“Hey! It’s Enrico Pallazzo!”
Four words. Three seconds. Too many laughs to count.
That’s the line from “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!” uttered toward the end of the classic 1988 movie, after Leslie Nielsen’s bumbling Lt. Frank Drebin thwarted an assassination attempt on Queen Elizabeth II at a California Angels baseball game.
The line is said by a fan in the stands who recognizes Drebin as the man who had sung the national anthem after Drebin knocked out the fictional international opera singer Pallazzo and proceeded to butcher the song while pretending to be him.
The man who said, “Hey! It’s Enrico Pallazzo!” was played by Mark Holton, who remains amazed at the love the film’s fans have for the remark.
“There’ve been articles written on that line and what it meant to the movie, and it’s just insane, because it’s one line,” he tells TODAY.com in a phone interview.
“I mean, I was in there half a day — a half a day. I said my one line. ‘OK, I got my day rate. I’m going to eat dinner tomorrow.’ And that was it. And the next thing I know, it’s still living.”
It’s an absurd moment in a farcical film filled with absurd moments, which is fitting since it was written by David Zucker, his brother Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams, a trio known as ZAZ who had previously hit pay dirt with the comedy classic “Airplane!”
To someone who may not be familiar with the movie, the description of the Enrico Pallazzo line sounds ludicrous, but that quote has left quite an impression on moviegoers. It’s hilarious, memorable and endlessly satisfying to say.
Holton was thrilled to get the opportunity to work with ZAZ, whom he had admired for their work on “Police Squad!,” the short-lived TV series that inspired the “Naked Gun” movie. He says his line dovetailed perfectly into the rest of the film.
“When I actually saw the scene and everything that was going on in the scene and how that fit into it, I went, ‘OK, now I get it,’” he says.
The scene helped cement Holton’s status as a 1980s film icon after he scored parts as Francis in “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and Chubby in “Teen Wolf.” He says he didn’t work with any of the movie’s stars during his scene in “The Naked Gun,” but got to meet Priscilla Presley at a convention about a year ago.
“I don’t know if she remembered me from the film or whatever, but we had a little talk and I got a pic with her,” he says.
Holton says he also met Nielsen before his death, calling him “one of those guys I would love to have as a neighbor.”
Nielsen played Drebin in three “Naked Gun” movies, and now Liam Neeson steps in as the lead character in the upcoming “Naked Gun” reboot, opening Aug. 1. Holton hopes for the best for everyone affiliated with it, but doesn’t intend to see it.
“I might watch part of it, but I don’t have a burning desire to see what they’ve done with it,” he says. “There’s too much of that in Hollywood, as far as I’m concerned. I wish them the best of luck.”
There are parallels between Nielsen — who was in “Airplane!” — and Neeson, with both of them enjoying long careers as dramatic actors before turning to comedy. Holton points to Neeson’s previous body of work in films like “Excalibur” and “Taken,” noting that he’s “a good actor,” which should serve him well as he takes the reins of a revived beloved franchise.
“If he executes the role properly, he’ll do well,” he says.
“I’m certainly rooting for him,” he adds.
