'Caddyshack'-- Part 6: Plot? What Plot? Scholarship, the Gopher and Danny

**  "Caddyshack" at first looks like a lot of 1970s films.  There's a disorderly middle-class home, a hero who crosses the tracks to reach the rich part of town.  But, the plot is essentially thin about a promising caddy vying for a scholarship, resistant to authority, nervous his girlfriend may be pregnant.  You might even forget the movie has a plot.

**  The scholarship plot was inspired by Ed Murray, the oldest Murray brother who won the prestigious Evans Scholarship given to exceptional caddies.  It gave him a full ride to Northwestern University.  (The Evans Scholarships are still awarded, now over 90 years old and overseen by the Western Golf Association of Glenview.)

**  Besides Bill Murray's performance, you probably remember the gopher wreaking havoc across the course and Murray's efforts to get the varmint.  What might have prompted that plot was that in the late 1960s, a muskrat took up residence near the 16th hole of the Indian Hill Golf Course.  One night, a frustrated groundskeeper, a military vet, waited until the animal revealed itself, then flipped on the headlights of his ATV and fired a shotgun blast.  (He missed.)  Of course, there was always that darned groundhog that kept Murray in a loop in that other movie.

**Actor Michael O'Keefe, who played Danny, the aspiring scholarship candidate was later an Oscar nominee for the "The Great Santini" and married to singer Bonnie Raitt for eight years as well as on the TV show "Roseanne" for 35 episodes as Fred.

--CootCaddy

'Caddyshack'-- Part 5: Dress Code, Lacey, Jackie Davis & the Murray House

**  The clothing in "Caddyshack"--  the sleeveless T's, stiletto heels, Rodney Dangerfield's plaids-- have become a character in themselves.  At Indian Hill, however, sports jackets must be worn during lunch, shirts must be tucked in, cargo shorts are not permitted, nor are denim cutoffs around the pool area.

**  Hats must be worn "bill forward" only.

**  Cindy Morgan, who plays Terd Knight's sophisticated, promiscuous niece Lacey Underall, grew up in Chicago.  Before acting, she was morning DJ at WSDM-FM which later became WLUP, "The Loop."

**  Then only black actor with a line was Jackie Davis, who shines shoes at the club.  After overhearing Knight's character telling a racist joke, destroys the member's golf cleats.  He wasn't really an actor.  In real life he was an accomplished jazz musician who had backed Louis Jordan and Ella Fitzgerald.

**  The chaotic family home inn the film's opening scenes -- lines of kids waiting outside the bathrooms, bawling children and slamming doors -- was inspired by the family home in Wilmette.  The house Bill Murray grew up in was a three-bedroom home with nine kids.

Bill Murray once described it as "a wreck, a constant, claustrophobic mess."

--DaCoot

Some Thoughts About 'Caddyshack'-- Part 4: Was It Real?

**  Many characters in the movie were based on real-life people from Indian Hill Country Club regulars.  Several employees had Irish accents.  Ty, the club pro, was based on a member as were the elderly couple who could barely swing their clubs.  According to a book by Bill Murray, he would caddy for a man who had trouble hitting anything.  Until his bosses caught him, he routinely wrote the man down for holes-in-one.

**  Despite the passage of time and popularity of the movie, the Indian Hill management will not discuss "Caddyshack" at all.  Nowhere on the grounds is there a mention of it at all.

**  Well, almost.  The pro shop does sell Bushwood Country Club and gopher-themed belts.

**  A member whispered to the author of the article:  "Not all our members appreciate 'Caddyshack.' "

**  Caddies in "Caddyshack" accept tops.  Caddies at Indian Hill do not.

That Darn Gopher, Or Is It a Groundhog?  --Cooter

Some Thoughts About 'Caddyshack'-- Part 3: Of Comic Styles and a Baby Ruth

**  There were at least four styles of comedy in the movie.  You had Bill Murray's  absurdist, Rodney Dangerfield's nightclub one-liners, Chevy Chase's snark and Ted Knight's sitcom rage.

