DAVID ZUCKER, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker, the trio that co-wrote and directed the 1980 comedy hit film Airplane!, knew one another growing up in Shorewood, Wisconsin. While attending the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the trio founded a small acting company known as The Kentucky Fried Theater in 1971. They moved to Los Angeles in 1972, which led to their first film, The Kentucky Fried Movie, in 1977. Their next film was the 1980 breakout hit Airplane!, which today stands among the most iconic comedic films ever produced.