Remembering Leslie Nielsen

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I had a really unexpected and gratifying response to my weekend post about Leslie Nielsen. I even heard from some people who knew him well before he died in 2010. But I was particularly taken by this email from TPM Reader JB. Read through to after the JB’s note and see the bonus 1955 wedding photo of a yarmulke-clad Nielsen at the wedding of the president of his fan club …

I logged on this morning into TPM, even though it seems like TPM often chills on the weekend.

I was floored to see a long essay on Leslie Nielsen..

Please indulge this Prime member for a moment, as I would like to tell you some backstory you might find interesting from the Forbidden Planet to the Airplane! era.
Back in the early 50s, my mom was a young New York born, Irvington New Jersey woman infatuated with Hollywood.. even writing a hollywood gossip column in her Irvington High School paper.

On her own, she contacted Leslie Nielsen when he was, as you say, a young hollywood studio actor. He answered her, as was the custom in the day, and somehow, she became president of the Leslie Nielsen fan club. One of the photo pages is a meeting of the fan club… and even though men were allowed to join.. you can see by the attendees how many did!

My mom moved west in the early 50s.. met my dad to be, and on their wedding day, Leslie was a witness. The photo of the three of them on her wedding day was a family joke for many years… “Is she smiling because she is getting married, or because she is holding Leslie Nielsen’s hand in the photo?”

Years later.. 1980 to be exact… my dad had passed,but their 25th anniversary was coming up. so I thought it would be fun to have Leslie Nielsen call her and wish her happy anniversary. They had long lost contact.. So, in her little phone book there was still an entry for Leslie in Sherman Oaks, CA (an LA suburb).

I called, left a message describing what i wanted him to do, and lo and behold.. he called back… not knowing who he was calling or why, because lets face it, i was a 17 year old…

But after a few moments on the phone, they each figured out who the other was… and they had a long conversation…

During which he told her he had just finished filming this movie, and it was the most fun in his entire career…

And he proceed to tell her the entire plot line of Airplane!.

Anyways, my mom has since passed, but i wanted to thank you for the little visit down memory lane…

Jonathan Bakin

ps. You didnt mention the appropriateness of looking back at him at this moment, given that his most famous role prior to the comedy was Forbidden Planet.. The movie brought
Freud’s ID to life “Dr. Edward Morbius: My poor Krell. After a million years of shining sanity, they could hardly have understood what power was destroying them.” and here we are with an ID monster as president..

pps.. Kevin Bacon screaming “all is well” at the end of Animal House is also a pretty relevant gif!

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