A drug courier is found dead after a car accident. Frank Drebin (a marvelously deadpan Leslie Nielsen) and the Police Squad trace his work to the nightclub Mr. V's. Drebin goes undercover as a terrible comic at said club. Director Joe Dante, working from a witty script by Tino Insana and Robert Wuhl, relates the entertaining story at a zippy pace, maintains an engaging tongue-in-cheek tone throughout, and pokes broadly affectionate fun at classic crime pictures (the send-up of the drug search set piece in "The French Connection" is especially hilarious). The cast have an absolute ball with the screwball material: Claudette Nevins makes for a fine femme fatale as sultry nightclub owner Veronica, William Conrad deliciously hams up his death scene as a stabbed man in the opening credits, Peter Lupus does well as the bumbling Norberg, and Dante regular Dick Miller has a neat supporting part as nightclub manager Vic. William Duell likewise excels in his obligatory single scene as the ridiculously all-knowing shoeshine guy informant Johnny; this time Dick Clark pays Johnny a visit to ask him about ska music. Moreover, it's a gut-busting riot to see Drebin tell extremely bad jokes and belt out a few songs with a certain endearingly awful aplomb. Cool running gag: A bunch of hands pop up out of nowhere whenever Veronica needs to light a cigarette. Ira Newborn's jazzy bebop score hits the swinging spot. A worthy closer to this enjoyable series.
Police Squad! (TV Series)
Testimony of Evil (Dead Men Don't Laugh) (1982)
User Reviews
Review this title3 Reviews
A trip to the morgue will have you laughing like a little piggie.
mark.waltz18 September 2020
Warning: Spoilers
An autopsy technician doing double duty as a disc jockey, an elevator that opens in the old west, a gangster that thinks he's in a Three Stooges film before flying over an embankment, and a joke telling Frank Drebbin. It's the end of the line for at least six years for this character, cancel after only six short episodes, even with critical acclaim. The series getting multiple Emmy nominations shows historically the bad decision of the network to get rid of it so quickly.
The talented Claudette Nevins plays a female mobster who has no qualms in poisoning her enemies, and is unintriguing villainous from the get-go. One of the funniest moments ( and certainly his series highlight) has police lab technician Al Williams showing a little girl what happens when he puts her doll in the trash compactor. In the continuing gag of famous people playing themselves seeing William Duell, city shoe shine boy and police informant, Dick Clark reveals to the world his anti-aging secrets, one of the best moments in the series. The stage is set for the biggest laugh when Nielsen breaks into "A Lot of Livin to Do" from "Bye Bye Birdie", a metaphor for saying au weidesein to the series.
The talented Claudette Nevins plays a female mobster who has no qualms in poisoning her enemies, and is unintriguing villainous from the get-go. One of the funniest moments ( and certainly his series highlight) has police lab technician Al Williams showing a little girl what happens when he puts her doll in the trash compactor. In the continuing gag of famous people playing themselves seeing William Duell, city shoe shine boy and police informant, Dick Clark reveals to the world his anti-aging secrets, one of the best moments in the series. The stage is set for the biggest laugh when Nielsen breaks into "A Lot of Livin to Do" from "Bye Bye Birdie", a metaphor for saying au weidesein to the series.
"Now let's see what happens when I put Crying Judy in the trash compactor."
Hey_Sweden11 November 2012
While not the most uproarious episode of the sadly short lived 'Police Squad' series, it still delivers a commendably high amount of successful verbal and visual gags.
Lt. Frank Drebin hears of a drug courier named Joey (Danny Dayton) coming to a bad end. Joey had also worked as an entertainer at a club, so Drebin applies for his job and gets it, enjoying his new stint as comedian / crooner while working to bust crime boss Veronica (Claudette Nevins) and determining the identity of "The Frenchman" who will figure in a big dope deal.
It's too bad to note that this was the final filmed episode of the series, even more so that it never even made it to air. With a script by comics Tino Insana and Robert Wuhl, and capable direction by Joe Dante, 'Testimony of Evil (Dead Men Don't Laugh)' sizes up as solid entertainment. There are jokes both big and small, of course. Wise shoe shine man Johnny (William Duell) educates Dick Clark (playing himself) on the genre of music known as ska and then giving him a jar of "youth cream" which Dick then proceeds to smear on his face. Drebin and the force go way overboard in taking a car apart, trying to find the drugs they think are hidden inside, when it turns out they were in the glove compartment the whole time. When Veronica sticks a cigarette in her mouth, many hands appear out of nowhere to jam lighters in her face.
There's a real delight in seeing Dantes' good luck charm Dick Miller play the role of Veronicas' flunky Vic, and in the way that star Leslie Nielsen has a high old time telling cruddy jokes and doing some endearingly bad singing. William Conrad fulfils the "guest star / murder victim" requirement while Peter Lupus is absolutely hilarious as Norberg and Ed Williams as Mr. Olson does some of his usual teaching. This all leads to an amazing final freeze frame gag that truly brings the house down.
A fine way to close out the series.
Seven out of 10.
Lt. Frank Drebin hears of a drug courier named Joey (Danny Dayton) coming to a bad end. Joey had also worked as an entertainer at a club, so Drebin applies for his job and gets it, enjoying his new stint as comedian / crooner while working to bust crime boss Veronica (Claudette Nevins) and determining the identity of "The Frenchman" who will figure in a big dope deal.
It's too bad to note that this was the final filmed episode of the series, even more so that it never even made it to air. With a script by comics Tino Insana and Robert Wuhl, and capable direction by Joe Dante, 'Testimony of Evil (Dead Men Don't Laugh)' sizes up as solid entertainment. There are jokes both big and small, of course. Wise shoe shine man Johnny (William Duell) educates Dick Clark (playing himself) on the genre of music known as ska and then giving him a jar of "youth cream" which Dick then proceeds to smear on his face. Drebin and the force go way overboard in taking a car apart, trying to find the drugs they think are hidden inside, when it turns out they were in the glove compartment the whole time. When Veronica sticks a cigarette in her mouth, many hands appear out of nowhere to jam lighters in her face.
There's a real delight in seeing Dantes' good luck charm Dick Miller play the role of Veronicas' flunky Vic, and in the way that star Leslie Nielsen has a high old time telling cruddy jokes and doing some endearingly bad singing. William Conrad fulfils the "guest star / murder victim" requirement while Peter Lupus is absolutely hilarious as Norberg and Ed Williams as Mr. Olson does some of his usual teaching. This all leads to an amazing final freeze frame gag that truly brings the house down.
A fine way to close out the series.
Seven out of 10.
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