15 Intriguing Insights About Caddyshack

Even if you've memorized every beloved scene from Caddyshack, celebrating its 40th anniversary today, this list will ensure you're a top contender for Bushwood Country Club's exclusive membership.

1. The creation of Caddyshack was inspired by the success of Animal House.

Harold Ramis, who directed and co-wrote Caddyshack, also co-wrote the 1978 hit Animal House alongside Douglas Kenney, who later became a co-writer and producer for Caddyshack. Despite a modest $3 million budget, their film about college fraternity antics earned an impressive $141 million at the box office.

While box office success often grants filmmakers creative freedom for future projects, this wasn't the case for Ramis. He proposed two ideas to Orion Pictures (the now-defunct studio behind Caddyshack): a dark satire about the American Nazi Party in Skokie, Illinois, and a “revisionist Marxist western.” Both were rejected. However, Kenney and Brian Doyle-Murray’s pitch—a comedy about country club caddies described as “Animal House on a golf course”—was instantly approved.

2. The Caddyshack screenplay was (almost) entirely based on personal experiences.

To craft the script, Ramis, Kenney, and Doyle-Murray isolated themselves and mined their memories of golf courses and country clubs from their youth. Much of this material came from Doyle-Murray, who had worked as a caddy at Indian Hill Country Club near Chicago during his childhood.

Doyle-Murray’s large Irish Catholic family inspired many scenes and characters in the film. His brother Bill portrayed head greensman Carl Spackler. The chaotic household of main character Danny Noonan, with its many siblings, mirrored Doyle-Murray’s own upbringing with eight brothers and sisters. Danny’s quest for a caddy tournament scholarship was based on Doyle-Murray’s older brother Ed, who won a similar award. The lumberyard where Danny works was inspired by their father’s career at J.J. Barney Lumber Company. Even the infamous “Baby Ruth in the pool” scene was drawn from the Murray siblings’ real-life high school antics.

Ramis also infused the script with his own experiences. Having only played golf twice before directing the film, he once accidentally hit someone in a sensitive area during practice. This incident inspired the scene where Judge Smails (Ted Knight) is struck in the groin by a stray golf ball.

3. The studio insisted on securing a star before greenlighting Caddyshack.

The initial draft of the Caddyshack script stretched to 250 pages, far exceeding the typical length of a screenplay. Studio executives demanded significant cuts and imposed a condition: no star, no movie. First-time director Ramis proposed three potential stars, though the studio was skeptical about two of them.

Originally, Don Rickles was considered for the role of Al Czervik, the boisterous condo developer. However, the part ultimately went to Rodney Dangerfield, a comedian well-known for his stand-up and appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Caddyshack marked Dangerfield's debut in a major film. Bill Murray, fresh from his three-year stint on Saturday Night Live and roles in Meatballs (co-written by Ramis) and Where the Buffalo Roam, was also cast. The studio finally approved the project when Chevy Chase, a Golden Globe-nominated actor for Foul Play, was secured to play Ty Webb, the charming yet arrogant playboy.

Chase was the most significant addition, having earned a Best Actor Golden Globe nomination for the 1979 hit Foul Play. Ramis initially considered Mickey Rourke for the lead role of Danny Noonan but felt he lacked the “goofy kid-next-door” vibe. The role eventually went to Michael O’Keefe.

4. Harold Ramis, the director of Caddyshack, admitted to being inexperienced.

By 1980, Harold Ramis had already established himself as a comedy legend, excelling in live performances (with Second City), radio (National Lampoon Radio Hour), and television (SCTV). He had co-written hits like Meatballs and Animal House, but Caddyshack was his directorial debut. Reports suggest he initially struggled, allegedly looking through the wrong part of the camera and mixing up “Cut!” with “Action!” early on. While these anecdotes are debated, it’s true the studio doubted his skills enough to prepare a list of backup directors. Fortunately, Ramis found his footing and went on to direct classics like National Lampoon’s Vacation and Groundhog Day.

