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Police Academy was a series of comedy films made in the 1980s.

The series opened with Police Academy (1984) which started with the premise that a new mayor had announced a policy requiring the police department to accept all willing recruits. The movie followed a group of misfit recruits in their attempts to prove themselves capable of being police officers. The main character, Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg), was a repeat offender who was forced to join the police academy as punishment.

In general, all of the movies and television shows depended on low-brow humor, usually based on simple characterizations and physical comedy. As with many similar movies, the theme was a group of underdogs struggling to prove themselves while various stereotyped authority figures tried to suppress them. The films have not been well received by critics over the years; indeed, in 2004, the magazine Total Film said that making more than one Police Academy was the eighth "dumbest decision in movie history".

The first film grossed $81.2 million in North America, with the following films earning $150 million in total. It spawned five sequels, released in consecutive years, and a sixth sequel, Police Academy 7: Mission to Moscow, was a straight-to-video release in the US, but had a cinema release in the UK in 1994.

An eighth installment is reportedly being filmed in 2006, that will feature most of the regular cast except for David Graf, who died in 2001. Surprisingly, the film marks the return of Steve Guttenberg as Carey Mahoney, the main character in the first film, who dropped out of the series after four installments.

Main characters

Carey Mahoney

Played by: Steve Guttenberg

Mahoney is the lead character of the first four movies of the series. A troublemaking, womanizing cad with a heart of gold, whose worst habit is retaliating against insults in bizarrely effective ways. For instance, the last straw before his police career was when he was a parking lot attendant when he was forced to park a car of an abusive driver in a full parking lot; he put the car into a side-wheelie and crashed it between two cars and proudly proclaims, "It fits!". Mahoney was forced to join the police academy as an alternative to jailtime after several minor run-ins with the law. He is best known for protecting Cmndt. Lassard and playing practical jokes on Harris, Mauser and Proctor as the three view Mahoney to be unworthy of being a police officer due to his carefree attitude about life. Despite his womanizing and his habit of breaking the rules, Mahoney is portrayed as being a good person willing to help those in need, regardless of the consequences.

Moses Hightower

Played by: Bubba Smith

Featured in six of the seven films, Hightower was a florist before joining the academy. He is best known for his immense stature and inhuman strength. (Hightower practices for his driving test by ripping the front seat out of a compact car (an Acadian owned by Copeland), and steering comfortably from the back.) His character often breaks things or uses force to threaten the bad guys. He can also drop easily into bad-cop mode, to gain the trust of crooks he's about to arrest.

Eugene Tackleberry

Played by: David Graf

Tackleberry is in all seven films and is best known for his love of firearms. He is portrayed as a Rambo-type figure in the movies. In the second film, it is revealed that although he is 28 years old, he is still a virgin. However, upon meeting his police partner, a beautiful and equally gun-nut woman, Kathleen Kirkland, he falls in love and they eventually get married. This leads to a series of gags involving the Kirkland family, in which the son and father love to fight each other, often involving brutal punches. The mother is fairly oblivious to all this. The chance for a reprise of this character is unlikely, as the actor who portrayed him, David Graf, died of cardiac arrest in 2001.

Larvell Jones

Played by: Michael Winslow

Jones is one of the key characters in the series and is famous for making sound effects with his mouth. He is one of the characters often remembered from the films as he uses his ability to make noises to play pranks on the criminals and the antagonists, namely Captain Mauser and Captain Harris. Jones also excelled in martial arts. Larvell is the only character to appear in all of the movies, the television series and the animated series.

Laverne Hooks

Played by: Marion Ramsey

Hooks is a soft-spoken, unassertive woman who often has trouble putting people in line, until she is pushed too far, whereupon she becomes aggressive and yells. She is known to frequently shout the expression "dirtbag!" at unsuspecting perpetrators.

Kathleen Kirkland

Played by: Colleen Camp

Sergeant Kathleen Kirkland started on the second film as a trainer. She is one of the major female persons. She is tall, blonde, large-breasted and muscular, and proficient in martial arts. Authoritative and gun-crazy, she makes the perfect match for Eugene Tackleberry. She is from a police family, her father and brother being police officers themselves. She is best known from her army-style mannerisms and commands.

