Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story

by Chris Nashawaty

“This is a tough, sharp history of comedy and competitiveness, of rising stars and brilliant upstarts. Of difficult egos, awful behavior, fragile friendships, bursts of inspiration, and blizzards of cocaine—told by the survivors and shaped by Chris Nashawaty's welcome insight and perspective.”
— Mark Harris, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures at a Revolution and Five Came Back

Caddyshack is one of the most beloved comedies of all time, a classic snobs vs. slobs story of working class kids and the white collar buffoons that make them haul their golf bags in the hot summer sun. It has sex, drugs and one very memorable candy bar, but the movie we all know and love didn’t start out that way, and everyone who made it certainly didn’t have the word “classic” in mind as the cameras were rolling.

In Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story film critic for Entertainment Weekly Chris Nashawaty goes behind the scenes of the iconic film, chronicling the rise of comedy’s greatest deranged minds as they form The National Lampoon, turn the entertainment industry on its head, and ultimately blow up both a golf course and popular culture as we know it. Caddyshack is at once an eye-opening narrative about one of the most interesting, surreal, and dramatic film productions there’s ever been, and a rich portrait of the biggest, and most revolutionary names in Hollywood. So, it’s got that going for it…which is nice.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Film, Media Tie In, Humor, Comedy, Biography

286 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 24, 2018

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't think you're just getting the making of Caddyshack with this book. You're also getting the making of:
- The Harvard Lampoon
- The National Lampoon
- SCTV
- SNL
- The Blues Brothers
- Animal House

You're also getting mini-biographies of:
- John Belushi
- Chevy Chase
- Ted Knight
- Bill Murray
- Brian Doyle Murray
- Harold Ramis
- Ivan Reitman
- John Landis
- Rodney Dangerfield
- Cindy Morgan
- Doug Kenney

The list could go on and on. This isn't just a nostalgia-fest either. They show the production, warts and all. The late Doug Kenney gets particular attention. I didn't know much about this troubled comedic genius before this book but his is a particularly tragic arc. If you're like me and can recite this movie line for line, you owe it to yourself to get educated on the greatest comedy that cocaine ever made.

[Heather Bridson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel kind of bad giving this just two stars, but it just wasn't what I was expecting, and I didn't enjoy reading it. I was expecting a behind the scenes of what went on while making the movie, not a history of Lampoon in all its various creations and hardships alone the way. I just wanted to know about Caddyshack. I got really bored reading this book. It was well over halfway thru the book before you get to Caddyshack itself. Yes, I get that is takes a lot to get a movie going but this book is supposed to be about the film, not about Second city, Saturday night live and other projects. Just disappointed in this book. Yes, it was well written, just a bit boring. Anyway, if you like long histories of the comedy world and the pitfalls along the way then this may be the book for you. If you want a book about the making and behind the scenes of a movie, this really isn't it.

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I was not paid for my review in any way and all opinions are my own.

[Ashley Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wacky improv antics of early SNL cast members hit the big screen in Caddyshack. Based on real life experiences and now a classic in the comic genre, the story of the making of Caddyshack is just as wild and cocaine-fueled as you would expect. Enjoy the ride!

[Danny Cerullo · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are between the ages of 30 and 50 Caddyshack probably had a major part in shaping your sense of humor. It's a glorious mess of big comedy stars improvising hilarious scenes that don't really add up to much of a plot. In the book Caddyshack, Chris Nashawaty tells the entire story of how this movie came together, starting with the formation of the National Lampoon and culminating in writer/producer Doug Kenney's untimely death. Kenney's rise and fall is the through-line throughout the book and his self-destruction is a dark shadow that hangs over the entire narrative and the great tragedy is that he died thinking the movie was a bomb and didn't live to see it become the cultural icon that it would ultimately become.

[Mike LaRosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting and thorough enough read that you don't necessarily have to be a huge fan of the movie to both enjoy reading about its history and effectively follow the series of events. Nashawaty does a great job giving necessary context, starting all the way back at the Harvard Lampoon, moving on to how things like National Lampoon, Saturday Night Live, and Animal House played into the process of Caddyshack coming to be. With all the drugs, infighting, inexperience, and studio pressures, if nothing else you get a sense of appreciation for the fact that the movie came together at all.

