50 Fun Facts About Billy Madison

In Billy Madison, which children's story does Billy ramble about in his final academic decathlon answer?

The Puppy Who Lost His Way gets Billy nowhere: the judge calls his reply one of the most insanely idiotic things he has ever heard.

Which actor has an uncredited cameo in Billy Madison as Danny McGrath, the old classmate Billy phones to apologize?

Steve Buscemi plays Danny, who answers the apology by crossing Billy off a wall list headed 'People to Kill'. He turns up again at the decathlon just in time.

Which Saturday Night Live star plays the short-tempered school bus driver in Billy Madison without a screen credit?

Chris Farley reportedly drank six shots of espresso before filming his scene as the driver, who threatens to turn the bus around and end the field trip.

In Billy Madison, which animal does Billy hallucinate and warn that it is too hot to be walking around?

A penguin is Billy's recurring vision: he promises that the people at the zoo will treat it 'real respectable like', and later it waves at him when he is drunk.

In Billy Madison, the decathlon judge says everyone in the room is now what for having listened to Billy's answer?

Dumber is the judge's verdict on everyone in the room, just before he awards Billy no points. Billy replies that a simple 'wrong' would have done.

In Billy Madison, which family of bullies chants that it 'rules' even as its car goes off a cliff?

O'Doyle boys pick on Billy from first grade to twelfth, so he warns one that the 'whole family's going down'. A banana peel on the road later proves him right.

Which gym-class game left child actors crying when Adam Sandler played it for real while filming Billy Madison?

Dodgeball turned into what the director called 'a full-on assault'. Sandler had the parents' permission to throw hard, and shots had to be cut because the children were in tears.

Which other Adam Sandler title character shares the name of his production company with Billy Madison?

Happy Gilmore, the failed hockey player turned golfer of Sandler's 1996 comedy, gives Happy Madison Productions its first name. The same producer made both films.

In Billy Madison, which topic does Billy choose for Eric Gordon's final question in the academic decathlon?

Business ethics is the one subject the scheming Eric cannot bluff: he stammers a few words, then protests that the question 'was not in the reading'.

In Billy Madison, what color is the duck Billy draws to pass first grade in Miss Lippy's class?

Blue was Billy's pick because he had never seen a duck that color and wanted to see one. Miss Lippy calls it excellent and passes him on the spot.

In Billy Madison, what kind of family company does Billy stand to inherit from his father, Brian?

A hotel chain is the prize: the family firm is a Fortune 500 company, and Brian is ready to hand it to his scheming vice president instead.

In Billy Madison, how much time does Billy get to finish each school grade under his deal with his father?

Two weeks per grade is the pace Billy proposes himself, promising to re-graduate and prove he is not an idiot. His father's reply is a simple 'You're on.'

In Billy Madison's bathtub scene, Billy stages a fight between a bottle of shampoo and a bottle of what?

Conditioner claims it is better because it leaves the hair silky and smooth, while shampoo boasts of going on first. Billy voices both sides himself.

In Billy Madison, which cafeteria dish does the cackling lunch lady urge the kids to have more of?

Sloppy Joes are her specialty, made 'extra sloppy' because she knows how the kids like them. Billy tells her she is scaring everyone.

In Billy Madison, which arcade classic does Billy call the best video game ever, over a first-grader's Mortal Kombat?

Donkey Kong is Billy's choice, though he grants that Mortal Kombat is 'a very good game'. When little Scotty says it sucks, Billy snaps back that Scotty does.

In Billy Madison, which lunchbox treat does a smiling kid refuse to swap for Billy's banana?

A Snack Pack of chocolate pudding stays with the kid, who keeps smiling and nodding even when Billy asks if he knows how badly he could beat him.

In Billy Madison, which school's football team does Billy cheer to win over the crowd at the decathlon?

Knibb High football 'rules', Billy shouts when his answer runs out of road, and the audience erupts. Danny McGrath graduated from the same school in 1984.

In Billy Madison, which word does Billy spell to pass second grade and declare himself the smartest man alive?

Couch nearly beats him: Billy starts C-O-R, then stalls by asking the teacher whether she is going to the mall today. The girl before him had tried C-O-W.

Which Weekend Update anchor made his feature film debut as Billy's friend Frank in Billy Madison?

Norm Macdonald had joined Saturday Night Live in 1993 and went on to front its news desk for three and a half seasons. Frank calls a night of pranks with Billy the best night of his life.

Which actor, later The West Wing's Josh Lyman, plays Billy Madison's scheming rival Eric Gordon?

Bradley Whitford got the villain's part only after two of Adam Sandler's own suggestions fell through. He later played Dean Armitage in the horror film Get Out.

Which actor, the father in A Christmas Story, plays Billy's widowed father Brian in Billy Madison?

Darren McGavin was also television's monster-chasing reporter in Kolchak: The Night Stalker. His Brian is about to retire, which is why the company needs an heir.

Which former Miss Teen USA plays Veronica Vaughn, Billy's love interest, in Billy Madison?

Bridgette Wilson won the pageant in 1990 at the age of 16. In the same year as this comedy she played Sonya Blade in the film of Mortal Kombat.

In Billy Madison, which science-lesson word does Billy heckle by swapping in the word 'bore'?

Chlorophyll becomes 'bore-o-phyll' in Billy's heckle, and he loudly turns down a classmate who wants to make out while 'chlorophyll man' is talking.

In Billy Madison's final decathlon question, which historical upheaval is Billy asked to connect to the modern novel?

The Industrial Revolution 'changed the face of the modern novel forever', the judge reads, asking Billy to discuss with specific examples. He offers none.

In Billy Madison, under which ring name did Principal Max Anderson once work as a professional wrestler?

