DAVID ZUCKER- In Person at SEWI Festival of Books
In Person Keynote Event-
SEWI Festival of Books
DAVID ZUCKER
in conversation with
Gino Salomone
Friday, November 3rd
7:00-8:30 p.m.
the Lunt Fontanne Theatre
UW Milwaukee Waukesha
1500 N. University Drive
Waukesha, WI 53188
This Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books Keynote event will be at the UWM-Waukesha Lunt-Fontanne Theater. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
David Zucker will be in conversation with Gino Salomone, WITI Channel 6 Film Critic. They will discuss David Zucker's new book Surely You Can’t Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane!, the making of the classic movie Airplane!, as well as Zucker's connection to Wisconsin. 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.
A book signing will follow the event.
Books are available for purchase from Books & Company, the official SEWI Festival of Books bookstore. A percentage of sales will be donated back to the SEWI Festival of Books.
About the book:
When Airplane! premiered on July 2nd, 1980, it changed the face of comedy. With a budget of $3.5 million it became an instant smash and went on to make nearly $200 million in sales. Generations of comedians and filmmakers have been influenced by this beloved film. Now, David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker, the legendary trio (also known as ZAZ) who wrote and directed the film share the behind-the-scenes dish in Surely You Can’t Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane! (St. Martin’s Press; On-sale: October 3, 2023). This first-ever oral history is packed with anecdotes, trivia, and never-before-known factoids. The book is also filled with photos, movie stills, and personal pictures from the authors. Airplane! is considered one of greatest comedy films ever made and was placed on the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” It began, however, as the brainchild of three guys from Wisconsin with a dream of making films that would make people laugh. Surely You Can’t Be Serious takes readers back to ZAZ’s humble beginnings, through each stage of the movie’s production (and how they made a move with three directors), and what happened after the movie premiered. Throughout, readers hear from the cast, crew, studio executives, and comedic greats Jimmy Kimmel, Bill Hader, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Sarah Silverman, and many more.
DAVID ZUCKER, JIM ABRAHAMS, and JERRY ZUCKER knew one another growing up in Shorewood, Wisconsin. While attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the trio founded a small theater known as The Kentucky Fried Theater in 1971. They moved to Los Angeles in 1972, which led to their first film The Kentucky Fried Movie in 1977. ZAZ's next film was their breakout hit Airplane! in 1980, which remains a revered comedic milestone.
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