[Doug Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I learned of Chris Nashawaty's long-overdue study of the Caddyshack phenomenon (Okay, more like a commotion. No, more like a sophomoric following.), I knew I had to get a copy hot off the presses. You see, I've seen the film a zillion times. Okay, more like twenty. Good or bad, this film represents a story, casting, and goofball acting that was marketed to me and every other 18-25-year-old male in 1980.

After reading the book, which lifts many veils around the planning and making of the movie, I'm not sure if I really needed to read the book after all. Don't get me wrong. It's a thorough expose that shows the author's chops with the inner-workings of movie production at this particular time. It was certainly interesting to read about how the director and actors all made a decent movie (the 17th highest grossing film of the year in 1980) that really utilizes the ad-lib talents of Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, and others. As the book explains, the one person who stuck to the script was Ted Knight.

Knight was also, reportedly, the only actor on set who refrained from the copious quantities of drugs and alcohol that fueled some performances. This is where I found myself slightly deflated regarding the many characters portrayed in the film. Of course, I was not expecting that the Florida set locations were for a convention of clergy. I just was not prepared for the magnitude of drugs (and particularly cocaine) that return again and again as part of the diorama that Nashawaty narratively builds of the months during the film's production in late 1979.

That aside, there is plenty of insider information here. It forms natural content for the author, who spent 25 years covering "the business" for Entertainment Weekly magazine. I may not look at Caddyshack the same way again. But with the place that it holds in my earlier life, I will look at Caddyshack again.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the 1980 cult film CADDYSHACK is now a beloved antiestablishment comedy, its path to the screen was a bumpy one. As in cocaine bumps. Cocaine "seemed to be the fuel that kept the film running," writes Entertainment Weekly film critic Chris Nashawaty. Most of the cast and crew were friends, having worked together at National Lampoon magazine, Second City, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE or ANIMAL HOUSE. But camaraderie turned into competition and "curdled into a toxic stew of bitter compromises, bruised feelings, and bare-knuckle power plays," writes Nashawaty. "The drugs certainly hadn't helped."

First-time director and (co-screenwriter) Harold Ramis was often revising the script hours before scenes were to be filmed--or tossing out pages and encouraging his cast to improvise. Bill Murray ad-libbed his entire performance, playing a character not in the script. Improvisations by Rodney Dangerfield and Chevy Chase added laughs but left the film so disjointed that the producers had to add $500,000 to the budget for reshoots. (The animatronic gopher that ties the film together wasn't added until reshoots.)

Nashawaty's entertaining and insightful book is filled with deliciously juicy gossip and bad behavior. There is poignancy, however, in detailing producer and co-screenwriter Douglas Kenney's increasing depression and accelerated drug use. Kenney died at age 33, a month after the film was released. Nashawaty's interviews with Murray, Chase, Ramis, producer Jon Peters and the film's supporting cast (including Michael O'Keefe and Peter Berkrot) add a freshness and intimacy to his well-researched salute to a troubled production that became an iconic comedy classic.

A deliciously juicy behind-the-scenes look at the cocaine-fueled filming of the 1980 comedy CADDYSHACK.

[Lance L · Rating 2 out of 5]

I get that the title couldn’t be “The Story of Doug Kenney and How He Was Involved in a Bunch of Stuff You Have Heard Of” but come on - the Caddyshack stuff comprises maybe 15% of the book, and doesn’t seem to add anything to what was already obvious and known (they did a lot of cocaine, improvised the script, and were pretty awful to Cindy Morgan). This is a somewhat interesting, one-off-ey sort of bio of a guy who was in the middle of the revolution in comedy that happened in the late 70s. Some of the insight into the era is interesting; some of the stories are amusing. But - the title is downright fraudulent (and cynically fraudulent, because it seems like it is meant to deceive you into buying what would be a very different book). Can’t recommend it. Feel sort of cheated actually. Although I did like it enough to finish it all the way through (but then it is very short and breezy).

[Sara Vilkomerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell very much in love with this book and all the oddball characters at its center (except for one, and when you read this book you'll know who I mean). I have always been a fan of Caddyshack, and while it's very fun and informative about the making of the movie, the book is also an examination of a time period and a cultural shift in comedy that is downright fascinating. (I ended up on the couch reading past midnight because I could not put it down.)

