Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment * (1985, Steve Guttenberg, Bubba Smith, David Graf) – Classic Movie Review 8342

Director Jerry Paris’s 1985 comedy Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment is a mostly unfunny sequel to the 1984 hit Police Academy that sees the gang now graduated from the Police Academy and issued with their first assignments as bumbling rookies out to rid the neighbourhood of a gang of low-life punks and to save captain Pete Lassard (Howard Hesseman)’s job.

Most of the original faces are back and so is producer Paul Maslansky (who stuck it out to 1989’s Police Academy 6), but the rest of the technical talent is sadly missed.

Steve Guttenberg returns as Carey Mahoney and, as usual, tries hard, and so to be fair do the other performers. But the largely slapstick humour falls flat and the plot is almost non-existent, with Barry Blaustein and David Sheffield’s screenplay just a series of situations.

The main cast are Steve Guttenberg, Bubba Smith, George Gaynes, David Graf, Donovan Scott, Michael Winslow, Bruce Mahler, Marion Ramsey, Colleen Camp, Howard Hesseman, Art Metrano, Ed Herlihy, Bobcat Goldthwait, Julie Brown, Peter Van Norden, and Tim Kazurinsky.

Leslie Easterbrook was pregnant and could not reprise her role as Callahan.

G W Bailey was busy filming Rustler’s Rhapsody but on one of his days off he visited the set and filmed a cameo as one of the wedding guests getting his picture taken.

The producers dismissed original director James Signorelli as being ‘too edgy’ and much of his footage was re-shot by new director Jerry Paris.

Howard Hesseman regretted doing the movie and refused to take part in any more sequels.

It cost $7,600,000 and grossed $55,600,000 in the US, so another sequel was inevitable. Police Academy 3: Back in Training followed in 1986.

David Graf recalled: ‘The gas company had told us they were going to discontinue service the next day. I don’t want to be in that position again. So, yes, I would do a series of Police Academies, for money.’ He ended up doing all seven.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8342

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