5. The Caddyshack team left L.A. to escape issues but encountered new challenges.

Orion Pictures initially wanted the film shot in Los Angeles, but Ramis believed distancing themselves from studio interference was crucial. He argued that the Illinois-based Bushwood Country Club setting wouldn’t align with L.A.’s palm trees. The production moved to Rolling Hills Country Club (now Grande Oaks) in Davie, Florida—ironically, a location filled with palm trees. Rolling Hills was one of the few golf courses outside L.A. willing to host a film production.

Production faced delays due to Hurricane David and frequent interruptions from nearby Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport flights. During the hurricane-induced downtime, the cast and crew hosted a massive party at their hotel adjacent to the country club.

6. Rodney Dangerfield’s Caddyshack audition was unconventional, and he often felt underappreciated on set.

Before Caddyshack, Dangerfield was primarily recognized for his stand-up appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Dean Martin Show, and The Tonight Show (with 36 appearances). The film marked his major cinematic debut. For his audition, Dangerfield reportedly arrived at producer Jon Peters’s office in a black stretch limo, wearing a trench coat over a tacky leisure suit. He then walked in, dropped his pants, and exclaimed, “Let’s eat!” Despite landing the role of loudmouth Al Czervik, he struggled with confidence on set. When co-star Scott Colomby (who played Tony D’Annunzio) asked about his nerves, Dangerfield confessed he felt his jokes were falling flat. Colomby reassured him that laughter during takes would ruin the scene.

7. Bill Murray spent just six days filming Caddyshack but left an indelible mark on comedy.

Bill Murray, who had worked as a groundskeeper, caddy, and hot dog vendor at Indian Hill Country Club (the inspiration for the film’s setting), was initially slated for a brief cameo as Carl Spackler. However, his performance was so hilarious that Ramis extended his role. Murray filmed for six days, improvising all his lines, including the iconic Dalai Lama speech. The script’s only direction for his “Cinderella speech” was: “Carl cuts off the tops of flowers with a grass whip.” Murray’s spontaneous delivery earned the speech a spot on the AFI’s list of greatest movie quotes in 2005.

8. Harold Ramis included a Golden Age of Hollywood actor in Caddyshack, cleverly referencing his storied career.

Henry Wilcoxon, who played the understated yet humorous Bishop Pickering, made his final film appearance in Caddyshack before passing away in 1984. Wilcoxon’s career spanned decades, featuring roles in major Hollywood epics like 1931’s The Perfect Lady, 1941’s That Hamilton Woman, and 1942’s Mrs. Miniver, which won the Oscar for Best Picture.

Wilcoxon is most remembered for his work with director Cecil B. DeMille, including roles in Cleopatra (1934) as Marc Antony, The Crusades (1935) as Richard the Lion-Hearted, and The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), another Best Picture winner. In Caddyshack, Wilcoxon’s character is struck by lightning after yelling “Rat farts!” upon missing a crucial putt. Ramis humorously included a musical cue from DeMille’s The Ten Commandments, in which Wilcoxon also starred as Pentaur.

9. The Zen-inspired golf techniques in Caddyshack were inspired by co-writer and producer Douglas Kenney.

Ty Webb’s references to 17th-century Japanese poet Bashō and Zen philosophy stemmed from Kenney’s personal interest in Buddhist meditation. According to Brian Doyle-Murray, Kenney envisioned a putter with electromagnetic sensors to signal the ideal moment to putt during an alpha state. When the filmmakers needed Ty Webb to make a Zen-like sound and Kenney wasn’t available, Ramis instructed Chevy Chase to “make a spiritual-sounding sound.” Chase improvised the now-iconic “Na-na-na-na-na” putting noise on the spot.

Caddyshack wasn’t Kenney’s only project infused with Zen; he also attempted to create other films exploring the theme. One rejected idea was a comedy about Zen Buddhists battling the Red Chinese in the Himalayas. He also pursued a film adaptation of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance before his untimely death in 1980, just a month after Caddyshack premiered.

