The Caddy

The Caddy is a 1953 American semi-musical-comedy-sports film starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis.[4] It is noteworthy for Dean Martin introducing the hit song "That's Amore".

For the Seinfeld episode, see The Caddy (Seinfeld).
The Caddy
Directed byNorman Taurog
Produced byPaul Jones
Screenplay byDanny Arnold
Edmund Hartmann
StarringDean Martin
Jerry Lewis
Donna Reed
Barbara Bates
CinematographyDaniel L. Fapp
Edited byWarren Low
Production
company
York Pictures Corporation
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • August 10, 1953 (1953-08-10)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1,864,112[1]
Box office$3.5 million (US)[2]
1,008,197 admissions (France)[3]

Plot

The story centers around Harvey Miller (Jerry Lewis), whose father was a famous golf pro. He wanted Harvey to follow in his footsteps, but poor Harvey is afraid of crowds. Instead, at the advice of his fiancée Lisa (Barbara Bates), Harvey becomes a golf instructor. Lisa's brother Joe (Dean Martin) becomes Harvey's first client and becomes good enough to start playing in tournaments, with Harvey tagging along as his caddie. Donna Reed plays the wealthy socialite who Joe wins over.

Joe's success goes to his head and he begins to treat Harvey poorly. They begin to quarrel and cause a disruption at a tournament, so Joe is disqualified. However, a talent agent witnesses the comical spectacle and advises that they go into show business.

Harvey conquers his fear and they become successful entertainers. At the end, Harvey and Joe meet up with another comedy team who look just like them: Martin and Lewis!

Cast

This movie is notable for cameo appearances by some of the leading professional golfers of the era (all playing themselves), including Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, and Julius Boros.

Production

Filming

It was filmed from November 24, 1952 through February 23, 1953 and was released by Paramount Pictures on August 10, 1953. It was later re-released in 1964 on a double bill with another Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis picture, You're Never Too Young (1955).

This was the team's first film since At War with the Army (1950) to be produced by their own production company, York Pictures Corporation. During shooting, on January 8, 1953 production was suspended for 23 days when Lewis entered Cedars of Lebanon Hospital with a fever. The movie became Martin and Lewis' most expensive to date.[1]

Music

The score for the film includes the hit "That's Amore", sung by Dean Martin. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song, but lost to "Secret Love" from Calamity Jane.

Promotion

The team made a promotional radio message for the movie. Several outtakes, available on The Golden Age of Comedy: Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis CD, feature Dean and Jerry trying to get through five lines of dialogue. When either one of them messed up a line, they exchanged several lines of profanity.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 83% rating from 6 reviews, with an average score of 5.8/10.[5]

Home media

The film was included on an eight-film DVD set, the Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis Collection: Volume One, released on October 31, 2006.[6]

Impact

The career of Donna Reed began a huge upswing following the release of The Caddy. Five days prior to the film's release, Columbia Pictures released From Here to Eternity, starring Reed. Reed went on to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for From Here to Eternity. Both films were shown in theaters during the same time period and both were hugely successful.

See also

References
  1. Hoey, Michael A. (2015). Elvis' Favorite Director: The Amazing 52-Film Career of Norman Taurog. Albany, Georgia: Bearmanor Media. ISBN 978-1593937553.
  2. 'The Top Box Office Hits of 1953', Variety, January 13, 1954
  3. Jerry Lewis films French box office information at Box Office Story
  4. "The Caddy". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  5. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/caddy
  6. "Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis Collection: Volume One". Amazon.com. Seattle. ASIN B000HDZK3M. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
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