RIP Lacey Underall

When I was a kid, my friends and I watched Caddyshack over and over again. We must have watched it 10 times at my friend Dewey's house alone. Sure, Chevy Chase, Ted Knight, Bill Murray, and Rodney Dangerfield were the main draws. But there's no doubt Cindy Morgan, who died recently in Florida at the age of 69, played a role in bringing us back to our repeat viewings of the classic 1980 comedy.

I have to admit I haven't thought of her name as an actor in a very long time, if hardly ever at all. But I've never forgotten her character's name. As the niece of the stuffy and out-of-touch Judge Smails (Knight), Lacey Underall struts around Bushwood Country Club with an air of youthful freshness and dangerous (at least to the judge and his friends) sex appeal. Of course the judge would never suspect his perfect niece of being the wild child he eventually discovers her to be. Some of her scenes are the most iconic ones from the movie: emerging from the pool in her white bikini, verbally sparring with new-age golfer Ty Webb (Chase), and the flings and flirtations she has with young Danny and others at the club.

Legacy.com quoted Morgan: “We were absolutely having the best time possible. It was a challenge certainly working with four of the funniest men on the planet, and there was quite of bit of improvisation. It was the longest and best party I’ve ever attended.”

I was never much of a fan of her biggest other role, Tron, but many people share an equal amount of praise for that Jeff Bridges' flick as I do for Caddyshack.