FILM 1979: CADDYSHACK

FILM 1979: CADDYSHACK

TRIVIA: Carl Spackler was originally a silent character in the script, in the manner of Harpo Marx, but after Bill Murray was cast, Harold Ramis encouraged Murray to speak and improvise.

A big hill was built from scratch for the climactic 18th-hole scene, because the country club did not want its course blown up. The pyrotechnic people used too many explosives, which completely destroyed the hill and caused planes flying by to report the explosion, as if a plane had crashed there.

The movie was inspired by writer and co-star Brian Doyle-Murray's memories working as a caddy at a golf club. His brother Bill Murray and Harold Ramis also worked as caddies when they were teenagers.

The rowdy, improvisational atmosphere during the shoot created by Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield, didn't sit well with all the members of the cast. Ted Knight, widely regarded as a very nice man, got fed up with the constant shenanigans. Initially, Murray's, Chase's and Dangerfield's roles were to be cameo appearances, but their deft improvising caused their roles to be expanded, much to the chagrin of Scott Colomby and some of the other cast members, whose roles were reduced as a result.

Bill Murray filmed all of his scenes, including the famous scene with Chevy Chase, in six days. Many people expected them to have another confrontation as they had had during Chase's return to Saturday Night Live (1975) years before. They were professional and didn't show any signs of their alleged previous feud.

The famous scene that begins when Ty Webb's golf ball crashes into Carl Spackler's ramshackle house was not in the original script. It was added by director Harold Ramisafter realizing that two of his biggest stars, Chevy Chase and Bill Murray (who did not get along due to a feud dating back to their days on Saturday Night Live (1975)), did not have a scene together. The three met for lunch and wrote the scene together. Although it has nothing to do with the plot, it is widely regarded as the funniest scene in the movie. This is the only time that Chase and Murray have appeared in the same scene together.

Cindy Morgan did not want to appear topless in the movie. In an interview with TV Store Online she claims that while Harold Ramis was amenable to changing the scene, producer Jon Peters asked to talk to her while Ramis had her on the phone. When the call ended, Peters informed Ramis that Morgan would do the topless scene - because he told her she would never work again in Hollywood if she didn't.

Cindy Morgan took swimming lessons before filming. For the pool scene she couldn't wear her contact lenses and had to be assisted on to the diving board, since she was legally blind without them.

The gopher sequences were written and filmed after most of the movie was shot. Originally, Harold Ramis wanted to cast a live animal to play the gopher. When that did not work out, the animatronic gopher and its tunnels were built by John Dykstra.

Premiere voted this movie as one of "The 50 Greatest Comedies Of All Time" in 2006.

Mickey Rourke Was initially considered for the role of Danny Noonan, but was turned down by the producers because he "wasn't funny enough".