sneak preview
Open enrollment hits the Police Academy, and with stan
dards out the window, the new crop of cadets is an oddlot of
misfits, maniacs and misguided altruists. An action-comedy
that chronicles the conversion of this year’s kooks into next
year’s cops.
Police Academy is funny yet familiar
By Bonnie Langford
Senior Staff Writer
Police Academy is a dumb
movie, but it’s funny. You 11
probably sit through the whole
thing and think that you’ve
seen the same plot somewhere
before. You probably have. The
resemblance to Animal House
and Stripes is obvious, but
then, it looks like it was sup
posed to be that way.
The police cadets go through
the same “clothing line” that
the Stripes recruits did. Only
this time, instead of bikini un
derwear, Karen Thompson, a
socialite played by Kim Cattrall, ■
requests a size nine. She still re
ceives the same basic set of
clothing everyone else does.
The basic story of Police Aca
demy revolves around the mis
haps of Carey Mahoney, played
by Steve Guttenberg. Maho
ney’s troubles begin when he
parks a Trans Am ... on it’s
side.
While this gives the audience
a few laughs because the jerk
who owns the car deserves it, it
gives Mahoney trouble. He’s
fired from his job as attendant
and faces criminal charges.
Mahoney, a previous of
fender, is offered a chance — he
can avoid prison by joining the
police academy. The new
mayor has dropped all restric
tions for eligibilty. Mahoney
figures he can get kicked out in
no time, so he joins up.
Accompanying Mahoney to
the academy is Dr. Monsignor
Larvell Jones, played by Mi
chael Winslow. Jones can pro
duce sound effects of a wide va
riety, including P.A. systems
and machine guns. His talent is
at it’s best in a hilarious scene
depicting an imaginary video
game.
It’s definitely the characters,
not the storyline, that make this
movie enjoyable.
Just looking at Sgt. Callahan,
played by a well-endowed Les
lie Easterbrook, is good for
laughs. If there was ever such a
thing as a macho woman, she is
one.
She even proves to be too
much for the Latino lover, Jorge
Martin. Andrew Rubin does a
great job with this Anglo who
pretends to be Latin because “it
getshim girls. ”
On the other extreme, Mar
ion Ramsey’s Laverne Hooks
has got to be the epitome of the
female wimp. She can’t get her
voice above a whisper, or her
rear above the obstacle course
wall. Remember that scene
from Stripes?
Two rats who are out to get
the group in trouble, and even
tually get themselves thrown
out of the Academy, are
Blankes (Brant Von Hoffman)
and Copeland (Scott Thomp
son). One of the best scenes of
the movie is their being tricked
into going to the Blue Oyster
Bar.
Blankes and Copeland think
they are going to find some dirt
on the other cadets, but all they
find is a new definition for
“dancing, just dancing.”
Police Academy is rated R for
the adult language; there’s no
explicit sex, but some funny in
nuendos.
In other movies, here are this
week’s “don’t waste your four
dollars, and go to the Chicken
instead” picks:
Greystoke — The Legend of
Tarzan, Lord of the Apes — Un
less you just really like mon
keys, this one just has too many
ape scenes. And faithful Tarzan
fans are going to be disap
pointed because in this movie
Jane meets Tarzan in England,
not in the jungle, like we all
know really happened.
Friday the Thirteenth: The
Final Chapter — Hopefully it is
the last one. The first one
wasn’t good either, but at least
poor Jason finally gets a rest
from all of this psychopathic
killing.
new faces
Maria Alonzo is Hollywood’s seniorita
United Press International
HOLLYWOOD — There was a
time when Hollywood was never
without a resident Latin spitfire,
a hot-eyed Central or South
American damsel with flashing
eyes, raven black hair, dazzling
white smile and fiery temper.
Ole!
These chili peppers were rarely
superstars but they were a spicy
alternative to some of the town’s
pallid blond leading ladies and
freckled all-American girls-next-
door.
Lupe Velez, who eventually
took her own life, was among the
first. Carmen Miranda, with the
fruit salad in her hair, was a comic
interpretation.
Maria Montez was a smolder
ing senorita. Rita Moreno was a
hot tamale. Dolores del Rio was a
patrician member of the species.
But for the past decade or more
Hollywood movies have ignored
Latin bombshells in favor of Yan
kees and Europeans.
Now there is Maria Conchita
Alonzo. Not a household name to
be sure, but she co-stars with Ro
bin Williams in “Moscow on the
Hudson.”
Unhappily for Latin American
actresses with ambitions to break
into movies, Alonzo plays an Ital
ian. The character is Latin all
right, but from the wrong hemi
sphere.
Alonzo, born in Cuba, reared
in Venezuela and educated in
Washington, has all the attributes
of the classic sensual seniorita.
“Blondes have been popular for
so long maybe people are getting
tired of seeing so much of them, ”
Alonzo said, Spanish grace notes
clearly evident in her voice.
“I’m not sure blondes have
more fun. Remember, brunettes
stay younger longer because the
sun doesn’t damage our skin.
“Also, they say Latin girls have
more hot blood. So maybe we
have more fun because we try
harder. When you fight for some
thing the rewards are greater. I
think it is time for passionate
Latin actresses.”
Alonso says South American ac
tresses are discouaged from com
ing to Hollywood by a handful of
performers who have returned
south of the border disappointed
and frustrated by the dearth of
roles for Latin types.
She recalled that Lupe Ferrer
left Venezuela to star in “The
Children of Sanchez” but failed to
work in other American pictures.
“There has never been a major
Hollywood star from Venezuela,”
she said, “and I can’t think of
many from anyplace in South
America.”
“There isn’t much opportunity
for stardom down there except in
soap operas, which are the big
gest form of entertainment. I
starred in 10 soaps before I came
to Hollywood.
“I also did two Venezuelan
movies, one in the Dominican
Republic and one in Miami with
the Cuban star Alvarez Guedez in
Spanish.
“Most latin performers don’t
like to abandon their success to
come here and not work. But you
have to take chances in life. They
advised me not to try but I was
determined. I was here two years
before I was cast in ‘Moscow on
the Hudson.”’
Robin Williams stars as a Russian who decides to defect
while shopping at Bloomingdale’s, and falls in love
with salesgirl Maria Conchita Alonso in Columbia Pic
tures’ “Moscow on the Hudson,” produced and di
rected by Paul Mazursky from a screenplay by Ma-
zursky and Leon Capetanos. Cleavant Derricks and
Alejandro Rey also star in the film.
April 27, At Ease 3