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This golf comedy became an instant classic when it hit theaters in 1980. The funny flick earned $40 million domestically, went on to cult-hit status and now ranks at No. 71 on the American Film Institute's 100 funniest American films. Click through to see which stars continue to crack us up, and who has gone on to chasing gophers in that great big golf course in the sky.![Chevy_Chase_Then_kjk]()
Before playing Ty Webb, Chase was the fastest rising comedy star on the planet, thanks to 'Saturday Night Live' status. His starring role, opposite SNL rival Bill Murray, was vintage, understated Chase. A classic back-and-forth from the film: Ty: "I like you Betty." Danny: "My name's Danny." Ty: "Danny."![Chevy_Chase_Now_kjk]()
Chase has worked consistently for more than 40 years. Since 'Caddyshack,' the Emmy-winning comedian, writer and actor starred in quite a few films before trying his hand at talk show hosting on 'The Chevy Chase Show.' Oops. Recently, however, Chase has had a TV resurgence with plum roles on the series 'Brothers & Sisters' and 'Chuck' and a starring role on the quirky comedy series 'Community.' Now 66, the actor is on his third marriage, and has three daughters. (AP)![Bill_Murray_Then_kjk]()
Murray got his start with National Lampoon Radio before taking Chevy Chase’s vacant spot on ‘Saturday Night Live' when Chase left for the movies. Films including ‘Meatballs,’ the Hunter S. Thompson biopic ‘Where the Buffalo Roam,’ and ‘Caddyshack’ followed. Murray starred in 'Caddyshack' as a shell-shocked groundskeeper Carl Spackler who's hell-bent on killing a wily gopher. Here is a snippet of his monologue on gophers and his relationship with them: Carl: "License to kill gophers by the government of the United Nations. Man, free to kill gophers at will. To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case my enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quit - ever. They're like the Viet Cong - Varmint Cong. So you have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that's all she wrote."![Bill_Murray_Now_kjk]()
Murray became one of the biggest comedic stars of the 80s, rivaled only by Chevy Chase (with whom he has never been close), starring in comedies like ‘Stripes,’ ‘Tootsie,’ ‘Ghostbusters,’ and ‘Scrooged,’ among others. In the 90s, he continued his reign with fun flicks like ‘What About Bob?’ and ‘Kingpin,’ while honing his acting skills in ‘Ed Wood,’ ‘Groundhog Day,’ and ‘Rushmore.’ Murray has since transitioned into a more serious strain of films, starring in the thinkers ‘Broken Flowers’ and ‘Lost in Translation,’ as well as the animated 'Fantastic Mr. Fox,' a cartoon more for adults than kids. Murray has also had his share of personal troubles, going through a messy divorce in which his ex accused him of abuse and drug use. Coming up, the 59 year-old actor's got ‘Get Low,’ ‘Ghostbusters III,’ and ‘Zombieland.' (AP)![Rodney_Dangerfield_Then_fd]()
Born Jacob Cohen, Dangerfield began writing jokes at age 15. He attempted stand-up as “Jack Roy,” but gave up after nine years, selling aluminum siding to support his family. Nearing middle age, Cohen gave stardom another shot as “Rodney Dangerfield” and wound up one of the biggest stars in stand-up with his classic line "I get no respect." As ‘Caddyshack’’s tacky Al Czervik, Dangerfield thought he got no respect on the set as well, complaining that he wrote much of his character's own dialogue without getting credit. Here is some of that dialogue: Al: "Oh, this your wife, huh? A lovely lady. Hey baby, you must've been something before electricity." Al: "You're a lot of woman, you know that? Yeah, wanna make 14 dollars the hard way?"![Rodney Dangerfield 1921-2004]()
After 'Caddyshack,' Dangerfield continued stand-up, releasing the Grammy-winning album ‘No Respect’ in 1980, and starring in films like ‘Easy Money,’ ‘Back to School,’ ‘Ladybugs,' and‘Natural Born Killers.' When he died at 82, the star kept his sense self-deprecating humor. His tombstone reads ‘Rodney Dangerfield… There Goes the Neighborhood.’ (AP)![Cindy_Morgan_Then_kjk]()
Before Morgan won the role of racy beauty Lacey Underall, she was a small-town weather reporter in Illinois and then an Irish Spring girl.![Cindy_Morgan_Now_kjk]()
Now 55, Morgan is still best known for her 'Caddyshack' portrayal ("Wanna tie me up in some of your ties, Ty?"), as well as her starring role in sci-fi hit 'TRON.' But she has been no slouch when it comes to continuing her career in Hollywood. After the movie, Morgan continued acting, with roles in 'Falcon Crest,' 'The Larry Sanders Show,' 'Amazing Stories' and 'Bring 'Em Back Alive.' She also associate-produced the made-for-TV movies 'Amanda & the Alien' and 'Dead Weekend,' with Stephen Baldwin. Morgan is reportedly writing her autobiography.![Ted_Knight_Then_df]()