Debbie Callahan

Played by: Leslie Easterbrook

This character is best known for her pure sex appeal. She is shown to be an avid weightlifter. In the first film, she has a relationship with Cadet Martin. In the third and fourth film, she has a relationship with Japanese foreign-exchange cadet, Nagata.

Eric Lassard

Played by: George Gaynes

Eric Lassard is Commandant, or head, of the Metropolitan Police Academy (sometimes also called the Midcity Police Academy). He is initially not into the politics of the police department. When Chief Hurst and Lieutenant Harris are denouncing the new female mayor's policy change to remove race and sex as barriers from academy admissions, he plays along with them and quickly dismisses their comments once they've left the room. A few years later, however, he will initiate a program known as Citizens on Patrol (COP), which is a community outreach course. Lassard featured in all seven films. He is often portrayed as confused or absentminded. He is generally amicable, even to criminals.

Thaddeus Harris

Played by: G.W. Bailey

"Mister Nasty" of the police academy, he always attempts to discredit Lassard and his men, but ends up being the butt of most of the jokes. He is followed everywhere by his lackey Proctor. He generally seems to be success-driven, at the cost of Lassard and his men.

Proctor

Played by: Lance Kinsey

Gullible sidekick to Harris (or Mauser). He is portrayed as a fool or dimwit. He is generally nicer than Harris or Mauser and is often just following orders, which he mostly manages to screw up.

Mauser

Played by: Art Metrano

Mauser (or Miser in the series) is a similar character to Harris, and his role in the movies is essentially the same. Playing a ruthless and demeaning, success-driven officer, Mauser is often the butt of many of the jokes played by Lassard's men. His lackey is also Proctor. He only appeared in Police Academy 2 and 3.

Sweetchuck

Played by: Tim Kazurinsky

Accident-prone Sweetchuck joined as a cadet in the third movie after an appearance in the second. In the second film, he is a shop owner whose size and weakness is taken advantage of by Zed (see below). In the third and fourth films, he is a police officer. His foil is Zed, who often brings him pain.

Zed

Played by: Bobcat Goldthwait

Featured as an anti-social criminal gang leader in the second movie. He then joins the police force in the third film. He is also in the fourth film. He often brings trouble to Sweetchuck, who was the subject of harassment during their civilian years, and now is his roommate while they are both training at the police academy. He suffers from inability to speak properly and often squeaks or swallows his words. He falls in love in the fourth film with one of the Citizens On Patrol.

Nick Lassard

Played by: Matt McCoy

Nephew of Eric Lassard, Nick is an officer in the Miami police department in the fifth film. In the sixth film, Nick replaces Mahoney's character as the lead prankster. In the fifth film, he falls in love with another cop. Mahoney and Nick's characters are very similar, as much as Harris and Mauser.

Douglas Fackler

Played by: Bruce Mahler

Bespectacled and accident-prone police officer who unknowingly causes injury and havoc to just about everyone and everything in his path. He appears in the first, second, third, and sixth movies. In a parody of the scene with his wife's reluctance to let him be a policeman, he shows similar opposition to his wife joining the new recruits in the third film, by jumping on the car's hood and riding it from their home to the police academy.

Chad Copeland

Played by: Scott Thomson

He is one of the cadets who spies for Mauser and Harris. He is often fooled into walking in the gay bar, The Blue Oyster.

Kyle Blankes

Played by: Brant Van Hoffman

Along with Copeland, he was often the comic foil for Mahoney and the other officers. He only appeared in the first and third films.

Henry J. Hurst

Played by: George R. Robertson

Initially chief of police, he was later promoted to commissioner. He is strict but fair and does not like to be taken for a ride. He sometimes appears concerned about Commandant Lassard's behavior. He is often bothered by the several attempts to curry favors that Harris and Mauser do.

Pete Lassard

Played by: Howard Hesseman

Capt. Pete Lassard the brother of Cmdnt. Lassard appeared as the captain of the precinct from the second film. The precinct is where the new academy gradutes are first posted.

Movie details

Police Academy

A new mayor has announced a policy requiring the police department to accept all willing recruits. The movie followed a group of misfit recruits in their attempts to prove themselves capable of being police officers and their adventures at the police academy.

