Airplane!

Rumack: Can you fly this plane, and land it?
Ted Striker: Surely you can't be serious.
Rumack: I am serious... and don't call me Shirley.

Question: What's slower than a speeding bullet, and able to hit tall buildings at a single bound?
Answer: Airplane!


Ted Striker has a dilemma: Though they've been separated, he still has a craving for the love of his life, Elaine.  So much so, in fact, that he insists on following her onto a plane on which she works as a stewardess.  That ends up being a bit of a mistake because not only has he had a bad experience on a plane, but passengers are getting sick from food poisoning including the crew... which includes the captain!


In what is still considered one of the best film comedies of all time, "Airplane!"'s cast includes such stars as Robert Hays (Ted Stryker), Julie Hagerty (Elaine), Leslie Nielsen (Dr. Rumack), Robert Stack (Rex Kramer), Peter Graves (Captain Clarence Oveur), Lloyd Bridges (Steve McCroskey), Stephen Stucker (Johnny), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Roger Murdock), Lorna Patterson (Randy), and Otto (Himself).  Other cameos consist of Barbara Billingsley (Jive Lady), Ethel Merman (Lieutenant Hurwitz), and Windy (Horse in the bed).

It boggles the mind and is hard to believe, but "Airplane!" was directed by three people: Jim Abrahams (this being his directorial debut), and David and Jerry Zucker.  All three of them wrote the screenplay as well.  Nominated for six awards including a BAFTA award for Best Screenplay and a Golden Globe for Best Picture in the Musical/Comedy category, it did win a Writers Guild of America (Screen) award for Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium and an award landing itself in the National Film Registry from the National Film Preservation Board.

Still, probably the most rewarding trophies it has ever achieved and continues to achieve to this day are the hurting stomaches of people of all ages all over the world which ache because they've laughed so much during this film.

Having been budgeted and estimated $3.5 million to make, "Airplane!" made its premiere on July 2, 1980 and went on to rake in a phenomenal gross of more than $83.4 million.  It did so well, in fact, that the first two days of the film's gross covered its entire production budget.

Here are some more fun tidbits of behind-the-scenes trivia for you to enjoy...

1.  The film was specially geared to spoof the "Airport" series, but chiefly spoofs "Airport 1975," where Karen Black is a stewardess forced to pilot a plane after both pilots are incapacitated, Linda Blair is a girl needing a kidney transplant, and Helen Reddy plays a singing nun.

2.  The first draft for the movie was written in 1974. Even then, Robert Stack was first choice for the part of Rex Kramer.

3.  The character "Dr. Rumack" was named after a neighbor of the Zuckers', Dr. Barry Rumack, who is now a noted toxicology expert.    

4.  Universal threatened to sue when they found out that the directors were trying to get Helen Reddy to repeat her role as the singing nun from "Airport 1975." George Kennedy from the original Airport movies was also being courted for the film but thought better of running afoul of Universal.

5.  To get the film green-lighted by Paramount, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker pitched it as "'Animal House' on a plane" - which, of course, was far from the truth, but the only way they could get the studio execs to understand it was a zany comedy.

6.  The three directors had a full-on fight on their hands with the Directors' Guild who initially refused to allow for a three director credit.

7.  The entire production took just over a month. Robert Hays was doing the television show "Angie" at the same time.

8.  David Letterman screen-tested for the role of Ted Striker.

9.  Singer/songwriter Barry Manilow was considered for the role of Ted Stryker before Robert Hays was hired.    

10.  Film debut of Julie Hagerty.

11.  The doctor role was Leslie Nielsen's first comedic part. He later said he was delighted to get the offer, fearing that he was getting too old for anything but "elderly grandfather" parts.    

12.  According to his autobiography, Christopher Lee turned down the role of Dr Rumack.

13.  In a 2008 interview on the Today Show, Peter Graves said he was initially insulted and offended by the script for "Airplane!", but was convinced by friends and colleagues to do the movie.  In that same interview on the same show, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar told the story of being on a European flight and asked to sit in an empty seat in the cockpit during takeoff so the crew could say they flew with Roger Murdoch.

14.  Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker chose actors such as Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, and Leslie Nielsen because of their reputation for playing no-nonsense characters. Until this film, these actors had not done comedy, so their "straight-arrow" personas and line delivery made the satire in the movie all the more poignant and funny. Bridges was initially reluctant to take his role in the movie, but his sons persuaded him to do it.

