Her sexy poolside strut made men of all ages swoon. She knew how to make computers and Sci-Fi seem sexy.

Actress Cindy Morgan, who portrayed Lacey Underall in the classic 1980 comedy, Caddyshack, and starred as dual characters, Lora/Yori in the original Tron, is still just as radiant today as she ever was.

Yet, Morgan is so much more than just a pretty face.  I recently had the extreme honor of catching up with the actress and found her to be an absolute delight to talk with.  Confident, down-to-earth, intelligent and beautifully genuine describe Morgan well.

Born in the great town of Chicago, Illinois to Polish and German parents, Morgan was just the girl-next-door.  She attended Catholic school and eventually went on to college, becoming the first in her family to do so.  While at Northern Illinois University, Morgan studied communications.  During her collegiate years, she played records on the radio.  And when a local station wanted Morgan to report the news for them, a change had to be made.  Originally born as Cynthia Ann Cichorski, the Midwestern coed took on the name Cindy Morgan.  Morgan was inspiration from the tale of Morgan le Fay, who was King Arthur’s half sister; a book she read as a child.

Post graduation, Morgan took on a job reporting the weather for a local television station, but also kept her hand in radio by working the graveyard shift at a rock station.  She later began working at auto shows, which brought Morgan coast-to-coast.  It was then that she decided to move out to Los Angeles, and in 1978, became the Irish Spring girl.  With her fresh-faced look, it was easy to see why Morgan was cast for such a job.  While the blonde beauty spent time doing television advertisements, she also studied acting.  It wasn’t long after that Morgan landed her first big screen role in one of the funniest movies of all time.

First time director, Harold Ramis, began working on a comedy called Caddyshack.  The film featured many big name actors and was inspired by writer Brian Doyle-Murray and his memories of working as a caddy back in Winnetka, Illinois.  Bill and John Murray, in addition to Ramis, were also caddies back in the day and were able to bring forth their stories to the making of the movie.  The comedy and its colorful characters were based on real-life golfers and caddies through the eyes of Ramis and the Murray brothers.

Ramis decided to film Caddyshack on a golf course in Davie, Florida even though the story was to be set in the Midwest.  The South Florida course was picked as it did not have any palm trees and was far away from California.

From gopher puppets to unscripted dialogue, there was quite a bit of insanity on the set of Caddyshack, as Morgan recalls.

The film starred actors Chevy Chase and Bill Murray, as well as stand-up comedian, Rodney Dangerfield.  With an all-star cast, one could only assume that a young actress in her first big film would be a bit nervous.  According to Morgan, she distanced herself from the actors before the movie was even set to be filmed.  “I just stopped watching their work so that I wouldn’t be intimidated,” confided the actress.  By refusing to watch Chase and Murray, in particular, Morgan didn’t feel as flustered walking into filming that first day.  She merely introduced herself to the men, made friends and began working.

From day one on the set of Caddyshack, there was a whole lot of crazy.  Ramis was inexperienced as a director and it sometimes showed.  {Bill} Murray was on production just six days, and all of his lines went unscripted.  For the climatic golf course explosions which appeared at the end of the film, things didn’t go quite as predicted.  The massive fire balls were not approved by the country club owners because they feared the golf course would be badly damaged.  Movie producers were eventually able to convince the club owners to attend an off-site meeting, and it was then that the Caddyshack crew set off the explosions.  In addition, the golf course was near the Ft. Lauderdale Airport, and after the explosives went off, an incoming pilot reported what he believed to be a crashed plane.  Little did he know that it was one of the most famous scenes of Caddyshack coming together.

The silliness in front of the cameras also existed behind the cameras as well.  The cast of Caddyshack partied throughout the wee hours of the morning, only for them to wake up a few hours later to film.  Some members of the crew drove around in golf carts late at night on the course.  That is, until the keys were taken away from them.  However, that hardly stopped the crazy antics.  The cast and crew soon learned how to hotwire the carts.

