Posted by Bud on February 13, 2010 at 12:44:28:
5 Questions with...'Caddyshack's' Cindy Morgan
By Jeff Nuich
CSN Chicago Senior Director of Communications
CSNChicago.com Contributor
February 10, 2010
Want to know more about your favorite Chicago media celebrities? CSNChicago.com has your fix as we put the city’s most popular personalities on the spot with everyone’s favorite weekly local celeb feature entitled “5 Questions with...”
Every Wednesday exclusively on CSNChicago.com, it’s our turn to grill the local media and other local VIPs with five random sports and non-sports related questions that will definitely be of interest to old and new fans alike.
This week…a very special edition of “5 Questions with…” as we interview a Chicago born and raised actress who is a huge part of movie comedy history as she portrayed the vivacious vixen “Lacey Underall” in the quintessential sports comedy film “Caddyshack”…to no one’s surprise, she’s still a beauty to this day…here are “5 Questions with…CINDY MORGAN!”
BIO: Best known as "Lacey Underall" in CADDYSHACK, and "Yori" in TRON, Cindy Morgan was born Cynthia Ann Cichorski on September 29 in Chicago, IL, not far from Wrigley Field. The daughter of a Polish factory worker and German mother, Cindy survived 12 years of Catholic school and was the first in her family to attend college.
While studying communications at Northern Illinois University, Cindy spun records on the radio. A commercial station in town wanted her to report the news for them as well, and so a slight deception was needed. She used the name Cindy Morgan, taken from a story Cindy read about Morgan le Fay when she was twelve years old.
After graduation, Cindy gave all the latest meteorological news on a TV station in Rockford, Ill. She also kept her hand in radio by working the graveyard shift at a local rock station. Then she returned to Chicago and deejayed on WSDM (now WLUP). During a labor dispute at the station, she literally quit on the air and walked out with a record still spinning on the turntable.
She found employment at auto shows for Fiat, which took her to both coasts. Cindy moved to Los Angeles in 1978, and became the Irish Spring girl. While she did TV commercials, she studied acting, and was rewarded with her first screen role in CADDYSHACK, playing the role of Lacey Underall, an over-amorous ingénue.
Disney made film history with TRON, the first computer-generated film. Cindy played two characters: Lora, a computer programmer in the "real" world, and Yori, her alter-ego in the film's computer generated flights of imagination.
Cindy Morgan's television credits to date include "Falconcrest", "The Larry Sanders Show", "Amazing Stories" and "Bring 'Em Back Alive".
Cindy also associate-produced five films with Larry Estes, best known for "Sex, Lies and Videotape".
She's now finishing her first book, a story about how a nice Catholic girl became Lacey Underall in CADDYSHACK.
1) CSNChicago.com: Cindy, thanks for taking time to be interviewed for CSNChicago.com’s “5 Questions with…” It’s a thrill for us and our readers and it’s certainly appreciated. Now let’s get down to it…When “Caddyshack” was first released in the theaters in 1980, it was far from being a favorite with critics nationwide and performed only moderately well at the box office. Then something happened in the years to follow. The film is now considered to be one of the all-time great comedies and easily the best sports comedy movie ever made. In your opinion, what transpired over the years that made your film grow to its current fanatic cult status and why do you think it continues to resonate with young movie fans to this day?
Morgan: I remember asking how to know if something's really good (a song, a film, or even a good restaurant) and I was told that it would stand the test of time. “Caddyshack” has stood the test of time, and has grown in popularity over the years, as each new generation discovers it (probably in their father's DVD collection).
It has a timeless quality about it, because we were really having the best time possible. You can't fake that! We were lucky enough to be surrounded by four of the funniest men on the planet: Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Ted Knight and Rodney Dangerfield. And we were struck by comedy lightning.
2) CSNChicago.com: We all have our favorite scenes in “Caddyshack,” with many of us still able to recite lines from Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Bill Murray and, of course, Cindy Morgan. What scene from your film still makes you laugh out loud to this day?
Morgan: I love watching the scene where I ask Chevy to "Sing me a love song." It wasn't in the script, wasn't rehearsed or even discussed ahead of time. Chevy plays a few bars, and then he snorts the salt. You can see me take a couple of beats while I realize what's happening, and that this would be a scene in the film. I had a big wad of gum in my mouth, and blew a bubble at him.
3) CSNChicago.com: In your daily life, we can imagine you are constantly subjected to “Caddyshack”-related references (this interview included!). Does the fielding of these questions from interviewers and fans ever get as tiresome as “Dreary Old Manhattan?”
Morgan: Fielding these questions is so much fun that I'm putting together a nice little book called "From Catholic School to Caddyshack.”
4) CSNChicago.com: What sports did you enjoy playing growing up and, a follow-up question, do you still keep tabs on the Chicago teams you grew up watching?
Morgan: Catholic girls’ school had a limited sports program when I attended, but you couldn't keep me from watching games with my father. I still watch the Bears, the Bulls and my beloved Cubs. I heard there was a Super Bowl a few days ago, but since none of the aforementioned teams played in it, that must have been a rumor.
5) CSNChicago.com: We’re proud to say you were born and raised in our great city. What do you miss most about Chicago, how often do you make it back here and, when you’re in town, name the one restaurant that’s a can’t miss during your visit?
Morgan: Thank you, and I'm damn proud to be from Chicago too. I miss the people from Chicago! I miss Wrigley Field, the Hancock Center (where I worked as a DJ), I miss Marshall Fields and I miss my Dad, Mitch Cichorski, who used to be the plant manager for Stewart Warner on Diversey Avenue. When I visit Chicago, I can't miss the Mushroom Barley soup at the White Eagle restaurant on North Milwaukee Avenue.
BONUS QUESTION…CSNChicago.com: You mentioned you’re writing a book about your experiences in “Caddyshack.” Tell us about that and when can we expect it to hit the in-store and online bookstores? It will no doubt be a great read!
Morgan: I'm hoping that "From Catholic School to Caddyshack" will be out by early summer. Make sure to visit my website for the latest information on that. Thanks again for having me as your guest this week and a big kiss to everyone in Chicago!