The Revolting Blob once threw an opponent out of the ring into a group of senior citizens, a magazine article reveals. Eric uses that past to blackmail the principal.

In Billy Madison, what does Danny McGrath put on after crossing Billy's name off the list on his wall?

Bright red lipstick goes on in a thick layer before Danny sighs with relief and sits back to listen to his music. One phone call from Billy changed his plans.

In Billy Madison, what do Billy and his friends set alight on an old man's porch before ringing the doorbell?

A bag of dog poop is the prank, and the old man stamps it out with his boots despite his wife's warning. His shout of 'poop' delights the three hiding in the bushes.

In Billy Madison, which jazz musician does an elderly woman invoke after Billy says wetting your pants is cool?

Miles Davis is her benchmark: 'If peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis.' Billy had made the claim to spare a classmate who had an accident.

In Billy Madison's study session with Veronica Vaughn, which event's date does Billy guess wildly, even trying 1986?

The Spanish Armada stumps him after he nails 1066 and 1215 for the two events before it. When 1588 finally comes to him, the bus driver is his quizmaster instead.

In and around which Canadian city was Billy Madison filmed during the summer of 1994?

Toronto hosted the shoot from late June to late August, and a historic estate in nearby Oshawa supplied the grounds of the Madison mansion.

Which future Better Call Saul star did Adam Sandler lobby to cast as Billy Madison's villain, Eric Gordon?

Bob Odenkirk was a former Saturday Night Live colleague of Sandler's, but the studio said no and the part was opened up to auditions.

In Billy Madison's bathtub scene, which creature is the golden faucet that Billy orders to stop looking at him?

A swan is the shape of the golden faucet, which catches Billy's eye once his bottle battle has ended with both bottles dropped in the water.

Which co-writer of Billy Madison was Adam Sandler's roommate at New York University and appears briefly as an architect?

Tim Herlihy wrote the script late at night at the Manhattan law firm where he worked as a securities lawyer. He went on to write The Wedding Singer and The Waterboy too.

Which longtime Saturday Night Live head writer plays the judge who scolds Billy at the Billy Madison decathlon?

Jim Downey is the longest-serving writer in the sketch show's history. On screen he delivers the speech that includes 'I award you no points'.

At the end of Billy Madison, which loyal operations manager does Billy hand the family company to?

Carl gets the top job because Billy decides that running it 'really isn't for me' and says so in his graduation speech. Larry Hankin, Mr. Heckles in Friends, plays him.

At his graduation in Billy Madison, which career does Billy say he wants to pursue after college?

Teaching is the plan, a neat turn for a man who has just repeated all twelve grades. Until then he had expected to run the family company.

In Billy Madison, how does Eric Gordon react when he cannot answer his final decathlon question?

Eric pulls out a gun, kicks over the microphone and demands a new question, only to be flattened by a principal in full wrestling gear.

Which major Hollywood studio released Billy Madison to North American cinemas in February 1995?

Universal Pictures saw the comedy open at number one at the North American box office, and it went on to gross about $26 million on a $10 million budget.

In Billy Madison, which baseball player's surname does Veronica Vaughn ask Billy to write in cursive?

Rizzuto defeats him because his cursive Z's look like R's, and Billy protests that a ballplayer's name is not a real word. Offered 'buzz' instead, he storms out.

In Billy Madison, whom does an old lady blame when Veronica Vaughn's class finds thirty bagged lunches stolen?

Sasquatch gets the blame, but the camera shows the real thieves: the bus driver and Billy's friends Jack and Frank, tucking into the kids' food.

Which comedian beat Billy Madison's Adam Sandler to Best Comedic Performance at the 1995 MTV Movie Awards?

Jim Carrey won for Dumb and Dumber and held two of the five nominations, the other for The Mask. Sandler's nomination was for playing Billy.

In Billy Madison, which office item does a furious Eric Gordon throw, leaving his secretary in a coma?

A stapler flies across the office as Eric watches the principal retract his lie on television. It hits his secretary, Joyce, by accident.

In Billy Madison, how did Principal Max Anderson accidentally kill an opponent during his wrestling career?

Max sat on his head in a stunt gone wrong: the opponent was supposed to pinch his leg if he was running short of air.

In Billy Madison, what does the maid Juanita invite Billy to help her shave when he fakes being sick?

Her armpits are the offer, made with a laugh as Billy lies in bed with a thermometer he heated on his desk lamp. He decides school is the better option.

In Billy Madison, what did Brian Madison secretly use to get his son through school the first time?

Bribes had been going on for years, Brian confesses: even the first-grade spelling bee that Billy won by spelling rock R-O-K had been paid for.

Which film critic said Adam Sandler in Billy Madison recreated 'the fingernails on the blackboard syndrome'?

Roger Ebert gave the comedy a thumbs down on television and suggested Sandler 'might have a career as a villain or as a fall guy', just not as the protagonist.

In Billy Madison, which school year puts Billy in the class run by his future girlfriend, Veronica Vaughn?

Third grade puts Billy in her classroom, where she throws him out for mocking a boy's reading and threatens to fail him. They end the grade on much friendlier terms.

In Billy Madison's opening scene, what is Billy singing a song of praise to while relaxing in his pool?

Suntan lotion 'is good for me', he sings, before roaring that ultraviolet rays are bad and drawing a smiley face with his sunblock.

In Billy Madison, what does the school janitor say he would rather have when Billy offers him milk?

A beer is the janitor's preference, and Billy had only asked 'Sideburns' because Veronica refused to share another classroom's milk.

In Billy Madison, Frank asks Billy to pick between Jack Nicholson and which romantic-comedy actress?

Meg Ryan gets Billy's vote, but only after he checks whether Frank means Jack Nicholson 'now or 1974'. Frank says '74 and is left looking confused.