How Bill Murray Totally Improved Caddyshack’s Famous Cinderella Scene
The backstories surrounding the iconic movie Caddyshack are numerous and well-documented. But what you may not know is how much improvisation was used to deliver the instantly memorable lines.
Author Chris Nashawaty posts an excerpt on Golf.com about the alarming use of drugs and how the famous Cinderella story scene by Bill Murray was completely improvised.
“We always trusted improvisation,” said Harold Ramis, Caddyshack’s director and a veteran of Second City. “It never felt like we were ad-libbing and winging it. It’s an actual technique and a method that allows you to create material instantly. It’s not grabbed out of thin air.”
For some actors, that sort of freedom can be paralyzing. For others, like Bill Murray, it’s liberating. Murray’s most famous scene in Caddyshack is his epic tale of looping for the Dalai Lama — “Big hitter, the Lama” — but his longest scene in the film is the famous “Cinderella Story” monologue. And it’s a scene for which no lines were ever actually written. It sprung sui generis (improvised) from Murray’s head. “All it said in the script is: Carl is outside of the clubhouse practicing his golf swing, cutting the tops off flowers with a grass whip,” Ramis said.
SCENE 244: EXT. CLUBHOUSE (SAME DAY—LATE AFTERNOON)
The sky is beginning to darken. CARL, THE GREENSKEEPER, is absently lopping the heads off bedded tulips as he practices his golf swing with a grass whip.
That was all Murray was given. Before rolling the camera, Ramis huddled with Murray and gave the actor some improvisation motivation. “When I used to jog during a brief period of physical fitness in my life, I would encourage myself by pretending I was the announcer at the Olympics,” said Ramis. “Like, ‘They’re coming into the stadium. Ramis is in the lead!’ So I said to Bill, ‘Did you ever do imaginary golf commentary in your head?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, don’t say anymore. I got it!'”
Murray’s only request before Ramis yelled “Action” was to have the flowers changed from tulips to mums. In the scene, Carl stands outside of the clubhouse dressed in a grass-stained shirt buttoned up to his Adam’s apple, his camouflage hat, tan workpants and big, clunky, unlaced boots. An insert shot of the sky reveals ominous storm clouds gathering. Carl chokes up on the grass whip like a golf club, steps up to the flower bed, waggles his hips, and then…
CARL SPACKLER:
What an incredible Cinderella story. This unknown comes outta nowhere to lead the pack at Augusta. He’s at the final hole. He’s about 455 yards away, he’s gonna hit about a two iron, I think … (Carl reels back and swats the head off of a mum. Petals fly like confetti) Boy, he got all of that. The crowd is standing on its feet here at Augusta. The normally reserved Augusta crowd is going wild … (he pauses as he notices some golfers coming) for this young Cinderella who’s come out of nowhere. He’s got about 350 yards left. He’s going to hit about a five iron, it looks like, don’t you think? (Carl pulls the grass whip back to demolish the next mum) He’s got a beautiful backswing … That’s … Oh! He got all of that one! He’s gotta be pleased with that. The crowd is just on its feet here. He’s a Cinderella boy, tears in his eyes, I guess, as he lines up this last shot. And he’s got about 195 yards left, and he’s got a, it looks like he’s got about an eight iron. This crowd has gone deadly silent. Cinderella story, out of nowhere, former greenskeeper, now about to become the Masters champion. (Carl reels back one last time and — Swat! — blasts the third mum to smithereens) It looks like a mirac . . . It’s in the hole! IT’S IN THE HOLE!!!
The play-by-play of the club selection and distances is the underlying hero.
It looks to be an entertaining read, so fans of the movie should pick it up (its available beginning tomorrow, April 24).
