Police Academy (1984-1994)

Our entries:

Police Academy (1984)
Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985)
Police Academy 3: Back in Training (1986)
Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987)
Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach (1988)
Police Academy 6: City Under Siege (1989)
Police Academy 7: Mission to Moscow (1994)

plus two tv series in 1988 and 1997

Why not? It's here if anyone fancies it. Some say the American equivalent of the Carry On's -same ensemble, similar style of humour but it's undeniably different in spite of these comments. This being said, the seventh, well...you can mention it but let's avoid it.

Apparently, an eighth new film is still talked about but you suspect even if say Guttenberg, Easterbrook, Winslow and Bailey returned (I can't imagine Goldthwaite would want to) it wouldn't be the same.

Anyway, as you were.

Saw the first 3, but none of the rest. Seem to remember the first 2 had nudity and swearing, but 3 onwards 'went PG'.

They did tone down a little though I think 7 edged towards it from what I remembered.

It's still odd to think that Sharon Stone appeared in one.

I see it was the fourth, which was written by Gene Quintano who had previously written the 2 Chamberlain Allan Quatermains which of course co-starred Stone. Wonder if he had anything to do with her Police Academy casting?

Might well have been the case. I forget much of that film nowadays, I get her muddled with the blonde that was in the third. It seemed for Guttenberg to get away from the series he quite literally had to fly off.

Have been curious enough to go and look at Guttenberg's Wiki page, seems he confirmed last year that an eighth has begun filming and he's in it as the now wheelchair-bound Mahoney.

I'd imagine he's glad of it given that his more recent work includes the likes of, erm, SyFy's 'Lavalantula'.

He'd be a fool not to be glad. Seems the career dipped after the 80s. All those idiot TV movies and straight to DVD stuff (though one of them he got a couple of PA alumni in it). Hard to imagine he started off with the likes of Diner and Boys from Brazil.

He seems happy enough. I heard him on BBC radio years ago when he came over for panto I think and all these messages sent in about PA, Three Men and a Baby (another one he said a sequel was being made), Cocoon and Short Circuit and seemed a proper gent throughout.

PA is nothing without the gloriously smutty 80's humour. For PA8 to be half-funny it'd need to fly in the face of woke puritanism and, frankly, I don't see too many examples of that happening.

Despite the slapstick satire aspect, I always felt the series was pro-police in its own funny way. All you'd need is one purple-haired, fake-spectacled bitch on Twatter to comment "Like this shit is problematic AF #ACAB" and the studio suits will soil themselves and grovel.

We'll wait and see if it ever gets off the ground.

Indeed, CJB ... must say, Mahoney now being in a wheelchair (line-of-duty injury, apparently) did make me think that PA8 may be striving for woke 'inclusivity' or whatever.

On that theme, apparently the writers of US cop sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine scrapped their scripts for the first 4 eps of the next season in the wake of George Floyd's death because of the 'difficulties' the circumstances of same now present in portraying US law enforcement in a jovially positive way or whatever.

Personally, I'd leave it to the many cop dramas to tackle same if they see fit and leave the comedy as an escapist watch.

Makes me think of Vicar of Dibley taking the knee/BLM at Christmas. My family were talking about the reaction to it and I said, you watch a comedy to get away from the world not to be reminded of it. 1001 programmes that can focus on BLM, be woke, cancel or whatever.

I sadly can't see a new Police Academy film going against the trend. Not unless it approaches it in a Carry On type way of making fun of it. I suppose it might give David Spade something to do and bring it full circle for his career.

Finally got round to watching PA again after what must be 10-15+ years. I can still just about quote every line.

Still terrific, to say the least. The Blue Oyster bar scenes remain hysterical... as a time capsule, of course. Who wears leather these days?

Serious question: when was the last funny movie made? No, seriously. I mean comedy existed as a cinematic genre from from Charlie Chaplin until the 2000's and then it just disappeared. Last comedy I remember being released was that poorly-received sequel with the blue-blood Englishman impersonating a poor Central Asian mocking working class Americans but, otherwise, doesn't seem like that genre has much of a presence anymore.

Couldn't imagine the Blue Oyster gag going down well nowadays.

Got to be the 90s that the last proper comedy movie was made. Or the late 80s when Tom Hanks was still doing them.

It is pretty amazing how the genre has died. I mean even in the 2000s you'd have Wil Ferrel or Adam Sandler releasing something goofy every five minutes (with mixed results). Still, at least it was something.

Guess this is what happens when a generation of humourless automatons can't digest anything funny unless it's in meme form.

Sad indictment indeed. In the days of 'woke' and 'cancel culture', comedy is either dead or in a niche.

Is Sandler still working his way through that Netflix deal?

Wouldn't bet against it. Man's got to eat.

He might end up down to his last $100 million, God forbid.

Funny thing is Police Academy 4 was David Spade's debut film, Sandler's regular cohort. Still, I wish we had seen more of Shawn Weatherley (from PA3) in things. I get her muddled with Sharon Stone (PA4) as they both have that big blonde hair thing going on.

Thinking that for a PA8 to work it needs as close to similar crew behind the camera from the first couple as possible. I just find the absence of Tack, Hightower and Hooks too great. Like a Galaxy Quest 2 without Rickman. GQ2 was in the works when he passed and they scrubbed it for obvious reasons.

Contemporary events provide a great set-up plot-wise.

A butch mayor has defunded the police, leading to a massive spike in crime, fruitcakes setting up an autonomous zone etc. The only people who can save the day are a retired/retrenched Mahoney & friends.

This shit writes itself, they just need to find some writers with balls.

Love that idea. Mahoney and co coming to the rescue in a scene reminiscent of the riot gear scene.

Part of me wonders about finding Guttenberg's contact details.

Radio announces a riot in the gender studies majors' commune. "All units respond."

Followed by...

Would you believe that's an upload I did ages ago? Wish now I had done the thumbnail/title image like I did latter uploads.

I put one up of the scene with the score in isolation. Prompted a few people bitching that they couldn't hear the dialogue.

Small world!

One of my favourite bits, for whatever reason, has always been the shot of the buses racing down the highway towards the riot on what looked like a hot and cloudless afternoon, with said piece blaring.

It is a great shot, the music ties it together well. A favourite for me is Mahoney sat on that bed looking morose and not only Tack's "it's time this cop met the public" line but the moment after as Mahoney looks to the window and the music sort of kicks up a gear ("You can be a hero too!").

"Riot Starts" is a good track if short. Though I can never hear it without the guy yelling: "Hey, free TV!"



I spent almost two hours on this scarily. Just wanted to show off the track as 'shown' against the film. As I had no programs editing wise had to download a demo but the idea was to show off the track and in action at that. Furthermore, what made the editing take forever was trying to sync it to the film (the film clip is muted so that the OST benefits of course) and despite constant to'ing and fro'ing on my DVD to this, it is a good two seconds out which matters for the Tack line for when the music kicks up.

Could be that in the film the track of course was held up a moment or two or whatever.

Nice work.

And "Free TV!" guy is a classic. Hope they can get him for PA8. Free, err, iPad maybe?