A Brief Brush with Bruce Mahler

There were a couple of famous singers born on this day, but I find myself much more jazzed to write about this fellow Bruce Mahler (b. 1950) than about either of them. I also find that he rates attention that I haven’t yet afforded (if I ever will) composer Gustav Mahler, or the movie Bruce Almighty. But Bruce Mahler hits our Goldilocks spot. He’d have been great in vaudeville.

I’ve stopped being shocked that no one remembers anyone anymore, even figures from their own time. And Mahler’s moment in the sun was a while back, just about forty years ago. He was a core cast member on the ABC late night comedy sketch show Fridays (1979-82). He then went on to play Fackler in the Police Academy movies (1984-89), and had a recurring role as Rabbi Glickman on Seinfeld (1995-98), clearly a favor from his old Fridays cohort Larry David. We’ll return to his other credits but these are some that might move the needle for some people.

There were plenty of comedians in vaudeville, but that’s not what seals the deal here. We mention that magic work because early in his career Mahler was known for combining his comedy skills with the fact that he is also a trained concert pianist (it turns out he actually is related to Gustav) and he used to do ventriloquism routines with a roast chicken. He grew up in Long Island and considered becoming a doctor and a serious highbrow musician before settling on comedy. One of his first network tv credits was on Fernwood 2Nite, where he portrayed a guy who played Mozart while ensconced in an iron lung. That in of itself is funny as a one-off gag, but is even more impressive when you realize that he’d have been flat on his back — he played the piece from underneath the piano, hands backwards.

On Fridays, the sketch show that edged ahead of Saturday Night Live in the years when the latter show was ailing, Mahler’s contribution in sketches often consisted of ethnic portrayals, Spanish-speaking characters in double-talk, Middle Eastern terrorists, smooth talking radio DJs and such-like. He starred in his own bits and was a dependable utility man in the ensemble. They did a GREAT Marx Brothers tribute called “A Night in Tehran”, in which Mahler played Chico to John Roarke’sGroucho and Mark Blankfield’sHarpo. In the Three Stooges spoofs on the show he played Moe to Roark’s Curly and Larry David’sLarry. (They didn’t only send up old comedy teams on the show — I just thought Travalanche readers would find those sketches especially relevant!)

When Fridays wrapped, Mahler was one of the few cast members who seemed to have much of anything going on. Of the cast Larry David and Michael Richardswould eventually come out on top, but it took nearly a decade. Initially only Mark Blankfield had any kind of career as a movie comedy star, however briefly. (Sadly, I just noticed that he passed away earlier this year! Expect a post on him in the near future). For a minute Mahler seemed second only to Blankfield. Starting in 1984, he played the clumsy officer Fackler in the Police Academy movies, a role which afforded much room for slapstick. In his round wire-rimmed spectacles, he looked a little like Bud Cort.

That same year, Mahler had a funny though brief role as a coroner in Friday 13: The Final Chapter. Horror and horror comedy are a sort of sub-theme in Mahler’s career. His biggest screen roles was in the movie Funland (1987), penned by Bonnie and Terry Turner, who also created 3rd Rock from the Sun and That 70s Show. In the film David L. Lander plays a demented clown who takes over an amusement park. Mahler is third billed in the movie under Lander and William Windom. He also voiced various characters on the kids show Monster Farm (1998), had a small role in Scary Movie (2000), and was one of the production staff on Freddy vs. Jason (2003).

Unfortunately, the regular Police Academy gig did not provide a sufficient momentum to propel Mahler’s screen career upwards. In addition to the guest shots at Seinfeld (which I find oddly subdued and not very memorable) in the ’90s he’s mostly a bit player, though in some major films. You can catch a glimpse of him in Dick Tracy (1990), Hook (1991, as a pirate, a role he had specialized in on Fridays), Loaded Weapon 1 (1993), The Perfect Storm (2000), and aforementioned Scary Movie.

That was a quarter century ago! Mahler has obviously retired from acting. He apparently started his own production company, which I find many allusions to in bios but have not been able to locate anywhere on the internet. I have however found references to him raising pure-bred dogs, and a conversation he had with a local reporter about the difficulty of getting his children into posh private schools. If he is indeed one of the musical Mahlers its probable that family money keeps him comfortable. He looks a LOT like Gustav Mahler, though the great composer only had one child that survived, and that was a daughter. But Mahler had thirteen siblings. I’d guess that if Bruce is related, he’s a great-nephew.

For more about show biz historyconsult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, And please stay tuned for my upcomingElectric Vaudeville: A Century of Radio and TV Variety.