**  Chase's golf pro never keeps score and then there was that priest declaring that there is no God.

**  The infamous pool evacuation scene -- a Baby Ruth candy bar lands in the water and gets mistaken for something else -- was inspired by an actual prank that had been played while the Murray brothers attended Loyola Academy in Wilmette.

**  The scene, shot four years after the release of "Jaws" and borrowing John Williams' iconic score, is remarkably faithful to Steven Spielberg's staging of the shark attack in :Jaws."  Ramis keeps the camera at the waterline, waves swamping the lens, and then the stampede out of the water is ugly and out of focus at times.

**  In case you haven't tested the theory, Baby Ruths do not float in water.

**  Early in the film, the head caddy wrangler threatens his unruly charges that if they don't straighten up they will be replaced with cheaper, less-mouthy golf carts.  Indian Hill Country Club still uses caddies.

--DaCootMurray

Thoughts About Movie 'Caddyshack'-- Part 2: What About Lou Loomis and Carl Spackler?

**  Even though the movie was inspired by Illinois, it was set in Nebraska and shot in Florida.

**  The concept was sold as "Animal House" on a golf course.

**  "Caddyshack" may be signature Bill Murray, but older brother Brian Doyle-Murray was more involved.  Bill spent just a short time on set; but Brian provided the idea, co-wrote the screenplay (with Rami and Kenney), then played the manager of the caddyshack.

**  Brian based Lou Loomis, his character, on Lou Janis, an Indian Hill caddy master.  According to Bill Murray's golf memoir, Janis "would bet on anything."  In the movie, Loomis wagered that a member would pick his nose and eat it.

**  As early as the mid-1970s, Bill Murray was performing variations of his character, Carl Spackler --  his side talking, imbalanced, philosophical groundskeeper -- as a cast member at Second City.

--RoadDog

TEENAGERS AND CATS:  Cats and teenagers yawn in exactly the same manner, communicating that ultimate human ecstasy--  a sense of complete and utter boredom.

Thoughts About the Movie 'Caddyshack'

From the July 23, 2020, Chicago Tribune "Forty thoughts on 'Caddyshack' by Christopher Borrelli.

The movie "Caddyshack" was released 41 years ago now (40 years ago back in 2020) and tells the story of working class caddies, slobs, wiseasses, and nouveau rich who clash at a Chicago country club.

This is one of my favorite movies and I was able to watch it a short time ago.  It was great then as it is now.

Here are some of Mr. Borrelli's thoughts on the movie:

**  "Caddyshack" was directed by Harold Ramis, who grew up in Chicago's Rogers Park and died at his home in Glencoe in 2014.  He made his career -- "Animal House," "Ghostbusters, "Stripes" -- on movies about irreverent guys facing down an establishment.  

"Caddyshack" was his first directing job and was based on stories from the Murray brothers of Wilmette--  Bill, Brian, et al.  They caddied public courses in Evanston and at Indian Hill Club, a private course in Winnetka.

Too Funny, Especially the Swimming Pool Scenes.  --CootShack

Some More 2020 Deaths: Wright, Johnson, Mubarak, Welch and McNally

FEBRUARY

MICKEY WRIGHT, 85

Golf great who won 13 majors among her 82 victories and gave the new LPGA a crucial lift.  Died Feb. 17.

KATHERINE JOHNSON, 101

A mathematician who calculated rocket trajectories and Earth orbits for NASA's early space missions and was later portrayed in the 2016 hit film "Hidden Figures."  Feb. 24.

HOSNI MUBARAK, 91

The Egyptian leader who was the autocratic face of stability in the Middle East for nearly 30 years being being forced from power.  Feb. 25.

**********************************

MARCH

JACK WELCH, 84

He transformed General Electric Co. into a highly profitable multinational conglomerate.  March 1.

