Up the Academy

Up the Academy is an American teen comedy film released in 1980, with a plot about the outrageous antics of a group of misfits at a military school. The movie was an attempt to cash in on the phenomenal and unexpected success of National Lampoon's Animal House, which was also a movie made by a comedy magazine about a group of misfits at college. In 1983, Mad publisher Bill Gaines explained the genesis of his magazine's involvement in the film to ... More

Up the Academy is an American teen comedy film released in 1980, with a plot about the outrageous antics of a group of misfits at a military school. The movie was an attempt to cash in on the phenomenal and unexpected success of National Lampoon's Animal House, which was also a movie made by a comedy magazine about a group of misfits at college. In 1983, Mad publisher Bill Gaines explained the genesis of his magazine's involvement in the film to the Comics Journal: It was directed by Robert Downey Sr., and starred Wendell Brown, Tommy Citera, Harry Teinowitz, Hutch Parker (younger brother of Parker Stevenson and now known as movie executive J. Hutchison), Tom Poston, Barbara Bach, Stacey Nelkin, Ralph Macchio (his screen debut) and King Coleman. The movie was filmed entirely in Salina, Kansas, mostly on the campus of St. John's Military School. The film was neither a commercial nor critical success when it was originally released, and was disowned by both the staff of MAD magazine and...

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