[Joseph Carano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a ARC on Goodreads. I never really thought about how a movie is actually made. The everyday problems with everything from casting, locations, scripts, politics etc... This book has it all, including the fact that it was made in the 70's, when the culture was everything and anything was go. Great stories are included about the actors, actresses, producers, directors, writers, etc... Learned more reading this book than most others. This offering will sell quite a few books.

[Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading the book is a great excuse for listening to the Kenny Loggins theme title song over and over again! What a great cover, love the little guy, and was glad to read his role greatly expanded from the original script. TMI warning: I dance like him. :)

[Cheryl DeFranceschi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chock full o’ Hollywood gossip, sex drugs and rock and roll, and liberal amounts of comedic history, this was a very fun read, so it’s got that going for itself.

[Joann · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, I got this for free from the publisher through a Goodreads giveaway, but I'd still say if I hated it. In fact, I found it engrossing, hilarious, and very hard to put down. And that isn't because I'm a diehard fan of Caddyshack. I like it a lot, but I don't worship it or quote it everyday.

Chris Nashawaty's Caddyshack is about a lot more than just the making of the titular film. In fact, that aspect is arguably the least intriguing part of the story. The book's subtitle, "The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story" actually has a second half that's only used on the interior title page, "and the Remaking of American Comedy." One of Nashawaty's main purposes is to examine the development of the radical new style of comedy from the late seventies that Caddyshack belongs to.

The book is also an unofficial biography of Caddyshack's producer/co-writer Doug Kenney, a fascinating guy who seems to have always been at the epicenter or on the fringes of every big development in American comedy at the time. We follow Kenney as the Harvard Lampoon begats the National Lampoon, which helps begat Saturday Night Live which begats Animal House, all of which leads to... Caddyshack. Structuring the book this way also unfortunately gives Nashawaty a clear point in time to end on, for reasons I won't spoil any further.

All of this isn't to say that the reader doesn't learn plenty about everyone else involved in the making of the film. We get mini life stories on almost anyone even tangentially related to the subject, including John Belushi who wasn't even in the film.

Nashawaty's writing style is delightfully witty and effective at conveying character and detail. The book's prologue recounts a disastrous press meeting for the film following an equally disastrous screening and Nashawatty really makes the reader feel like they are there in Rodney Dangerfield's slightly scuzzy comedy club with all of the incredibly bombed and/or hungover cast and crew.

One of the real coups of the book is that Nashawatty got candid, in-depth interviews with just everyone who was still alive when he was writing this. Everyone is also incredibly, almost mind-blowingly honest, too. No empty fluff here. The interviews and others sources are well documented in the voluminous footnotes at the back of the book. Seriously, you could use this as a source for a college thesis.

The only real negatives are of the kind that always pop up in this type of work. I didn't always agree with Nashawaty's opinion of the relative merit or lack thereof of various pop culture figures and works, but I can respect his opinion. Also, I wasn't very familiar with this topic beforehand, so I can't say how much new information there would be for someone who lives and breathes this movie or these actors. But overall, I would highly recommend Caddyshack who loves comedy, movies or just amusingly told stories about loveable but deeply flawed individuals.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

In depth telling of how Caddyshack came to be. From the beginnings with National Lampoon and Second City through to the aftermath of the movie's release. It's amazing to see how all those comedic geniuses gravitated together to create some of the greatest movies of a generation. Yes, this book is about more than just Caddyshack. Mr. Nashawaty weaves together the stories of the actors and writers who came together to create this wonderful movie. For anyone who is a fan of National Lampoon, Saturday Night Live, Second City, and/or a fan of 70s and 80s comedy, this is a must read.

[Chris Giles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll never not be tickled by the utter inability of anyone anywhere to offer a flattering word about Chevy Chase.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you lived the movie, you'll love the behind the scenes look at all the craziness that went on during the writing and the filming of this cult classic.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey everybody reading this book, WE'RE ALL GONNA GET LAID! When you find out that that wasn't supposed to be the original ending but in fact was just an ad-lib by Rodney Dangerfeild there's a strange sensation. Not disillusionment, but just a strange intellectual fascination at knowing something about one of your favorite movies.

