25. The Studio Rejected The Movie Until Chevy Chase Was Cast
Today, Bill Murray and Rodney Dangerfield are big names, but they were just getting started back in 1980. Caddyshack was Dangerfield’s first major film, while Murray was fresh off Saturday Night Live. The producers cast Chevy Chase as character Ty Webb— who they had reportedly written the part for anyway— to appease the studio.
24. Bill Murray Improvised All Of His Lines
Murray is such a great comedian that he improvised all of his lines in the movie, including when he cuts the flower tops off with a grass whip. These lines went on to be named some of the greatest movie quotes of all time.
23. Scenes Of The Gopher Were Shot After Filming Had Wrapped
In the end, the producers decided to use the gopher as a way to tie all of the scenes together. However, they had only one shot of Bill Murray trying to catch the gopher, so most of the scenes were created post-production. This explains why Murray and the elusive gopher never appear in the same shot.
22. Writer Doug Kenney Was Known To Be Intoxicated While Working On The Movie
Writer and producer Doug Kenney (pictured, right) got his start at Harvard, where he co-founded the National Lampoon magazine. While working on Caddyshack, the funny man was seriously depressed. He started drinking heavily and abusing cocaine, which led to drunken press conferences, reckless driving, and reportedly his death after he fell from a cliff in Hawaii.
21. Rodney Dangerfield Thought He Was “Bombing” Since Nobody Was Laughing At His Jokes During Production
Caddyshack was the first big feature movie for Dangerfield, who was used to getting laughs on The Tonight Show and The Dean Martin Show, complained nobody on set was laughing at his jokes. However, the other actors said it would ruin the takes if they laughed, and it wasn’t because of lack of humor.
20. Bill Murray Actually Worked As A Groundskeeper at Indian Hill Country Club
Bill Murray worked at the real Indian Hill Country Club that inspired the setting of Caddyshack. He was a groundskeeper, caddy, and ran a hot dog stand during his employment.
19. There Was Bad Blood Between Bill Murray And Chevy Chase Before Filming ‘Caddyshack’
Bill Murray replaced Chevy Chase on Saturday Night Live, which caused some tension on set of Caddyshack. The two originally were not supposed to appear in the same shot, but worked things out long enough to film a completely improvised scene where Chase’s character stumbles into the gardening shack belonging to Murray.
18. The Climatic Explosion Scene Was Real Explosives Placed On The Fairways
Much to the country club owners’ surprise, the producers went against their wishes of not having any fire at the golf course. They used several “incendiary packs” to produce the very real explosion.
17. Pilots At The Nearby Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport Thought The Explosion Was A Crash
The aforementioned explosion was so large that pilots landing at the nearby Ft. Lauderdale- Hollywood airport reported “a crash” to air traffic control.
16. Producer Harold Ramis Originally Asked Pink Floyd To Record The Opening And Closing Credits
Pink Floyd declined, and Ramis got Kenny Loggins to record “I’m Alright” for the film instead.
15. The Movie Was Supposed To Be ‘Animal House’ On The Golf Course
Follow the success of Animal House, writer and producers Doug Kenney and Harold Ramis originally pitched the idea as “Animal House on the golf course” in order to get it approved by the studio.
14. Bill Murray Opened A ‘Caddyshack’-Themed Restaurant In Florida
The Murray brothers— all six of them— opened a Caddyshack restaurant in St. Augustine in 2001.
13. The Original Script Was 250 Pages Long, Nearly Twice As Long As Average Screenplays
Director Harold Ramis and producer Jon Peters were ordered to cut the script down before the studio agreed to start filming.
12. The Fictional Illinois- Based Movie Was Actually Shot In Florida
Director Harold Ramis wanted to get away from studio execs while filming, so he suggested taking the movie elsewhere, especially since Illinois doesn’t have the palm trees of Southern California. However, the golf course in Florida also had palm trees— but no studio executives to get in his way.
11. The Crew Had A Huge Party When Hurricane David Stopped Production
Since the movie was shot on location in Florida, the weather impacted filming during Hurricane David. The crew didn’t mind, though. Instead of filming, they decided to hold a giant party in their hotel next to the golf course.
10. Chevy Chase Improvised The Famous “Na-na-na-na” Sound When Putting
Chevy Chase was advised to make a “spiritual” or zen sound when putting, and so improvised one of the best known scenes to this day.
