The famous comedy Naked Gun: From the Files of the Police Squad, starring Leslie Nielsen, was a tremendous smash when it appeared on December 2, 1988.

But, before the Naked Gun, fans adored the 1982 TV series Police Squad. Despite the fact that the series only lasted six episodes, the audience was captivated by the show’s humor and slapstick comedy.

Fortunately for everyone, even though the show never aired again, the premise and characters were adapted for the big screen in Naked Gun: From the Files of the Police Squad!

Leslie Nielsen plays police squad lieutenant Frank Drebin in both the show and the film (and the upcoming sequels). Drebin is a big joke, even though he has important duties like stopping a terrorist plot, defending Queen Elizabeth I, and a massive drug raid.

While attempting to solve crimes and keep the world safe, he makes a shambles of things, keeping the audience laughing throughout the film. The comedy is insane, and it’s a lot of fun to see Drebin try to «seriously» execute his job.

When it premiered, Naked Gun was an immediate success with both the critics and the audience. Everyone loved to laugh at Drebin’s slapstick comedy and then, as one review said, laugh at themselves for laughing.

Even today, the film holds an excellent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and other sites as one of the funniest movies of all time.

In fact, the film debuted at number one in the United States and Canada, collecting $9.3 million, and went on to gross a total of $152.4 million worldwide.

Aside from making people laugh and earning the creators millions of dollars, the film is regarded as one of the best comedies of all time, making The New York Times’ list of The Best 1000 Movies Ever Made.

Naked Gun experienced such immense success that director David Zucker, along with Paramount Pictures, produced two sequels, including The Naked Gun 2+1⁄2: The Smell of Fear (1991) and Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult (1994).

While both sequels did reasonably well, neither was quite as popular or well-received as the first movie in 1988.

However, over the past 30 years, the Naked Gun series has remained a classic comedy enjoyed by several generations.

Whether you loved Naked Gun: From the Files of the Police Squad when it premiered in 1988, or you have never seen the film, you should go watch it right now! You’re going to laugh out loud watching this old-school but classic comedy.

Video: