Airplane! (1980)
"I am serious… and don't call me Shirley."
Dr. Rumack (Leslie Nielsen) delivers this iconic line with perfect comedic timing, responding to Ted Striker (Robert Hays) in the midst of a tense moment. The humor hinges on a clever pun: “Surely” sounds like “Shirley,” leading to the absurdly serious reply, “I am serious… and don’t call me Shirley.” This line perfectly captures the zany, deadpan humor that defines Airplane!
Storyline
Drowning his sorrows after that botched mission during World War II, Ted Striker, a traumatized ex-fighter-pilot with a neurotic fear of flying, still has not gotten over his old flame, flight attendant, Elaine Dickinson. Determined to win her back, Ted boards a domestic flight from Los Angeles to Chicago, only to come face-to-face with a severe case of in-flight food poisoning that is threatening everyone's lives. With most of the passengers and the entire cockpit crew down with the food-borne illness, Striker must confront his inner demons and take over the control of the ungovernable aircraft with the help of a gruff air-traffic controller and his former commander. Can Ted Striker land the airplane and save the passengers?