Original artwork, not a still
So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.
— Caddyshack · 1980
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The joke is the shrug: a man stiffed by a holy figure counts the cosmic promise as a consolation prize and moves on. It captures Carl's whole outlook, cheerful, deluded and entirely sincere. 'I got that going for me' became an all-purpose line for any small consolation on a bad day, and the monologue is among the most quoted in American comedy.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for CaddyshackShow the scene
At Bushwood Country Club, greenskeeper Carl Spackler (Bill Murray) has just been ordered by the club's Scottish groundskeeper to kill every gopher on the course. Then Carl drifts into a tall tale for a listener named Angie: he jumped ship in Hong Kong, hired on as a caddie at a Himalayan course, and carried the bag of the Dalai Lama himself. After eighteen holes the Lama refuses to tip, promising only total consciousness on his deathbed. Carl sums it up: "So I got that goin' for me, which is nice." Murray was on the production only about six days, but Carl's part kept growing.
Sources (3)
- Wikiquote: CaddyshackCarl's Dalai Lama storyReference checked
- Caddyshack script (Springfield! Springfield!)Carl's story, immediately after the gopher ordersReference checked
- Wikipedia: CaddyshackProduction sectionReference checked
Context reviewed
