Caddyshack Celebrates 30 Years as the Best Golf Movie Ever

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… and also the most hated by golfers! I remember when it came out my Uncle who was an avid golfer saw it right away, as did my cousin who was visiting with family from Georgia. Two very different opinions, one from a middle-aged golfer who thought it was stupid and one from a guy a couple years older than my brother and I who thought it was hilarious. Pretty soon we saw it (remember back in those days you didn’t need to rush to the theater on opening weekend!) … and it has remained one of my all-time favorite movies through the years!

For the 30th Anniversary Caddyshack has been released on Blue-Ray, which you can grab at Amazon as well as just about anywhere else.

For many years the main options for seeing Caddyshack were to pay too much to buy it on VHS or DVD (remember, $10 DVD’s are a recent thing!) or watch it on TV. A few years back my family bought me the DVD, and while you realize that certain things were cut for TV and cable viewing, it was stunning just HOW MUCH was hacked – to the point that I really doubt that the movie could even be made today!

Lines such as Chevy Chase asking ‘do you do drugs Danny?’ with the reply ‘every day’, uttered by a teenage high school student were definitely pulled from the movie, and wouldn’t go over well today. Same is true for many of the sexual overtones (such as Rodney Dangerfield saying ‘hey everyone, we’re gonna get laid!’) as well as cultural and racial stereotypes (the boat scene, and Dangerfield’s friend in the pro shop) and many other drug references.

Apparently the reviews weren’t all that great at the time. I really didn’t care much about reviews back in those days … and really think that way too much emphasis is placed on assigning value to product based on some ‘meta-score’. All I knew was that the movie was smart and stupid and crass and inappropriate … and entirely funny all the way through. Over time Caddyshack has come to be viewed as one of the great all-time comedies.

One of the most famous scenes ‘Cinderella Story’, was wholly improvised by Bill Murray:

Of course, like Animal House, Caddyshack was low-budget. In spite of having film stars Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, TV icon Ted Knight and popular stand-up comedian Rodney Dangerfield, it only cost $6 million to make.

Recently there have been plenty of ‘where are they now’ shows, a couple of years ago looking at Animal House for the 30th Anniversary, last year for the 25th anniversary of Ghost Busters, and now for Caddyshack.

Interesting cast factoid: the girl who plays Danny Noonan’s girlfriend Maggie, Sarah Holcomb, acted in only four movies starting as the 13-year old daughter of the mayor from Animal House and ending up with Caddyshack. Apparently she was schizophrenic and the wild crowd scene on the sets of the movies filled with drugs and alcohol really put her in a bad place. She ended up leaving Hollywood and has struggled with mental health issues since.

Sadly, both Ted Knight and Rodney Dangerfield have since passed on. Knight was at the top of his game, finding another great role in Too Close for Comfort. Dangerfield had become a living comedic legend.

Much of the cast remains active, with Chevy Chase doing better than he has in years with a decent hit show Community. Bill Murray has had major roles in both comedy and drama, earning him an Oscar nomination in 2004. Michael O’Keefe has been active through the years, landing a long stint on Roseanne, and appearing on everything from West Wing to Numb3rs to Brothers & Sisters in some capacity. And I recently mentioned Cindy Morgan (aka Lacy Underall) as the voice actor for Ma3a in the video game Tron 2.0.

And … as the NY Daily News article said: “Caddyshack didn’t win any Oscars. But who’s quoting from Ordinary People these days?”

So what are your Caddyshack memories? Were you around – and old enough – to see it when it came out? Have you watched it through the years? How do you like it – how do you think it has aged? Let us know in the comments!

Source: NY Daily News

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About the Author

Michael Anderson
I have loved technology for as long as I can remember - and have been a computer gamer since the PDP-10! Mobile Technology has played a major role in my life - I have used an electronic companion since the HP95LX more than 20 years ago, and have been a 'Laptop First' person since my Compaq LTE Lite 3/20 and Powerbook 170 back in 1991! As an avid gamer and gadget-junkie I was constantly asked for my opinions on new technology, which led to writing small blurbs ... and eventually becoming a reviewer many years ago. My family is my biggest priority in life, and they alternate between loving and tolerating my gaming and gadget hobbies ... but ultimately benefits from the addition of technology to our lives!

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