Caddyshack actually wasn't the comedy of my youth, that was actually the entire collected series of Family Guy and then eventually Knocked Up came down the pike and changed everything. But I eventually got to Caddyshack care of my father and I fell in love with this movie. Whether it's Bill Murray's obvious psychosis, Rodney Dangerfield's boisterous irreverence, or Cindy Morgan's...cindy Morganess, this book was a chance to see the origin of one of my favorite films and discover the great tragedies and oddities behind it.

Chris Nashawaty (who's name for the record sounds like a character stolen out of a National Lampoon movie) tells the story of Caddyschack, but more important sets up the character of Doug Kenney, the troubled comedic genius who helped establish National Lampoon as an American standard and then went about making films like Animal House and Caddyshack which have reverberated through the decades as standards of American comedy. Nashawaty doesn't just write the story behind the film, he writes the story of the people and their faults as they stumbled about in a drug-fueled haze and somehow managed to create moments of cinema which are still being cited, stolen, and recreated for contemporary audiences. The book is a chance to see the legacy of this style of comedy, and observe the toll it took on the people who made it.

The book is not perfect, and in fact I would probably give 4.5 stars because I would have liked more detail about the long term success of the film and the effect it had on the directors, actors, producers, etc. But despite this shortcoming this book was delightful surprise. the reader who picks it pop thinking it will just be a few one-liners and a chance to reread their favorite movie will be surprised to find a real human document about American cinema and one of it's classics.

Caddyshack is not just a film, it's a snap-shot of the new comedy that was born in the early 1980s. It came at a terrible cost to some of it's creators, but those of us who can dance the twist and sing "I'm all right" are still appreciating the end result.

[Jack Herbert Christal Gattanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You take drugs, Danny?"
"Every day."
"Good boy - so, whats the problem?"

This is a clear-eyed take on a wild ride that happened for a lot of creative people, but at the core is Doug Kenney, the Harvard graduate and professional goofball who got heavily into drugs and co-wrote two of the funniest movies ever made (this and Animal House). More importantly he was a major factor in the magazine National Lampoon - which is where it started, the movies came later - as a gigantic force as a writer and editor (mostly as a writer). He isnt the only key character in this saga, but he is the one who forms the emotional nucleus, the one who had the massive brains to go with the putting-ones-fist-into-ones-mouth-for-a-laugh thing.

This is a very good book about not only the making of the film, but the culture of comedy that arose with Kenney and his Lampoon partner Henry Beard, the Second City in Chicago (and Toronto) and of people like Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Michael O'Donoughue, Anne Beatts, Lorne Michaels (who kinda, sorta, picked all the fresh fruit from the Lampoon that had formed the few years before SNL), and of course Bill Murray and Harold Ramis. But Nashawaty is also excellent at giving context and background to not just them (and Brian Doyle-Murray, whos formative experiences would form the start of Caddyahack), but the other main actors like Rodney, Ted Knight and uh... The other people! (No, seriously, everything with Cindy Morgan is so fascinating). It all adds up to being the remarkable story of a bunch of young people, or those young at heart like Rodney (who didnt know how to do a scene initially as he thought he was bombing due to no laughs on the set), and how they... Made a movie very much of its time but has also stood the test of time.

Id also recommend the documentary on Lampoon/Kenney/et so, DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD which is on Netflix (the adaptation of the other Kenney bio, A FUTILE AND STUPID GESTURE.... not so much)

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won an ARC through Goodreads. I enjoyed reading about how the movie Caddyshack came to be. The book follows the development of National Lampoon, its publications, and then its first movie Animal House. From there, we follow the story of the actual development and shooting for Caddyshack. The brief summary is that there were lots of drugs, before drugs were bad.

For me, the book contrasts with one other making of works, As You Wish. In that work, the author is one of the lead actors, and so there is a significantly greater emphasis on the crafting of the movie itself. And while I enjoyed reading this book, it was just not as personal and engaging as I had hoped. Read it? Sure. Want to watch the movie and see the scenes in a new light? Not so much.

