How Humor Works in ‘Airplane!’
Applying the Harmless Delusion Theory of Humor
In my first article, How Humor Works, I introduced my new and unique humor theory, the Harmless Delusion Theory. Using examples from many forms of humor, I explained why I contend that my theory accurately and meaningfully identifies what causes us to find things funny. I also discussed its strengths in comparison to popular ideas like surprise, incongruity, truth, and superiority. In this article, I take a deep dive into a single well-known humorous work, the movie Airplane!, to further illustrate the effectiveness of my theory.
First, a quick recap of the theory:
I propose that the essence of humor is harmless delusion. To find something funny, we must perceive that a person has a delusional belief. This means we must perceive 1) that a person believes something is correct or true and 2) that it should be clear to this person that it’s incorrect or untrue. We must simultaneously perceive that the stimulus is harmless, meaning that it feels to at least some degree okay, acceptable, inoffensive, or safe to us personally. If either of these conditions is absent, we do not experience humor. The delusion we find funny can be any belief held despite clear conflicting evidence, even one very minor or mild. It can be someone else’s delusion or our own. It can be a delusion that we perceive a person actually has, one that we perceive a person pretends to have, or one that we perceive in our imagination that a person has. The person can be an animal or thing that we imagine is a person.
I suggest that there are ten distinct ways this delusion occurs. We experience something as funny only when we perceive that a person holds one or more of these beliefs and that it feels harmless to us:
- Delusional Underreaction, Understatement, or Similar: A belief that something is a small amount, degree, extent, etc., even though it’s clearly much larger.
- Delusional Overreaction, Overstatement, or Similar: A belief that something is a large amount, degree, extent, etc., even though it’s clearly much smaller.
- Delusional Lack of Knowledge or Judgment: A belief that one’s knowledge or judgment is correct, even though it’s clearly incorrect.
- Delusional Lack of Awareness: A belief that one’s awareness of what is present or happening is correct, even though it’s clearly incorrect.
- Delusional Misunderstanding: A belief that something has a particular meaning, even though it clearly means something else.
- Delusional Norm Violation: A belief that a behavior is appropriate or acceptable, even though it clearly isn’t.
- Delusional Contradiction: 1) A belief that something both is the case and isn’t the case at the same time. 2) A belief that two things are compatible, even though they clearly aren’t.
- Delusional Nonsense: A belief that something has meaning, even though it clearly doesn’t.
- Delusional Impossibility or Improbability: A belief that something can be done or happen, even though it clearly can’t or very likely can’t.
- Delusional Absurdity: Extreme cases of categories 1 to 7, and equivalent to categories 8 and 9.
Now on to the humor in Airplane!. Because the movie is fictional, the potential for the jokes to feel harmless to us is readily apparent. So, I will focus on pointing out the delusional beliefs that are the root cause of the humor. I’ve picked a number of representative examples from the movie and grouped them by the types of delusion they exhibit.
Delusional Underreaction, Understatement, or Similar
A belief that something is a small amount, degree, extent, etc., even though it’s clearly much larger.
[Reading newspaper headlines] Kramer: “Passengers certain to die!” McCroskey: “Airline negligent!” Johnny: “There’s a sale at Penney’s!” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: Johnny’s belief the seriousness or danger of the situation with the plane is small, even though it’s clearly much larger. He maintains this belief throughout the movie.
Delusional Overreaction, Overstatement, or Similar
A belief that something is a large amount, degree, extent, etc., even though it’s clearly much smaller.
McCroskey wrongly thinks the plane is heading for the tower he’s in (“It’s coming right at us!”) and jumps out the window. DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: McCroskey’s belief the danger to him is large, even though it’s clearly much smaller.
In a gag repeated throughout the film, Ted tells stories of his life to fellow passengers. As he finishes, each fellow passenger kills (or has killed) themselves. DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: The fellow passengers’ belief that the pain of listening to the story is large, even though it’s clearly much smaller.
Delusional Lack of Knowledge or Judgment
A belief that one’s knowledge or judgment is correct, even though it’s clearly incorrect.
A sign in the plane reads, “NO SMOKING. EL NO A YOU SMOKO. FASTEN SEATBELTS. PUTANA DA SEATBELTZ.” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: The airline’s belief that their knowledge about the translation is correct, even though it’s clearly incorrect.
Rumack: “What was it we had for dinner tonight?” Elaine: “Well, we had a choice of steak or fish.” Rumack: “Yes, yes, I remember, I had lasagna.” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: Rumack’s belief that his knowledge about what he ate is correct, even though it’s clearly incorrect.
Controller: “Maybe we oughta turn on the searchlights now.” Kramer (who is helping them guide the plane): “No. That’s just what they’ll be expecting us to do.” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: Kramer’s belief that his knowledge is correct that the plane is suddenly the enemy, even though it’s clearly incorrect.
