The Untold Truth Of Billy Madison

We lost a great one when Norm Macdonald recently passed away. The man knew comedy better than most and had a particular brand of humor that just worked — provided you understood it. That made him an obvious co-star for any Sandler vehicle: the pair shared the screen in a number of projects and enjoyed a decades-long friendship that continued until Macdonald's death in September of 2021.

Still, their greatest collaboration remains "Billy Madison," where Macdonald had a bit part as one of Billy's slacker friends who spends far too much time getting drunk by the pool. Sandler recalled the experience on "Conan," with Macdonald (and a handful of his comedian buddies) adding his own colorful commentary for good measure. Apparently, in one of the pool scenes sprinkled throughout "Billy Madison," Sandler's character is supposed to speak with Macdonald's character, Frank. Sandler said his line and was surprised when Macdonald remained quiet. "Ole Norm likes to take his time," Sandler joked. "Maybe he's going deep for this ... after a few more seconds, I noticed ole Norm was sleeping."

"Well," Macdonald chimed in, "they wanted me to play a drunk, and so I said, 'You got some booze?' But also he called me Frank, and in my mind I'm like, 'Who ... is Frank?'" Only Norm Macdonald could get away with that one.