Leslie Nielsen: The Mother Of Re-Invention

    Everybody in the world reveres an inventor.  We are in awe of these men and women who create what simply did not exist before.  But, having said that, we reserve an equally important place in our hearts for Re-Inventors.  We just lost a man who is likely the greatest Re-Inventor of all time.  
    Leslie Nielsen.  
    Here was a man who carved out a solid acting career playing rocket ship commanders and television good guys in the 1950's-1980's. Nielsen had a screen presence which was always calm and reassuring; the woman he chose would no doubt be protected and loved - and the bad guys he went after would always be caught and punished.
    Leslie Nielsen did it all effortlessly and never paused to crack a smile.  He took his acting seriously and he lent an air of importance to even the most misconceived television fare.  He was the dependable actor who looked right and strong; imbuing his lines with depth, even when they did not exactly deserve it.
    Producers and Directors loved Nielsen.  He didn't take himself too seriously, but he took every part he was handed very seriously; a key attribute when shooting an hour long television show in six or seven days.  
    All of which is why Leslie Nielsen kept working, in films and television shows.  It's also why The Re-Invention Of Leslie Nielsen is all the more amazing.  Leslie Nielsen is one of the few actors ever who didn't need to re-invent himself.  His phone hadn't stopped ringing.  He was doing just fine when a different kind of part was offered - that of Dr. Rumack in the movie "Airplane".
    In a long history of brilliant casting choices, nobody's come close to Jim Abrahams and The Zucker Brothers choosing Leslie Nielsen.  As if by magic, audiences began laughing as soon as he appeared on screen.  The kicker:  Leslie Nielsen never stopped playing Leslie Nielsen.  He was as serious and authoritative as Dr. Rumack as he had been as Commander J.J. Adams in "Forbidden Planet".  The only difference was the setting and the absurd things the other actors said before it was his turn.  As he always had in each movie and television show he appeared in before, Nielsen would serve it up straight and to the point.  the only difference here was that audiences would convulse with laughter - no matter what Leslie Nielsen said. 
    The great Norman Cousins once told us how humor was so important as a healing tool.  No matter what the catastrophe, humans have a biological need to keep laughter in their lives.  Leslie Nielsen didn't start out as a contributor to cinematic humor, but he easily became one of its giants and we are all the richer for that.  
    191Movies salutes Leslie Nielsen, the Mother Of Re-Invention and we thank him for being a great actor, great comedic actor who has created a great body of work we will love returning to, year after year.