Elaine makes an announcement: “Ladies and gentleman, this is your stewardess speaking. We regret any inconvenience the sudden cabin movement might have caused. This is due to periodic air pockets we encountered. There’s no reason to be alarmed and we hope you enjoy the rest of your flight. By the way, is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?” [Passengers erupt in panic] DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: Elaine’s belief that her judgment about making such an announcement is correct, even though it’s clearly incorrect.
Delusional Lack of Awareness
A belief that one’s awareness of what is present or happening is correct, even though it’s clearly incorrect.
Randy, the flight attendant, borrows a guitar from a passenger to play a song to a sick passenger. On the way down the aisle she bangs passengers on the head with the guitar yet keeps walking. While playing, she knocks the sick girl’s IV tube out with the guitar yet keeps going. DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: Randy’s belief her awareness of what’s happening with the guitar is correct, even though it’s clearly incorrect.
The flight attendants conspicuously drag the plane’s unconscious pilot and copilot down the aisle without the passengers noticing. DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: The passengers’ belief their awareness of what’s happening on the plane is correct, even though it’s clearly incorrect. Also, the flight attendants’ lack of judgment.
Rumack enters the cockpit to say, “I just want to tell you both good luck. We’re all counting on you.” He does this before, during, and after the emergency landing. DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: Rumack’s belief his awareness of what’s happening and what he’s doing is correct, even though it’s clearly incorrect.
Delusional Misunderstanding
A belief that something has a particular meaning, even though it clearly means something else.
Rumack: “Can you fly this plane and land it?” Striker: “Surely you can’t be serious.” Rumack: “I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley.”
Rumack: “Captain, how soon can you land?” Oveur: “I can’t tell.” Rumack: “You can tell me, I’m a doctor.” Oveur: “No, I mean I’m just not sure.” Rumack: “Well, can’t you take a guess?” Oveur: “Well, not for another two hours.” Rumack: “You can’t take a guess for another two hours?”
Rumack: “You’d better tell the Captain we’ve got to land as soon as we can. This woman has to be gotten to a hospital.” Elaine: “A hospital? What is it?” Rumack: “It’s a big building with patients, but that’s not important right now.”
DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: In all three exchanges, Rumack’s belief the other person’s words have a particular meaning, even though they clearly mean something else.
McCroskey: “Johnny, what can you make out of this? [Hands him the weather briefing] Johnny: “This? Why, I can make a hat or a brooch or a pterodactyl…” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: Johnny’s belief McCroskey is asking what he can turn the piece of paper into, even though he’s clearly asking what Johnny thinks about it.
Captain Oveur and Roger Murdock both mistake the radio messages “Over” and “Roger” as someone calling their names. DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: Their belief the words mean their names, even though they clearly mean the radio message terms.
In a flashback, a man Elaine is dancing with gets stabbed in the back and begins motioning to his back. Elaine thinks he’s still dancing and mimics his moves. DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: Elaine’s belief the man’s movements mean he’s dancing, even though they clearly mean he needs help.
When a flight attendant tells the passenger’s to get into crash positions, the passengers get into positions that look like it is after they crashed. DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: The passengers’ belief the words mean one thing, even though they clearly mean something else.
Delusional Norm Violation
A belief that a behavior is appropriate or acceptable, even though it clearly isn’t.
Captain Oveur asks a little boy visiting the cockpit questions such as, “Ever seen a grown man naked?” and “Have you ever been in a Turkish prison?” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: Oveur’s belief that his questions are appropriate, even though they clearly aren’t.
After a passenger starts panicking and is slapped by several people to try to calm her down, other passengers line up with boxing gloves, a wrench, a gun, etc. DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: The passengers’ belief that their behavior is appropriate, even though it clearly isn’t.
Delusional Contradiction
A belief that something both is the case and isn’t the case at the same time.
Ted: “My orders came through. My squadron ships out tomorrow, we’re bombing the storage depots at Daiquiri at 18:00 hours. We’re coming in from the North, below their radar.” Elaine: “When will you be back?” Ted: “I can’t tell you that. It’s classified.” DELUSION WE FIND FUNNY: Ted’s belief he both can and can’t reveal details about the mission.
Delusional Absurdity
This category includes extreme cases of the categories above. Much of the humor in Airplane! could likely be classified here as well.
Contact Gary at howhumorworks@gmail.com
The “How Humor Works” series presenting the Harmless Delusion Theory
- Part 1: How Humor Works (foundational article)
- Part 2: How Jerry Seinfeld’s Humor Works
- Part 3: This article
- Part 4: How Humor Works in ‘Annie Hall’
- Part 5: Responding to Questions and Objections
