By SCOTT SAALMAN
Scaramouch
“Revolting!”
“Repulsive!”
“Raunchy!”
That was my mom speaking when I asked her if she remembered seeing Caddyshack when it came out in 1980.
Suddenly, I remembered her same three-R-worded review about this same R-rated movie in the same kitchen 42 years ago when she and dad returned home way too early from the movie’s showing, having walked out way before the ending.
It marked the first time I ever recommended a “grownup” movie to my parents. What the hell was I thinking? They had no idea who Bill Murray and Chevy Chase were, but they always laughed at Ted “Ted Baxter” Knight on The Mary Tyler Moore Show so I thought they might enjoy seeing Knight in his scene-chewing role on the big screen, which is how God meant movies to be seen.
OK, at 15, I goofed on this golf movie recommendation.
Ted Knight was OK for my parents, but Rodney Dangerfield and Bill Murray did them in.
Dad was disturbed by Dangerfield’s “popcorn fart” gag during the classy dinner scene. (“Whoa, did somebody step on a duck?”)
It was the Baby Ruth candy bar scene that made mom snap – still the movie’s most memorable scene for me, a wonderful parody of “Jaws,” with the chocolate candy bar floating in the club’s pool playing the shark, sending bathers into a splashy panic, ending of course with Bill Murray taking a bite from what everyone else assumed was a turd.
“Revolting!”
“Repulsive!”
“Raunchy!”
Hearing mom say those words in 1980 substantiated what I already knew: Caddyshack was a summer classic!
My golf professional friend Troy Newport, General Manager at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club (and two-time Butler University golf team MVP), is still nuts about the movie. For golf guys like Troy, Caddyshack was (pardon the pun) a stroke of comedic sports movie genius.
“It is easily the most quote-worthy movie for any golfer ever!” says Troy. “Even though it was released in 1980, it is the quintessential ’70’s golf experience with the clothes, the music, the stereotypes. And the dialogue still holds up amazingly well. I saw it with my buddies in Logansport, Ind., and hid the R rating from our parents because I don’t think we were 17 yet.”
Scott Saalman’s friend Troy in his full Caddyshack-themed Halloween getup some years ago. (Photo provided by Scott Saalman)
Ask Troy about his favorite scene and you might as well just watch the whole movie: “Ted Knight wiping everything off the desk because his lamp is in the way. Bill Murray hitting the flowers with a weed whip. I used one of those things a lot when I was young. Rodney Dangerfield coming into the Pro Shop with Wang. I’ve seen a lot of those type of customers in my day! Mrs. Smails asking Danny to ‘loofah’ her stretch marks. Ty Webb on the practice green – Mitch Comstein! Pool or the pond. Caddy Day at the pool. Right in the lumberyard. Too many to mention!”
Is Caddyshack the go-to movie for golfers, I ask.
“Without a doubt! Some younger people might mention Happy Gilmore or Tin Cup but neither one can hold Caddyshack’s jock strap!” he says. “My favorite character was always Ty Webb. He was cool, the girls liked him, and he was mysteriously weird too. I loved that he delivered his zingers in a nice way. But I related to Danny Noonan the most, of course. I was a young hot-shot golfer at my course and was pretty naïve about how things really worked. Danny was oblivious to all the politics and class issues, just like me!”
Troy has even gone so far as to dress like several of the characters – Judge Smails, Bill Murray and Danny Noonan – at various events, including a Halloween party that I attended long ago.
“Conservatively, I have seen the movie at least 50 times. Whenever it’s on cable, I try to convince anyone in the room to enjoy it with me. Now that I’m older, I particularly enjoy the Rodney Dangerfield and Ted Knight parts! They were both comedic geniuses in that movie,” he says. “Perfect casting and great writing. It is so good that all attempts to top it with another golf movie have fallen flat! I love irreverent movies and this one is one of the most politically incorrect ever without being overly gross or mean.
“Look how many people were caught at their peak in this movie! Harold Ramis, Rodney Dangerfield, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Ted Knight, Brian Doyle Murray. It has the only movie scene ever with Chevy Chase and Bill Murray together! Just a classic. Sort of like the ‘Citizen Kane’ of golf movies.”
Give 42-year-old Caddyshack another look this summer, or a first look if that’s your case (sorry Mom).
The movie’s theme song, Kenny Loggin’s “I’m Alright,” will likely stick with you longer than you want. But that’s a good thing. Oh, and of course, God bless the gopher.
“Revolting!”
“Repulsive!”
“Raunchy!”
Just the way I like them.
Contact: scottsaalman@gmail.com. Buy Scott’s books on Amazon.