My fellow creatures of the night!
I know I promised to write about illuminating subjects that would make us think and reflect about our lives, the world, and cultural and politically relevant situations. But today I ran across something on the internet that overwhelmed and impressed me so much I decided to write a blog about it.
I don't know if any of you have ever seen any of the films in the Police Academy franchise, especially the first one. If you haven't try renting or buying one as soon as you can just to catch a glimpse of the subject of this blog.
The film, titled Police Academy is, to be frank with you, not even worth talking about. It's a steadfast, typical 1980's comedy with decent humor, but what makes the film valuable (aside from the fact it made 146 million at the box office) is a single character by the name of Larvell Jones, a funny, shy, yet remarkable cadet with a VERY UNIQUE TALENT. He can imitate ANY (and I mean any) noise he wants to. And I’m not talking about emulating voices or barking like a dog, I mean really copying noises and sounds of everything to such a degree that there is absolutely no difference with the original sound. He can practically do every sound in existence, and uses them in creative, funny ways throughout the course of the movie. He replicates farts, videogames, shaving machines, machine guns and even ROBOTS. Nothing escapes the throat and larynx of this very innovating, original character who is not only the comic relief of the picture but also the single, most important trait people remember this feature for.
Several questions rose upon me as I saw an analyzed the film. Where the noises real? Was the actor performing the noises or where they all computer made? I was certain no one could have the talent to emit such sounds (if you don’t believe check out the feature) with such precision, and this was probably a stunt by the filmmakers. As it turned out I was wrong.
How they came up with a character like this is beyond me. I am a screenwriter myself and I can tell you that no one could come up with a character like this out of thin air. This creature had to be based on someone real, someone whom the screenwriter or director encountered or knew and decided to put him in the script. There is no other way.
And as it turned out, I was right!
Police Academy was scheduled for Production in 1983 under a script Neal Israel. The film was going to be directed Hugh Wilson and produced by Paul Maslansky. It was going to be a comedy filled with funny events and funny storylines, but it lacked something… it lacked a comic essence that was eventually going render it 146 million dollars at the box office.
So on one fine California evening producer Maslansky and director Wilson decided to take some time off from the whole preproduction issue and decided to catch a stand up comedy performance at the long beach auditorium in Los Angeles… little did they know this show was going to change the way Police Academy was going to be developed.
As it turned out, the show’s opening performer was a man by the name of Michael Winslow, a man with a very unique talent. Throughout the show, Winslow demonstrated his abilities to imitate sounds and noises of real things in funny situations. He would fake a Tennis Match making the sound effects himself, pretend he would be at the supermarket and not only emulate the voices of the people in the market, but also of the cash register, the beeping machine and everything else in between. The show made such an impact on the filmmakers that they decided to hire him as an actor for their movie and write in a character like him (with the same abilities) into the script.
The result? Complete success. The character of Cadet Larvelle Jones (although not the main character) was responsible for much of the film’s comedy and, in a way, of much of the film’s early and perpetual success. Why? Undoubtedly because of the character’s original comedic skills and appearances throughout… especially the scene where he fakes being a terminator sort of robot or when he saves the entire platoon from an angry mob my simply emulating a machine gun through the speakerphone.
He is truly a remarkable character with an unprecedented past in the comedy genre. But what is even more remarkable is the fact that the character is actually acted by a man who can really emulate these sounds! Every noise he makes and fabricates is real!… the guns, the farts, the electric shavers, the helicopters… EVERYTHING!
And that my friends, is something everyone should see.
If you haven’t seen it check it out as soon as you can because what he does is nothing less than breathtaking.
I just don’t understand (no one does actually, no matter how many times he tries to explain it) how someone can manage to imitate so many noises of such variety at such an impressive exactness.
But what makes it even more remarkable is the way he implements the sounds. He doesn’t do it randomly (in the feature and in real life) but at moments when they can be used very effectively and with great comedic success and effect. He might start making a cash register noise when he walks into the bank, imitate a fart when someone is leaning down, pretend to be shaving himself with an electric machine while in the bathroom or play a fake videogame to make with roommate jealous… It is these situations combined with the preciseness of the noises, that makes his performance so funny and so brilliant.
As it turns out Michael Winslow is not only an imitator of noises, but a real performance artist who has made sounds ever since he emulated planes while stationed with his father at an air force base. He actually makes a living out of this! And he has become really good at it too. After Police Academy he worked in many other features, including the Gremlins Franchise, in which he voiced every gremlin, including the cute little fury one.
Michael Winslow is truly a man to admire. Not only does he hold an enormously unique talent I didn’t even know existed, but also works as a motivational speaker for people wishing to pursue their dreams and careers.
Hurray Mr. Winslow!
Please rent Police Academy or at least download the video from youtube.com to see what I’m talking about… that is all for now, I need to get back and proofread the 5th chapter of my novel, which hopefully will be out in the market soon.
I’ll see you in the future…
“I don’t want to be a product of my environment, I want my environment to be a product of me.”
Happy Hunting,
The WikiVampire
P.S.