15.  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's role was originally to be played by Pete Rose, but he was playing baseball at the time of the filming, so the part went to Kareem. He was offered $30,000 to appear in the film, but he asked for $35,000 to buy an oriental rug.

16.  The "Jaws" spoof in the beginning of the film was made of layers of cotton on a piece of plywood with a hidden wire track for the airplane to "fly" around.

17.  The argument between the two P.A. voice-overs about an abortion comes from "a cheap, dime-store novel" according to the trivia track of the DVD version. That "novel" is actually Arthur Hailey's "Airport" (which inspired the movie "Airport").  Also...

18.  For the argument between announcers concerning the white and red zones at the airport, the producers hired the same voice artists who had made the real-world announcements at Los Angeles International Airport. At the real airport, the white zone is for loading and unloading of passengers only, and there's no stopping in the red zone (except for transit buses). They were also married to each other in real life.    

19.  The directors for "Airplane!" made their cameo appearances in it: Jim Abrahams as the second religious zealot who is pushed aside by Rex Kramer upon his arrival in the Chicago Airport terminal.  Jerry Zucker and David Zucker appear as the ground crew at the beginning of the film (they're the ones that direct the plane into the window of the terminal).

20.  For the famous scene of the 747 crashing through the large windows inside the terminal, producer Jon Davidson mentions (in the DVD extras) that after the movie, he received numerous letters from various pilots telling him that they have come very close to re-enacting that very scene in real life, with some pilots admitting that they've come so close as to touch the glass with the noses of their airplanes.    

21.  The Mustang used in the scene where Rex is being brought to the airport was owned by Robert Hays. He got paid $35 a day for its use and they used it for two days.

22.  Most of the jive talk between the two black passengers was improvised by the actors, as the ZAZ team weren't sufficiently "conversant" in black street language.  In the Italian version, the talk between the two black passengers was dubbed in Neapolitan dialect.  In the German version, the talk between the two black passengers was dubbed in heavy Bavarian dialect (with subtitles in standard German).

23.  Stephen Stucker ad-libbed all of his lines as Johnny.

24.  When Captain Oveur asks the young boy if he'd ever seen the inside of a cockpit before, it's not the original line which was ultimately deemed to be too risqué. (Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker originally wanted the line to be "Have you ever seen a grown man's c**k?")  (And, no... I don't mean "cook.")

25.  Ethel Merman insisted on bringing her own hairdresser to set.  She could only be on set after noon as it took all morning to set her hair.

26.  "Stayin' Alive" was sped up for the dance scene of the film. Permission from The Bee Gees had to be obtained to speed it up.

27.  Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty rehearsed their "Stayin' Alive" dance routine for a month before filming it.   
28.  Despite featuring a spoof of the beach scene of "From Here to Eternity," none of the three directors had actually seen the original film.

29.  In the scene where the husband turns on the air for his sick wife, you see in the background a man wearing a large beard, it was supposed to fly off in the wind, but the adhesive they used wouldn't let the beard come loose. The man can be seen moving his face back and forth and scrunching his face trying to help it come off.

30.  A disco station in the film is called WZAZ, a reference to filmmakers David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker. The same initials appear on one of the microphones in the scene with the reporters in the control tower.

31.  In their own languages, the Italian title of the movie is "The Craziest Plane In The World."  The film's title in Argentina was "And where is the pilot?"  The film's title in Germany was "The Incredible Trip in a Crazy Airplane."  The title in Brazil is "Tighten your seat belts... The pilot is gone!"  In Spain the title was "Land As You Can."  In Norway, the title of this movie is "Help! We're flying!"  The French title of the movie translates to "Is there a pilot on the plane?"  And the Polish title of the movie is "Is the pilot flying with us?"

32.  Co-writer/director David Zucker said that years after the movie's release, Woody Allen came up to him at a New York Knicks game and told Zucker how much he loved the movie. Zucker said that, since he and the movie's other writer-directors were heavily influenced by Allen's early comedies, Zucker was very touched.

33.  The directing trio passed on the opportunity of making "Airplane II: The Sequel" as they felt that they'd exhausted every airport gag with this film.