10. Caddyshack shifted from being “Animal House on a golf course” to drawing inspiration from a classic comedy trio.

Ramis initially filmed scripted scenes focusing on Danny and the caddies causing chaos at the country club, believing these would anchor the story. However, after reviewing the footage, he realized the golfer-centric scenes were too vital to cut. This led Ramis and his co-writers to reframe the narrative, expanding the focus from Danny’s coming-of-age tale to a broader comedic exploration of the country club, driven by the antics of Murray, Dangerfield, and Chase. Ramis likened the film’s structure to a Marx Brothers movie, envisioning Dangerfield as Groucho, Murray as Harpo, and Chase as Chico.

11. The iconic introduction scene between Bill Murray and Chevy Chase in Caddyshack was inspired by a studio note.

The original Caddyshack script didn’t include a meeting between Carl Spackler and Ty Webb. The studio urged Ramis to capitalize on the actors’ talents and create a humorous scene for them. Despite skepticism from some crew members due to past tensions—Murray had replaced Chase on SNL—the scene became a memorable highlight.

During a lunch break, Ramis, Murray, and Chase brainstormed a scene where Ty accidentally enters Carl’s shed, leading to a conversation about Carl’s special grass—suitable for both golf courses and recreational use. Like much of the film’s humor, the scene was improvised by the SNL veterans and filmed smoothly. Murray later mentioned a past conflict with Chase when Chase returned to co-host SNL, describing it as “an Oedipal thing, a rupture,” though he downplayed its significance.

12. The Gopher’s role in Caddyshack was initially minor.

After filming wrapped in September 1979, Ramis and editor William Carruth faced a massive 4.5-hour rough cut. With the focus shifted from Danny to the comedic talents of Murray, Dangerfield, Chase, and Knight, the filmmakers sought a unifying element to streamline the story. Executive producer Jon Peters suggested expanding the gopher’s role as a narrative thread. The catch? They didn’t actually have a gopher.

During production, Murray performed his gopher-hunting scenes solo, using only a mink fur hand puppet for one sequence. (This puppet also appears when Dangerfield exclaims, “Hey, that kangaroo stole my ball!”)

Ramis considered using a live, trained gopher but ultimately secured additional funding for a puppet. Special effects expert John Dykstra, known for his work on Star Wars, was hired to create a realistic gopher puppet. This explains why Murray and the gopher never share the screen—the gopher scenes were filmed separately and edited in later. The gopher’s sound effects were borrowed from the dolphin in the 1960s TV show Flipper.

13. The country club owners where Caddyshack was filmed were displeased with the on-course explosions.

The explosive finale, where Murray’s plastic explosives help Danny sink a crucial putt in the wager between Al Czervik (Dangerfield) and Judge Smails (Knight), involved real pyrotechnics at Rolling Hills. A fake green, rigged with incendiary devices, was placed between two fairways to achieve the effect.

The club owners, who had explicitly forbidden such stunts near their course, were unaware of the plan. Producer Jon Peters invited them to an upscale lunch off-site as a “thank you” for allowing filming. While they were away, Ramis and the effects team detonated the fake green. The explosion was so massive that a nearby pilot mistook it for a plane crash and reported it to air traffic control.

14. Harold Ramis made unconventional music choices for Caddyshack.

As the 1980s dawned, many films featured custom theme songs, and Caddyshack followed suit. However, Ramis’s initial choice for the soundtrack was unexpected for a comedy. He approached Pink Floyd, fresh off their concept album The Wall, to create a song for the opening and closing credits. The band declined, leading to Kenny Loggins stepping in with “I’m Alright.” Loggins later gained further soundtrack fame with 1986’s “Danger Zone” from Top Gun.

15. You can immerse yourself in the world of Caddyshack at the Murray Bros. Caddyshack Restaurant.

On June 7, 2001, the six Murray brothers—Ed, Brian, Bill, Andy, John, and Joel—launched a Caddyshack-themed restaurant at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida. Designed to mimic a chaotic country club, the restaurant offers dishes like the Double Bogey Cheeseburger, Pulled Pork Sandwedge, and the CaddyShake. The walls feature film quotes and photos, with hidden gophers scattered throughout the décor. Rumor has it that Bill Murray occasionally visits to sing karaoke.

Additional Source: Caddyshack DVD commentary