Why ‘Caddyshack’ Nearly Kept Adam Sandler From Releasing ‘Happy Gilmore’
Happy Gilmore introduced audiences to Julie Bowen and brought us a legendary Bob Barker brawl, but Adam Sandler wasn’t always sure that releasing the 1996 golf flick was a good idea.
Days ahead of Happy Gilmore 2’s Netflix release, Sandler got candid about the lead-up to the original 1996 film, revealing that he and co-writer Tim Herlihy once had some serious qualms about letting their now-iconic sports movie hit theaters.
“We were so tense because Caddyshack was our favorite movie of all time,” Sandler confessed to Jimmy Fallon during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show. Concerned their work would pale in comparison to the iconic 1980 comedy starring Rodney Dangerfield and Bill Murray, the pair found themselves facing some serious second thoughts.
“‘We were just like, ‘Oh no, we can’t release this movie, man,’” Sandler said of his and Herlihy’s conversations ahead of Happy Gilmore’s theatrical debut. “Caddyshack is the golf comedy, what the hell are we doing?’”
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As Fallon pointed out, the movie world was, in fact, big enough for two silly golf comedies. “This is the new Caddyshack for this generation,” he exclaimed, cutting off Sandler’s train of thought. But even so, the actor was still surprised the film turned out to be such a massive hit. “The fact that we made a golf comedy and people watched it and enjoyed it, that was the biggest relief ever,” Sandler remembered.
Much like Happy Gilmore’s success, Sandler was also caught off-guard by just how much demand there was for a follow-up to the ‘90s classic. “It wasn’t even a thought ever,” Sandler admitted when asked about the concept for another Happy Gilmore film, noting that while “people have asked over the years” for a sequel, he failed to see the appeal. “Why would I do that?” he recalled.
In the end, why he would do that likely had something to do with the $250 million deal he has with Netflix. To paraphrase Happy himself: “The price was not wrong, bitch!”
