Paul Maslansky, ‘Police Academy’ and ‘Return to Oz’ Producer, Dies at 91

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As I delve into the captivating tale of Paul Maslansky, a veritable titan in the world of filmmaking, I find myself profoundly inspired by his relentless pursuit of success and his uncanny ability to transform seemingly ordinary ideas into box office gold.

91-year-old Paul Maslansky, the creator of the initial idea for the popular film “Police Academy” and a key contributor in bringing the challenging project “Return to Oz” to completion under the guidance of three renowned directors, passed away.

On a Friday post on Facebook, the author of “Police Academy,” Pat Proft, announced his passing. At this time, further information is not yet disclosed.

Proft expressed gratitude for encountering Paul Maslansky. He was the one who recruited me, along with Neal Israel, to work on Police Academy, my very first script. Sadly, Paul has passed away. My condolences go out to Sally and his son. May they find peace during this difficult time. Paul’s legacy lives on through the trail of comedies he left behind. He truly lived a good life.

In Italy, The New Yorker first made his mark as a producer for the movie “The Castle of the Living Dead” (1964) featuring Christopher Lee. He also filmed George Cukor’s second-to-last film, “The Blue Bird” (1976), which starred Elizabeth Taylor, and Fred Schepisi’s “The Russia House” (1990), with Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer, in the Soviet Union.

Maslansky, who frequently worked alongside Oscar winner Alan Ladd Jr., was also the producer behind several films. These include Larry Peerce’s 1982 drama, “Love Child,” which tells the true story of a woman (played by Amy Madigan) who becomes pregnant in prison by a guard and struggles to keep her baby; the comedic film “Scavenger Hunt” from 1979, directed by Michael Schultz; and the unusual tale of reincarnation, “Fluke,” released in 1995, which stars Matthew Modine as a self-centered businessman who is reborn as a dog.

Following the completion of “Love Child” in Florida, Maslansky received an invitation from Ladd to travel to San Francisco to oversee “The Right Stuff,” The Ladd Co.’s astronaut film production. During this visit, he observed the John Glenn ticker-tape parade and noticed a peculiar group of San Francisco Police Department officers who seemed out of place.

In a 2014 interview, Maslansky discovered that they weren’t actual cops, but rather police academy trainees. They were hired due to the city’s fair employment policy, with the understanding that they could be dismissed after three weeks. Essentially, he was informed, “We need to bring them in, but we can kick them out later.

On that particular evening, Maslansky penned down a heartfelt narrative spanning two pages, centered around a team of individuals yearning not just to survive, but to evolve into genuine law enforcers who would ultimately triumph.

Ladd informed him the film could be produced for approximately 4.5 million dollars. Following Israel and Proft’s work on a rough draft which took around six weeks, Hugh Wilson revised the script over a weekend. “He worked his magic on it,” Maslansky said, referring to Wilson (who also directed the production).

The 1984 film “Police Academy,” produced by Warner Bros., was initially released to earn $8.6 million at the box office (equivalent to around $32 million today). Over time, it amassed a total of $82 million in revenue (approximately $249 million when adjusted for inflation). This movie franchise gave birth to six sequels, an animated TV series, and a live-action TV show, among other spin-offs.

Before “Police Academy” hit the cinemas, Disney tapped Maslansky to step in for Gary Kurtz as producer on “Return to Oz” (1985), a film heavy on special effects, which was running late under the guidance of first-time director Walter Murch.

During the fifth week of filming, Maslansky encountered a predicament when Murch, transitioning from decades as a highly respected film and sound editor, seemed incapable of continuing on the project “Oz“. According to his statements in 2010, he appeared “apparently bewildered”.

In response to Maslansky and Disney executive Richard Berger compiling a list of potential successors for Murch, the producer was astonished to receive phone calls from George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Francis Ford Coppola, expressing their eagerness to fly to London promptly to lend assistance.

For approximately a week, the role was handed over to Lucas. Spielberg was there for a few days, while Coppola offered praise to Walter, according to Maslansky.

Murch successfully finished the mysterious follow-up to ‘The Wizard of Oz’, yet it only earned $11.1 million in the U.S., according to the producer, despite an estimated production cost of around $20 million.

Born in Harlem on November 23, 1933, and brought up in Queens, Paul Marc Maslansky is one of three siblings. His father, Manuel, served for six years during World War II as a dentist, while his mother, Beatrice, took care of the household.

Following Forest Hills High School, he joined his elder brother, Robert, at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. There, he was part of a jazz trumpet group known as the Southern Collegians, until his graduation in 1954.

Prior to moving to Paris, Maslansky served for two years in the U.S. Army, attended NYU Law School for a brief period, and worked as a musician. With a budget of $1,500, he enlisted Melvin Van Peebles’ help to create a documentary about Fullbright scholars that premiered in Cannes in 1960 and was subsequently purchased by Screen Gems.

In London, Maslansky started as an assistant to producer Charles H. Schneer. He climbed the ranks while working on movies like “Jason and the Argonauts” (1963), “The Running Man,” directed by Carol Reed (also 1963), and “The Long Ships,” helmed by Jack Cardiff (1964).

In his initial foray into production, he launched his career on the horror flick titled “The Castle of the Living Dead“. Notably, this was Donald Sutherland’s first credited movie appearance, as he portrayed no less than three distinct characters in it. Maslansky mentioned that he crafted this horror film with a budget of approximately $120,000 and later sold it to Sam Z. Arkoff at American International Pictures.

After spending a couple of years employed at United Artists, he subsequently teamed up with his old high school friend, Ike Pappas (now a CBS correspondent), to report on the Six-Day War that took place in Israel during 1967.

Beyond enjoying “The Blue Bird,” I also had the pleasure of collaborating with the esteemed director Ladd on a few projects. These include the initial two installments of “Police Academy,” “Love Child,” and “The Russia House.” Notably, we worked together on “Death Line” (1972), “Race With the Devil” (1975), and “Damnation Alley” (1977).

Among his other notable producing credits are the films “Hot Stuff” from 1979, “The Villain” also from 1979, and “Cop & 1/2”, which was released in 1993.

Maslansky directed one feature, the cult blaxploitation favorite Sugar Hill (1974), starring Marki Bey, and earned an Emmy nomination for producing a 1978 NBC miniseries about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that starred Paul Winfield.

Among the survivors are his sons Sacha and Samuel, as well as his granddaughter Gigi. His younger brother Michael, who passed away before him, was a prominent Hollywood publicist known for managing high-profile clients such as Katharine Hepburn, Jessica Lange, Peter Finch, Goldie Hawn, Jane Fonda, Sylvester Stallone, and Marty Feldman.

As a dedicated fan, I can’t help but share an intriguing tidbit: Maslansky, who graced the screens in the Police Academy series, mentioned that the iconic gag in the first film where George Gaynes’ Commandant Lassard received oral sex while at a podium was like striking gold for him, providing the foundation for his home in the Malibu Colony.

In a 2021 interview, he shared that “Police Academy” significantly impacted his life, particularly in regards to financial matters. He had always felt competent at work, yet lacked success in filmmaking, never experiencing a major breakthrough. At age 50, with around 25-30 films under his belt, he hadn’t achieved a blockbuster hit. However, “Police Academy” was the exception to this trend.

Ryan Gajewski contributed to this report.

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2024-12-07 08:55