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During her first hour on screen in the 1980 comedy classic “Caddyshack,” Cindy Morgan’s character seduces Ty Webb (Chevy Chase) and Danny Noonan (Michael O’Keefe)—and cops to enjoying “skinny-skiing and going to bullfights on acid.”
But as the actress who gave us Lacey Underall tells it, that’s nothing compared to what happened behind the scenes.
“It was ‘Animal House’ on a golf course,” Morgan says of the 11-week shoot, part of which was filmed at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. Early next year, in conjunction with the movie’s 30th anniversary, the Ocean Ridge resident will dish in detail with the release of a yet-to-be-titled coffee-table book that features never-before-seen photos of the stars, including Rodney Dangerfield (Al Czervik) and Bill Murray (inset, as Carl Spackler). Not that Morgan is saving it all for the book. The former Chicago radio disc jockey and star of the 1982 movie “Tron,” still drawing glances from male admirers at 55, spoke at length with Boca Raton about the on- and off-the-set chaos at Bushwood Country Club.
HOW DID YOU LAND THE ROLE OF LACEY?
Originally, the role was written for Sarah Holcomb [who played Maggie O’Hooligan, the on-screen love interest of Danny Noonan]. She was Brian Doyle-Murray’s girlfriend at the time, and she also was the [drunk] girl pushed home in the grocery cart in “Animal House.” My understanding was that I was cast in the role, then it was taken away, then I got it back again. Sarah didn’t have a whole lot to say to me during the filming. I honestly don’t know why I got the part. I figured they’d never cast me.
DID YOU HAVE ANY ACTING EXPERIENCE AT ALL?
I told people that I studied at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, but I’m not even sure where that is. I think it’s by the Art Institute. What I did do after moving to Los Angeles [in the late 1970s] was open [the file cabinet] in my agent’s office and pull the résumés of the people I recognized to see where they studied. Luckily, I ended up studying with Harvey Lembeck [an actor remembered by many as Eric Von Zipper in the “Beach Party” movies of the 1960s, who ran a famous comedy workshop in Los Angeles]. He had three classes of 24; I was in his lower class. In his masters’ class at the time were Penny Marshall, John Ritter and Robin Williams. Coming from radio, I did all the talking—and I always went for the joke. Harvey would yell at me: “Morgan, you don’t go for the joke; you let the joke happen around you.” Thank god for that advice. On “Caddyshack,” the script was pretty much set aside, and these wonderful improvisational actors did what they did. The hardest thing for anyone in the world to teach me was to listen, but Harvey did. And I think my best work in “Caddyshack” was responding to what Chevy was doing or Ted [Knight, who played Judge Smails] was doing—reacting to these brilliant comedians.
YOU READ THE SCRIPT, SO YOU KNEW ABOUT THE NUDE SCENES. BUT, NOW, THE DAY ARRIVES. WHAT IS THAT LIKE FOR AN ACTRESS?
It’s horrifying. Unless you [take your clothes off˝ ] for a living, it’s not a natural thing to do in front of people. On a respectful production, the set is cleared and you can do your job. My job is not to do a striptease for the crew; my job is to do a nude scene on camera with that actor. I don’t need to see a bunch of goofballs in the background watching me.
THERE ARE A COUPLE OF LEGENDARY BEHIND-THE-SCENES STORIES INVOLVING YOU. ONE HAS TO DO WITH THE NUDE SCENES AND PLAYBOY MAGAZINE. WHAT HAPPENED?
Ever wonder why there was no mention of me on the ads, the poster or the DVD cover? For all intents and purposes, I was eradicated from that material. My contract, which was broken, was to include “Introducing Cindy Morgan as Lacey Underall” in all the advertising [and marketing] material. ˜ The night before the nude scene, I got a call from one of the producers [Jon Peters], who said they were sending a photographer from Playboy to shoot images off the film [for inclusion in the magazine]. I said, “I’m flattered, but I can’t allow that.” ... I knew they would never get a decent still shot off the film. People say, ‘What’s the difference? Nude is nude.’ Yes and no. Twenty seconds on film, in character, goes by like that. On a coffee table, with my name under it, is a whole other thing. It was my choice to make. I started getting calls saying that I was f----- in this business and that I would never work again. He was threatening me, and he backed me into a corner. You don’t back a hardheaded Polack from Chicago into a corner. ... So the day of the [nude scene], I took over. I knew who belonged and who didn’t, so I cleared the set. I told them, “This is [who she wants in the room] ... and until then, I have all day. Take your time.” [Peters] was furious. But he did me a huge favor. That was my second scene. Before that, I was still scared about doing the movie. When somebody threatens you, are you scared anymore? He created the role of Lacey that day. I should send Jon a thank-you note.
YOU ALSO HAD A MUCH-PUBLICIZED BATTLE WITH CHEVY CHASE. WHAT WAS SAID THAT PROMPTED THAT TIFF?
Chevy was an interesting situation. He was young and cocky, but so was I. He also was doing some strange things. He’d take these flying tackles at me in public—and in private. During the love scenes—including the piano scene and the oil massage scene—we were at a house in South Florida in August. It was brutally hot, and that was before the lighting team set up. Probably 120 degrees in the room. We were all tired, probably because we’d been up since the night before. We’re in bed doing this scene, and he looks over at me and says a couple of things about me goofing up the shot. I had a few opinions about why the scene wasn’t working on his part—and that was like putting a match to kerosene. Chevy walked off the set and said he wasn’t going to work with me. Finally, he comes back and says he would shoot two masters [wide shots] and that’s it. Watch my eyes in that scene when he dumps the bottle of oil on my back [which wasn’t in the script]. I’m just thinking, “You son of a bitch; I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying right here in this scene.” When you think about it, love and hate are closely related. Passion reads as passion. I think it’s the best work I’ve done, and I’m grateful to Chevy. He forced me to work up to the level of a great opponent. “Caddyshack” made only $39.8 million (domestic) at the box office, and yet it became a comedy Classic; it’s no. 2 on Bravo’s list of 100 funniest movies. Why?The fact that we were adlibbing so much and really having a good time, you can’t fake that. The camera should have been turned around. So much of what we did and said was behavior that evolved out of these comedic geniuses butting heads and seeing what would happen. Honestly, we thought we were going to be in big trouble for our behavior. It was “Animal House” on the golf course. We Can’t leave that one hanging.
Can you elaborate? Furniture was flying out of windows. People were staying up all night partying, and then showing up on the set going, “What scene am I in—and why?” We were in Florida, primarily, to get away from the eyes of the studio. These were the guys who had done “Animal House.” [Editor’s note: “Caddyshack” director Harold Ramis and co-producer Doug Kenney co-wrote the screenplay to “Animal House.”] They were going to have a great time. Ted Knight was the only one who wasn’t actively involved in the festivities. Rodney? Oh gosh. He was as bad as anyone. At nighttime, we would ride in golf carts and tear up the greens. I understand you’re not supposed to do that. They took away our keys, but do you know how easy it [was] for me to hot-wire a golf cart? [I’m a] Chicago girl. C’mon, it’s only two wires."
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