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Caddyshack II
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Wikipedia article
'Caddyshack II' is a 1988 American sports comedy film and a sequel to the 1980 film 'Caddyshack'. Directed by Allan Arkush, 'Caddyshack II' stars Jackie Mason, Robert Stack, Dyan Cannon, Dina Merrill, Jonathan Silverman, Brian McNamara, Marsha Warfield, Paul Bartel, Randy Quaid, Chevy Chase, and Dan Aykroyd. The writing of the film is officially credited to Harold Ramis (who co-wrote and directed the original 'Caddyshack') and PJ Torokvei, although the first-draft script by Ramis and Torokvei was rewritten by other uncredited writers.
The sequel was panned by critics and is considered one of the worst sequels of all time as well is being listed among the films considered the worst. However, Kenny Loggins' "Nobody's Fool" which was used as the film's theme song was a chart success where it hit #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Plot
Kate Hartounian is the teenage daughter of Jack, a wealthy and widowed real estate developer of Armenian and Jewish descent. Eager to improve her social status, Kate befriends the snobbish WASP Miffy Young, who encourages Kate and the boorish but good-hearted Jack to join their country club Bushwood (the same club from the first film).
When the elitist, old money members of Bushwood meet self-made millionaire Jack, who builds low-income housing in upscale neighborhoods and displays many working-class traits, his application to join is rejected. The only member of the club who takes a liking to the crude but friendly Jack is wealthy widow Elizabeth Pearce. Jack runs afoul of the snobbish Chandler Young (Bushwood President and Miffy's father), who declares the Hartounians "are not Bushwood material." Chandler's equally-snooty wife Cynthia tries to persuade Jack to build his housing complex away from her neighborhood, leading Jack to chase her with a bulldozer. Jack's behavior upsets Kate, harming their relationship.
In retaliation to being blackballed by the club, Jack turns to his friend, millionaire Ty Webb, who owns the majority share of Bushwood but otherwise stays out of the club's day-to-day operations. Jack buys Ty's stock in the club - making himself majority owner - and turns Bushwood into a garish amusement park, appalling Chandler and the other club members. Chandler shuts down Jack's housing construction site by establishing a Historical Preservation Society and sending his lawyers to threaten Jack's lawyer, Peter Blunt, with endless legal motions and filings intended to financially bankrupt Jack.
Ty Webb suggests that the dispute between Jack and Young be resolved by the two man facing each other in a golf match, stipulating if Chandler wins, Jack gives up his construction site and the country club, and if Jack wins, he keeps Bushwood and the housing project. Chandler hedges his bet by hiring Captain Tom Everett, an incompetent mercenary operating out of a food truck, to kill Jack. Everett's mission is derailed by the antics of a mischievous gopher running rampant on the grounds of Bushwood.
Despite Jack's poor performance early in the match, he manages to tie the score before the final hole. However, while playing the hole, Jack is faced with a 50-foot putt, while Chandler faces a simple two-foot putt. Employing advice given to him by Webb before the match, Jack manages to sink the nearly impossible putt. Chandler needs to sink the easy two-foot putt to tie the match. Meanwhile, Everett, who had shot himself in the buttocks with a poison dart, fails to eliminate Jack as the gopher steals an explosive golf ball from him. The gopher quietly replaces Chandler's ball with the explosive ball. As Chandler putts the ball, it bursts and Jack wins the match.
Kate commiserates with Miffy, who suggests that she change her last name from Hartounian to Hart. Although she is embarrassed by her father's actions, Kate is still loyal to Jack and is bewildered at the thought of changing her family name. Kate turns her back on Miffy and makes up with her father. Jack asks Elizabeth out on a date, and she accepts. The gopher pops out of the hole during the celebration and falls for a poodle.
Cast
Pre-Production
The original 'Caddyshack' was a box-office success, making $60 million worldwide on a budget of $4.8 million. Warner Brothers therefore set about to make a sequel. As originally planned, 'Caddyshack II' would have reunited Rodney Dangerfield (one of the stars of the original 'Caddyshack') with the director Alan Metter, who had worked with Dangerfield in the comedy film 'Back to School' (1986). Dangerfield, who made $35,000.00 for 'Caddyshack', asked for $7 million - $5 million of which to be paid in advance for reprising his Al Czervic role in 'Caddyshack II.' Needing a big comedy for the summer of 1988, Warner Brothers agreed to Dangerfields demands, and paid Chevy Chase a seven-figure sum to reprise his role of Ty Webb from the original 'Caddyshack' (albeit via a glorified cameo).
Jon Peters, executive producer of 'Caddyshack', would produce the sequel with Peter Guber and Neil Canton. The studio invited 'Caddyshack' director Harold Ramis, who co-wrote that film with Brian Doyle-Murray and Douglas Kenney, to write the sequel. (Neither Doyle-Murray nor Kenney were involved in the sequel; 'Caddyshack' producer/co-writer Kenney died in August 1980, a month after that film's release.)