9. Caddyshack Was Golden Age Actor Henry Wilcoxon’s Last Movie Before He Passed Away
Henry Wilcoxon played the role of Bishop Pickering after having starred in Hollywood greats, such as 1934’s Cleopatra and The Greatest Show on Earth in 1952. He passed away in 1984, just four years after Caddyshack.
8. Bill Murray Was Only Supposed To Make A Cameo, But Was Asked To Stay Longer After Impressing The Producers
Bill Murray was set for a quick cameo appearance, but was asked to stay on filming by Harold Ramis for a total of six days. The pair went on to star in other comedies together, such as Stripes (pictured).
7. Mickey Rourke Was First Considered For The Part Of “Danny Noonan” Played By Michael O’Keefe
Director Harold Ramis originally envisioned Mickey Rourke for the leading role of Danny Noonan, but ultimately went with actor Micahel O’Keefe. They decided O’ Keefe would make a more convincing “goofy-kid-next-door.”
6. The Studio Had A Back-up List Of Directors In Case Harold Ramis Didn’t Work Out
Caddyshack was Harold’s first attempt at directing, and rumor has it he didn’t quite know what he was doing in the beginning. The studio was so dubious of him that they had associate producer Don MacDonald draft a list of would-be substitute directors in case Ramis failed.
5. The Pitchfork Scene Was Real, And Real Uncomfortable
Bill Murray improvised the scene where he tells his story of caddying for the Dalai Lama by holding the pitchfork to Peter Berkrot’s throat. It’s said Peter was extremely uncomfortable during the scene thanks to the unexpected pitchfork, but it made the take much more genuine.
4. The Cast Was Repeatedly Late For Shooting Due To Their Partying
When your cast consists of Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield during the 1980s, there is going to be partying. It’s said they partied so much that filming would be on hold until they made it to the set.
3. Actor Ted Knight Didn’t Appreciate The Partying And Line Improv
Ted Knight was old-school, and didn’t like the fact the rest of the cast was partying and constantly going “off script.”
2. They Used Dolphin Noises For The Gopher
The gopher noises you hear are actually dolphin noises.
1. Director Harold Ramis Avoided The Parties
While the rest of the cast and crew were partying, Harold had to prove himself as a director still. He waited until filming wrapped up before letting lose, and let lose he did. It’s said he partied so hard that he had to be carried to his room.
Today, Bill Murray and Rodney Dangerfield are big names, but they were just getting started back in 1980. Caddyshack was Dangerfield’s first major film, while Murray was fresh off Saturday Night Live. The producers cast Chevy Chase as character Ty Webb— who they had reportedly written the part for anyway— to appease the studio.
24. Bill Murray Improvised All Of His Lines
Murray is such a great comedian that he improvised all of his lines in the movie, including when he cuts the flower tops off with a grass whip. These lines went on to be named some of the greatest movie quotes of all time.
23. Scenes Of The Gopher Were Shot After Filming Had Wrapped
In the end, the producers decided to use the gopher as a way to tie all of the scenes together. However, they had only one shot of Bill Murray trying to catch the gopher, so most of the scenes were created post-production. This explains why Murray and the elusive gopher never appear in the same shot.
22. Writer Doug Kenney Was Known To Be Intoxicated While Working On The Movie
Writer and producer Doug Kenney (pictured, right) got his start at Harvard, where he co-founded the National Lampoon magazine. While working on Caddyshack, the funny man was seriously depressed. He started drinking heavily and abusing cocaine, which led to drunken press conferences, reckless driving, and reportedly his death after he fell from a cliff in Hawaii.
21. Rodney Dangerfield Thought He Was “Bombing” Since Nobody Was Laughing At His Jokes During Production
Caddyshack was the first big feature movie for Dangerfield, who was used to getting laughs on The Tonight Show and The Dean Martin Show, complained nobody on set was laughing at his jokes. However, the other actors said it would ruin the takes if they laughed, and it wasn’t because of lack of humor.
20. Bill Murray Actually Worked As A Groundskeeper at Indian Hill Country Club
Bill Murray worked at the real Indian Hill Country Club that inspired the setting of Caddyshack. He was a groundskeeper, caddy, and ran a hot dog stand during his employment.
19. There Was Bad Blood Between Bill Murray And Chevy Chase Before Filming ‘Caddyshack’
Bill Murray replaced Chevy Chase on Saturday Night Live, which caused some tension on set of Caddyshack. The two originally were not supposed to appear in the same shot, but worked things out long enough to film a completely improvised scene where Chase’s character stumbles into the gardening shack belonging to Murray.
