One was a show about nothing; the other was a movie franchise about inept police cadets. Both are American comedic institutions. Upon first glance, it may seem that Seinfeld and Police Academy don’t occupy a lot of common ground but they share several fun connections. Police Academy was a silly little movie that went on to become a comedy classic. It is, without a doubt, one of the finest franchises about misfit police cadets of the 1980s to have spawned six sequels. The zany series was the brainchild of producer Paul Maslansky and featured lowbrow, sophomoric humor. But they were funny. They also made money. The first six films returned an impressive worldwide gross of over $500 million. Police Academy was also almost responsible for the greatest television sitcom of all time having never been created.
In 1983, Jerry Seinfeld auditioned for the role of Carey Mahoney. Thankfully, he did not get the part. If Seinfeld would have scored the lead in the hit comedy, he would have had a vastly different career trajectory. Most likely it would have been one that would never have included the Seinfeld television show. Lucky for all of us Jerry is not a better actor. The part eventually went to Steve Guttenberg. In 1989, the sixth installment of the Police Academy franchise was released. Four months later, The Seinfeld Chronicles premiered on NBC.
In hindsight, Jerry Seinfeld never had a chance for the role of Mahoney. Jerry was a rising star on the standup comedy scene but the lead in Police Academy was a significant part. It required someone with actual acting chops, not a standup comedian. The imposing list of actors who were also considered for the role reportedly included Billy Crystal, Tom Hanks, Michael Keaton, Rick Moranis, Bill Murray, Judge Reinhold, John Travolta, Robin Williams and Bruce Willis. But it feels like Mahoney ended up being perfectly cast. After his breakout performance in Police Academy, Guttenberg was catapulted to one of the most successful actors of the 1980s. Judge Reinhold would later guest star as Aaron “the close talker” on two episodes of Seinfeld in 1994. The other actors on the list were never to be heard from again.
A twenty seven year old Kim Cattrall actually impressed in her audition. She plays Cadet Karen Thompson as the co-female lead in the first Police Academy film. However, she elected not to appear in any of the sequels. But like Jerry Seinfeld, she would go on to amazing success in the field of television. Cattrall stared as the vivacious and raunchy Samantha in the immensely popular HBO series “Sex and the City”. The landmark show ran from 1998-2004 and produced two spinoff motion pictures, five Emmy nominations for Cattrall and a generation of Cosmo alcoholics. As if that wasn’t high enough praise, in a 2011 interview, Jerry stated that “Kim Cattrall is the Kramer of Sex and the City”.
The Police Academy movies have become a requisite piece of pop culture and the franchise was responsible for giving several young comedians their first big role. Examples of this include Michael Winslow, Bobcat Goldthwait, and David Spade. It was however the young comedian who didn’t get a role (for the second time) that made the biggest contribution to pop culture.
“Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment” was released in the spring of 1985. It came nearly one year to the day after the release of first film. Once again, Jerry Seinfeld was on the audition docket. This time, Jerry was up for the role of dim-witted lackey Sgt. Carl Proctor. Fortunately the part went to Canadian actor Lance Kinsey who, at the time, had the same manager as Jerry. Both actors actually read for the role in succession. According to Kinsey, he couldn’t stop laughing when Jerry came back out of the audition room, leaned over to him, and said, “It’s still available”.
After producing the Police Academy movies in the 80s, Paul Maslansky’s most notable film was “Ski Patrol”. Unlike the now iconic cop cadet franchise, it was a box office flop. However, 1990’s Ski Patrol did feature the big screen debut of actor Steve Hytner. Seinfeld fans know him as Kenny Bania. He’s huge. Hytner played the now iconic Bania on Seinfeld from 1994-1998 including the finale. Although Seinfeld alum Steve Hytner never technically acted in a Police Academy film, there are a few actors that appeared in both. The names may not be familiar but their roles are hard to forget.
David Graf – Sgt. Eugene Tackleberry
As the firearm fanatical Tackleberry, Graf was one of only three actors to appear in all seven Police Academy films (Michael Winslow, George Gaynes). It seems the gung ho Tackleberry was born for police work, unlike his academy roommate Mahoney. “Tack” could always be counted on to supply backup, and it was usually way too much.
Seinfeld Role:
Graf appeared in only one episode of Seinfeld but he was specifically suited for the role. From season four, Jerry and George think they see “Crazy” Joe Davola outside of the coffee shop waiting to beat them up. As the two are worrying about how they are going to get out of there, a cop walks into Monk’s and takes a seat at the counter. The cop of course is played by David Graf. After initially ordering a muffin and agreeing to escort Jerry to a cab, he then decides to order a sandwich and tells Jerry that he will just have to wait. This leads to the Seinfeld axiom, “You know a muffin can be very filling”. Sadly, Graf died at the age of 50 in 2001.
Bruce Mahler – Sgt. Doug Fackler
Mahler portrays the extraordinarily accident prone Fackler in the first three Police Academy movies and was brought back for the sixth film. His aptitude for calamity is unintentionally responsible for mayhem throughout the franchise including causing the city wide riot that concludes the first film.
Seinfeld Role:
Bruce Mahler played Rabbi Glickman in a recurring role spanning 1995-1998 including a part in the show’s epic finale. He consoled Jerry’s parents during the arduous trial and also propositioned Elaine in an earlier episode. His signature dry delivery is especially perceptible as Rabbi Glickman while exuding an over emphasized stereotype Jewish accent. Mahler retired from acting in 2000 and now owns a production company.
Matt McCoy – Sgt. Nick Lassard
As Commandant Lassard’s nephew Nick, Matt McCoy joined the stable of regulars in Miami Beach for the fifth installment. He essentially took over the leading man duties as Steve Guttenberg could not come to contract terms. McCoy would reprise his role for 1989’s “Police Academy 6: City Under Siege”, the fifth sequel of the decade.
Seinfeld Role:
By far one of the most beloved guest stars in the show’s history, McCoy played George’s childhood nemesis Lloyd Braun. Ironically, McCoy was the second actor to play the Chinese chewing gum aficionado. Peter Keleghan first portrayed Braun while he served as adviser to Mayor Dinkins in a 1993 episode. After Lloyd’s nervous breakdown, McCoy took over the recurring guest role from 1995-1997. A season nine episode features McCoy as Braun working for “Costanza and Son” selling computers; it also guest stars Bruce Mahler as Rabbi Glickman. Since Seinfeld, he has worked consistently in television and film. More recently Matt McCoy has been part of the rebranding for the American Association of Retired Persons as their new pitchman. It is even rumored that McCoy suggested a new slogan for the organization; “AARP: Serenity now, Insanity later”.
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