It’s been nearly 30 years sinceHappy Gilmorepremiered and fans have been enjoying every super-long drive Happy has hit ever since. This iconic mid-1990s comedy starred Adam Sandler as the titular character, who was obsessed with becoming a hockey player. Little did he know, he had an inherent ability to hit a golf ball a long way. In order to try and win money to get his grandmother’s house back, he became a golfer. A former pro coaches him and he challenges the very best in the game for titles.
Happy Gilmore
Of course, withHappy Gilmorebeing a Sandler vehicle, there are zany moments and downright hysterical scenesthat are still funny today. Happy isn’t at all what golf wants him to be and that’s exactly why he broadens the game for many. For anyone who has tried Happy’s signature swing, it’s a reminder of how unique this movie really is. WithHappy Gilmore 2arriving this year, it’s time to revisitHappy and his friendswith some facts that may have escaped audiences on their first, second, or 10th viewing.
10Virginia Venit’s Name Follows the “V.V.” Naming Convention in Sandler Movies
Virginia becomes Happy’s love interest in the film. The role of Virginia was only Julie Bowen’s second film role, and it helped launch her career. This was long beforeherModern Familydays, which is the role she is most well-known for. It is curious that her character’s name is Virginia Venit, though. Following in the footsteps of Veronica Vaughn, the love interest in Billy Madison, it became a pattern that Sandler started to write into his movies.
The characters who played his love interests frequently had the initials “V.V.” Others include Vicki Vallencourt inThe Waterboy, Valerie Veran inLittle Nicky, and Violet Valentine inHubie Halloween, who was also played by Bowen. Bowen will return as Virginia in the second film this year.
9Adam Sandler Wrote the Movie with His College Roommate
Sandler came up with the idea alongside his college roommate and formerSaturday Night Livewriter, Tim Herlihy. Herlihy and Sandlerworked together onSNLand the two worked as standup comedians prior to that. After they were both fired from the show, they wroteBilly Madison, Sandler’s first big hit as a leading man. AfterBilly Madisonwas a hit, Herlihy and Sandler set off to write their next movie.
Once Happy Gilmore also became an iconic movie, the two continued to write together over the years. Their credits together includeThe Waterboy,Big Daddy,Little Nicky,Grown Ups 2,The Ridiculous 6,Hubie Halloween, andHappy Gilmore 2. Herlihy wroteThe Wedding Singer,Mr. Deeds,Bedtime Stories, andPixels, which all starred Sandler. He has also had minor roles in a number of the films.
8The Actor Who Played Doug Thompson Directed the Movie
Doug Thompson is the commissioner of the pro golf tour thatHappy Gilmoreplays on. He has frequent discussions with Happy, Shooter McGavin,the antagonist of the filmplayed by Christopher McDonald, and Virginia Venit, the pro golf tour’s public relations director, played by Julie Bowen. The actor who plays Doug is Dennis Dugan, who actually directed the film as well.
Dugan has gone on to direct some of the most notable comedy films of the past 35 years, many of which starred Sandler. Some of his credits include:
He has also had roles in many of the films, but none of them have been as substantial as Doug Thompson’s. He will reprise his role in the sequel.
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7Chubbs Missing a Hand Is a Callback to Another Carl Weathers Role
Carl Weathers played Chubbs Peterson, a former golf pro who sees Happy at the driving range and, blown away by his ability to hit the ball a far way, approaches him about becoming a coach and mentor. While Happy is initially reluctant, Chubbs advises him that, with his tutelage, he’ll be able to win and earn money. From there, the partnership is set. But the most notable thing about Chubbs is the fact that he has a wooden hand because he lost his real hand in a fight with an alligator during a tournament.
Having Weathers play this role was important to both Herlihy and Sandler because it was a callback to Weathers' character inPredator. In that film, Weather is shooting a gun at the titular creature, and it shoots a laser beam at him, severing his arm. As he screams in pain, his severed arm continues to fire the gun.Weathers had a celebrated careerbut was most well-known for his roles in theRockyfranchise andHappy Gilmore.
