Taglines: Be a police officer. All you do is join the farce.
Police Academy movie storyline. The year is 1984 and the mayoress has removed set personal criteria form the requirements to join the police force. No longer is sex, weight, height and orientation a factor. This now allows for an insurgence of people applying. The Police Academy series follows a select group of misfits in their quest to become police men and women. The first film of the series follows these misfits in their time at the Police Academy.
The main focus is on a petty criminal called Mahoney. Mahoney is busted for criminal damage and as punishment is forced to go to Police Academy. Mahoney initially feels that this isn’t the right place for him and he makes it his mission to be thrown out as he is not allowed to quit. As the classes go by and the training exercises are played out, Mahoney soon realizes that he is actually enjoying the academy and does want to become a police officer. We are also introduced to the gun maniac Tackelberry, the very tall Hightower, voluptuous Callahan, squeaky Hooks, and more…
Police Academy is a 1984 comedy film directed by Hugh Wilson, and starring Steve Guttenberg, G.W. Bailey, Kim Cattrall, Bubba Smith, Donovan Scott, George Gaynes, Leslie Easterbrook and Debralee Scott. It grossed approximately $146 million worldwide and spawned six more films in the Police Academy series.
About the Story
Due to a shortage of police officers, the newly elected mayor of an unnamed American city has announced a policy requiring the police department to accept all willing recruits, effectively abolishing fitness requirements, educational levels, and medical standards. Not everyone in the police force is happy about the new changes.
Carey Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg) is an easy-going man who has repeatedly gotten himself in trouble with the law when standing up to arrogant people. Mahoney is forced to join the police force as an alternative to jail, a proposal by Captain Reed who has been lenient on Mahoney because of knowing his father, who was also a policeman. Mahoney reluctantly agrees to this, deciding that he will get himself thrown out as a loophole. However, the chief of police, Henry Hurst (George R. Robertson), outraged by the Mayor’s lowered requirements, decides that the new cadets should be forced to quit rather than being thrown out.
Lieutenant Thaddeus Harris (G.W. Bailey), who trains the cadets, agrees with the plan and employs tactics to make their lives as miserable as possible so that they do in fact quit. However, Commandant Lassard (George Gaynes) is the only one who doesn’t agree with both Harris and Hurst’s schemes. He wants to give the new cadets a chance. Harris is also implied to be seeking Lassard’s place as the leader of the academy. Harris asks for the help of two cadets he takes a liking to, Copeland (Scott Thomson) and Blankes, to inform him of any improper conduct done by the other cadets. Harris appoints them as squad leaders to help him force these cadets to quit.
Mahoney tries several schemes to get thrown out but eventually he has a change of heart and decides to stay for good, having fallen in love with another cadet, Karen Thompson (Kim Cattrall). While in the academy, Mahoney becomes friends with fellow cadets Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow) a human beatbox and sound effects man who was arrested with Mahoney before they came to the academy (Mahoney pulled some strings with Reed to let Jones go with Mahoney to attend the academy); George Martin (Andrew Rubin), a ladies man; Eugene Tackleberry (David Graf), a gun-obsessed adrenaline junkie who was an ex-security guard and was a military veteran; Leslie Barbara (Donovan Scott), an overweight cowardly man; and Moses Hightower (Bubba Smith), a giant of a man with incredible strength.
Police Academy (1984)
Directed by: Hugh Wilson
Starring: Steve Guttenberg, G.W. Bailey, Kim Cattrall, Bubba Smith, Donovan Scott, George Gaynes, Leslie Easterbrook, Debralee Scott
Screenplay by: Neal Israel, Pat Proft
Production Design by: Trevor Williams
Cinematography by: Michael D. Margulies
Film Editing by: Robert Brown, Zach Staenberg
Costume Design by: Christopher Ryan
Set Decoration by: Steve Shewchuk
Art Direction by: Dennis Davenport
Music by: Robert Folk
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: March 23, 1984
Visits: 119
