Thursday, July 19, 2012

Discuss: Caddyshack




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16 comments:

humanbelly said...

Oh golly, this is tough to admit.

I've never seen Caddyshack. (LOVE the Kenny Loggins song, though!) I do think my tastes tend to run counter to a bit of our Bronze Age ouvre now & then. Never saw Spaceballs, either. DID see the first Porky's film (MUCH of which has stayed with me over the decades, somehow. . . ).

Sheesh-- I was definitely not the coolest cat in our rural little corner of Michigan. . .

HB

July 19, 2012 at 7:52 AM
david_b said...

As I mentioned last week about ‘Animal House’, I typically get more entertainment value out of the behind-the-scenes type documentaries of movie production. On the anniversary DVD, Harold Ramis goes into the first day of filming Rodney Dangerfield. Apparently, they were all set up for this group scene with all the stars, and when it came for Rodney to say his lines, there was silence. Ramis, behind the camera stared at Rodney. Rodney finally said.., ‘What, do you want me to do my bit..??’. Ramis just smiled and said, ‘..Yes…, I’d like you to do your bit’..

Of course, rivalries on the set between Knight and Chase were pretty well-known. Neither party liked each other, a clear loathing of ‘old talent’ and fresh blood; throw in a heaping helping of Dangerfield, the old striper/night club mentality, you would have LOVED to have been a fly on that wall…! Reported, 'old school' Knight hated the predominate improv aspect, which with Murray, Chase and Ramis pretty much ruled the preceedings.

Of course.., adding the ‘cinderella story' Bill Murray, fresh off ‘Where the Buffalo Roam’ movie about Hunter S. Thompson, it’s a shame more unintentional humor didn’t make it to the final product. The young love subplot really drags the movie down a bit.. but all in all it’s a delight to watch.

July 19, 2012 at 8:18 AM
William Preston said...

I was probably the wrong age. Whereas I loved Animal House, which was my first R-rated movie, seen with a buddy when I was 16, I hated Caddyshack, seen with a bunch of folks my freshman year in college. However, I'm only comparing the two because David mentions Animal House. They're such different films. The first has a stronger script, more assured direction, and uses Belushi in smart ways. Caddyshack is, to me, a mess, very jokey (and with jokes that aren't funny), contains no one likable, and functions in this bifurcated way, with the Murray stuff existing in its own universe. Ugh.

July 19, 2012 at 8:27 AM
Edo Bosnar said...

As in the case of Animal House, there is quite a bit (well, a lot actually) of juvenile humor here, but on the whole, I still like this one - although admittedly, by far my favorite parts are the scenes featuring Murray and that muppet gopher (I love it when he dances).
Those behind-the-scenes stories you recount are interesting, david_b; I guess that means poor Ted Knight was just as uptight during the shoot as his character in the movie was...

July 19, 2012 at 8:59 AM
Unknown said...

Yeah, Caddyshack is sure no Animal House. I was embarrassed at myself for laughing when I saw it in the theaters when it came out. But after decades of catching bits on late-night channel surfing, I've come to the conclusion that the funny parts really work.

Murray and Chase were both at their peak, and seem to steal every scen they're in with effortless ease. Even the gopher never had a chance against Murray. The rivalry between Knight and Dangerfield is good for some laughs too. But all the teenagers are useless. They're about as entertaining as all the straights in the Marx Brothers movies.

Unfortunately, there's a sequel. Haven't seen Caddyshack 2? Trust me, keep it that way.

James Chatterton

July 19, 2012 at 9:49 AM
Anonymous said...

I had a colleague whose favourite thing to do in the office was this: when you had an important meeting or interview he would position himself behind the glass such that only you could see him and then do the gopher dance. He loved Caddyshack. When I saw it I was expecting great things, but as you say, it’s just OK with some good bits and some good lines:

Last time I saw a mouth like that, it had a hook in it.

Hey baby, you must've been something before electricity.

This steak still has marks from where the jockey was hitting it

I've sentenced boys younger than you to the gas chamber. Didn't want to do it. I felt I owed it to them.

And just the name Lacey Underall. That alone gets one star.

Richard

July 19, 2012 at 10:41 AM
J.A. Morris said...

I liked it when I was an adolescent, but I don't think it holds up very well. I bought a copy when I first got a dvd player and ended up selling it after I watched it once.