Ramis later described 'Caddyshack II', which he co-wrote with his 'Second City Television' colleague PJ Torokvei, as "terrible." In an interview with The A.V. Club in 1999, Ramis said that,
Ramis was later quoted as saying that Dangerfield was the only one who expressed an interest in doing a sequel in the first place. Ted Knight had died two years earlier, Bill Murray was not interested in reprising his role as Carl the greenskeeper, and he said Chevy Chase had "already moved on", although Chase did eventually agree to appear.
Ramis worked on the first draft of 'Caddyshack II' in the summer of 1987 with Torokvei. Rodney Dangerfield did not like the script and requested rewrites. Growing disillusioned with the project, Dangerfield reportedly tried to force Warner Brothers to release him from his contract by demanding additional royalties and final-cut rights. In October 1987, less than a month before 'Caddyshack II' was scheduled to begin filming and with $2 million already spent by the studio on pre-production, Dangerfield dropped out of the project because he felt it would not be successful. Warner Brothers sued Dangerfield for breach of contract. Early in the hearings, the studio settled with Dangerfield for an undisclosed amount.
The project was put on hold while Warner Brothers looked for a new director, eventually landing upon Allan Arkush. A former protg of Roger Corman and collaborator of Joe Dante, Arkush directed several motion pictures (including the 1979 cult hit 'Rock 'n' Roll High School') before becoming a prolific director of episodic television, with credits including 'L.A. Law', 'St. Elsewhere', and 'Moonlighting'. Arkush was keen to get back into directing films, later recalling, "I had a really successful run on television. 'Moonlighting' was a big deal, I was doing 'L.A. Law', working on pilots and I had a deal with Warner Brothers to direct and they said, Well, theres another 'National Lampoon' movie. 'National Lampoon Goes to College' and I thought, That sounds like a good idea. They couldnt get it bought. So they asked, How would you like to make 'Caddyshack II'?
After the offer was made, Arkush rented and watched the original 'Caddyshack' and signed on to direct the sequel. He was not aware at the time of the litigation between the studio and Rodney Dangerfield.
Production
It was only after agreeing to direct 'Caddyshack II' that Allan Arkush realized how much trouble the project was in: production began in late 1987 and Warner Brothers still insisted upon a summer 1988 release, meaning only half a year for principal photography and post-production. Adding to this difficulty was the fact the project was in no shape to begin filming. Arkush later claimed, The more I got into it, the more I realized that they didnt have a script that was in any kind of shape, they didnt have Bill Murray and now they didnt have Rodney Dangerfield. Arkush likened his assignment to hopping onto a moving ship barreling full steam ahead.
Screenwriters Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman, who scripted 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' (1988), were brought in to overhaul Ramis and Torokveis script (although they would ultimately receive no official credit for doing so). With Rodney Dangerfield out of the picture, the screenplay replaced Al Czervic with Jack Hartounian, a new character to be played by Jackie Mason - like Dangerfield, a Jewish-American Borsch Belt stand-up comedian. After witnessing Mason's one-man comedy act on Broadway at the insistence of producer Jon Peters, Allan Arkush was concerned about the comedian's suitability for the film: The thing that occurred to me was that [Mason] didnt connect with the audience in any sort of personal way. Thats not necessarily a good thing for someone whos supposed to be your lead. At least when Rodney says, I get no respect, theres an empathy that he evokes from the audience. Arkush also stated, "[Mason] is a very funny joke machine and you laugh yourself silly. I needed a comedian who was equally an actor. I went to the producer Jon Peters and told him my fears. He was so convinced that Jackie was a brilliant comedian and could pull it off. Jon looked me in the eye and said, Dont turn a Go picture into a development deal. I should have walked away." Mason's casting in 'Caddyshack II' was publicly announced by 'Daily Variety' on November 17, 1987. Of his role as Jack Hartounian, Mason said, "What I like about [him] is that he's more concerned with the way people treat each other than whether they use the right words in polite society or raise the proper finger to drink a glass of beer."
Chevy Chase was the only cast member from the original 'Caddyshack' to reprise his role (and would publicly announce later that he regretted doing so). Bill Murray refused to reprise his Carl Spackler role, opting to make 'Scrooged' (1988) instead. Murray's 'Saturday Night Live' and 'Ghostbusters' colleague Dan Aykroyd signed on in Murray's place, portraying a mercenary/survivalist hired to kill the gopher plaguing the golf course. Although playing new characters in the sequel, Jackie Mason, Robert Stack, Dan Aykroyd, and Jonathan Silverman play roles that are analogous to those played by Dangerfield, Knight, Murray, and Michael O'Keefe in the first film. Sam Kinison, who had appeared alongside Dangerfield in 'Back to School', was originally intended for Randy Quaid's role, but left the production when Dangerfield dropped out.
'Caddyshack II' began filming on January 18, 1988, at the Rolling Hills Country Club in Davie, Florida (where 'Caddyshack' had been filmed just under a decade prior). Despite working on the set with a golf pro, Mason could not make a convincing golf swing; he also couldnt remember his lines, had no chemistry with this onscreen love interest (played by Dyan Cannon) and his gorging at the craft services table meant the wardrobe department had to keep letting out his pants. Aykroyd angered the producers by insisting on playing his role with a high-pitched, whinnying voice (which Aykroyd claimed was based on the voice of Colonel Oliver North).