Released: 1984

Director: Hugh Wilson

Characters:

  • Chief Henry Hurst
  • Cmndt. Eric Lassard
  • Capt. Reed (Ted Ross)
  • Lt. Thaddeus Harris
  • Sgt. Debbie Callahan
  • Cadet Carey Mahoney
  • Cadet Moses Hightower
  • Cadet Eugene Tackleberry
  • Cadet Larvell Jones
  • Cadet Douglas Fackler
  • Cadet Karen Thompson (Kim Cattrall)
  • Cadet Leslie Barbara (Donovan Scott)
  • Cadet George Martin (Andrew Rubin)
  • Mrs. Fackler (Debralee Scott)

Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment

The newly graduated cadets are sent to one of the worst precincts in the city to improve the conditions. Lt. Mauser undermines their attempts so that he can get Capt. Lassard fired and get the position in charge.

Released: 1985

Director: Jerry Paris

Characters:

  • Chief Henry Hurst
  • Cmndt. Eric Lassard
  • Capt. Peter Lassard
  • Lt. Mauser
  • Sgt. Kathleen Kirkland
  • Officer Carey Mahoney
  • Officer Moses Hightower
  • Officer Eugene Tackleberry
  • Officer Larvell Jones
  • Officer Douglas Fackler
  • Officer Laverne Hooks
  • Chief Henry Hurst
  • Zed
  • Sweetchuck

Police Academy 3: Back in Training

When the governor of the state announces that budget cuts are in order to get rid of the worse of the two police academies, the Metropolitan police academy, led by Cmndt. Lassard, work on ensuring it is not theirs. This is hindered by their unusual gang of new cadets.

Released: 1986

Director: Jerry Paris

Characters:

  • Chief Henry Hurst
  • Cmndt. Eric Lassard
  • Cmndt. Mauser
  • Lt. Debbie Callahan
  • Sgt. Carey Mahoney
  • Sgt. Moses Hightower
  • Sgt. Eugene Tackleberry
  • Sgt. Larvell Jones
  • Sgt. Douglas Fackler
  • Sgt. Laverne Hooks
  • Sgt. Chad Copeland
  • Cadet Nogata (Brian Tochi)
  • Cadet Zed
  • Cadet Sweetchuck
  • Cadet Karen Adams (Shawn Weatherly)

Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol

New recruits are brought in when the officers work with a newly formed Citizens On Patrol group. However Harris and Proctor are in charge and plan to dismantle the program

Released: 1987

Director: Jim Drake

Characters:

  • Commissioner Henry Hurst
  • Cmndt. Eric Lassard
  • Capt. Thaddeus Harris
  • Lt. Proctor
  • Lt. Debbie Callahan
  • Sgt. Carey Mahoney
  • Sgt. Moses Hightower
  • Sgt. Eugene Tackleberry
  • Sgt. Larvell Jones
  • Sgt. Laverne Hooks
  • Sgt. Chad Copeland
  • Officer Zed
  • Officer Sweetchuck
  • Claire Mattson (Sharon Stone)
  • Butterworth (David McGrath)
  • Mrs. Lois Feldman (Billie Bird)

Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach

The officers attend a police convention in Florida where Cmndt. Lassard inadvertently switches his briefcase with that of a group of jewel thieves. The thieves try to get it back.

Released: 1988

Director: Alan Myerson

Characters:

  • Commissioner Henry Hurst
  • Cmndt. Eric Lassard
  • Capt. Thaddeus Harris
  • Lt. Proctor
  • Lt. Debbie Callahan
  • Sgt. Nick Lassard
  • Sgt. Moses Hightower
  • Sgt. Eugene Tackleberry
  • Sgt. Larvell Jones
  • Sgt. Laverne Hooks
  • Officer Thomas Conklin (House)
  • Commissioner Hurst
  • Kate (Janet Jones)
  • Tony (Rene Auberjonois)

Police Academy 6: City Under Siege

When the city suffers from a dangerous set of crimes by a gang of jewel thieves, the Metropolitan Police Academy graduates are brought in to do something about it.

