59 Fun Facts About Caddyshack

Caddyshack was released in which year?

Caddyshack opened on July 25, 1980, produced by Orion Pictures and released through Warner Bros.

Caddyshack was the directorial debut of its co-writer, who went on to direct which 1993 comedy?

The director, who also played Egon in Ghostbusters, made Groundhog Day in 1993, with Bill Murray as the weatherman reliving February 2.

What is the name of the exclusive country club where Caddyshack is set?

Bushwood Country Club is the stuffy club where the film's caddies, members and gopher collide; its grounds were shot at Rolling Hills Golf Club in Davie, Florida.

Which teenage caddie is the film's protagonist, chasing the club's caddie scholarship?

Danny Noonan, played by Michael O'Keefe, is the caddie torn between the scholarship-granting Judge and the loose-living Ty Webb.

Who plays Ty Webb, the easygoing playboy golfer?

Chevy Chase plays Ty Webb, the zen-spouting club golfer who tells the young caddie to 'be the ball' and sinks putts blindfolded.

Rodney Dangerfield plays which loud nouveau-riche property developer?

Rodney Dangerfield plays Al Czervik, the loudmouthed developer whose golf bag blares music and who needles the Judge at every turn; it was his breakout film role after years of stand-up.

Which Mary Tyler Moore Show actor plays pompous club co-founder Judge Elihu Smails?

Ted Knight, Ted Baxter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, plays Judge Smails; he went on to star as Henry Rush in Too Close for Comfort and died in 1986.

What is the name of Bill Murray's gopher-obsessed greenskeeper?

Carl Spackler is Bill Murray's mumbling assistant greenskeeper, who wages war on the gopher and narrates an imaginary tournament triumph while lopping the heads off flowers.

What does the greenskeeper plant around the course in his final attempt to kill the gopher?

The greenskeeper packs plastic explosives molded into little animals into the gopher's tunnels, blowing up much of the course while the gopher survives unharmed.

How many days was Bill Murray on the Caddyshack set?

Bill Murray was on set for just six days; he was never meant to have a major part and improvised most of his lines in that window.

In Bill Murray's improvised Caddyshack monologue, he fantasises about winning which tournament?

Murray's greenskeeper imagines himself as a former greenskeeper 'about to become the Masters champion' as he sinks the winning putt at Augusta; the director's only instruction was to act like a child.

The bit where Ty Webb's ball crashes into the greenskeeper's shack was added late for what reason?

There were worries about the two ex-SNL stars' rivalry, but they stayed friendly and professional throughout.

Whose memories of caddying at Indian Hill Club in Winnetka, Illinois inspired the film?

Brian Doyle-Murray co-wrote the script from his years as a caddie at Indian Hill Club in Winnetka; his brothers Bill and John carried bags there too.

The moment when a drive hits Judge Smails in the groin was based on something that happened to whom?

Ramis said it happened on the second of the only two rounds of golf he had ever played, on a nine-hole public course.

Why did Ramis pick Rolling Hills Golf Club in Davie, Florida for the golf scenes?

Ramis chose Rolling Hills because it had no palm trees and could pass for a Midwestern club like the Illinois course that inspired the film; it was later renamed Grande Oaks Golf Club.

An incoming pilot at which airport reported the film's climactic explosions, thinking a plane had crashed?

The blast was staged for real on the course, and a pilot on approach to Fort Lauderdale's airport radioed that a plane had gone down.

The Fourth of July dinner-dance scene was filmed at a resort in which Florida city?

The Fourth of July dance was shot at the Boca Raton Hotel and Club, the 1926 Addison Mizner resort, with the young caddie and his girlfriend working the banquet as waitstaff.

Which storm delayed Caddyshack's eleven-week autumn 1979 shoot?

Hurricane David, which struck Florida's east coast in early September 1979, interrupted the eleven-week shoot in South Florida.

Kenny Loggins' theme song for Caddyshack, released three weeks before the film, was called what?

'I'm Alright' was Kenny Loggins' theme for the film; it climbed to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the gopher dances to it over the closing credits.

