Sarah Holcomb is one of the more popular actors that actually didn’t last all that long. For whatever reason she got into acting in 1978 and was out by 1980. She played a couple of highly memorable roles that even a moderate film buff could probably tell you about and was pretty good. Why she bowed out seems related to personal problems that were either never made public or were kept on the down low for her privacy. In any case she didn’t last more than two years in the business and despite that she left a lasting legacy that many young folks and those of us that watched her films when we were kids still remember to this day. To say that a couple of her roles were a bit scandalous by today’s standards is putting it mildly since those that want to throw the book at just about anything they find offensive would probably want to see the two films listed below banned and possibly blacklisted for their blatant disregard for what many would call human decency.
So on that note let’s take a look.
Animal House
A person could write a book on everything they find in this film that’s outwardly offensive, but chances are it would all depend on whose bias you’re depending on and how much they would actually ‘see’ when it comes to being truly offensive. For instance there’s drug use, alcoholism, sexual misconduct, theft, destruction of property, assault, sexual harassment, animal cruelty, and many other offenses that could be listed if you really took the time to look at the movie one scene after another. In a world that’s become so highly over-sensitive this film is one of those that probably couldn’t be made today without being blacklisted as highly offensive. The fact that it’s still available for purchase and called a classic is something of a relief to those that grew up with it since quite honestly this is a part of cinematic history that might not seem kosher but is still hilarious.
Now on to Sarah’s part, one of the truly heinous parts that people would undoubtedly quail over. Her character was supposedly only 13-years old in the movie and she was going out with a college freshman. Yeah, even in the standards of back then that was a huge no-no. But putting herself out there as an older teen was considered to be okay since she was the one that said yes to the party, without being coerced in any way, and she was the one that was drinking Larry under the table. Oh I can hear the cries and calls of outrage now that consent still wasn’t able to be given since she was drunk and passed out. But quite honestly Larry never touched her until they were on the football field and she was completely sober. It doesn’t make it right, but it does take a tiny step up from taking advantage of a passed out minor, which would just be way too creepy. But in all honesty Sarah was 18 when she starred in this film, so whew, legalities are in place and the story was able to continue.
Caddyshack
In some ways the character of Maggie was kind of a basket case. It could have been the fact that she thought she was pregnant and her hormones were going nuts, but she’s also kind of a jealous character and a bit of a back and forth kind of personality. You know, she likes Danny but then doesn’t want to even consider his marriage proposal when she thinks she’s pregnant. Then she likes him again when she finds out she isn’t. The woman’s kind of all over the map despite being fairly cool to Danny at some points of the movie. But in all honesty her character quirks are kind of par for the course (pun alert) for this film since just about every character was over the top and going for broke when it came to being noticed. Ever notice how the caddies were kind of allowed to do their own thing in some scenes? Try controlling all those extras when some of them are teenagers and others are just young kids waiting on a paycheck.
Sarah did a couple of other films throughout her career but the two above were those that really allowed her to stand out and be noticed. They definitely couldn’t be made the same way in this day and age but it’d be worth it to bet dollars to pesos that someone might try one of these days. In that case one would almost hope that Sarah might come back just for a quick cameo, along with a few of the other favorites from the original. But then again, considering how long she’s been out, don’t hold your breath.Caddyshack
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