To most members of the community, math teacher Stanley Szwartz is a constant force of positivity. He runs the Math Lab, and can usually be found helping students with test prep, making them laugh with witty jokes, or sharing words of wisdom. 

However, outside of the classroom, Szwartz has found himself chasing the shining lights of Hollywood as a screenplay writer, a development that surprised him just as much as it does his students.

Szwartz’s journey with screenwriting began when he wanted to create a meaningful gift for his son’s 21st birthday in 2024.

“I turned this bunch of notes and poems into a story for my son who [was] turning 21,” Szwartz said. “And [I] compiled it in a format with the help of my niece who is at film school at Tufts to create a screenplay, sort of a movie about my history and my life, and I shared it with him on his 21st birthday.” 

The story focused on Szwartz’s favorite sport, golf, ending up as a continuation of the 1980 comedy film Caddyshack.

“[The screenplay] was a golf story,” Szwartz said. “A story about me and my friends and how life kind of has ups and downs and failures and hopes and dreams. And it morphed into a story that mimics a movie from 1980 called Caddyshack. And it turned into somewhat of a spin-off or a sequel to that Caddyshack movie.”

Szwartz’s son Sam loved the gift, and encouraged him to send the screenplay to a family friend who works in the movie production industry.

“My son liked it so much he said that it was important for him, as part of his gift, to send it to a friend of mine out in Hollywood in show business who I had known since we were kids,” Szwartz said.

A day later, Szwartz received a shocking email back. Not only had Pete loved the screenplay, but believed that it had the potential to achieve real backing and be made into a movie. Naturally, Szwartz was skeptical.

“At that point I was still very cynical,” Szwartz said. “Like, oh, no way. Not me. This is not what I do. This is not what I’m good at.”

However, the screenplay made its rounds, ending up at the desk of Jonathan Kimmel (brother of Jimmy Kimmel), a renowned director and writer for shows like Crank Yankers and South Park.

Kimmel liked the screenplay, and sent feedback to Szwartz. Szwartz, however, was still doubtful that pursuing a movie was worth his time.

“I was still very cynical and thinking that I didn’t have the time, the energy,” Szwartz said. “I just wanted to present Sam with a great story.”

However, his perspective changed when he began discussing the new development with family, friends, and even his students.

“Given the support and the encouragement from everybody, including my students, they said, ‘you’ve got to go for this, Mr. Szwartz,’” Szwartz said.

And so he did. For the last two years, Szwartz has been steadily building towards creating his movie. He has pitched his story to a range of producers, directors, and studios. Additionally, Szwartz has been in talks with Warner Brothers to secure the rights to use the characters and world of Caddyshack.

Currently, Szwartz is waiting to hear back from production departments at Warner Brothers about Bushwood: Legacy, A Caddyshack Story.

“The first time we went to Warner Brothers, they rejected it,” said Szwartz. “It was presented to their features department, and they did like the writing, and they thought it was a really good story. However, it didn’t meet their blockbuster metric… So they sent us to a number of their smaller production departments, where it’s been bounced around for the last year and in the next month or so we have to go back and… see what their decision is.”

Additionally, Szwartz has been in talks with actor Mark Wahlberg for support on the project. 

“One of the people that we continue to stay in contact with is Mark Wahlberg, and Mark Wahlberg’s representatives. And that name speaks for itself. The difficulty with keeping his focus on what we’re doing is that he has so many things going on… But most importantly, he has read the story. He likes this golf story. He’s a golfer himself. It’s a matter of how does he fit that into his busy schedule, and whether or not the commitment of money and time makes sense, where he will see a return on it.”

Szwartz has also experimented with creating other stories. A comedy screenplay he wrote alongside his brother entitled The Spirit of Christmas Kwanzica has been gaining momentum to become a comic strip or audio book.

“We went down to Comic-Con back in October and we met some really influential people in that business who are entertaining the possibilities of incorporating [The Spirit of Christmas Kwanzica] into their program and their production,” Szwartz said. “So far [it] has gotten incredible reviews, very positive from all the people that we have known and been in contact with [for] our previous screenplays, and that one, in my opinion, would be the most capable of getting to the next level because it doesn’t involve licensing rights.”

Through it all, Szwartz has continued to fulfill his duties as a math teacher with his classic enthusiasm. However, the School has also been aware of the time commitment needed to turn his screenplays into productions.

“Fortunately for me, there’s great leadership here at Brimmer, and the people who I work with are all very, very supportive, and they understand that I do have this project,” Szwartz said. “They’re allowing me to work on a part-time basis, so that I can utilize the time in the afternoon and on weekends to focus on trying to push these projects forward and make something happen out of them.”

Szwartz not only acknowledged the support he received from the school, but also from his son, who has been by Szwartz’s side for the entire journey.

“[Sam] is really super encouraging, and it inspires me every time we talk,” Szwartz said. “He’s always looking for an update.” 

Until two years ago, Szwartz had spent his entire professional career in economics, math, and education, subjects he has degrees in. He never expected to get involved in media production, yet now he finds himself working towards seeing his art on the big screen. For him, this journey emphasizes the importance of chasing your dreams, even if it seems too late.

“I never anticipated to be in this position, ever,” Szwartz said. “No matter how old you are, or where you’re from, or what your background is, if you see something, or you’re interested in something, you should go after it and give it a try. And sure, failure is part of the process, but that’s the story of life.”

Szwartz also affirmed that pursuing his own passions taught him that value is not only found in successes, but in the effort put into one’s work.

“If you have a dream, or you have an idea, or something that you truly believe in and are passionate about, you need to take advantage of that energy, and that possibility, that hope, and give it a try,” Szwartz said. “Because the worst case scenario in my mind would be to look back and say, ah, I regret not trying.”

Editors’ note: Abiding by the Wikipedia Commons use of photography, the picture of Mark Wahlberg in the video is credited to (©Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com).