Examiner Essentials: # 22 Caddyshack

Courtesy of ORION Productions

The Examiner Essentials are the movies everyone should watch, know and love. And if you watch and know but don't love, it's okay because you will still be an improved person for taking part in your own betterment. But the chances are, you'll love these movies. A list of all the Essentials can be found here.

Title: Caddyshack (1980)

Director: Harold Ramis (Vacation, Groundhog Day, The Ice Harvest)

Starring: Michael O'Keefe (Michael Clayton), Bill Murray (Stripes, Zombieland, Scrooged), Brian Doyle-Murray (Christmas Vacation), Chevy Chase (Fletch, ¡Three Amigos!), Ted Knight (Mary Tyler Moore), Rodney Dangerfield (Back to School, Ladybugs)

ex-Factor: Bill Murray. Sure, we all know now of Bill Murray's immense talent and range, as well as his impeccable sense of humor, but in 1980 Murray was simply a young comedic actor, finally getting a little exposure as one of the "not ready for prime time player" on that then-brand new Saturday Night Live! program, and having just finished the great unheralded Hunter S. Thompson inspired movie Where the Buffalo Roam, he was getting more chances to prove his talent, and he took this small, barely-there role as a grounds keeper, and totally blew it out, effectively turning the part into one of the most quotable and memorable characters ever.The Story: As it is, Caddyshack is not known for its story, which is as haphazard and strung together as they come. Danny Noonan (O'Keefe) is a young caddy, working at a golf course to make college tuition money. He tries sucking up to pre-eminent club member Judge Smails (Knight), who has say over who receives the club Golf Caddy College Scholarship. Meanwhile, Smails tries to goad club playboy Ty Webb (Chase) into a competitive match, and also butts heads with the loud, obnoxious, crude, and all around fun club newbie Al Czervik (Dangerfield). And as an afterthought, Danny the caddy gets stuck in a little trouble between co-worker and love interest Maggie and Smails' niece Lacey, but this subplot quickly gives way to hilarious antics and ridiculous scenes that do nothing to advance the story but do everything to advance the language of comedy.Why it's Essential: The beauty of Caddyshack is about how its a comedy about a group of crazy characters, and the story is not nearly as important as portraying these ridiculous people. The film is called caddy shack, and the first ten to fifteen minutes focuses on young caddy Danny Noonan, but the caddies quickly take a back seat as the more interesting characters come to the forefront. The battles between Knight and Dangerfield are legendary, and Chevy Chase is perfect as the club hot shot with a natural knack for wooing women and a zen-like approach to putting. And as stated already, Bill Murray's performance as Carl the grounds keeper made for some of the most popular comedic scenes ever. Everyone knows the "Cinderella Story" montage, which was done in one take and with two lines of direction, and Carl's ridiculous hunting of the gopher terrorizing the course makes for a fun subplot that ends up organically effecting the main "storyline."Usually a film is a collection of scenes that, when shown together, results in a plot. Caddyshack meanwhile is a collection of scenes that seem to have very little to do with the overall story. A scene between Ty Webb and Lacey does nothing for the story, but it does make for some great laughs and a little light t&a. When a Bishop hits the links in a monsoon and gets struck by lightning after he curses God for missing a putt (I assume he's cursing God when he looks up at the sky and yells "Rat farts!"), it does nothing but pad out the movie's runtime, albeit in a very funny manner. A film that is a string of non-plot related scenes is often doomed to fail - somehow Caddyshack thrives, and proves that comedy can come first in a movie.Memorable Scene: For my money, it does not get any better than when Ty, during a round of night golf, accidentally hits a ball inside the grounds keeper's shack. What results is the only scene in the movie between Chase and Murray and it is a classic. Like many other scenes in the movie, it has no bearing on the overall story, and neither character grows as a result of the meeting. But can you imagine Caddyshack without Bill Murray showing off his golf course turf hybrid (Kentucky blue grass and Jamaican sensimilla), or without him getting Chase to cannonball a giant joint with a bottle of booze?Fun Fact: The aforementioned memorable scene was written over a meal between Ramis, Murray and Chase the day before they shot it, as the screenplay originally did not include a scene of Carl and Ty together. As a matter of fact, a good chunk of this movie was not in the original screenplay. How do you like dem apples?