00:00In this video, I'll share some past and future Easter eggs to the American children's fantasy franchise, The Wizard of
00:08Oz.
00:08You can see this in 1989 crime comedy film, Police Academy 6, City Under Seed.
00:16This series of movies had a large cast, including Bubba Smith, Michael Winslow, David Graff, Leslie Easterbrook, G.W. Bailey,
00:26and George Gaines.
00:27So in this story, the police are investigating a series of robberies.
00:32Commandant Eric Lessard is brought in with a special team to go after the gang.
00:39Alright, so to a reference, you can see this at about 19 minutes in.
00:43The gang is back at their safe house, counting some money from a recent job.
00:49Garrett Graham plays one of the thieves, Ace.
00:52And here the viewer becomes aware of the mastermind who runs the gang.
00:58He's a shadowy, mysterious figure whose identity is unknown to the thugs.
01:04He appears as a silhouette behind a translucent screen.
01:08The idea of the man behind the curtain.
01:12Spoiler alert.
01:13You'll see the same kind of imagery in the original Wizard of Oz, a musical, in 1939.
01:20This starred Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Burt Lahr, Jack Haley, and Margaret Hamilton.
01:27A little girl, Dorothy, lives on a farm with her aunt and uncle and dog, Toto.
01:34When a tornado strikes, she's transported to the magical world of Oz.
01:41Dorothy lands in a village of small people, the Munchkins.
01:46There are good witches, including Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West, who has a gang of flying monkeys.
01:54She embarks on a journey to the Emerald City following the Yellow Brick Road.
02:00And on the way, encounters the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion who accompany her on her journey.
02:08So when they finally meet the wizard, it first appears supernatural, like a powerful spirit.
02:15And then it's revealed he's simply a man operating the spectacle from a hidden closet.
02:22Now it turns out there are some big links in the Police Academy series to various adaptations of The Wizard
02:33of Oz.
02:33First to the future, actor Tim Kazerinsky played business owner Carl Sweetchuck in Police Academy 2, their first assignment in
02:431985.
02:44He joins the Academy in the next film, Police Academy 3, back in training in 86.
02:51His business is being harassed by a gang led by Zedd.
02:56Yeah, it turns out that Zedd, Bobcat Gothwood, is also in the same Academy class.
03:02Tim Kazerinsky was in the first national tour of Wizard of Oz-based theatrical musical, Wicked, where he played the
03:12wizard in 2014.
03:14Featured music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, winning three Tony Awards.
03:19Wicked later became a film series.
03:22Part 1 debuted in 2024, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
03:28This was considered a success, earning ten Academy Award nominations.
03:34Sequel Wicked for Good, released in November of 2025.
03:39Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum joined the cast.
03:43Others involved with Police Academy films had did some work on Oz adaptations, including Paul Maslansky.
03:50He produced the original film in 1984, Steve Guttenberg and Kim Cattrall starred in this.
03:59He later produced an unofficial sequel, 1985 Dark Fantasy Return to Oz, starring Faruza Balk, Nicole Williamson, Gene Marsh, and
04:10Piper Laurie.
04:12Actor Ted Ross played Police Captain Reed.
04:15He played the lion in the stage theatrical production of The Wiz, which was a retelling of L. Frank Baum's
04:251900 novel.
04:27This cast included Stephanie Mills, Stu Gilliam, and Butterfly McQueen.
04:33He won a Tony Award for his performance in 1975.
04:36He was also later in the 1978 film adaptation, directed by Sidney Lumet, with a screenplay by Joel Schumacher.
04:45In the cast, you'll find Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Lena Horne, and Richard Pryor.
