Pat Proft
Pat Proft was born in 1947 and grew up in Minnesota. He attended Columbia Heights High School where his English teacher Stuart J. Anderson encouraged him to develop his talent. Proft performed at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre's stage even though he felt that he could not sing or dance. His early career began at Dudley Riggs' Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis during the mid-1960s. He went on to perform as a one-man comedy act in the late 1960s. In 1972, Proft moved to Hollywood to work at The Comedy Store. Jerry and David Zucker saw some of his work there and invited him to join them at Kentucky Fried Theater.
Proft received a special thanks message in the credits of the film Airplane! released in 1980. He worked with David Zucker across multiple film franchises including Police Academy and Hot Shots!. The pair collaborated on The Naked Gun series from 1988 through 1994. They also wrote Brain Donors in 1992 and Hot Shots! Part Deux in 1993. This long-standing professional partnership defined much of his writing career. Proft continued to work with David Zucker well into the 2010s. In 2017, Zucker discussed working on a script for a fourth Naked Gun film with Proft.
Wrongfully Accused was released in 1998 and marked Proft's only directorial effort. The film is a parody of the thriller genre exemplified by The Fugitive which came out in 1993. It starred Leslie Nielsen who had previously appeared in many of the Zucker films. The movie received mixed reviews upon its release. Critics noted that it tried to stretch a one-joke premise similar to how Mr. Magoo handled its source material. Despite the mixed reception, the film remains a unique entry in his filmography as the sole project he directed himself.
In 1998, Proft announced a script titled Deep Titanic: Armageddon and Titanic, Too: It Missed the Iceberg. He wanted to direct this project with actors Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, and David Hasselhoff in talks for starring roles. The original release date aimed for early 1999 but the film never happened. CNN's film analyst Martin Grove stated the project was not likely to be made after two recent parody films failed. In 2013, Proft worked on a script with David Zucker titled Counter Intelligence. This project described itself as a Naked Gun take on the Mission Impossible and Bourne film series. No project with Zucker has been made since Scary Movie V released in 2013.
The film Mr. Magoo released in 1997 received poor reviews from critics. Variety stated that both Proft and Tom Sherohman labored mightily to cobble together a plot capable of stretching to feature length the one-joke premise of the six-minute cartoons. The Scary Movie series also drew mixed responses over its run. Scary Movie 3 came out in 2003 followed by Scary Movie 4 in 2006. Scary Movie 5 arrived in 2013. These later entries showed his continued involvement in comedy writing despite varying levels of critical success. His work spanned decades from the mid-1970s through the 2010s.
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Common questions
When was Pat Proft born and where did he grow up?
Pat Proft was born in 1947 and grew up in Minnesota. He attended Columbia Heights High School where his English teacher Stuart J. Anderson encouraged him to develop his talent.
What films did Pat Proft write with David Zucker between 1980 and 1994?
Pat Proft received a special thanks message in the credits of the film Airplane! released in 1980. The pair collaborated on The Naked Gun series from 1988 through 1994 and wrote Brain Donors in 1992 and Hot Shots! Part Deux in 1993.
Which movie marked Pat Profts only directorial effort and when was it released?
Wrongfully Accused was released in 1998 and marked Profts only directorial effort. The film is a parody of the thriller genre exemplified by The Fugitive which came out in 1993 and starred Leslie Nielsen who had previously appeared in many of the Zucker films.
Why did the Deep Titanic project fail to be made after 1998?
The original release date aimed for early 1999 but the film never happened because CNNs film analyst Martin Grove stated the project was not likely to be made after two recent parody films failed.
When were Scary Movie 3, Scary Movie 4, and Scary Movie 5 released?
Scary Movie 3 came out in 2003 followed by Scary Movie 4 in 2006. Scary Movie 5 arrived in 2013 and these later entries showed his continued involvement in comedy writing despite varying levels of critical success.