TERRENCE McNALLY, 81

One of America's great playwrights whose prolific career included winning Tony Awards for the plays "Love! Valour! Compassion!" and "Master Class" and the musicals "Ragtime" and "Kiss of the Spider Woman."  Died March 24

The Rise, Set and Rise of Daylight Saving Time-- Part 1: It Had to With a War

From the March 10, 2019, Chicago Tribune by Gillian Brockell of the Washington Post.

Hey, that was the day we went back on Daylight Saving Time (DST)!!

Nope, Benjamin Franklin did not invent it, suggesting that cities fire a cannon earlier to wake its citizens.

The idea of doing that DST thing came around the turn of last century from New Zealand and England.  New Zealander George Hudson wanted more time for his hobby, collecting bugs.  William Willett of England wanted more time for his passion called golf.

Neither man's desires came about.

Then came World War I, or as the English call it the First World War.  Of course, back then no one knew that there was going to be a second act so  it was mostly  just called the Great War.

--CooTime

Sports Stars Lost in 2015-- Part 2: Doug Buffone

JACK HALEY--  Died March 16 at 51.  The NBA journeyman played in 63 games over two stints with the Chicago Bulls and is remembered most for being Dennis Rodman's sidekick and off-court protector during the 1995-1996 championship season.

LAUREN HILL--  Died April 10, at age 19.  became inspiring sports hero for her determination to play on the Mount St. Joseph women's basketball team despite an inoperable brain tumor.

DOUG BUFFONE--  Died April 20 at age 70.  Was known for his passion in 14 seasons playing linebacker for the Bears and his ventures as a popular sports radio personality.  Mike Ditka said, "Doug was a Bear."

CALVIN PEETE--  Died April 29 at age 71.  12-time winner on PGA Tour and one of the game's all-time straightest drivers.  He became the second black to compete in the Masters in 1980.

--Cooter

Friday the 13th News of Note-- Part 1: As Luck Would Have It

From the Friday, February 13, 2015, Chicago Tribune "As luck would have it: Friday the 13th news of note" by Mark Jacob.

That was a Friday the 13th and we have another one coming up in a week and a half.  Mark Jacob takes a look back at some stories from Chicago's past on this "unlucky" date.

Friday, May 13, 1932:  A North Side man reported his 13 golf clubs and 13 balls were stolen from his car at 13th and Wabash.  Sounds like a story to me.

1980: Tribune film critic Gene Siskel hated the movie "Friday the 13th" so much, he went beyond just a "Thumbs Down" and gave away the movie's ending to discourage people from seeing it.

APRIL 13, 1860:  A slow day for crime with just two "little cases" handled by police in the growing city of 110,000.  The Tribune remarked, "Our city is very moral, or the police are not very sharp."

What Luck, A "Moral" City.  --Cooter

Ten Things You Might Not Know About North Korea-- Part 2

4.  North Korea, despite a horrible record on many issues, has an excellent LITERACY RATE.  The CIA Factbook lists it at 99%.  But, what's available to read?

5.  Nortth Korea announced the construction of what was to be the WORLD'S TALLEST HOTEL, but the 105-story Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang has taken 25-years and two in Dubai have surpassed it.  It is expected to open this year, maybe.  Esquire magazine has called it "the worst building in the history of mankind."

6.  Many things are bleak in the country, but North Korea has GOLF.  But only one course and a golf pro there claims that Kim Jong II once shot five holes-in-one during a single round.  He was REALLY  that good.  It's nice to be king, ruler or whatever.

7.  Despite being part of "The Axis of Evil", North Korea does accept American TOURISTS.  But, the US State Department warns that it is a criminal act to show disrespect to the former or current leaders and that unauthorized picture-taking or talking to locals can be considered espionage.

Fore!!!  Rats, Went in the Hole On First Swing Again.  --Dacoot