[Lana Revok · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt more like an abridged rehash of A Stupid and Futile Gesture than a book about the making of Caddyshack but I still found it to be a quick, entertaining read.

[Ty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. The author, Chris Nashawaty, did a fantastic job of telling the story about one of the films that revolutionized the American comedy. I knew most of the information in this book (I've done a lot of my own research and had opportunities to speak with John Landis & Ivan Reitman) and I was very impressed with the details and the facts Nashawaty used to telling the story.

One instance was, when I started this book and seeing how far back the author used as the starting point of the story, I asked, I wonder if Ivan Reitman will be mentioned. Which then had me asking, I wonder if he'll talk about Ivan Reitman meeting the National Lampoon crew, he won't mention the club but I wonder if he'll mention it was in Toronto. My jaw hit the floor when the author did in fact mention that it was at the El Macombo (a local Toronto club). This told me how much research the author had put in to all the details in fleshing out the story.

I would love for Chris Nashawaty to start a whole anthology series based on the making-of films from the late 70s-early 80s that are considered part of the American Comedy Revolution (Animal House (which is touched upon in this book), Meatballs, Blues Brothers, Stripes, Trading Places, Ghostbusters, etc.). He would do a fantastic job in telling the story and I would enjoy reading every single one, even if it was info I already know.

[Fred Forbes · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are of a certain age - in my case, about to turn "Plenty two" part of the Boomer vanguard - you know well the folks and events portrayed in this book. At least, if you, like me, have a pretty sophomoric sense of humor and loved the National Lampoon parodies, the magazine and the movies like "Animal House" that were spawned from that creative collective you will enjoy this take on the classic movie. Great insight into the connections between the folks involved in this show and the development of some real touchstones of our generation - Saturday Night Live, the Lampoon magazines and movies and the lives of the the folks involved. A quick, easy, entertaining read!

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was received as an ARC giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
This is an absolutely engrossing and engaging book that I read in one day!
It traces the evolution of the iconic comedy classic. Starting with the Harvard Lampoon and the National Lampoon to Second City and Saturday Night Live to the making of Animal House.
Richly-detailed and informative, you learn about all the players and a lot about the film making process.
Including the ups and downs and on location craziness behind the film. What happens when a first time director and producer are basically given free reign because of the success of their involvement with Animal House.
The anxieties that follow all way from writing the script through editing down a four hour long rough cut in post-production.
It's wonderfully told and funny and thoroughly entertaining,

[Alex Abboud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun read about the backstory and making of this movie. Also covers the early careers of many of the principles involved, so lots about the birth and history of National Lampoon and Saturday Night Live as well. Recommended for fans of any or all of the above, or the primary actors in Caddyshack. The Bill Murray stories are particularly entertaining.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I entered to win this in a Goodreads giveaway because I've always been a fan of the movie. At first I figured the bulk of the book would re-tell a lot of stuff I had already learned about the film when watching a documentary on A&E. I'm happy to say though that I learned a whole lot that wasn't in the doc I saw. It's very informative and entertaining which, for me, usually boils down to a very fast read. If you're a fan of the film, you'll definitely want to check this book out!

[Jason Weber · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. Worth the read for any Caddyshack fan!

[Chris Beaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read about a classic film.

[Oliver Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good summary of late 70s post SNL "new" comedy paired with an expanded version of a Caddyshack oral history written for SNL by Nashawaty.

Two interesting takeaways: 1) most of this comedy wasn't that good and 2) Caddyshack, aside from virtuosic scenes like Murray's "looper for the lama" speech, wasn't that good.

But I can see how this material, misogynistic and druggy (in the sense that a heavy pot smoker finds mere repetition funny, but not in cerebral Letterman style "you got any gum?" repetition, just farts squirted out one after the other) it may have been, appealed to folks like my brother. Chase was once a great comedic actor, and Murray was in a league of his own.

[Stephen Power · Rating 5 out of 5]

everything I could have wanted

[Tim Blackburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caddyshack Lives Again!!

Solid behind-the-scenes details of one of my favorite movies of all time. I was thoroughly entertained by the author's delivery and appreciate the countless hours he spent interviewing the participants in the movie. A solid addition to the history of comedy films.