34.  Three serious actors who made their comedy debuts in this movie - Peter Graves, Barbara Billingsley and Leslie Nielsen - all died in 2010, the film's 30th anniversary year.

35.  Otto, the automatic pilot, ultimately disintegrated after spending several years in Jerry Zucker's garage. (May he/it Rest In Peace.)

36.  Final film of Ethel Merman.  (May she Rest In Peace, too.)

And now you know.


Without further hestitance, enjoy some of these pictures from the film that remind us of the hilarious moments throughout beginning with the key characters...

And now a collection of stills from the film...

Reporter: What kind of plane is it? 

Johnny: Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big Tylenol.

9 to 5

Frank Hart is a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot!  The three women who work directly under him are tired of it!  They're tired of his ignorance and definitely disgusted of his taking advantage of people!  There must be a change in the work place!  But what can they possibly do?  Trap him in his own house, tie him up and gag him, and assume control of his department?  Hmm... not such a bad idea!

"Nine to Five" made its premiere on December 19, 1980 and ended up being one of the most highest grossed films to have ever hit the box office, bringing in $103 million, which was huge back then.  It was only nominated for one Oscar at the Academy Awards (Best Original Song, "Nine to Five" sung by Dolly Parton) for which it wouldn't win.  Dolly Parton was also nominated for three Golden Globes for her involvement in this film: Best Motion Picture Actress for a Musical/Comedy, Best New Star of the Year for a Motion Picture, and Best Original Song.  Alas, again she wouldn't win any.  In fact the only award "Nine to Five" won was the People's Choice Award for the Favorite Theme Song, "Nine to Five."

So what was it that made this film such a huge hit?  I believe it was a matter of relativity.  People could relate to the story.  Those situations that the characters Judy, Violet and Doralee went through, the way they were treated by their boss, Franklin M. Hart, Jr., and the fantasies they conjured up of what they'd love to do to him if they had the chance... millions of people felt the same way! 

Based on a story by Patricia Resnick, she wrote the screenplay to "Nine to Five" along with Colin Higgins who also directed it, his second of only three films he ever directed before he died in 1988 in Beverly Hills.

Starring Jane Fonda (Judy), Lily Tomlin (Violet), Dolly Parton (Doralee) in her first feature film, and Dabney Coleman, here's some other behind-the-scenes info you might like to know...


1.  According to "Variety," Jane Fonda was the initiator of this project. The picture was the third of six movies made by her production company IPC Films.

2.  Her film debut, Dolly Parton, in preparation for her role as Doralee Rhodes, not only committed to memory her own part, but the parts of every other actor in the film. Apparently, the 2 other and more experienced co-stars Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda burst out laughing when Dolly Parton let on that she believed that pictures were filmed in the chronological order of a film's script.

3.  Reportedly, Dolly Parton was cast in this movie because Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin felt that she would "bring them the West."  Parton was both a lead actress and singer in this film and sang the title '9 to 5' song which got Oscar nominated.  In an interview with Isaac Mizrahi, Parton states that when she wrote and performed the theme song to Tomlin and Fonda, she used her long acrylic nails to create the beat to the song.   

4.  To prepare for her role as Judy Bernly, a middle-aged divorcée entering the workforce, actress Jane Fonda interviewed a number of women who had entered the labor market late in life due to being widowed or divorced. Fonda took from this an element for her character, that of being over-dressed on her first day. Fonda wore an over-frilly over-prim very dowdy conservative wardrobe with over-sized glasses, elaborate hats and an over-done hair-style.

5.  First of two consecutive back-to-back movies for actors Dabney Coleman and Jane Fonda who together played spouses in 1981's "On Golden Pond."

6.  The three main characters' first names were based closely on their real first names. Jane Fonda's role was Judy Bernly, Dolly Parton's role was Doralee Rhodes and Lily Tomlin's role was Violet Newstead.   

7.  The office building exteriors were filmed at the Pacific Financial Center on West 6th street, Los Angeles.

8.  The name of the company was "Consolidated Industries". Most of the picture is interiors of its workplace and this was filmed on Sound Stage 6 at 20th Century-Fox studios in Hollywood. A two-level set that cost around $1 million was constructed to feature interiors of two floors of a then modern office complex.   

9.  Violet's fantasy features Disney-like characters from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (including Violet herself as Snow White), "Bambi" and "Robin Hood." The animated characters resembled the Disney characters but were obviously drawn differently for legal reasons.   