Released: 1989

Director: Peter Bonerz

Characters:

  • Commissioner Henry Hurst
  • Cmndt. Eric Lassard
  • Capt. Debbie Callahan
  • Capt. Thaddeus Harris
  • Lt. Proctor
  • Lt. Moses Hightower
  • Sgt. Nick Lassard
  • Sgt. Douglas Fackler
  • Sgt. Eugene Tackleberry
  • Sgt. Larvell Jones
  • Sgt. Laverne Hooks
  • Commissioner Hurst
  • The Mayor/Mastermind (Kenneth Mars)
  • Ace (Gerrit Graham)
  • Flash (Brian Seeman)
  • Ox (Darwyn Swalve)

Police Academy 7: Mission to Moscow

The officers go to Russia to help catch an international crime figure. It's time to kick some Buttski.

Released: 1994

Director: Alan Metter

Characters:

Police Academy 8: 2007

Released : 2007

Director : Hugh Wilson

Plans are in motion for an eighth Police Academy film after a decade of absence. Says series creator Paul Maslansky: "I felt it was time to start again. Saw that Starsky & Hutch and a number of other revivals were doing really well. Police Academy has such a great history. I thought, 'Why not?'" *

All the original cast members will return except David Graf (Eugene Tackleberry), who died of a heart attack in April of 2001.

Leslie Easterbrook and Marion Ramsay mentioned that filming for the next Police Academy film will start shooting in summer 2006 for a release in 2007.

Characters:

  • Thaddeus Harris (G.W. Bailey)
  • Debbie Callahan (Leslie Easterbrook)
  • Eric Lassard (George Gaynes)
  • Carey Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg)
  • Carl Sweetchuck (Tim Kazurinsky)
  • Proctor (Lance Kinsey)
  • Douglas Fackler (Burce Mahler)
  • Laverne Hooks (Marion Ramsay)
  • Henry Hurst (George R. Robertson)
  • Moses Hightower (Bubba Smith)
  • Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow)

Television details

There were also two syndicated television series loosely based on the movies; an animated series in 1988 lasting two seasons, and a live action series starring Joe Flaherty in 1997, lasting only one season.

Quotes

  • Harris: "You make me sick."
Mahoney: Thank you sir, I make everybody sick.
  • Captain Harris approaches a bar where Cmdt. Lassard, Chief Hurst, Chief Murdock, and the Mayor of Miami is seated. He does not realize what had been burned on to his chest.
Harris: "Oh, Mr. Mayor. Excuse me sir. I don't mean to insult your city, but the people on this beach are very rude and hostile."
Mayor: "Well, I'm sorry to hear that...Captain Dork!"
Everyone breaks down laughing. Captain Harris finally realizes that the word "Dork" had been burned on to his chest.
''Later, Jones is seen talking to a parrot at a pet store. Harris and Proctor walk by the pet store as Jones leaves.
Parrot: *squawks* Hey Dork! Hey Dork!

Harris: (screams) "DON'T TOUCH THOSE! DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH MY BALLS WITHOUT ASKING!"
Slowly turning to see the entire squad (who can't see the newton's cradle) watching them

Theme Song

  • There is an instrumental theme used throughout the series. However, a pop song is used at the end of #3. For #4, a rap song was written by John Debney and sung by The Fat Boys. The lyrics are:

Come on, Come on

Stick, Stick, Stick, Stick Them

Here they come! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

They fight for justice

They stand up for the truth

They save us from the perils

Of a cowardly crew

To protect the rights

Of all citizens

But when it's time to fight

They fight and win

Hooray! They wear the blue

They're tested, tried and true

They keep the peace

For you and me

Hooray! (The Police Academy)

Hooray! They wear the blue

They're tested, tried and true

They keep the peace

For you and me

Hooray! (The Police Academy)

M: Hey, somebody forgot to dot the I!

T: I'll fix it!

CH: Police Academy: The Series

All Right!

Voices

Additional Voices

1984 films | 2007 films | Comedy films | Film series | Fish out of water films | Syndicated television series | Animated television series | Comedy television series | 1980s TV shows in the United States | 1990s TV shows in the United States | TV shows produced/distributed by Warner Brothers

Police Academy | Police Academy (série télévisée) | Police Academy | Полицейская академия (фильм) | Poliisiopisto | Polisskolan

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Police Academy".

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