Caddyshack · Movies · RewatchVault

Most Rewatchable Scene

Smales kid's nose-picking bet; Ty and Carl together at Carl's place

In the discussion (20)

Approx. transcript time · 00:24:56Read transcript

The category is hard because the movie is made of so many mini scenes.
Ty golfing with Danny ("You take drugs, Danny?" "Every day." "Good."), the kuder preference test and "Be the ball" are lights out; seeing Chevy Chase on a golf course in 1980 after his SNL run was a treat, and Danny caddying for Ty could run for an hour.
Some scenes, such as the Dalai Lama story, were held for What's Aged the Best, which causes confusion over what to spoil.
At the country club dinner Judge Smales's outfit is compared to a train-set locomotive, a Lego figure and a comic-book yacht captain.
Dangerfield's character rips off insults within about a minute: the steak with jockey marks, somebody stepped on a duck, and "now I know why tigers eat their young."
Ty meeting Lacey shows good chemistry; Spalding drinking half-finished cocktails recalls real teenagers who did that, followed by talk of accidentally drinking something with a cigarette butt in it and Spalding vomiting in the car.
The Baby Ruth pool scene is an all-timer that brought the house down in the theater, with nitpicks saved for later.
Ty and Lacey's date is five minutes of Fletch-style riffing: no listing for Mr. Wonderful, the Vietnam exchange, the uncle who molests collies, the coked-out "born to love you" song and the massage oil; the only nitpick is where the cocaine was.
Chevy crafted a new comic persona, the highest-level asshole you like, with no character interacting in a human way.
The Cinderella story is bunched with the bishop asking Carl to carry his bag and insisting on playing through the storm in the best game of his life.
The Cinderella speech is said to have been invented on the spot after Ramis pitched the rhythm of announcers at the end of a basketball game and told him to act like a six-year-old.
The bishop is Henry Wilcoxon, described as an iconic actor of the 1930s and 40s, a Cecil B. DeMille regular in Mrs. Miniver and The Greatest Show on Earth, in the high-level character-actor zone.
His last line was thought to be "rat farts" as lightning strikes, but he appears once more, drunk at the bar declaring there is no God; Carl walking away and dropping the bag is underrated.
Ty running into Carl ("cannonball") includes the Briar address exchange and "we have a pool and a pond; pond be good for you."
The final pick is the Smales kid picking his nose while the guys bet on it, which has made the speaker laugh from age 10 to 50, especially the double-or-nothing and "he was hungry."
The movie has every type of humor; the attendant who cleans shoes and gets mad at Ted Knight runs the action on the nose-picking bet.
Dangerfield's arrival with Wang is offered too: the hat on the mannequin that Smales is wearing, "worst-looking hat I ever saw", and "Wang, it's a parking lot."
None of the picks involve Danny, Denunzio or Maggie, even though theoretically that is the movie.
After wavering between the nose-picking and Ty running into Carl, the second pick is Carl and Ty together in Carl's place, likened to seeing LeBron and Steph teamed up in an all-star game.
Murray and Chase are said to have had animosity after a famous backstage fight before Chase hosted SNL, possibly why they initially had no scenes together.

What’s Aged the Best?

"Don't you have homes?"; "The world needs ditch diggers too"; boat christening speech; gas-chamber line; "How about a Fresco"; Billy Baru; "Well, we're waiting"

In the discussion (9)

Approx. transcript time · 00:37:01Read transcript

A special category is introduced for Ted Knight, going chronologically; the disdain of "don't you have homes?" to the poker players kills.
Other Knight moments listed: his reaction to Lacey's joke, "the world needs ditch diggers too", the hamburger exchange with Spalding and the boat christening speech with his shorts too tight.
"I've sentenced boys younger than you to the gas chamber" is read as revealing he is a complete asshole and sociopath.
"How about a Fresco" was a running joke in college; it is barely a joke, but every Knight line delivery is the highest level of comedy.
Cradling Billy Baru is insanity.
"Well, we're waiting" is called one of the biggest Twitter memes, the go-to gif whenever someone teases a scoop.
Per the quoted Ramis and Cindy Morgan recollections, Knight was a traditional script-following actor alienated by the improvising, and he was angry at the improvising around him; that real friction works on screen.
A possibly apocryphal story says Rodney did nothing when Ramis yelled action because he did not know it was his cue.
A 2020 equivalent of Knight is sought, perhaps David Hyde Pierce; he was a favorite character on that show, with good connection with Mary.