10.  In the middle of the film, Dolly Parton and her colleagues send a nosy secretary to the Aspen Language Center in Colorado to learn French. The particular TWA 747 shown in the film later was used in reality on the ill-fated flight of TWA 800, which exploded off of Long Island, NY.   

11.  Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston both turned down the role of Russell Tinsworthy which went to Sterling Hayden.

12.  A release on VHS for the same day as the film's theatrical release was originally planned. The video release was postponed three months, due to complaints from movie theater owners.

13.  Plans for a sequel were considered throughout the 1980s, but no storyline was ever settled upon.

14.  The movie spurred a reasonably successful sitcom television series "Nine to Five" which went for eighty-five episodes and aired between 1982 and 1988. The first three seasons were broadcast on ABC between spring 1982 and fall 1983, whilst the second and final season aired in syndication between 1986 and 1988. Dolly Parton's younger sister Rachel Dennison played Parton's role Doralee Rhodes in the series.   

15.  A $150 ticket charity retro premiere of this movie was held in 2003 to benefit the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (GCAPP) which was founded by the film's top-billed star Jane Fonda. When asked which was their favorite scene from the movie, the film's three female stars agreed that it was tying horrible boss Dabney Coleman up in the SM-like rig.

16.  In 2009 a musical version of "9 to 5" opened on Broadway on Friday, April 30th 2009. The opening cast included Allison Janney, Stephanie J. Block, Megan Hilty, and Marc Kudisch. "9 to 5: The Musical" closed on Sunday, September 6th, 2009, after 148 performances and 24 previews.

And now you know.


It could be speculated that since "Nine to Five" catered to what women were thinking or fantasizing in the workplace, it might have been some sort of inspiration to "Office Space" which came out 19 years later.  Hey, men have employee/boss issues, too!


Here are some picture stills from "Nine to Five" for your enjoyment, beginning with pictures of the key characters in the film...

And now some stills from the film...

Doralee:  So, you've been tellin' everybody I've been sleepin' with ya, huh? Well that explains it! That's why these people treat me like some dime-store floozy. They think I'm screwin' the boss! Oooh, and you just love it, don't you? It gives you some sort of cheap thrill like knockin' over pencils and pickin' up papers! Get your scummy hands offa me! Look I've been straight with you since the first day I got here, and I've put up with all of your pinchin' and starin' and chasin' me around the desk because I need this job. But this is the last straw! Look, I've got a gun out there in my purse. Up until now I've been forgivin' and forgettin' because of the way I was brought up, but I'll tell you one thing. If you ever say another word about me or make another indecent proposal, I'm gonna get that gun of mine, and I'm gonna change you from a rooster to a hen with one shot! And don't think I can't do it!

Caddyshack

Carl: Cinderella story.  Outta nowhere.  A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion.  It looks like a mirac... It's in the hole!  It's in the hole!  It's in the hole!

There are a lot of laughs and pranks at an exclusive golf club.  Many of the members are wealthy, eccentric, and, well... snobs.  Tho un-snobbish members and staff know they're snobs and they know how to deal with them in their own way.  When they do, all bets are off!  Hmm... But what about that gopher?!?


Having already been the genius behind the story and screenplay writing of such comedic hits as "Animal House" and "Meatballs," "Caddyshack" was the first Harold Ramis directred.  Harold Ramis co-wrote the screenplay of this film with Douglas Kenney and Brian Doyle-Murray who also co-stars in the movie and just happens to be... wait for it, wait for it... Bill Murray's brother.  (YES!  That was worth the wait, right?!?)

Costing an estimated $6 million to make, "Caddyshack" made its broad premiere on July 25, 1980 and ultimately earned $39.8 million in the U.S.  It wasn't nominated for any awards, but it's still considered a cult classic of the 80s and is a favorite of fans who appreciate works by Harold Ramis and films starring Chevy Chase and Bill Murray who gave us memorable performances.

"Caddyshack" starred Chevy Chase (Ty), Rodney Dangerfield (Al), Ted Knight (Judge Elihu Smails), Michael O'Keefe (Danny), and Bill Murray (Carl).  It also co-starred Sarah Holcomb (Maggie), Cindy Morgan (Lacey), Brian Doyle-Murray (Lou Loomis), and Scott Colomby (Tony) in his first feature film (after "Caddyshack" he went on to appear in all three "Porky's" movies as well as other films and television programs).

