Yesterday, comedic legend Steve Guttenberg turned 59. But what makes an actor a legend? Volume of work? Quality of projects? Staying power? His star on the Hollywood walk of fame? Let’s examine, through some of his best work.
4. Steve Guttenberg Academy
In the 1980s, police movies were about as popular as procedural shows are today. There was a variety for everyone, and Police Academy filled in the “goofy cop ensemble” slot that Brookyln Nine Nine holds on television now.
The city is short on police officers. But the new mayor has a plan: go easy on academy requirements and enrollment will soar! Guttenberg’s Carey Mahoney gets into trouble with the captain who offers him a place on the force instead of jail. The Academy accepts Mahoney, along with other new academy members, without passing many of the “old” requirements. The new “recruits” are put through extraordinarily difficult training to try and make them quit. Eventually, a riot breaks out downtown, and the academy students are tested in the real world.
Police Academy spanned the next decade, with six more films in the series. The franchise spawned both an animated and live action television series. If you’re going to marathon Guttenberg’s work, you may as well start with the 1984 original Academy, as it’s easily his most recognizable. The Police Academy franchise is still one of the highest grossing film series to date. Rumors of a possible eigth addition began spreading in 2003, and continue today.