Things that still work:
Dangerfield(basically just doing bits from his 70s/80s stand-up act).
Murray.
The Gopher.
Knight's line about "the world needs ditch diggers".

Not a fan of much else these days.

July 19, 2012 at 10:57 AM
Unknown said...

Thanks for posting those lines, Richard. I made the mistake of reading your reply at the office. Ever laugh aloud while looking at your computer screen in a crowded room?

Here's my favorite: "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

James Chatterton

July 19, 2012 at 11:42 AM
Doug said...

Ah, finally! The one-liners that we all recall, 30 years later! I was a bit disappointed in the Animal House post last week that some of the truly great one-liners/scenes never got brought up, only overall impressions of the film. So, to trip back 7 days very quickly a few come to mind:

"Grab a beer. Don't cost nothin'."

"Do you mind if we dance wit yo dates?"

"We should be... Leaving!!"

"Don't think of it as work..."

Richard and James -- many thanks for the memorable Caddyshack lines.

Smiling,

Doug

July 19, 2012 at 11:55 AM
Chuck Wells said...

I would discuss "Caddyshack", but it's such a Cinderella story. I don't know what to add! I mean the whole film comes outta nowhere. Watching it again and again it looks like a mirac... It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!

July 19, 2012 at 11:56 AM
Unknown said...

Okay Doug,

Bluto: What? Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!

James Chatterton

July 19, 2012 at 12:10 PM
Anonymous said...

Yeah Caddyshack was one of those films which was so quirky and bad that it had to become a cult classic. To me the breakout star was of course Bill Murray. His ongoing hunt for that pesky gopher still sticks in my memory after all these years.

The one scene which always cracks me up is the infamous 'Baby Ruth candy bar in pool' scene. The sight of Bill Murray's character chomping on it to the horror of the elderly pool supervisor is a classic.

Never knew about the tensions between Ted Knight (God rest his soul) and Chase. Rodney Dangerfield was great also. One gets the feeling he was ad-libbing all the way through this film !

As for Caddyshack 2, like most films of this nature, they tried to catch lightning in a bottle the second time around but it just didn't work.

- Mike from Trinidad & Tobago.

July 19, 2012 at 12:31 PM
Anonymous said...

I love it! I work with a bunch of 20-something kids and I'm always quoting CaddyShack---and they don't know WTF I'm talking about.
Bill Murray's brother Brian has a lot of classic lines, too, esp. during the fight scene.

I always have thought that MAKING those great old flicks with the big-time casts much have been such a wild party---Caddyshack, Animal House, The Cannonball Run Movies,---how much drugs do you think were consumed during the filming of those gems??? Nice topic.

Oh, and Chevy's "I was born to love you" song--one of the greatest ad-lib scenes in history, IMO.
I recently saw him on "Community" and he really sucked. He should have hung it up after Vegas Vacation.

starfoxxx

July 19, 2012 at 2:13 PM
ric doe said...

Not an expert on these sort of things, but i remember sitting in the theater, watching these SNL idols larger than life, after loving them in box formation. It was breathtaking & awe inspiring! the level of cool and arrogance Chevy Chase captured in this film was magnificent, daunting and i tried to channel his vibe (not material; well. maybe mimicking his elaborate falls a few times!) of effortless charm for many years to come. he did not have it long, i think it only resurfaced in one other film; Neil Simon's "Seems Like Old Times" w/ Goldie Hawn. Steve Martin was rising to cult status at this same snippit in history, but the naturalistic, improv of Bill Murray climbing deep into a character easily replaced him on the throne for me. Murray was my Entertainer, Chase was my Role Model. Him and SHAFT!

July 20, 2012 at 2:21 AM
Rip Jagger said...

I used to loathe Chevy Chase, who I thought was exceedingly unfunny most of the time. So I didn't really appreciate Caddyshack at the time. But I must admit the years have been most kind to this movie and I find the material entertaining. Murray is nearly always funny and guys like Ted Knight really shine. This is a movie with a lot of grand character actors and that's usually a flick which will hold up. This one does.

Rip Off

July 20, 2012 at 3:31 AM
Redartz said...

Still like this film; a lot. Chevy Chase "hitting through" Murray's living room. The stormy scene on the putting green. Almost any scene with Rodney. Caddyshack was and is fun, and as Rip says, had a great cast of actors.

July 20, 2012 at 8:22 PM

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