Editing Airplane! (section)

===Casting===
David Zucker explained that "the trick was to cast actors like [[Robert Stack]], [[Leslie Nielsen]], [[Peter Graves]], and [[Lloyd Bridges]]. These were people who, up to that time, had never done comedy. We thought they were much funnier than the comedians of that time were".<ref name=directors/>

David Zucker felt Stack was the most important actor to be cast, since he was the "linchpin" of the film's plot.<ref name=directors/><ref name="avclub oral"/> Stack initially played his role in a way that was different from what the directors had in mind. They showed him a tape of impressionist [[John Byner]] impersonating Robert Stack. According to the producers, Stack was "doing an impression of John Byner doing an impression of Stack".<ref name="commentary"/> Stack was not initially interested in the part, but ZAZ persuaded him. Bridges' children advised him to take the part.<ref name=directors/> Graves rejected the script at first, considering it tasteless. During filming, ZAZ had explained to Graves that his lines spoken to a young boy, like "Have you ever seen a grown man naked?", would "be explained later in a part that you aren't in".<ref name="telegraph 40th"/> On the DVD commentary, Abrahams said: "I don't understand. What did he think was tasteless about pedophilia?"<ref name=nytimes1/>

For the role of Dr. Rumack, ZAZ initially suggested [[Dom DeLuise]], [[Christopher Lee]] (who had appeared in ''[[Airport '77]]''), [[Vincent Price]], and [[Jack Webb]], all of whom turned it down, before they considered Nielsen,<ref name="telegraph 40th"/><ref name="How We Made: Airplane!">{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=2020-05-25 |title=How We Made: Airplane! |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/may/25/how-we-made-airplane-the-movie |access-date=2023-10-18 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> who was "just a fish in water" in his role, according to Jerry Zucker.<ref name="avclub oral"/> Nielsen's career to this point had consisted mostly of serious leading roles but he wanted to work in comedy and was looking for a film to help in the transition. He was considered a "closet comedian" on set, pranking his fellow actors between shots, but immediately adopted his somber, serious persona when performing as Rumack.<ref name="telegraph 40th"/> During filming, Nielsen used a device that made farting noises to keep the cast off-balance. Hays said that Nielsen "played that thing like a maestro".<ref name="nytimes1">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/27/movies/27airplane.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|title=Surely It's 30 (Don't Call Me Shirley!)|date=June 25, 2010|access-date=June 30, 2010|archive-date=June 30, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100630091454/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/27/movies/27airplane.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-07-02 |title='Airplane!' Is Considered One of the Best Comedies of All Time. But 40 Years Ago No One Saw it Coming. |url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a33024479/airplane-1980-comedy-40th-anniversary-essay-history/ |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Esquire |language=en-US}}</ref> Christopher Lee would later acknowledge that turning down the role (to star in the film ''[[1941 (film)|1941]]'') was a huge mistake.<ref name=TFInterview>{{cite news|url=http://www.totalfilm.com/features/the_total_film_interview__christopher_lee |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612192345/http://www.totalfilm.com/features/the_total_film_interview__christopher_lee |archive-date=June 12, 2007 |title=The Total Film Interview – Christopher Lee |work=Total Film |date=May 1, 2005 |access-date=August 25, 2013}}</ref>

The role of Ted Striker was written for [[David Letterman]], who had auditioned for a news anchorman role in ''[[Kentucky Fried Movie]]''. Letterman did a screen test in 1979 that ZAZ liked and they wanted him to do a second audition, but Letterman did not want to pursue the role and was not selected.<ref>{{cite AV media|people=[[Jon Davison]], [[Jim Abrahams]], [[Jerry Zucker]], [[David Zucker (filmmaker)|David Zucker]]|title=Airplane! [[audio commentary]]|medium=DVD|publisher=Paramount Pictures|time=9:50–10:00|isbn=0-7921-6688-4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=David Letterman auditioned for 'Airplane!' against his better judgment |url=https://ew.com/movies/david-letterman-auditioned-for-airplane/ |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=EW.com |language=en}}</ref> [[Chevy Chase]], [[Barry Manilow]], [[Bill Murray]] and [[Fred Willard]] were also considered for the role.<ref name="How We Made: Airplane!"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2011/04/fred-willard-charmingly-recounts-turning-down-a-role-in-airplane.html|title=Fred Willard Charmingly Recounts Turning Down a Role in Airplane!|date=April 8, 2011}}</ref><ref name="telegraph 40th"/> [[Caitlyn Jenner]]{{efn|At the time of production, Caitlyn was still presenting as male and known as Bruce Jenner.}} also read for the part. Instead, ZAZ opted for [[Robert Hays]], co-star of [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] [[Sitcom|situation comedy]] ''[[Angie (TV series)|Angie]]''.<ref name="telegraph 40th"/> Elaine's part was auditioned for by [[Sigourney Weaver]] and [[Shelley Long]] but eventually went to [[Julie Hagerty]].<ref name="telegraph 40th"/> The directors advised the pair to play their roles straight.<ref name=AVClub/> Hays and Hagerty developed an on-screen chemistry that worked in the film's favor; they spent time to practice and perfect the bar dance routine set to "[[Stayin' Alive]]", among other scenes.<ref name="avclub oral"/><ref name="telegraph 40th"/>

