Rusty Lemorande, the production manager on Caddyshack, is suing A&E Television and Pangolin Pictures for allegedly defaming him in a show about the making of the 1980 comedy classic.
According to a lawsuit filed on Feb 25th in New York Supreme Court, Lemorande alleges that Caddyshack: The Inside Story, which aired on A&E as part of its “Biography” programming, falsely portrayed him as a “spy” on the set who spilled secrets on everyone to the person who helped get him the job. The show has aired repeatedly, says Lemorande, despite his demands that the cable network issue a retraction.
Lemorande, who was awarded a Golden Globe as co-producer on the 1983 film Yentl, denies being a snitch. He says his job bonafides are well established, having worked with directors George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola. During Caddyshack, Lemorande was under the command of other industry heavyweights including Jon Peters and Mike Medavoy, at the time an executive at Orion Pictures, which funded the film.
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Lemorande participated in the Caddyshack show after being flown to New York for an interview. There, he was asked whether he was a spy.
“Uh, so…a spy, no” Lemorande says he answered his interrogator. “I was never blabbing on anybody, and I found that my report was always…most diplomatic to keep alive what was happening in Florida….[a] what happens in Florida stays in Florida kind of attitude.”
Lemorande says this particular comment never ran. Instead, producers used something else he allegedly said during the interview session:
“What wasn’t clear to me at the time is that part of the quid pro quo is that I would be a spy. That I would a…somebody who would provide Mike [Medavoy] with ongoing information as to what was going on. That wasn’t clear to me initially, but it became very clear as things evolved.”
The lawsuit doesn’t detail what the alleged spying entailed, but there’s been plenty of rumors over the years about heavy drug use and lots of partying on set, and animosity between lead actors Chevy Chase and Bill Murray.
Lemorande is seeking $6 million in damages.
