Airplane! Scene 8 Summary

  • Suddenly, passengers start getting violently sick with stomach problems.
  • At the request of Captain Oveur, Elaine searches the cabin for a doctor. She finds Dr. Rumack, who was luckily easily identifiable given the stethoscope already in his ears.
  • After a few brief examinations, Dr. Rumack explains that the sick passengers must get to a hospital immediately.
  • Meanwhile, in the cockpit, Victor passes out, while Roger begins to sweat.
  • Captain Oveur and Dr. Rumack share a fabulously deadpan conversation full of literalistic wordplay. It's two dramatic actors, Peter Graves and Leslie Nielsen letting the absurdity of the dialogue shine by playing it totally straight.
  • After Roger Murdoch (or should we say Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, now wearing his basketball shorts and trademark goggles) passes out cold, Captain Oveur manages to take back the controls and save the day.
  • Dr. Rumack deduces that it was the fish for dinner that made everybody sick. As he explains the unpleasant symptoms to Elaine, Captain Oveur, who also had the fish, keels over onto the controls and sends the plane into a dive.
  • Fortunately, Elaine's able to engage the automatic pilot, Otto (get it?), which straightens out the plane.