I hope to have something more illuminating for the next blog…
I know I promised to write about illuminating subjects that would make us think and reflect about our lives, the world, and cultural and politically relevant situations. But today I ran across something on the internet that overwhelmed and impressed me so much I decided to write a blog about it.
I don't know if any of you have ever seen any of the films in the Police Academy franchise, especially the first one. If you haven't try renting or buying one as soon as you can just to catch a glimpse of the subject of this blog.
The film, titled Police Academy is, to be frank with you, not even worth talking about. It's a steadfast, typical 1980's comedy with decent humor, but what makes the film valuable (aside from the fact it made 146 million at the box office) is a single character by the name of Larvell Jones, a funny, shy, yet remarkable cadet with a VERY UNIQUE TALENT. He can imitate ANY (and I mean any) noise he wants to. And I’m not talking about emulating voices or barking like a dog, I mean really copying noises and sounds of everything to such a degree that there is absolutely no difference with the original sound. He can practically do every sound in existence, and uses them in creative, funny ways throughout the course of the movie. He replicates farts, videogames, shaving machines, machine guns and even ROBOTS. Nothing escapes the throat and larynx of this very innovating, original character who is not only the comic relief of the picture but also the single, most important trait people remember this feature for.
Several questions rose upon me as I saw an analyzed the film. Where the noises real? Was the actor performing the noises or where they all computer made? I was certain no one could have the talent to emit such sounds (if you don’t believe check out the feature) with such precision, and this was probably a stunt by the filmmakers. As it turned out I was wrong.
How they came up with a character like this is beyond me. I am a screenwriter myself and I can tell you that no one could come up with a character like this out of thin air. This creature had to be based on someone real, someone whom the screenwriter or director encountered or knew and decided to put him in the script. There is no other way.
And as it turned out, I was right!
Police Academy was scheduled for Production in 1983 under a script Neal Israel. The film was going to be directed Hugh Wilson and produced by Paul Maslansky. It was going to be a comedy filled with funny events and funny storylines, but it lacked something… it lacked a comic essence that was eventually going render it 146 million dollars at the box office.
So on one fine California evening producer Maslansky and director Wilson decided to take some time off from the whole preproduction issue and decided to catch a stand up comedy performance at the long beach auditorium in Los Angeles… little did they know this show was going to change the way Police Academy was going to be developed.
As it turned out, the show’s opening performer was a man by the name of Michael Winslow, a man with a very unique talent. Throughout the show, Winslow demonstrated his abilities to imitate sounds and noises of real things in funny situations. He would fake a Tennis Match making the sound effects himself, pretend he would be at the supermarket and not only emulate the voices of the people in the market, but also of the cash register, the beeping machine and everything else in between. The show made such an impact on the filmmakers that they decided to hire him as an actor for their movie and write in a character like him (with the same abilities) into the script.
The result? Complete success. The character of Cadet Larvelle Jones (although not the main character) was responsible for much of the film’s comedy and, in a way, of much of the film’s early and perpetual success. Why? Undoubtedly because of the character’s original comedic skills and appearances throughout… especially the scene where he fakes being a terminator sort of robot or when he saves the entire platoon from an angry mob my simply emulating a machine gun through the speakerphone.
He is truly a remarkable character with an unprecedented past in the comedy genre. But what is even more remarkable is the fact that the character is actually acted by a man who can really emulate these sounds! Every noise he makes and fabricates is real!… the guns, the farts, the electric shavers, the helicopters… EVERYTHING!
And that my friends, is something everyone should see.
If you haven’t seen it check it out as soon as you can because what he does is nothing less than breathtaking.
I just don’t understand (no one does actually, no matter how many times he tries to explain it) how someone can manage to imitate so many noises of such variety at such an impressive exactness.
But what makes it even more remarkable is the way he implements the sounds. He doesn’t do it randomly (in the feature and in real life) but at moments when they can be used very effectively and with great comedic success and effect. He might start making a cash register noise when he walks into the bank, imitate a fart when someone is leaning down, pretend to be shaving himself with an electric machine while in the bathroom or play a fake videogame to make with roommate jealous… It is these situations combined with the preciseness of the noises, that makes his performance so funny and so brilliant.
As it turns out Michael Winslow is not only an imitator of noises, but a real performance artist who has made sounds ever since he emulated planes while stationed with his father at an air force base. He actually makes a living out of this! And he has become really good at it too. After Police Academy he worked in many other features, including the Gremlins Franchise, in which he voiced every gremlin, including the cute little fury one.
Michael Winslow is truly a man to admire. Not only does he hold an enormously unique talent I didn’t even know existed, but also works as a motivational speaker for people wishing to pursue their dreams and careers.
Hurray Mr. Winslow!
Please rent Police Academy or at least download the video from youtube.com to see what I’m talking about… that is all for now, I need to get back and proofread the 5th chapter of my novel, which hopefully will be out in the market soon.
I’ll see you in the future…
“I don’t want to be a product of my environment, I want my environment to be a product of me.”
Happy Hunting,
The WikiVampire
P.S.
I hope to have something more illuminating for the next blog…
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