Dangerfield's golf bag; the fake names; Lacey Underall; Lacey's yellow 450S; Bushwood T-shirts; Billy Baru; "Noonan!"; Carl washing golf balls; Elahue Smales; the Kenny Loggins theme; "Ooh, my arm, it's broken"; Smales's golf outfits; the Dalai Lama story

In the discussion (18)

Approx. transcript time · 00:41:49Read transcript

The golf bag of Dangerfield's character had a phone, a stereo, a quarter keg, a putter with an electronic tracking device and a contraption that shot all the clubs into the air.
Asked about his golf-bag preference, he prefers little bags out of respect for caddies, using a big bag only with a cart. — Bill Simmons
Caddying one summer was worse than building bathroom partitions in public schools: hot, painful, rude members and selfish heavy bags.
Caddying ropes in kids with tips and the outdoors; 20 of the 25 worst moments of one participant's life came while caddying, except mid-80s Tuesday mornings carrying putters for the women; be nice to waiters and caddies.
The fake names: Mitch Comstein, Lacey Underall, Dr. Bieber, Al Servic, Carl Lipbaum and Chuck Schick; Dr. Beeper has a lot of screen time and feels like an unfinished SNL character.
Lacey Underall is great; the actress followed a Sybil Shepard-like model-and-commercials playbook and was a real newcomer.
Lacey's yellow 450S is great, though a convertible would have been the final piece.
The Bushwood C.C. T-shirts were wished for 18 years ago in writing.
Billy Baru, a special putter for big situations, is loved; the talk turns to naming clubs and a participant's named pool cues from playing pool for money.
"Noonan!" became so embedded in culture that it is surprising to see in the movie; the tactic works in horse, but anyone who talked through a putt would get hit.
Carl washing his golf balls and the Mrs. Crane monologue remain hilarious, though his interest in the women is weird and offensive.
Carl is probably in jail after blowing up the golf course.
"Elahue, will you come here and look for my stretch mark" kills, and Elahue Smales is an incredible comedy-writer name.
Kenny Loggins, with Top Gun, Footloose and this theme, is argued as bigger than Harold Faltermeyer among 80s movie music figures; the theme still whips ass.
"Ooh, my arm, it's broken" became a running joke, along with Beeper's possible fractured ulna.
Judge Smales's golf outfits, including a pink shirt and plaid pants, evoke late-70s Jack Nicholas and are something Joe House would wear now; the deep four-button polos are instantly dated.
The Dalai Lama story may be the funniest scene in movie history, colliding goofball material with Zen thinking yet legible to a six-year-old; "I got that going for me" is now part of the lexicon.
He is holding a real pitchfork, and the kid in that scene is said to be visibly terrified of being impaled.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Judge Smales's rough week; bare heads on the course; Caddyshack lines at golf tournaments; Denunzio's swing and outfit; the gopher; Maggie; the Baby Ruth Jaws parody; Lou unfazed by explosions; the John Peters story

In the discussion (10)

Approx. transcript time · 00:50:42Read transcript

Judge Smales's week is listed (transcribed as "what stage is the worst"): his course blew up, his boat sank, he nearly killed an old lady, learned about his niece and that Ty's dad never liked him, lost an illegal $80,000 match and was chased by Moose and Rocco.
Nobody wears hats; deerstalker-style hats outnumber baseball caps.
Golf broadcasters forcing Caddyshack lines into tournaments has aged terribly.
Denunzio's corkscrew golf swing (a Rob Deere comparison, and a Chris Ryan joke) and blouse-like outfit are worse; only Danny swings well, and the outfit looks headed to a Chippendales shift.
The gopher is not funny: liking it was once a disqualifier, it was an attempted fifth comedy style like the Muppets or Gremlins, and the sequel doubled down; the reply jokes that Caddyshack 2 never happened.
Maggie is one of the worst sports-movie characters, with an unexplained Irish accent though actress Sarah Holcomb was American; she is from Animal House and reportedly left acting with mental health problems; the quickly resolved pregnancy subplot was unneeded.
The Baby Ruth bar as a Jaws parody was a great idea in 1980 but is less effective 40 years later.
Lou the Caddymaster stares at Danny's last putt while bombs go off; suggested explanations are Vietnam service or how badly he wanted Smales crushed.
As told on the show, producer John Peters, a former hairdresser said to have inspired Warren Beatty's Shampoo and married Barbara Streisian (as transcribed), arranged a Playboy shoot of Cindy Morgan, threatened her career when she declined, and Ramis cancelled the shoot.
It is said she did not work after that, then noted that she starred in Tron and worked in TV through the 80s and 90s but could have had a much bigger career; it is framed as an early version of a Me Too era story.

