Mad Magazine Presents Up the Academy (often shortened to Up the Academy) is a 1980 American comedy film directed by Robert Downey Sr. and starring Wendell Brown, Tommy Citera, Ron Leibman, Harry Teinowitz, Hutch Parker, Ralph Macchio, Tom Poston, King Coleman, and Barbara Bach.

Four troublemaking young men are assigned to Weinberg Military Academy as punishment for their antics: the heir to an organized crime family, Chooch; a faith healer’s son, Ike; the son of an Arab sheik, Hash; and Oliver, whose governor father is up for re-election.

Short time after they are joined by a new roommate, Rodney, who was expelled from other schools because of his pyromaniac tendencies.

When Oliver’s girlfriend from back home, Candy, ends up enrolled at a nearby girls military school, the recruits plot to sneak out.

They succeed, but when they return they find that Liceman knows about everything and even has compromising pictures of Oliver and Candy, which he threatens to use to damage the Governor’s re-election bid.

[laughter][3]It was directed by Robert Downey Sr., and starred Wendell Brown, Tommy Citera, Harry Teinowitz, Hutch Parker (younger brother of Parker Stevenson), Tom Poston, Barbara Bach, Stacey Nelkin, Ralph Macchio (his screen debut) and King Coleman.

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 actor Ron Leibman (who, despite his sizable role, had his name completely removed from the credits and promotional material).

[citation needed] After Gaines' death in 1992, all references to the magazine were reinstated on cable television.