Airplane - Joey in the cockpit

There are far too many funny moments to pick from in a film like Airplane.  It's a film that's packed with almost endless one-liners, sight gags, snippets of comedy and call-backs to earlier moments in the film.  Some of the funniest moments for me are the moments that are simplest in execution.  Here we see when young Joey is brought up to the cockpit and meets Captain Victor, complete with brilliantly out-of-place references to homosexuality and his encounter with 1970s NBA star Kareem Abdul Jabar.  Why is Jabar on the plane?  Is it meant to be an in-joke for the audience or is the joke meant to be the idea that an NBA star needs to fly planes on the side to top up his income?  Either way, the sheer stupidity of it makes it a classic scene.



Like much of Airplane, it's a scene that's so bonkers it's almost not funny.  But just like the rest of the film, it's so unrepentant in its ludicrousness that the only reasonable response is to laugh along with it.  Watch and enjoy.  Then click on the suggested videos and watch more.