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Mathew Scott

Caddyshack

Starring: Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, Ted Knight, Michael O'Keefe

Director: Harold Ramis

The film: The  recent death of  Rodney Dangerfield takes a man's mind out on to the fairways of the Bushwood Country Club and the actor's greatest cinematic excursion. Perhaps it was because the film was  such a team effort that Dangerfield shone. When  tasked with carrying a film  (Back to School), he more often than not failed.

Caddyshack is most definitely an ensemble piece. Director Harold Ramis (Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day) is at his best when partnering up his stars.  Alongside Dangerfield, he wisely allowed  free rein to Chevy Chase, Bill Murray and  Ted Knight (The Mary Tyler Moore Show).

The genius, though, was in allowing Murray to expand his role from what was originally planned as a bit part. As the nutty grounds-keeper, Carl Spackler, he steals the show. Most of the film's best lines - all, apparently ad-libbed - fall from his mouth. The mere mention of the words 'gunga galunga' has turned grown men into chuckling fools (see www.carlspackler. com  for a trip down memory lane). In fact Murray and his brother Brian helped pen the script, basing it own their own caddying experiences. Must have been one strange golfcourse.

The basic idea is that a young caddy (Michael O'Keefe) tries to lift his way out of his rough upbringing by winning the caddy's golf tournament at his local course. But this is, of course, no real concern as we bounce away from this 'story' to a series of wild comic offerings.

The real fun lies in Spackler's fight against the gophers who threaten to ruin the course, club pro Ty Webb (Chase) and his bizarre musings, old-moneyed Judge Small (Knight) and his bumblings, and new-moneyed  Al Czervik (Dangerfield) with his crassness. Throw in a liberal dose of puerile humour and the occasional baring of young breast and you have the highlight of every young lad's 1980s video night.

Caddyshack really set the standard for the decade of frathouse-style romps that were to follow - the basic formula being to whack a bunch  of kids together with some wise-cracking older dudes - but, none really, measured up to its unique brand of utter foolishness.

The promising O'Keefe would fade off into TV land with bit parts  to this day in shows of the Law & Order or CSI ilk. But he also married  Bonnie Raitt, so things aren't all  that shabby. The rest, of course, continued to establish themselves as the very cream of American comedy.

The extras: The 20th anniversary release includes a  brilliant documentary, The 19th Hole, which catches up with the cast years later and sheds light on a movie set as manic as the film it produced. There are also out-takes and stuff from behind the scenes - all further proof of Murray's talent and Dangerfield's unique skills for conquering  the classic put-down.



FROM THE VAULT: 1980