# Did Rodney Dangerfield do his own dive in Back to School? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 20, 2013, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406 "2013-03-20T01:12:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406/1 "2013-03-20T01:12:30Z")
[The Triple Lundy](http://movieclips.com/zRVX-back-to-school-movie-the-triple-lindy/) Did Rodney do it or at least parts of it? Wikipedia claims he was a trick diver in his younger days. Pause the clip at 51 seconds. Is that him? I’m assuming the sections where the diver lands on the different boards is clever editing? No one could do that? Could they? > [@](#): > > At the age of 15, he began to write for standup comedians, and began to perform at the age of 20 under the name Jack Roy. He struggled financially for nine years, at one point performing as a singing waiter until he was fired, and also working as a performing acrobatic diver before giving up show business to take a job selling aluminum siding to support his wife and family. > **[Rodney Dangerfield](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_Dangerfield)** > > Jack Roy (born Jacob Cohen; November 22, 1921 – October 5, 2004), better known by the stage name Rodney Dangerfield, was an American stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He was known for his self-deprecating one-liner humor, his catchphrase "I don't get no respect!" and his monologues on that theme. > Dangerfield began his career working as a stand-up comic at the Fantasy Lounge in New York City. His act grew in popularity as he became a mainstay on late-night talk shows throughou... ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406/2 "2013-03-20T01:44:09Z")
Can not be a chance in hell that he actually did it. Very careful editing (well, 80’s style) designed to make sure it keeps cutting away from his face in the giveaway. Plus considering his age and fitness level when that movie was made, I’d be surprised if he actually climbed up to the top of the diving platform. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406/3 "2013-03-20T01:51:58Z")
I haven’t seen the movie in a long time but my recollection is that the editing wasn’t even that good. I can believe they got him to jump up on a diving board to put the sequence together but there is no way that the actual dive as a whole was real. Has anyone ever done a Triple-lLndy? I don’t even think that is a real dive. I have never seen a diving pool with multiple boards that is set up for it to be possible. Regular divers could get hurt or killed. Here is the sequence for people that don’t know what we are referring to: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/3DnRso9UGkA/hqdefault.jpg "Rodney Dangerfield does the Triple Lindy") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DnRso9UGkA) It is obviously fake ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406/4 "2013-03-20T01:57:24Z")
Sure, the part where the diver lands on different boards is fake. I always assumed it was three dives edited into one sequence. The parts where the diver is tucked in a ball holding his legs is the part I thought might be Rodney. I’ve seen middle aged guys diving at public pools. Just horsing around. Diving is like riding a bike. If you learn it young then you don’t forget how. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406/5 "2013-03-20T03:19:54Z")
Of course it is fake. I am not a diver, but since when do they mount a springboard directly below the highest platform? And, when he lands on the 2nd springboard, why isn’t the 1st springboard still bouncing? Clever editing. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406/6 "2013-03-20T03:27:50Z")
[moderating] Moved movie question from General Questions to Cafe Society. [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406/7 "2013-03-20T03:38:02Z")
No respect at all. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406/8 "2013-03-20T03:47:10Z")
The boards aren’t bouncing in subsequent shots and then it looks like one of the boards is missing in the final bounce of the final dive. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406/9 "2013-03-20T04:41:56Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Of course it is fake. I am not a diver, but since when do they mount a springboard directly below the highest platform? And, when he lands on the 2nd springboard, why isn’t the 1st springboard still bouncing? Clever editing. Define ‘clever.’ ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406/10 "2013-03-20T05:02:01Z")
Of course there’s editing involved but the pieces put together are of a real diver doing some very difficult maneuvers. Either Rodney retained his chops from his younger days or (more likely) make-up did a remarkable job on a stunt double with a very Dangerfieldesque physique. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406/11 "2013-03-20T06:07:30Z")
Three boards is totally out of the question. I’m not sure about diving off 2 boards. Do the champion springboard divers like Greg Louganis ever jump off one board and bounce off another one? Seems like that would be a easy way to shatter the bones in your feet or break a leg. I’m not saying it couldn’t be done. I’ve seen extreme stuff done in the X Games that looked physically impossible. But, extreme sports means extreme injuries. Like Lindsey Vonn’s shattered knee. She’s darn lucky her entire leg and pelvis wasn’t shattered. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406/12 "2013-03-20T09:59:17Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:6, topic:653406”] [moderating] Moved movie question from General Questions to Cafe Society. [/moderating] [/QUOTE] Hey everybody, we’re all gonna get laid! ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406/13 "2013-03-20T12:11:12Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Has anyone ever done a Triple-lLndy? I don’t even think that is a real dive. I have never seen a diving pool with multiple boards that is set up for it to be possible. Regular divers could get hurt or killed. The boards look exactly like they do around me except for the first spring board. He first goes off the 10 meter platform to land on a spring board that’s on a 5 meter platform, I’ve never seen that before. The two 3 meter spring boards near me are pretty close together, not sure if anyone would be crazy enough to go between them, but they are somewhat close together. I like how he does the underarm fart to warm up. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406/14 "2013-03-20T12:13:44Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Has anyone ever done a Triple-lLndy? I don’t even think that is a real dive. Gee, ya think? 😛 The whole point of the Triple Lindy is that it’s too ridiculous to be a real dive. It’s just a joke. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406/15 "2013-03-20T13:37:19Z")
In _It’s Not Easy Bein’ Me_ Dangerfield writes: > [@](#): > > I got lots of funny letters from kids after that movie. Here’s one of my favorites. > > _Hi Rodney. My name is Tom O’Malley. I’m 10 years old. In the movie_ Back To School _you did a dive, the Triple Lindy. I say you really did that dive. My mother says you didn’t. Who’s right?_ > > I wrote back. I said, “Tom, listen to your mama” ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406/16 "2013-03-20T13:55:09Z")
Does anybody have the [Back to School: Extra-Curricular Edition DVD](http://www.dvdizzy.com/backtoschool.html)? > [@](#): > > The six-minute featurette “Dissecting the Triple Lindy” discusses the film’s standout diving sequence from concept to execution with prostheses and two stunt doubles (who are both heard from). ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406/17 "2013-03-20T14:40:34Z")
How about the uncut segment of the single backflip off a springboard landing again on the same board? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406/18 "2013-03-20T14:46:10Z")
I haven’t seen the movie in 20 years, but I remember it being VERY obvious, even with trick editing, that the guy doing the dive was a much younger, fitter, buffer man than Rodney. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406/19 "2013-03-20T15:08:02Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I haven’t seen the movie in 20 years, but I remember it being VERY obvious, even with trick editing, that the guy doing the dive was a much younger, fitter, buffer man than Rodney. Really? Check out the link in post #3. I think they did a great job of making the double look like Rodney. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406/20 "2013-03-20T15:57:00Z")
The stunt-diver does look a lot like Dangerfield, they did a good job with that. However, it’s pretty obvious that he has a lot flatter stomach than Rodney… Check him out at the top of the board, he has a decent paunch/belly and the diver, though a bit thick maybe, doesn’t have that same bulging middle. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-rodney-dangerfield-do-his-own-dive-in-back-to-school/653406.md?page=2)