging in an aging expert's own family.

Social worker and gerontologist Kathryn Betts Adams spent decades negotiating evolving family dynamics with her colorful and talented parents: her mother, an English scholar and poet, and her father, a pianist…

Brother. Do. You. Love. Me. By Manni Coe, Reuben Coe (illustrator),

Book cover of Brother. Do. You. Love. Me.

Brother. Do. You. Love. Me. is a true story of brotherly love overcoming all. Reuben, who has Down's syndrome, was trapped in a care home during the pandemic, spiralling deeper into a non-verbal depression. From isolation and in desperation, he sent his older brother Manni a text, "brother. do. you.…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in film, presidential biography, and Hollywood?

Film 239 books
Hollywood 121 books