How many songs on the ten-track Caddyshack soundtrack were performed by Kenny Loggins?

Kenny Loggins performed four of the ten tracks, including 'Make the Move', 'Mr. Night' and 'Lead the Way' alongside his theme song.

Roughly how much did Caddyshack gross worldwide?

Caddyshack took about $60 million worldwide, a strong return on a $6 million budget, with just under $40 million of that in North America.

How did critics receive Caddyshack on release?

Reviews were mixed on release: critics praised Dangerfield and Murray but found the plot shapeless, and the film grew into a cult favorite through cable and home video.

Which sports network described Caddyshack as 'perhaps the funniest sports movie ever made'?

ESPN called Caddyshack 'perhaps the funniest sports movie ever made', a verdict that helped cement its cult standing among golfers.

Who plays Lacey Underall, Judge Smails' oversexed niece?

Cindy Morgan made her film debut as Lacey Underall and went on to play Lora and Yori in Tron in 1982.

Why was Lacey Underall's dive into the pool performed by a professional diver?

The crew had to guide her up the ladder to the board before the diver took over.

In Caddyshack's improvised rub-down scene, Lacey's genuine 'You're crazy!' came because Ty Webb did what?

Chase improvised the whole rub-down and suddenly doused Lacey's back with massage oil; the actress's startled 'You're crazy!' was her real reaction and stayed in the film.

What is the name of the caddie hero's girlfriend, the Irish waitress at the club?

Maggie O'Hooligan, played by Sarah Holcomb with a thick Irish brogue, is the club waitress who fears she is pregnant before it proves a false alarm.

Who is Judge Smails' regular golf partner in the climactic match?

Dr. Beeper, the pager-carrying physician played by Dan Resin, partners the Judge against Dangerfield's developer and Ty Webb in the final match.

How much is the final match worth after Dangerfield's character doubles the wager?

With the match level on the last hole, Dangerfield's developer calls double or nothing, putting $80,000 on the final putt.

How does Danny's final putt, balanced on the lip of the hole, finally drop?

Carl slips away when he sees the wreckage; the gopher emerges unharmed and dances.

Michael O'Keefe, who plays the caddie hero, earned a supporting-actor Oscar nomination for which 1979 film?

O'Keefe was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for The Great Santini, as Robert Duvall's bullied son Ben Meechum, at the ceremony held in March 1981.

Bill Murray's older brother, who co-wrote the film, plays which character?

He is Bill Murray's older brother, and their brother John was a production assistant and caddy extra.

Co-writer Douglas Kenney, who co-founded National Lampoon, died weeks after the film's release; how?

He had become deeply depressed by the reviews; Ramis joked the film was 'a six-million-dollar scholarship to film school'.

Douglas Kenney had earlier co-written which 1978 hit comedy with the future Caddyshack director?

National Lampoon's Animal House, written by Kenney, Chris Miller and the future Caddyshack director, opened in 1978 and became the highest-grossing comedy to that date.

Which effects company built Caddyshack's gopher puppet and staged its lightning strike?

Apogee, the company John Dykstra founded after supervising the effects on Star Wars, supplied the gopher puppet, the lightning and the flying golf balls, giving the puppet hydraulic ear movements.

Judge Smails invites the caddie hero to christen his boat at a nearby club called what?

The christening of the Judge's new sloop is held at Rolling Lakes Yacht Club, where the anchor from Dangerfield's developer's careening boat drops through its hull.

The Haverkamps, the doddering old couple who can barely hit the ball, were based on whom?

The Haverkamps were named for real Indian Hill Club members the writers had caddied for as teenagers.

Which world figure, name-checked in Caddyshack's caddying story, did Bret Baier ask in 2016 if he had seen the film?

The Dalai Lama, whom Murray's greenskeeper claims to have caddied for in the Himalayas ('gunga galunga'), told Bret Baier he had never seen the film and had never played golf.

Which candy bar, mistaken for something worse, clears the club pool on Caddy Day?