Here are some other bits of trivia on "Caddyshack" to add to your ever-increasing list of useful information...

1.  "Caddyshack" was filmed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and at the Boca Raton Resort & Club and the Rolling Hills Golf & Tennis Club.  However, because the story was to take place in Nebraska, many days were spent spraypainting the grass blue for certain scenes around the clubhouse.

2.  The second story of the clubhouse was fake. It was only added for the movie and was empty inside.

3.  The movie was inspired by writer and co-star Brian Doyle-Murray's memories working as a caddy at a golf club.  His brother Bill Murray and director Harold Ramis also worked as caddies when they were teenagers.

4.  Most of the cast and crew lived in a motel located near the actual country club used in the film which made it easy for everyone to show up to work.

5.  According to Harold Ramis on the DVD Commentary, he claims that he wanted to score the movie to Pink Floyd music.  Unfortunately, the studio wouldn't allow him to do that.  After an audition, Kenny Loggins came up with the famous theme song for the film, "I'm All Right" and played it for the producers and got the job.  Johnny Mandel, who wrote the film's musical score, was also hired immediately afterward.

6.  Harold Ramis based the character of Carl Spackler on a slightly deranged police officer who was a shell-shocked war veteran.

7.  Rodney Dangerfield hired singer and golfer Don Cherry to teach him to golf for this film. Don was a regular headliner in Las Vegas and lived near Dangerfield. In addition to his singing, Don was a very well known-professional golfer.  On that same note...

8.  Bill Murray was and is and avid golfer, having played in the Pebble Beach Classic on a few occasions.

9.  Chevy Chase's character Ty, makes several references to owning or working in a "lumber yard." Co-writer Brian Doyle-Murray's father worked in a lumber yard.

10.  The rowdy, improvisational atmosphere around the filming, created by Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, and Rodney Dangerfield, didn't sit well with all the members of the cast. Ted Knight, widely regarded as a very nice man, got fed up with the constant shenanigans. Initially, Murray's, Chase's, and Dangerfield's roles were to be cameo appearances. But their deft improvising caused their roles to be expanded much to the chagrin of Scott Colomby and some of the other cast members whose roles were reduced as a result.

11.  According to Scott Colomby on the DVD extras, he only took up smoking after playing the part of cigarette-puffing Tony.

12.  Cindy Morgan (Lacey Underall) has said that the oil massage scene with Chevy Chase was also completely improvised. When Lacy exclaims "You're crazy!" that was Morgan's genuine reaction to Chase dousing her with oil.

13.  Cindy Morgan did not want to appear topless in the movie. While Harold Ramis was amenable to changing the scene, producer John Peters asked to talk to her while Ramis had her on the phone. When the call ended, Peters informed Ramis that Morgan would do the topless scene - because Peters had told her she would never work again in Hollywood if she didn't. Morgan recounted in July 2010 that this incident contributed to her not working again (voluntarily) for a long time afterward.

14.  The scene where Cindy Morgan walks by Scott Colomby and Michael O'Keefe at the swimming pool made Morgan very nervous at first, but when she completed it, she felt relieved. Colomby was supposed to say a line while she walked past him but couldn't so he wet his lips and that's what ended up on screen.

15.  In the lovemaking scene, Cindy Morgan was so uncomfortable that Harold Ramis ordered a closed set for it. Michael O'Keefe asked all the cast and crew to take off their shirts for the scene to make her feel more comfortable.

16.  Cindy Morgan was furious at Chevy Chase during their scene in his cabana. Morgan was upset at the fact that Chase was improvising more than she had anticipated because he didn't tell her ahead of time. This made her uncomfortable, which can be seen clearly when she's having the tequila shots with him and the massage where all the oil accidentally spilled out on her back. Harold Ramis had to settle them down and the scenes then went very smoothly.

17.  The famous scene that begins when Ty Webb's golf ball crashes into Carl Spackler's ramshackle house was not in the original script. It was added by Harold Ramis after realizing that two of his biggest stars, Chevy Chase and Bill Murray (who did not get along due to a feud dating back to their days on Saturday Night Live), did not have a scene together. The three met for lunch and wrote the scene together. Although it has nothing to do with the plot, it is widely regarded as the funniest scene in the movie. This is the only time that Chase and Murray have appeared in a movie together.