6Verne Lundquist Was a Famed Golf Announcer When He Appeared
When he agreed to be the golf announcer in the film, Verne Lundquist was already a well-respected and notable sports broadcaster. Lundquist would go on to have a celebrated career calling golf, football, and basketball with a memorable career at CBS Sports. Lundquist retired from broadcaster in 2024, calling his final Masters Tournament for the network.
In an interview in 2016, Lundquist that he still receives a $34 check monthly from the Screen Actors Guild for appearing in the film. In 2022, he mentioned during a podcast interview that he was worried that Augusta National would be upset by his appearance in the film. But, to his delight, no one ever said a word to him about it. It is unknown if he will returnfor the next film.
5Lee Trevino Regretted Being in the Movie
Lee Trevino is a Hall of Fame golfer who has earned three major championships and 29 PGA Tour tournament victories. He was playing on the Senior PGA Tourwhen he cameoedinHappy Gilmore. He has multiple cameos, actually. He seems to show up at the most inopportune times for Happy, as he is there to have a wide-eyed look whenever something bad happens.
Having Trevino in the film is a fun way to call back to the real PGA Tour. But Trevino revealed back in 2013 that he wasn’t happy after the movie came out. He didn’t realize there would be as much swearing in the film as there was and was upset that he was associated with it. While it may not be Trevino’s proudest moment, his scenes are nevertheless hilarious.
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4The Gold Jacket Is Meant To Be a Ripoff of The Masters’ Green Jacket
The gold jacket that Happy, Shooter, and the rest of the golfers are vying for in the final tournament is meant to resemble the iconic green jacket that the winner of The Masters tournament earns. That’s because, in the original script, Happy was supposed to win The Masters in the end. But Mark Lye, a former pro golfer who was a consultant on the movie, told them they couldn’t do it because of how much they were making fun of Augusta National and the tournament.
He suggested they make up a tournament to have Happy win at the end, and Herlihy and Sandler made the switch from the green jacket to the gold jacket. It’s hard to imagine golf fanatics would have been pleased to see Shooter McGavin running away from an angry mob with the green jacket, which is one of the most recognizable personal achievements in sports. It will be interesting to see if Augusta National ismentioned in the sequel.
3Bob Barker Did His Own Stunts
Arguably, the most memorable scene in the film is when Happy is paired withThe Price is Righthost Bob Barker during a celebrity golf match. Happy has a terrible day on the course and Bob keeps mocking him throughout. Eventually, Happy and Bob begin to scuffle. It produces a knock-down, drag-em-out fight with punches, head butts, tackles, and more. Bob even looks like he came back from the dead at one point.
Dugan was going to have a stunt double fill in for Barkerduring the fight scene. Bob insisted that he could do his own stunts, and he did. That’s because he was a neighbor of famed actor and martial artist Chuck Norris, who had taught Barker martial arts for years. Once Sandler learned that, he rewrote the script to have Barker win the fight.
2Bob Barker Was Not the First Choice for the Celebrity Golf Pairing
Even though Barker’s scene is legendary, he wasn’t actually the first choice for the role. Initially, it was set to be Ed McMahon who fought Happy. They offered McMahon the role and, after reading the script and seeing the crudeness of the film and the fact that he was meant to lose the fight, McMahon declined. That’s when Barker was considered and the scene was changed.
Barker and Sandlerrecreated the scene years later for Comedy Central’s “Night of Too Many Stars” event. There was a sizable surge in viewership forThe Price is RightafterHappy Gilmorecame out. Barker went on record saying that someone would ask him about the fight every day after the movie came out.
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1Ben Stiller Is Not Credited in the Film
One of the most recognizable people in the film is Ben Stiller. He plays an orderly in Happy’s Grandma’s assisted living home. He is incredibly mean and has multiple iconic scenes, talking back to Happy’s Grandma with lines like, “Could I trouble you for a warm glass of shut the hell up?” His handlebar mustache and phony persona, which he puts on any time Sandler is around, add to his diabolical nature.
Stiller is not credited in the film. His character’s name isn’t said. He has a name tag that reads Hal L. Stiller wasn’t credited because he wanted his role to be a surprise for fans. He isslated to reprise the characterin the sequel, and shots of him in the Hal L getup surfaced on the Internet, causing a frenzy from fans.