Morgan’s first time being filmed for Caddyshack was a bit of a challenge.  The famous pool scene with the diving board was daunting, especially since Morgan is legally blind without glasses and contacts.  Hardly a swimmer, forget a diver, Morgan feared the worst.  “One month before filming I had to take all kinds of lessons, including swimming.  I couldn’t have my contact lens in for the scene, and so I had to literally climb the ladder blind.  I walked out on the board and saw nothing,” recalled the actress.

Her second scene wasn’t any easier.  “I had to film the nude scene.  I had never done anything like that before.  I was in Catholic school and was the Irish Spring girl!  I was suddenly told that a Playboy photographer would be coming out to do a shoot of the scene.  I was furious, so I contacted my agent and he said, “Honey, you’re not a doe-eyed girl from the Midwest, handle it.”  Morgan remembered that many people were standing in the room during the scene, making it even more uncomfortable.  “I stopped the filming and cleared the set,” stated the actress.  With her contract on the line, and the possibility of not ever being able to work again, the strong-minded Morgan fought for her right as a woman in the film industry in 1979.  “They ended up sending in the photographer, but no shoot was done.  I’m from Chicago, and let’s just say my broadcasting background came in handy.  I stood my ground and I’m hard-headed.  No one was going to win that battle.  That was the day Lacey became Lacey.”

When I spoke with Morgan I asked her what her favorite scene was in the movie.  Without any hesitation she stated it was the infamous piano scene opposite Chevy Chase.  According to the actress, many scenes in Caddyshack were improvised and unscripted.  The piano scene was no exception, which was set at the house of Ty Webb, Chase’s character.  “Harold Ramis told me to sit down at the piano next to Chevy.  He said, ‘Sing me a love song.’  Next thing I know, I look over and see the cameras are on and rolling.  I thought, ‘Oh my God, they’re shooting this!’,” exclaimed Morgan.  Needless to say, the piano scene was never set to be in the movie at all and everything involved was improvised, from the singing to the tequila.  It was also at this point in the film that Morgan and Chase were butting heads.  The two had had a fight just prior to the scene.  The atmosphere was indeed tense.  “I was mad at him {Chase}.  He was challenging me, even while the cameras were rolling, and pressing buttons,” recalled Morgan.  Filming the massage scene in Ty’s bedroom was not the least bit relaxing for the actress.  “We filmed in the middle of a Florida summer.  It was really hot; my make-up kept running because I was sweating so bad.  Chevy just kept trying to make me mad.  He spilled all that oil on my back on purpose; it wasn’t in the script.  When I blurted out suddenly, ‘You’re crazy,’ that was genuine.”  For Morgan, her relationship with Chase was “love-hate.”  When things between the two were good, well, they were really good.  Chase helped Morgan on the set at times and was a friend.  “I loved all my scenes with Chevy.  He is a comic genuis,” fondly stated Morgan.  But when things were bad, well, let’s just say the actress had to watch her back… literally.

After Caddyshack, Morgan got the role of Dr. Lora Baines/Yori in the original Tron, which was released in 1982.  Actor Jeff Bridges portrayed Kevin Flynn in the film.  Dr. Baines was the computer programmer or “User” of Yori, who was part of the digital world.  Tron was a Disney film and one of the first of its kind with state-of-the-art computer graphics and special effects.  Its amazing visuals and talented cast made it a box office success.  It became a cult favorite and later turned into a massive franchise.  Tron achieved movie making history, as it was the first computer generated film.  Acting in this type of movie wasn’t always easy.  There were a couple of times that Morgan had difficulty visualizing objects or settings that weren’t actually there, but said she got through it all with the help of her amazing colleagues.  “I worked with great actors.  The reality of it all was in each other’s eyes,” explained Morgan.  In 2010, TRON: Legacy was released, and to many fans great dismay, Morgan was not in the returning cast.  Therefore, an online campaign, Yori Lives!, was started up by these very same fans in order to bring Morgan’s character, Yori, back to life once again.  It has proven quite successful and Morgan cannot thank her supporters enough.  And because of the campaign, Morgan makes appearances all over the U.S. at various conferences and expos signing autographs and doing “meet and greets” for her Tron followers.  Morgan is greatly humbled by this and tells me it is a tremendous honor to be so loved.

