Looking Back at "Caddyshack"

Caddyshack was only a modest hit at the time of its original release, but it’s now considered a comedy classic. The R-rated movie about the hijinks at the fictional Bushwood Country Club has a ton of quotable dialogue, several funny set pieces and a terrific cast featuring Chevy Chase, Ted Knight and Rodney Dangerfield. Oh, and there’s that ongoing (and escalating) battle between Bill Murray’s volatile groundskeeper and an animatronic gopher. The film was part of a cycle of genre-redefining comedies that were released in the late 1970 and early 1980s, which also included National Lampoon’s Animal House, Meatballs, Airplane! and The Blues Brothers. The fascinating behind the scenes story of the film’s creation is chronicled in Chris Nashawaty’s marvelous book, Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story.

In the 1970s, things were changing in the world of comedy. The old guard, personified by long-time icons such as Bob Hope, was giving way to a new era, energized by the inventive work of up and coming comics like George Carlin and Richard Pryor. On television, Saturday Night Live and SCTV were breaking ground with their go for broke sketches and harder-edged content. On the big screen, a little movie called National Lampoon’s Animal House had scored big at the box office by appealing to a younger audience with its lowbrow humor and goofy but lovable ensemble, featuring John Belushi, Tim Matheson and Peter Reigert. One of the writers of that film, Douglas Kenney, had co-founded the original National Lampoon magazine, and was looking to work on other big-screen projects.

Along with Harold Ramis and Brian Doyle-Murray, Kenney wrote the screenplay for Caddyshack, which was largely based on the experiences of Doyle-Murray and his brothers working as caddies in their younger days, with additional input from Ramis and Kenney. Originally the story was about the misadventures of the caddies, but as time wore on the focus shifted to the characters that were eventually played by Ted Knight, Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield. In the original script, the Bill Murray character didn’t even exist; he was added later as the writers expanded the plot, adding more over the top humor and a “snobs vs. slobs” vibe to the story. Nashawaty deftly covers the full span of the film’s journey from its inception to the chaotic production of the movie, a drug-fueled party that was apparently as wild and anarchic as the antics depicted onscreen.

Another intriguing aspect of the book is the look at the interactions of the movie’s stars and production crew. Chase, Dangerfield and Murray were improvisational in nature, a trait which rankled the by the book Knight, who was also less than thrilled at the party atmosphere on (and off) set. Nashawaty also offers incisive mini-biographies of Chase, Murray and Dangerfield, all of whom had a lot riding on the film, for different reasons. He exhaustively covers the post-production phase of the movie, detailing how the initial four-hour cut was re-shaped in the editing room by first-time director Ramis and several collaborators, resulting in the memorable comedy that has gone on to a long life via cable showings and home video releases. There are revealing interviews with the cast and crew, offering frank and honest recollections of the film’s production. They provide some great stories regarding a wild and wooly time in Hollywood that doesn't exist anymore.

Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the book is the story of the rise and fall of Douglas Kenney, a brilliant, haunted individual who desperately wanted to succeed as a writer and filmmaker, but was eventually consumed by his own demons. Nashawaty gives the reader an insightful look at Kenney, seen through the prism of his time at the National Lampoon, and his brief tenure in Hollywood, working on Animal House and Caddyshack. Kenney's story is entwined with a perceptive study of how the world of comedy changed in the 1970s and 80s, culminating in a spate of films like Caddyshack. This skillfully written book is a thorough, comprehensive look at how a film is created, from the early versions of a story, right on through to its final release in theaters. Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story is an enjoyable and illuminating read.