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No, strike that. Je can say quoi. Several of the signature moments of each episode have no counterpart in any of the movies and their absence is felt. An example: on Police Squad!, Drebin’s weekly encounters with informant/master shoe shiner Johnny are comic duets, with the kicker in each case being the appearance of a celebrity (Dick Clark, Tommy LaSorda) immediately after Drebin leaves, who has also come seeking an inside tip from Johnny. Character actor William Duell (who passed away only six weeks ago) imbues the throwaway part with comic conviction and gravity that belies his allotted one minute a week.

The humor stems simply from the furtive sideways glances of both individuals as money is exchanged and they “nervously” look around to make sure they are not being observed. The nature of the celebrity in question is important but is not the entire joke. ZAZ’ fearlessness in going for the obvious genre/generic joke (particularly in regards to verbal misunderstandings and clichés) is often as funny as their sight gags and more esoteric gags.

They also have no expiration date, as opposed to the single worst joke in Smell of Fear, the one involving Zsa Zsa Gabor that concludes the opening credits, contains - to my knowledge - the only use of the word “fuck” or its derivatives in any ZAZ film, and was already two years tired by the time June 1991 rolled around. A consultation of the Pointless Incidents in Pop Culture Encyclopedia was necessary. (It is, at least more tolerable than the “soap dropped in the prison shower” moments of The Final Insult.)

Most egregious, however, was the loss of actor Alan North from the show (Paramount apparently demanded a bigger name in the sidekick part, resulting in the switch out with Academy Award-winner George Kennedy). I am shamefully unfamiliar with North from anything else, even small roles in films I have seen once upon a time, but he comes off as an everyman Spencer Tracy, wearing his bulk and age as if his entire being were modeled after a rumpled raincoat. Watching him deadpan alongside Nielsen only helps bring out the latter’s comic timing, the true definition of a great supporting role.

I did not have the fondest comic memories of Smell of Fear (indeed, recalled it as being disconcertingly preachy and boring from my last encounter about 15 years ago), so it was to my surprise that I found it to be as briskly paced and entertaining as the first Naked Gun, and, as mentioned, more in line with the deflating of cop show conventions in which Police Squad engaged than its predecessor. Drebin is less Clouseau and simply dense, and is even allowed to be the butt of the jokes on more occasions (re: the unexpected slap in the face he receives in the restaurant scene).

Even with the added emphasis on political satire that marks both films (and which I have always felt were the least successful targets of ZAZ’s potshots) Smell of Fear contains some clever “dumb” moments - the defusing of the bomb, the reaction of the politicos to being told “someone in the room is about to be arrested” - but the parody of Ghost’s most romantic scene is the film’s comic coup de grace. It’s such a faithful recreation of a pop moment (perhaps Jerry Z. had a hand in helping?) that seeing a shirtless Nielsen is almost enough comedy in and of itself. But the payoff, which may be the most astute and clever visual metaphor ever for a hand job, shows David Zucker and Proft’s willingness to go the extra mile and make the obvious (and funny) punch line.

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