18.  Bill Murray filmed all of his scenes, including the famous scene with Chevy Chase, in six days.

19.  The noises that the Gopher makes are actually vocalized by a dolphin, and the dolphin sound effects used are the same ones that were used for "Flipper."

20.  Bill Murray improvised the "Cinderella story" sequence from two lines of stage direction. Director Harold Ramis simply asked Murray to emulate a kid announcing his own fantasy sports moment. Murray simply asked for four rows of 'mums and did the scene in one take.  Also...

21.  The movie's line "Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac...It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!" was voted as the #92 movie quote by the American Film Institute (out of 100).

22.  The scene where Carl and Ty are talking in Carl's "house" was almost entirely improvised between Bill Murray and Chevy Chase.

23.  In the scene where the Bishop (played by veteran actor Henry Wilcoxon) is having his best round of golf ever during a thunderstorm, he misses an easy putt, looks skyward and yells "rat farts!", and is immediately struck down by a bolt of lightning. The background music in this scene was from Cecil B. DeMille's classic "The Ten Commandments" in which Wilcoxon played the part of Pentaur.

24.  While filming, there were a lot of planes flying overhead, which interfered with shooting the golf scenes and caused continuity errors in the dialog tracks that would require looping. John Murray, Bill's younger brother was the one on set everyday to alert Harold Ramis and the shooting crew to stop filming while the planes flew by.

25.  A big hill was built from scratch for the climactic 18th hole scene because the country club did not want their course blown up. They used too many explosives, which completely destroyed the hill and caused planes flying by to report the explosion as if a plane had crashed there.

26.  The gopher sequences were written and filmed after most of the movie was shot. Originally, Harold Ramis wanted to cast a live animal to play the gopher. When that did not work out, the animatronic gopher and its tunnels were built by John Dykstra.

27.  Editor William C. Carruth's original assembled length was about four and a half hours. Bill Murray's ball mashing speech scene lasted a good thirty minutes. Everyone hated the way the film was being put together so they brought in another editor to cut it down to more reasonable length and pace. Orion Pictures and the producers still were not happy with this cut as the shortened version cut out much of the story with the caddies due to both pace and the fact that Bill Murray's, Chevy Chase's and Rodney Dangerfield's parts set the pace for the film's strong comedic elements. The gopher was added at the last minute to ensure that the movie had structure rather than being a series of vignettes.

28.  After filming wrapped each day, most of the cast and crew spent the nights partying, which eventually took its toll before the end of filming as cast and crew began to show up late for morning calls, holding up filming for hours at a time.

29.  After the film started shooting, a hurricane hit Florida and delayed production for several days. The production also experienced delays due to problems with earthworms.

30.  Sarah Holcomb's (Maggie) film career consisted of only four films within a two year period, "Caddyshack" being her final film.  Afterward, she disappeared from the industry altogether.

31.  This was Ted Knight's final movie.

32.  After the film's release, writer and producer Douglas Kenney had accidentally fallen off a cliff while on vacation in Hawaii and passed away passed away.  He had been in a deep depression after the film was in post-production as much of the original story had been butchered in the editing room and he was adamantly against the final addition of the gopher to the film.

33.  Unsurprisingly, the movie is a huge favorite among golfers and golf fans. Tiger Woods so adores the movie, he played Carl Spackler in an American Express commercial that included references to many of the movie's most famous scenes.

34.  Ranked #7 on the American Film Institute's list of the 10 greatest films in the genre "Sports" in June 2008.

35.  In 2006, Premiere voted this movie as one of "The 50 Greatest Comedies Of All Time."

And now you know.


There are many characters in this screwball comedy that have been remembered for a long time.  Refresh your memory and see "Caddyshack" very, very soon!  Meanwhile, enjoy these picture stills from the film, starting with the lead characters...

And now stills from the film itself...

Sandy: I want you to kill every gopher on the course!
Carl Spackler: Check me if I'm wrong Sandy, but if I kill all the golfers, they're gonna lock me up and throw away the key...
Sandy: Gophers, ya great git! The gophers! The little brown furry rodents!
Carl Spackler: We can do that; we don't even have to have a reason.