A 30-year career in Hollywood led to Knight's role in 'Caddyshack' as rage-aholic judge Elihu Smails. (Classic line: " I've sentenced boys younger than you to the gas chamber. Didn't want to do it. I felt I owed it to them. ") Beginning as a kids’ variety host and then radio DJ, Knight moved to L.A. and was employed doing voiceover work and small roles in TV and film (e.g. the cop guarding Norman bates in at the end of ‘Psycho'). In 1970, Knight began playing news anchor Ted Baxter on ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show,’ and was best known for that classic role until "Caddyshack" made him a bona fide movie star.![Ted Knight 1923-1986]()
After ‘Caddyshack,’ Knight portrayed grumpy cartoonist Henry Rush in his own hit sitcom, ‘Too Close for Comfort.’ The beloved actor succumbed to colon cancer in 1986.![Michael_OKeefe_Then_kj]()
When ‘Caddyshack’ was released, 25 year-old O'Keefe already had a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination, for his performance in ‘The Great Santini.’ But O'Keefe's 'Caddyshack' role as smart alek, underdog, reluctant butt-kisser Danny Noonan became his best known.![Michael_OKeefe_Now_fdf]()
O’Keefe, now 54, has built a solid career, working steadily over three decades in film, TV, and stage. Notable roles include Jack Nicholson’s son in ‘Ironweed,’ Lloyd in the Broadway production of ‘Reckless,’ and Jackie’s husband Fred in ‘Roseanne.' Recently O'Keefe has appeared in various TV shows, along with the film ‘Michael Clayton, ‘and the surprise indie hit ‘Frozen River.’ Coming up is ‘Crimes of Opportunity.’ But for many, he will always be Danny Noonan, in whose honor countless golfers scream "Noonan! Noooooonan! Noonan!" whenever their friends line up putts. At left, O'Keefe stars as Calvin Beckett in 'American Violet' (2009).![Scott_Colomby_Then]()
Colomby got his start on TV shows ‘Sons and Daughters’ and ‘Szysznyk’ before being cast as tough-guy caddy Tony D’Annunzio in ‘Caddyshack.’![Scott_Colomby_Now]()
After ‘Caddyshack,’ Colomby went on to appear in the ‘Porky’s’ movie series. Good times. Guest spots on series like ‘St. Elsewhere’ and ‘Silk Stockings’ followed. Now 52, Colomby runs acting workshops in L.A.![Sarah Holcomb Then and Now]()
Sarah made her film debut as the mayor’s daughter in the hit comedy ‘Animal House.’ She followed that up with 1979’s ‘Walk Proud,’ and went on to play Maggie, Danny Noonan’s Irish girlfriend in ‘Caddyshack.’ In 1980, Holcomb gave up acting. She never appeared in another film. According to reports, Sarah, now 51, lives under an assumed name, away from the Hollywood spotlight. Holcomb's retirement after ‘Caddyshack’ has been attributed by ‘Animal House’ screenwriter Chris Miller to drug addiction, which he blamed on the film’s "fast” cast and crew.![Brian_Doyle_Murray_Then]()
Bill Murray's older brother uses a hyphenated name (Doyle is his grandmother's maiden name) because there is another actor named Brian Murray. Doyle-Murray was a featured player on ‘Saturday Night Live’ from 1979 to 1982, and a writer on the show's sixth season before portraying Lou Loomis on ‘Caddyshack.’ Our favorite Lou Loomis quote: Lou: "I'm going to put it right on the line. There's been a lot of complaints already. Fooling around on the course, bad language, smoking grass, poor caddying. If you guys want to get fired. If you want to be replaced by golf carts, just keep it up."![Brian_Doyle_Murray_Now]()
Doyle-Murray has appeared in many films his brother stars in. But he's not just the "other Murray." He played the uptight boss in 1989's ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,’ and had parts in ‘Wayne’s World,’ ‘JFK,’ and 2002 Disney movie ‘Snow Dogs.’ His most recent film role was in 2009 Zac Efron vehicle ’17 Again’ (at left). TV credits include ‘Seinfeld,’ ‘Yes, Dear,’ ‘Wings,’ and recently ‘The Middle.’ Now 64, Doyle-Murray is known for his gravelly voice, and has voiced characters on animated series like ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ and ‘The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack.’Then/Now: The Cast of 'Caddyshack'
"Just be the ball, be the ball, be the ball." What are the comedy geniuses of this classic golf romp up to now?
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- Then/Now: The Cast of 'Caddyshack'