For the "red zone/white zone" send-up of curbside terminal announcements in which public address announcers "Betty" and "Vernon" argue over the red and white zones, ZAZ went through the usual process of auditioning professional voice actors, but failed to find ones who could provide the desired authenticity. Instead, the filmmakers ultimately sought out and hired the real-life married couple who had recorded the announcement tapes which were then being used at Los Angeles International Airport.<ref>{{cite podcast|url=http://www.nerdist.com/pepisode/nerdist-podcast-airplane-the-movie/|title=Nerdist Podcast: Airplane! (The Movie)|website=Nerdist|host=Katie Levine|date=May 4, 2012|time=33:50|access-date=March 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222081357/http://www.nerdist.com/pepisode/nerdist-podcast-airplane-the-movie/|archive-date=February 22, 2015|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> ZAZ lifted some of their dialog directly from the 1968 novel ''[[Airport (Hailey novel)|Airport]]'', written by [[Arthur Hailey]] who had also written ''Zero Hour!''{{'s}} script. The lifted lines included ones about an unwanted pregnancy; David Zucker said the couple "got a kick out of it".<ref name="telegraph 40th">{{cite news | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/inflatable-pilots-inappropriate-jokes-jive-talk-making-airplane/ | title = Inflatable pilots, inappropriate jokes and 'jive talk': the madcap making of Airplane! | first = Martin | last = Chilton | date = June 29, 2020 | access-date = July 2, 2020 | work = [[The Daily Telegraph]] | archive-date = July 2, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200702182240/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/inflatable-pilots-inappropriate-jokes-jive-talk-making-airplane/ | url-status = live }}</ref> The role of the Hare Krishna in the airport went to a college roommate of Hays's, newcomer [[David Leisure]], due to Leisure's willingness to shave his head for the bit part;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.avclub.com/surely-you-can-t-be-serious-an-oral-history-of-airplan-1798279218|title=Surely you can't be serious: An oral history of Airplane!|last=Harris|first=Will|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=2015-04-07|access-date=2020-02-03}}</ref> it would be several more years before Leisure landed his [[breakthrough role]] as [[Joe Isuzu]].<ref name=people>{{cite web|url=https://people.com/archive/david-leisure-a-k-a-joe-isuzu-finds-that-the-road-to-success-is-paved-with-lies-lies-lies-vol-26-no-19/|title=David Leisure—a.k.a. Joe Isuzu—Finds That the Road to Success Is Paved with Lies, Lies, Lies!|last=Wolmuth|first=Roger|work=[[People (magazine)|People]]|date=1986-11-10|accessdate=2020-02-03}}</ref> Baseball player [[Pete Rose]] was originally considered for the role of Roger Murdock.<ref name="avclub oral"/><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-07-02 |title=We Have Clearance, Clarence, to Share These Secrets About Airplane! |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/1166898/we-have-clearance-clarence-to-share-these-secrets-about-airplane |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=E! Online}}</ref>

ZAZ got businessman and Republican politician [[Howard Jarvis]] to make a [[cameo appearance]]. Jarvis, who was well known in California at the time for getting his tax policy [[1978 California Proposition 13|Proposition 13]] passed in 1978, plays the patient passenger who gets into Ted Striker's cab at the start of the film. He then spends the entire movie sitting in an empty cab with the meter running. He also has the final line, which he says after the end credits: he looks at his watch and says "Well, I'll give him another twenty minutes, but that's it!", the joke being that Jarvis was wasting money while being known for his stance on fiscal responsibility and limited spending.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fox |first1=Joel |title=The Funniest Part of California's 1978 Tax Revolt {{!}} Essay |url=https://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2015/02/24/the-funniest-part-of-californias-1978-tax-revolt/chronicles/who-we-were/ |website=Zócalo Public Square |access-date=28 January 2023 |date=24 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thatericalper.com/2015/04/14/the-joke-in-airplane-hiding-in-plain-sight-that-everybody-missed/|title=The Joke In Airplane! Hiding In Plain Sight That Everybody Missed|website=www.thatericalper.com|date= April 14, 2015}}</ref>