In addition to both films, Caddyshack and Tron, Morgan has appeared on numerous television shows over the years.  She has starred on Chips, The Fall Guy, The Love Boat and Matlock, just to name a few.  Jane Wyman, aka Angela Channing, was Morgan’s co-star on the popular 1980 series, Falcon Crest.  Morgan greatly enjoyed working with Wyman and has some very special memories of her.  When asked if Morgan had a favorite television show she acted on, she quickly answered with Bring ‘Em Back Alive.   The adventure series, which appeared on television back in the early 80s, starred Morgan and her co-stars Bruce Boxleitner and Ron O’Neal.  “I loved that show.  I did my best work with Bring ‘Em Back Alive,” fondly stated the actress.

Morgan has done more than just acting.  In 1995, she was the associate producer for three television movies:  Out There, Dead Weekend, and Amanda and the Alien.

In 2003, Morgan supplied her voice for the Tron 2.0 PC game, and in 2006 she was the voice of Emily S. Preston in Night Traveler, a multimedia adventure series.

Today, the very talented and motivated Morgan is working on a book about her experiences in acting, specifically while on the set of Caddyshack.  A definite must-read for the movie’s fans, much like myself.  And until the book is released, be sure to check your television guide for Bio Channel’s Caddyshack: The Inside Story.  The documentary features some of the cast and their experiences on the set.  Filming secrets are exposed and many humorous stories are recounted.  Morgan is interviewed in the documentary, sharing her own personal memories of the movie.  Once Morgan’s book is published, she plans to go back into radio.  When not writing or traveling to conferences, Morgan spends time at her home in Florida.

She is also passionate about charity events, such as ones which support the U.S. military.  Morgan’s father fought in WWII.  In 2006, she headed the Caddyshack Reunion Golf Tournament at the Willow Crest Golf Club in her home state of Illinois.  The tournament reunited some of the original Caddyshack cast along with other various celebrities.  It was done for a good cause as it raised funds and awareness to benefit the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund, an organization to help families of the National Guard and reservists on active duty.

One thing in particular that I picked up on while talking to Morgan was that she has a very kind and genuine nature.  The loyal actress adores all of her fans and supporters.  She attends conferences and expos across the nation to sign autographs, take pictures and talk.  Whether those waiting in line to meet Morgan are followers of her character, Yori from Tron, or those who knew and loved her as Lacey Underall in Caddyshack, she is there for each and every one of them.  In addition to her meet and greets, Morgan also enjoys chatting with her fans via social media sites, such as Facebook.

Personally, I’m a Caddyshack fan.  I most likely have seen the movie nearly a hundred times.  I must admit, when younger, I wanted to be like Lacey.  She was sexy, confident and had great style.  She was always, without a doubt, one of my favorite characters in the film.   I asked Morgan how she feels when she watches herself in the classic comedy.  “It was really hard for me to watch in the beginning.  I was very critical of myself, saying things like, ‘I wish I had done that line differently.’  It’s easier to watch now though.  I was very lucky to have been a part of that movie.”

Although Morgan may no longer enjoy skinny skiing or going to bullfights on acid, there is a part of her that still embodies Lacey.  And, even if the actress did not reprise her beloved role in TRON: Legacy, Yori does still live on.  Morgan’s positive attitude and fearless nature keeps the characters of her past, strong within her soul.

A big thanks goes out to Ms. Cindy Morgan for taking the time to do this wonderful interview with me for The Expressionist Magazine.  It was an honor to have such an opportunity.

***For more information on the actress, please visit her website at www.Cindy-Morgan.com