Before his untimely death in 1982, John Belushi was set to appear on the hilarious Leslie Nielsen TV series that spawned the Naked Gun movies. A comedy icon, Belushi made his name on the late-night show "Saturday Night Live," which marked his first televised appearance with comedy partner Dan Aykroyd. Out of their time together on "SNL," the two developed the Blues Brothers characters, as whom they released a chart-topping platinum album and the comedy movie, "The Blues Brothers." Belushi was also
known for his roles in movies such as "Animal House," Amblin Entertainment's debut feature "Continental Divide," and "Neighbors."
A credit Belushi never ultimately received was for an appearance on "Police Squad!" This cult classic comedy series, created by the legendary trio of Jim Abrahams and brothers David and Jerry Zucker, only ran for six episodes before it was canceled by ABC. While network executives apparently didn't appreciate the series' non-stop quickfire humor, critics and viewers took to "Police Squad!" and years later it was turned into the hit comedy movie, "The Naked Gun." The movie received two direct sequels, and the franchise was revived again this year in a legacy sequel starring Liam Neeson.
Belushi's role on "Police Squad!" followed the same format as the series' other guest stars. Each episode announced a celebrity guest star in the opening credits, as the guest was then shown being immediately killed off, never to appear in the actual episode. Belushi's cameo was cut following the actor's actual death.
Read more: The 10 Best Saturday Night Live Guest Hosts Ever, Ranked
John Belushi's Lost Police Squad! Cameo
Guest stars to appear, albeit briefly, on "Police Squad!" included William Shatner, Lorne Greene, and Robert Goulet. Goulet would go on to return to the franchise as Quentin Hapsburg, the villain of the second Naked Gun movie, "The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear."
According to Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker in the DVD commentary for the series' fifth episode (the third to be broadcast), "The Butler Did It (A Bird in the Hand)," Belushi had a prescient idea for his opening credits death. The actor had suggested he appear laid out with a needle in his arm, dead from a drug overdose. Shortly before the episode was due to air, Belushi passed away following a real-life overdose.
The scene that was actually shot for "Police Squad!" didn't use Belushi's idea. Instead, Belushi was shown chained to a cinder block underwater. The actor almost choked while filming the scene, and he and the showrunners jokingly imagined his obituary — an obituary the producers found themselves reading a few months later.
Belushi's "Police Squad!" cameo was dropped following his death. Given that the guest stars' fleeting cameos were entirely confined to the show's opening credits, there was little to tie any particular cameo to any particular episode. It is consequently unclear which guest star replaced Belushi. Conflicting reports suggest it was either Florence Henderson or William Conrad, though Belushi's cameo seemed to be slated for episode 5 (third in the broadcast order), which featured Goulet.
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