A Baby Ruth tossed into the pool is mistaken for feces; the pool is cleared and Murray's greenskeeper, sent to clean it, picks up the bar and takes a bite.

Caddyshack II arrived in which year?

Caddyshack II reached theaters in July 1988 and was panned, grossing a fraction of the original's take.

Which Borscht Belt comedian replaced Rodney Dangerfield as the lead of Caddyshack II?

Jackie Mason plays Jack Hartounian, the brash developer written to fill the hole Dangerfield left when he walked away from the sequel.

Who directed Caddyshack II?

Allan Arkush, director of Rock 'n' Roll High School, took the job; the original's director co-wrote the sequel but declined to direct it.

Chris Nashawaty's 2018 book on the film is subtitled 'The Making of a Hollywood ___ Story'. Which word?

It was published by Flatiron Books in April 2018.

Where did Bill Murray and his brothers open a Caddyshack-themed restaurant in 2001?

Murray Bros. Caddyshack opened in 2001 at World Golf Village, Florida, near St. Augustine and next to the World Golf Hall of Fame, with decor styled on the film's club.

Rodney Dangerfield's stage name replaced which birth name?

Born Jacob Cohen in 1921, he first performed as Jack Roy before adopting Rodney Dangerfield, the name that got no respect.

Bill Murray worked as a caddy in his teens to pay for what?

Murray caddied at Indian Hill to pay his tuition at Loyola Academy, the Jesuit high school in Wilmette, Illinois.

How much was the original wager on the climactic golf match before it was doubled?

The match begins as a $20,000 bet between the Judge and Dangerfield's developer, a sum that gets raised twice before the final putt.

How does Al Czervik try to get the big match declared a draw?

Instead his team must find a substitute or forfeit, so Ty Webb picks a reluctant Danny.

Which cast member reprised their role in Caddyshack II?

Only Chevy Chase came back, as Ty Webb, in what amounted to an extended cameo; Murray and Dangerfield both stayed away, and the sequel flopped.

In how many theatres did Caddyshack open on its first weekend?

Caddyshack opened in 656 theatres, grossing about $3.1 million on its first weekend on the way to roughly $39.8 million in North America.

What is the name of Judge Smails' sloop, christened in the yacht club scene?

Smails christens his sloop The Flying Wasp at the yacht club, moments before Dangerfield's developer's runaway motor yacht wrecks it.

Where does Caddyshack rank on AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs list?

AFI placed Caddyshack 71st on its 2000 list of the 100 funniest American films, a list topped by Some Like It Hot.

On which TV show was Bill Murray working while being repeatedly recalled to shoot extra Caddyshack scenes?

Murray was a Saturday Night Live cast member in 1979 and flew down between shows as his part, never meant to be large, kept growing.

Which golfer battled a gopher, Caddyshack-style, in an American Express commercial?

Tiger Woods spent an American Express ad chasing a gopher around a course in homage to the film; a 2023 Michelob Ultra Super Bowl spot also recreated its scenes.

Which Miami restaurant stood in for the yacht club in the boat-christening scene?

The Rusty Pelican on Key Biscayne, with its marina views over Biscayne Bay, doubled as the yacht club; the club's entrance gates were shot at Bel Air's West Gate in Los Angeles.

Which supporting actor described cocaine as 'the fuel that kept the film running'?

The production became infamous for the amount of drug use on set.

How many stars out of four did Roger Ebert give Caddyshack, praising Dangerfield as the standout?

Ebert gave Caddyshack two and a half stars, writing that the film never settled on a tone and that Dangerfield's scenes were its funniest.

How did Harold Ramis, in 2009, say he felt about watching Caddyshack?

He said all he saw were compromises, such as everyone's poor golf swings apart from Michael O'Keefe's.

Which veteran actor plays Bishop Pickering, struck by lightning mid-round?

Henry Wilcoxon, once Cecil B. DeMille's leading man in Cleopatra and The Crusades, plays the Bishop whose round of a lifetime ends with a missed putt, a curse and a lightning bolt.