One legendary TV host declined to beat up Adam Sandler, so another stepped up
for the right price. Here's what went down behind the scenes of Happy Gilmore.
Though Adam Sandler's manchild brand of humor was established with his previous film,
"Billy Madison," "Happy Gilmore" keeps the laughs while adding plenty of heart.
Sure, he still flies off the handle, but because he's motivated by the desire to help his grandma
and save her home, Happy's a more likable protagonist than Billy.
"We're gonna get your house back. That is a promise."
"Sure."
It's no surprise that Adam Sandler would grow up to make a movie about golf.
His dad, Stanley Sandler, was a huge fan of the sport,
taking Adam out on the links whenever he could. Plus, Adam's love for the classic Bill Murray
golf comedy "Caddyshack" is well known. So a golf themed comedy was a no brainer.
But it was one specific day with his dad that inspired "Happy Gilmore." Out golfing
with his father in New Hampshire, teenage Sandler brought along his
friend Kyle McDonough, who went on to become a professional hockey player.
"He was smacking the golf ball further than everybody and my father would say
'Man, this kid is incredible. He's got those hockey wrists.'"
Just like Happy, that brute hockey strength was enough to dominate the game of golf.
McDonough even beat Sandler's dad! In an interview on the "Dan Patrick Show,"
Adam joked that his father might have even liked Kyle better than him.
As Happy Gilmore's nemesis, Shooter McGavin, actor Christopher McDonald
did such a convincing job that he's still associated with the role to this day. So it
might be hard to believe that he originally turned down the part not just once, but
twice! In an interview with "And So it Begins," McDonald explained his reasons for saying no,
he was simply tired, and wanted to see more of his family. But then, as he describes it…
"I played a round of golf in Seattle, and we won. And that high was something else. So, with my golf
shoes still on, I went in the locker room, called my agent and said, 'Is that golf movie still
available, because I just won this tournament and I'm feeling a little bit…Shooterish.'"
And then, after a meeting with Adam Sandler where the comedian made him laugh the entire time,
McDonald was convinced, and Shooter McGavin was his.
Before "Happy Gilmore," Bob Barker was known as the mild-mannered host of "The Price is Right."
"Bet you get a lot of that with "Let's Make a Deal."
"It's 'The Price is Right,' Happy."
"Oh yeah sorry."
"It happens. Let's play some golf."
This made his fist fight with Happy one of the most
surprising – and hilarious – parts of the film.
"You want a piece of me?"
"I don't want a piece of you, I want the whole thing!"
The chemistry between Sandler and Barker makes it hard to believe Barker was not
the first choice for the cameo. On "The Dan Patrick Show," Adam Sandler
revealed that when his writing buddy Tim Herlihy was working on the script,
Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" sidekick, was his first choice.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, heeere's Johnny!"
But when they reached out to McMahon, the answer was no. Sandler's theory?
"I doubt he got it. [...] I think the script was a little rougher,
we cursed a little bit more. And then when Ed said no, we dialed it down a bit for Bob Barker."
When Bob Barker was asked to make what would later become the most popular cameo
in "Happy Gilmore," he had already spent years training with two pros:
martial arts expert and actor Chuck Norris, and the karate champion Pat Johnson.
"Let's go! You like that old man?"
The game show host joked that his experience honing his skills over those many years
is why he accepted the part. In Adam Sandler's biography, Barker explained,
"In twenty years I never won a fight. [Norris and Johnson] both beat me up. So,
when they offered me this script, I said, 'I'll do it,' because I win the fight."
Sandler recalled how, early in the morning on the day of filming the showdown,
Barker was stretching and getting ready for the fight in the bitter cold — like a boss.
But Barker actually had other concerns — like catching pneumonia. As he puts it:
"Next time I'd like to work inside."
Now that, at the time of this video’s release, Barker has reached the impressive age of 98,
he may not be able to appear in a future sequel. But as he's told Sandler, if it does happen,
he wants more money, plus a love scene. Luckily for the fans, a hilarious, epic second round
of Barker fighting Sandler did go down on Comedy Central's "Night of Too Many Stars."
In the late '90s, Adam Sandler co-wrote and starred in a string of hits,
from "The Wedding Singer" to "Big Daddy" to "The Waterboy." But that success sprung from
a difficult time. In 1995, after five years on Saturday Night Live, Sandler was fired.
Recently on "The Howard Stern Show," Sandler described feeling angry and hurt,
and recalled commiserating with his friend, comedian Chris Farley, who was also fired.
"We got mad together, pretended we weren't sad, and pretended this was for the best"
But Sandler's film career was just beginning – a few months before his final "SNL" performance,
"Billy Madison" was released to massive success.
