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Credit to them, The Naked Gun series never tried to be gracious with their humor. Between its slapstick, sight gags, play on words, and juvenile humor, writer-directors Jerry Zucker, David Zucker, and the late Jim Abrahams threw every kind of joke at you throughout the parody trilogy starring Leslie Nielsen as bumbling police detective Frank Drebin. Regardless of how unsubtle they are in their execution, The Naked Gun films, even its inferior sequels, are purely delightful, and you can find a new gag or punchline upon every re-watch. In certain cases, the Zuckers and Abrahams' humor can touch the third rail, not so much from a socially insensitive lens, but by landing in hot water in court. Promotional material for the final film in the trilogy, The Naked Gun: 33 1/3: The Final Insult, spoofed Demi Moore's famous Vanity Fair cover photo, something its photographer, Annie Leibovitz, was not amused by.
Demi Moore's 'Vanity Fair' Cover Was a Groundbreaking Photograph
Image via Mubi
A year ago, Demi Moore looked to be a relic of the '80s and '90s, another shameful instance of a female star being disregarded by the industry upon entering middle age. Luckily, director Coralie Fargeat created the ideal role for Moore, who recently won a Golden Globe for her performance in the gonzo body horror/black comedy, The Substance, and is currently trending toward a possible Academy Award. The role of Elisabeth Sparkle, an aging celebrity icon passed over for a younger, "sexier" version of herself, resembles Moore's trajectory in the '90s as a major movie star who faced public ridicule for her overexposure in the media and bold feminist stances. Worst of all, actresses who emerge as sex symbols experience the harshest vitriol, which clouded over the release of her critical fiasco, Striptease.
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In 1991, Moore was the subject of a feature story by Vanity Fair, featuring a notorious cover photo of the Ghost star posing handbra nude while pregnant. Written by Nancy Collins and photographed by Annie Leibovitz, famous for her intimate portraits of celebrities, the story, "More Demi Moore," became a hot-buttoned issue for its deemed lewdness. In the end, the controversy took a back seat to the positive impact Moore's cover photo had on female celebrities' representation in the media. In the years following, women became empowered to pose pregnant for magazine covers. Moore, who advocated for equal pay for women during the run-up to Striptease, is a captivating screen presence and a worthwhile actor, but most importantly, a social trailblazer, above all else.
In the spirit of the Zuckers and Abrahams spoof formula, The Naked Gun primarily riffs on police procedurals and thrillers. As with any parody movie, anything in the zeitgeist is fair game as well. Released in 1994, The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, directed by Peter Segal and co-written by David Zucker, was the last in the series, and although a solid comedy on its own, the film's lack of contributions from Jerry Zucker and Abrahams is certainly noticeable. The third installment signaled an end to a halcyon era of spoof movies, as Mel Brooks' last film, Dracula: Dead and Loving It, would be released a year later.
The Naked Gun 33 1/3's most memorable joke occurred off-screen and eventually before a judge in district court. A promotional poster for the film featured a satirical recreation of Demi Moore's Vanity Fair cover, with Leslie Nielsen's face superimposed over a pregnant woman's body, closely resembling Annie Leibovitz's photograph. The studio, Paramount Pictures, published this farcical advertisement nationally, and Leibovitz sued them for copyright infringement. The case, Leibovitz v. Paramount Pictures Corp., was heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 1998, which agreed with the prior district court's ruling that Paramount's advertisement upheld fair use laws. "The court found that the parodic nature of the advertisement weighed in favor of a finding of fair use," the case summary wrote, adding that the promotional material was clearly intended to evoke Leibovitz's original work. In fact, in court, she conceded that "the use did not interfere with any potential market for the original or derivative works."
The concept of a dignified, respectable institution like the U.S. court system hearing a case pertaining to something as low-brow and silly as The Naked Gun represents the kind of humor the Zucker brothers and Jim Abrahams dined out on. Despite its seemingly trivial nature, Leibovitz v. Paramount highlights the difficulty for a plaintiff to win a copyright suit, as the burden of proof is extremely high. As for the satirical promo for The Naked Gun's final installment, it symbolized a poisonous era of celebrity culture where empowered women faced unwarranted levels of scrutiny and ridicule.
The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult is available to stream on Paramount Plus in the U.S.
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult
Release Date March 18, 1994
Director Peter Segal
Cast Leslie Nielsen , Priscilla Presley , George Kennedy , O.J. Simpson , Fred Ward , Kathleen Freeman , Anna Nicole Smith , Ellen Greene , Ed Williams , Raye Birk , Matt Roe , Wylie Small , Earl Boen , Jeff Wright , Lorali Hart , Mallory Sandler , Brad Lockerman , Rosalind Allen , Charlotte Zucker , Lois de Banzie , Doris Belack , Nigel Gibbs , Andre Rosey Brown , Randall "Tex" Cobb , Ann B. Davis
Runtime 83 minutes
English (US) ·