Officer Nordberg

Character Overview

Officer Nordberg.

Officer Nordberg is one of Frank Drebin's colleagues. He and Frank are best friends and were partners for about nine years as of the first film [although this is contradicted in Naked Gun 33 1/3 when it is implied that he, Frank and Ed go way back to the 1960s.] Nordberg is very unlucky and always gets himself in very painful situations. Despite suffering injuries that would be fatal to most people, Nordberg is apparently invincible and, despite the pain that he still feels, he always survives.  

This incarnation of Nordberg is possibly the same character as Norberg [without the 'd'] from Police Squad! however this is never alluded to in any dialogue. Norberg was played by white American actor Peter Lupus, whereas Nordberg was played by African-American actor O.J. Simpson.

Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

In Naked Gun, Nordberg is first seen preparing to bust an organised crime ring on board the Panamanian ship 'I Luv You' at Los Angeles Harbour. Under cover of darkness and appearing to be acting alone, the operation does not go smoothly and he ends up kicking a hole through the door he was meant to knock down, giving the villains-in-waiting enough time to arm themselves. Undeterred, he makes his way in and bravely faces the group and orders them to surrender their weapons. Supervillain Vincent Ludwig then emerges from the shadows and tells his men to kill Nordberg. He is shot numerous times, and in his death throes bangs his head on a pipe, burns his hand on a stove, leans on some wet paint, traps his hand under a falling window, falls head first into a wedding cake, steps into a bear trap and, finally, falls overboard. Nordberg survives the assault and is next seen in hospital being cared for by doctors, and his fretful wife Wilma. 

Frank Drebin cuts short his mission in Beirut to come and see Nordberg in the intensive care ward, and through his bumbling nature causes him further injury by sitting on the remote control for his gurney. Frank and Ed go from the hospital to the harbour [after a spot of lunch] to identify any witnesses, and Frank is told by a local informant that Nordberg was a dirty cop. Frank becomes enraged at the idea, but is reliably told that he should speak to local VIP Vincent Ludwig.

When Frank visits him, Ludwig is visibly disturbed to hear that Nordberg survived, but takes some comfort in the fact that he was mostly incoherent and hadn't given much away yet.

Nordberg is subject to an assassination attempt by one of Ludwig's remote-controlled drones whilst incapacitated. The attempt is foiled however when Frank arrives just in time.

Nordberg appears at the end of the film, looking well but in a wheelchair. Frank gives him a friendly pat on the back, but a little too hard which launches him down a flight of stairs and over some railings. 

Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult

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