"Donkey Kong sucks!"
"You know somethin'? You suck!"
And Sandler followed this up with "Happy Gilmore," which raked in an impressive 41.2 million dollars!
These victories allowed Sandler, and his loyal writing partner, Tim Herlihy, to establish their
own company in 1999 — Happy Madison Productions. Herlihy and Sanders have a long history together,
writing together from Saturday Night Live, to "Happy Gilmore," to the more recent Netflix hit,
"Murder Mystery." One of the big reasons the partnership has worked so well,
for so long, is because they respect each other's ideas and always give
proper credit. In an interview with Esquire, Herlihy explained,
"SNL teaches you to be very generous with credit [...] Adam is really good about that."
Even with all of the memorable characters in "Happy Gilmore," the golf pro, Chubbs, played by
Carl Weathers, really stood out. Surprisingly, Weathers was not the first choice — John Amos,
of "Good Times" fame, was. But this fact was only revealed in recent years, when Amos appeared in
"Uncut Gems" with Adam Sandler. In an interview with “Vulture,” the directors of "Uncut Gems,"
the Safdie Brothers, revealed how Sandler and Herlihy wanted Amos for Chubbs,
and that it was the studio that decided Carl Weathers would be the better choice.
Amos later confirmed this during an interview with "Insider,"
recalling a screen test he did for the part of Chubbs. But he's over it it, saying:
"It never worked out, but no hard feelings."
Amos went on to say he's never seen "Happy Gilmore," or watched other movies he didn't
get to appear in — because to do so might stir up sad feelings over roles he missed out on.
This is a very zen attitude that we're pretty sure Kevin Nealon would approve of.
"You gotta harness in the good energy and block out the bad. Harness, energy, block bad."
Aside from his classic performance as Chubbs in "Happy Gilmore,"
Carl Weathers is also well-known for his role as badass Colonel Al Dillon in "Predator,"
alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the film, the duo are part of a military team
sent into South America but are caught unprepared when they encounter an alien. Spoilers ahead,
but Weathers' character Dillon didn't fare too well in his fight with the lethal creature,
a battle which resulted in the loss of — you guessed it — his right arm.
Fast forward to "Happy Gilmore," nearly a decade later, and Weathers' Chubbs
also had some terrible luck with a nasty creature. This time it was an alligator,
and the animal ended up taking the hand from his right arm, the same one he lost
in "Predator!" Was this a nod to fans of the sci-fi action classic? It sure looks like it!
"Damn alligator bit my hand off!"
"Oh my God!"
Bob Barker loved his cameo in "Happy Gilmore," but golfer Lee Trevino?
Not so much! The pro athlete made a few — mainly silent — appearances throughout the film,
but when he did speak, his lines were memorable!
"Grizzly Adams did have a beard."
These brief scenes with the golf champion are great examples of what gives the movie
its wacky charm. So you might be surprised to discover that Trevino didn't actually
read the script before signing on to the project! If he had, he later said,
he wouldn't have appeared in the film. The golfer made his feelings clear in an interview with CBS:
"If they were going to use all those foul words in there, I never would have done it."
"Happy Gilmore" has many fans, including pro golfers! In an interview for the "Dan
Patrick Show," Christopher McDonald talked about his experiences golfing with the pros,
who love trying the signature Happy swing. The actor explained,
"I meet all these great players [...] They all try
that shot [...] They think it's the funniest thing in the world."
You might be surprised to find out that this
odd method is actually a legal way to swing! As McDonald said,
"These guys are crushing it. But you know,
that's what it takes. It takes a good athlete to hit that shot."
"Just tap it in. Just tap it in. Give it a little tappy. Tap tap tap-a-roo."
Fans have been clamoring for a sequel to "Happy Gilmore" for quite some time.
And now, it looks like they just might get one! In 2021,
the comedian posted a video on Twitter performing the signature shot.
"Ok, It's been 25 years since I've done this, let's see what happens."
He even made a shout out to Shooter Mcgavin!
"I'm scared…Shooter McGavin, this is for you."
A few hours later, Christopher McDonald responded with his own Tweet:
"Nice drive, Gilmore. 25 years, huh? Let's see if it's Shooter's tour."
Shooting a ball into a jar in what appears to be his living room, Mcdonald adds:
"Money. Shooter's still got it."
A few days later, in an appearance on the "Dan Patrick Show," Sandler said a sequel would be
amazing. When pressed if that meant "Happy Gilmore Two" was actually…happening, the comedian said:
"Yes, you can greenlight this."
And Christopher McDonald agreed, adding in a later interview:
"It would be a complete blast!"
Sounds like a hole in one to us!