Arkush also had problems working with Chevy Chase, who was paid a substantial fee for a relatively minimal role. Arkush later recalled, "It was a big paycheck, which Chevy talked about a lot... I went into this thinking that Chevy was committed to this character, but he wasnt. On his first day, we were working out the blocking for his scene and I said, How do you want to do this, Chevy? And he was just pissed at me and said, Why? Dont you have any ideas?! Arkush claimed that two days later, when filming Chase, Arkush offered suggestions to which Chase snapped, What? Dont I get any input on this?! Later, while watching one of his scenes during postproduction, Chase quipped to Arkush, Call me when youve dubbed the laugh track, before walking off in disgust.
Industrial Light and Magic supplied the visual effects for the scenes involving the animatronic gopher; vocal effects for the creature were provided by veteran voice-over artist Frank Welker.
Music
The music score for 'Caddyshack II' was provided by Ira Newborn. The film's theme song, "Nobody's Fool", was performed by Kenny Loggins, who provided original songs (including the hit song "I'm Alright") for the first 'Caddyshack.' Kenny Loggins had composed and recorded "I'm Alright" for the 1980 'Caddyshack' film, and was asked by film producer Jon Peters to write a theme song for the sequel.
Initially, according to Loggins, "I wasn't so sure when he called about 'Caddyshack II'. I was a little skittish about trusting lightning to strike twice in the same place." Co-written by Loggins and Michael Towers, "Nobody's Fool" was later included as the opening track of Loggins' album 'Back to Avalon' (1988).
Other singles from the 'Caddyshack II' soundtrack include "Power of Persuasion" by The Pointer Sisters; "Go For Yours", an R&B hit for Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam and "Turn On (The Beat Box)" by Earth, Wind & Fire. The soundtrack was released on Columbia Records.
Reception
'Caddyshack II' was panned by critics and grossed $11,798,302 compared to the original's $39 million gross at the box office. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 4% based on 24 reviews. The site's consensus reads: "Handicapped by a family friendly PG rating, even the talents of 'Caddyshack II's all-star comic cast can't save it from its lazy, laughless script and uninspired direction." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 7 out of 100 based on reviews from 7 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade C+ on scale of A to F.
Rita Kempley of 'The Washington Post' wrote: "'Caddyshack II', a feeble follow-up to the 1980 laff riot, is lamer than a duck with bunions, and dumber than grubs. It's patronizing and clumsily manipulative, and top banana Jackie Mason is upstaged by the gopher puppet."
Michael Wilmington of the 'Los Angeles Times' said the film was so bad "it makes 'Caddyshack I' look like 'Godfather II.'"
Caryn James of 'The New York Times' ended her review of the film with the words, If [Jackie] Mason hopes to make the kind of segue from stand-up comedy to movies that Mr. Dangerfield did, he and his advisers better think again. 'Caddyshack II' is the kind of film that sends careers spiraling downward.
Dave Kehr of the Chicago Tribune wrote, "'Caddyshack II' raises the ghost of summer comedies past. Its shoddy, lazy and numbingly stupid, adding, The comedy is mostly a matter of flatulent animals and falls into swimming pools, and director Allan Arkush (of the engaging 'Rock 'n' Roll High School') executes it with an uncharacteristic clumsiness... Given the name heavy cast - Randy Quaid, Chevy Chase, and Dan Aykroyd make appearances - it means something that the most fully developed character in the film is a hand puppet gopher.
The film received four Golden Raspberry Award nominations; it won two. It was nominated for Worst Picture and Worst Actor (Mason) and won for Worst Supporting Actor (Aykroyd) and Worst Original Song ("Jack Fresh"). It also won Worst Picture at the 1988 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards.[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094824/awards Caddyshack II - Awards - IMDb]
Harold Ramis recalled, [PJ] Torokvei and I went to one of the first research screenings in Pasadena, and we literally crawled out of the theater because we didnt want anyone to see us.
Mark Canton, Warner Brothers head of production at the time 'Caddyshack II' was made, admitted in 2010, It was troubled from the beginning because Rodney didnt do it. No offense to Jackie Mason, but it just didnt work. It was well-intentioned and it was a good business move, but it just wasnt the same.
On the subject of 'Caddyshack II', Bill Murray remarked, "You know, 'Caddyshack' was a great thing. There were some extraordinary people in it, Ted Knight, Rodney Dangerfield, the guy who played the bishop, these are people who have passed away. They were great people, great actors and lots of fun, and it was an unusual thing. Can't you be happy with having seen it and watched it? You want it again?"
In his book 'My Year of Chevy: One Man's Journey Through the Filmography of Chevy Chase' (2013), film critic Mike McGranaghan wrote,
Allan Arkush regretted directing 'Caddyshack II', the experience of which he claimed sent him to therapy. He later said, "You should never make a movie for the wrong reasons. You should only make movies about something where you know no one else can make it better than you... It was my own fault. Everyone who worked on it worked hard and the writers were good. It was great to work with Danny Aykroyd."
References
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