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Scott Colomby (Tony D'Annunzio)

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:07:12Read transcript

Dr. Beeper probably wins because nobody knows his real name; he is Dan Rezen (as transcribed), in The Man with One Red Shoe, and the only cast member without an IMDb photo.
No IMDb photo is proposed as a That Guy qualifier.
The award goes to Denunzio's actor, also a key part of Porky's, then barely seen again; he plays the Italian-American archetype here and the Jewish-American archetype in Porky's.

The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award

Maggie

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:08:48Read transcript

It obviously has to be Maggie ("I'm still willing to marry you." "Thanks for nothing.").
Rodney and Smales are rejected; Smales is perfect.
The bishop has a case, calling out to God and then losing his faith at the bar, and is a good runner-up.

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

Spalding Smales

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:09:34Read transcript

Nominees are Dr. Beeper, the bishop, Wang, Lou the caddymaster and the shoe attendant who runs the bets.
Spalding Smales wins in a runaway as the classic awful rich kid who drinks, carries bad pot and says "you don't even know how high you are"; he also hacks behind Knight on the course, playing eight minutes with 20 points.
The actor, John F. Barman Jr. as transcribed, has only Caddyshack plus two 2009 appearances as himself on his IMDb, and became a realtor in Boston.

Apex Mountain

Michael O'Keefe; Cindy Morgan

In the discussion (8)

Approx. transcript time · 01:14:30Read transcript

Michael O'Keefe is at Apex, coming off The Great Santini into the funniest movie of the year; with Tim Hutton he was a young actor to watch before Sean Penn's class eclipsed them.
Dangerfield's Apex is placed in the mid-80s with Back to School, when he became a draw, plus HBO specials breaking Sam Kinnison and Bill Maher; both participants agree.
Ted Knight: career-wise no, since Mary Tyler Moore is his Apex, but retroactively this became his legacy; Too Close for Comfort gets love.
Chevy Chase: no, he got it for Fletch; Bill Murray: no, though his six days of work are pure and golden.
Cindy Morgan: sadly, yes.
Cocaine is argued as at Apex, before its damage was widely known and while it fueled the film's disjointed creativity; the other participant is uncomfortable placing it on the mountain.
Baby Ruth bars peak with Goonies instead.
Golf is argued for 1980, citing Jack Nicholas winning two majors, Tom Watson the British and a rising star taking the Masters; the Tiger Woods Mike Douglas appearance is checked; the reply is a hesitant "yes, I guess."

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

No Netflix series

In the discussion (1)

Approx. transcript time · 01:27:50Read transcript

Asked whether it could be a 10-episode Netflix show, the answer is "fuck off."

Who Won the Movie?

Ted Knight

In the discussion (8)

Approx. transcript time · 01:33:22Read transcript

The first pick is Bill Murray, a personal choice that may not be objectively defensible, based on his performance and cultural influence.
The second pick is Ted Knight, who had the hardest part while the others played their one character; if his villain is not funny the movie falls apart, and he still gets the biggest laughs.
Bill Murray is acknowledged as the one who got the most out of the movie, including Pebble Beach and 40 years of mileage.
Cases are raised for Ramis, whose first directed movie led to more classics, and for Chevy's iconic Ty Webb, though Chevy forfeits for returning in Caddyshack II.
Caddyshack II is debated: Jackie Mason replacing Rodney is reprehensible, Dangerfield reportedly could not agree to a contract, and Robert Stack is a bright spot.
Ted Knight is restated; a Rewatchables Twitter poll among Knight, Dangerfield, Chase and Murray is proposed.
Craig, called in, says he independently chose Ted Knight, thinking of "well, we're waiting", and is teased for brown-nosing.
The poll will be posted on the Rewatchables Twitter feed.

Podcast choices

Speaker not identified: Bill Murray
Speaker not identified: Ted Knight
Speaker not identified: Ted Knight