18. The Climatic Explosion Scene Was Real Explosives Placed On The Fairways
Much to the country club owners’ surprise, the producers went against their wishes of not having any fire at the golf course. They used several “incendiary packs” to produce the very real explosion.
17. Pilots At The Nearby Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport Thought The Explosion Was A Crash
The aforementioned explosion was so large that pilots landing at the nearby Ft. Lauderdale- Hollywood airport reported “a crash” to air traffic control.
16. Producer Harold Ramis Originally Asked Pink Floyd To Record The Opening And Closing Credits
Pink Floyd declined, and Ramis got Kenny Loggins to record “I’m Alright” for the film instead.
15. The Movie Was Supposed To Be ‘Animal House’ On The Golf Course
Follow the success of Animal House, writer and producers Doug Kenney and Harold Ramis originally pitched the idea as “Animal House on the golf course” in order to get it approved by the studio.
14. Bill Murray Opened A ‘Caddyshack’-Themed Restaurant In Florida
The Murray brothers— all six of them— opened a Caddyshack restaurant in St. Augustine in 2001.
13. The Original Script Was 250 Pages Long, Nearly Twice As Long As Average Screenplays
Director Harold Ramis and producer Jon Peters were ordered to cut the script down before the studio agreed to start filming.
12. The Fictional Illinois- Based Movie Was Actually Shot In Florida
Director Harold Ramis wanted to get away from studio execs while filming, so he suggested taking the movie elsewhere, especially since Illinois doesn’t have the palm trees of Southern California. However, the golf course in Florida also had palm trees— but no studio executives to get in his way.
11. The Crew Had A Huge Party When Hurricane David Stopped Production
Since the movie was shot on location in Florida, the weather impacted filming during Hurricane David. The crew didn’t mind, though. Instead of filming, they decided to hold a giant party in their hotel next to the golf course.
10. Chevy Chase Improvised The Famous “Na-na-na-na” Sound When Putting
Chevy Chase was advised to make a “spiritual” or zen sound when putting, and so improvised one of the best known scenes to this day.
9. Caddyshack Was Golden Age Actor Henry Wilcoxon’s Last Movie Before He Passed Away
Henry Wilcoxon played the role of Bishop Pickering after having starred in Hollywood greats, such as 1934’s Cleopatra and The Greatest Show on Earth in 1952. He passed away in 1984, just four years after Caddyshack.
8. Bill Murray Was Only Supposed To Make A Cameo, But Was Asked To Stay Longer After Impressing The Producers
Bill Murray was set for a quick cameo appearance, but was asked to stay on filming by Harold Ramis for a total of six days. The pair went on to star in other comedies together, such as Stripes (pictured).
7. Mickey Rourke Was First Considered For The Part Of “Danny Noonan” Played By Michael O’Keefe
Director Harold Ramis originally envisioned Mickey Rourke for the leading role of Danny Noonan, but ultimately went with actor Micahel O’Keefe. They decided O’ Keefe would make a more convincing “goofy-kid-next-door.”
6. The Studio Had A Back-up List Of Directors In Case Harold Ramis Didn’t Work Out
Caddyshack was Harold’s first attempt at directing, and rumor has it he didn’t quite know what he was doing in the beginning. The studio was so dubious of him that they had associate producer Don MacDonald draft a list of would-be substitute directors in case Ramis failed.
5. The Pitchfork Scene Was Real, And Real Uncomfortable
Bill Murray improvised the scene where he tells his story of caddying for the Dalai Lama by holding the pitchfork to Peter Berkrot’s throat. It’s said Peter was extremely uncomfortable during the scene thanks to the unexpected pitchfork, but it made the take much more genuine.
4. The Cast Was Repeatedly Late For Shooting Due To Their Partying
When your cast consists of Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield during the 1980s, there is going to be partying. It’s said they partied so much that filming would be on hold until they made it to the set.
3. Actor Ted Knight Didn’t Appreciate The Partying And Line Improv
Ted Knight was old-school, and didn’t like the fact the rest of the cast was partying and constantly going “off script.”
2. They Used Dolphin Noises For The Gopher
The gopher noises you hear are actually dolphin noises.
1. Director Harold Ramis Avoided The Parties
While the rest of the cast and crew were partying, Harold had to prove himself as a director still. He waited until filming wrapped up before letting lose, and let lose he did. It’s said he partied so hard that he had to be carried to his room.
