Toll Booth Willie
Encyclopedia
Toll Booth Willie is a comedy skit by Adam Sandler
and Steve Koren
about a much-abused toll-taker in Worcester, Massachusetts
.
The skit, which appears on Sandler's 1993
debut album They're All Gonna Laugh at You!
, stars Sandler in the title role, speaking in an exaggerated New England accent.
In certain parts of Alberta, Canada and Washington, DC, one's 30th birthday is sometimes referred to as a "Toll Booth Willie Birthday", as it is the year that one becomes a "dried up, stinky dick licker", which is a memorable line from this audio skit.
, Tim Herlihy
, Tim Meadows, Margaret Ruden, Rob Schneider
and David Spade
.
In a precursor to Sandler's early movies (Billy Madison
, Happy Gilmore
), the audience identifies with Willie as a "lovable loser" who may not be a great role model, but perseveres even though people seem bent on ruining his life.
Bishop Nelson, for example, insults Willie's mother and speeds off after carrying on a seemingly pleasant conversation with Willie about his sermon the previous day. Once he leaves, Willie yells at him, "It's not my fault the bartender cut you off last night, you fucking douchebag!"
The last person to pay the US$ 1.25 toll, a young woman, appears set to leave without insulting Willie, until he offers her a receipt. She asks him to sign it, and then says she wanted proof that she had met "the biggest fucking dipshit with the smallest dick alive."
When Willie leaves his tollbooth to accost the woman, he is struck by the seventh car, whose passengers immediately express astonishment that they've run over such a worthless person, as Willie vows to beat them up as soon as he heals.
, the only toll road with exits near Worcester. The road does not have any exits within Worcester; at the time the skit was recorded, the closest two were in the neighboring towns of Auburn
(Exit 10) and Millbury, Massachusetts
(Exit 11). (Another exit in Millbury, Exit 10A, opened in 1998 and is located not far from the Worcester city line.) Thus, in New England
, the skit has come to be identified both with Worcester and with the turnpike.
Several of the skit's lines have become catchphrases. Radio stations in Central Massachusetts still occasionally play Sandler's "Welcome to Worcester ..." greeting (sometimes complete with "... a dollar twenty-five, please"). Most Sandler fans instantly recognize the one-liner "I'm comin' outta da booth!".
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
and Steve Koren
Steve Koren
Steven Wayne Koren is an American screenwriter. He was one of the writers for the movies Bruce Almighty, Click, Superstar, and A Night at the Roxbury, and wrote for Saturday Night Live and Seinfeld....
about a much-abused toll-taker in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
.
The skit, which appears on Sandler's 1993
1993 in music
This is a summary of significant events in music in 1993.-January–February:*January 8 – The U.S. Postal Service issues an Elvis Presley stamp. The design was voted on in February 1992....
debut album They're All Gonna Laugh at You!
They're All Gonna Laugh at You!
They're All Gonna Laugh at You! is the debut album by American comedian Adam Sandler, released in 1993. The title comes from a repeated line in the "Oh Mom..." track that appears on the album, which is itself a parody of a scene in the film Carrie...
, stars Sandler in the title role, speaking in an exaggerated New England accent.
In certain parts of Alberta, Canada and Washington, DC, one's 30th birthday is sometimes referred to as a "Toll Booth Willie Birthday", as it is the year that one becomes a "dried up, stinky dick licker", which is a memorable line from this audio skit.
Plot
The humor of the skit lies in the unexpectedly vile scorn with which the drivers on Willie's toll road treat him. Willie initially treats toll road drivers with courtesy, but changes to obscenity-laced tirades after they invariably insult him (Although this might be because by the time the next driver pulls up to the toll booth, they're hearing most of Willie's profanity, and usually do not intend to treat him with courtesy for his use of verbal abuse). This happens with six cars in quick succession: two men, an elderly woman, a man, a bishop ("Bishop Nelson"), a man and a young woman. The various drivers and passengers are voiced by Steve KorenSteve Koren
Steven Wayne Koren is an American screenwriter. He was one of the writers for the movies Bruce Almighty, Click, Superstar, and A Night at the Roxbury, and wrote for Saturday Night Live and Seinfeld....
, Tim Herlihy
Tim Herlihy
Tim Herlihy is an American screen actor, film producer, screenwriter, and Broadway show author.Herlihy was born in Brooklyn, New York and is a graduate of the New York University School of Law. He frequently collaborates with Adam Sandler...
, Tim Meadows, Margaret Ruden, Rob Schneider
Rob Schneider
Robert Michael "Rob" Schneider is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and director. A stand-up comic and veteran of the NBC sketch-comedy series Saturday Night Live, Schneider has gone on to a successful career in feature films, including starring roles in the comedy films Deuce Bigalow:...
and David Spade
David Spade
David Wayne Spade is an American actor, comedian and television personality who first became famous in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and from 1997 until 2003 when he starred as Dennis Finch on Just Shoot Me!. He also starred as C.J...
.
In a precursor to Sandler's early movies (Billy Madison
Billy Madison
Billy Madison is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Tamra Davis and starring Adam Sandler, in the title role, Bradley Whitford, Bridgette Wilson, Norm Macdonald and Darren McGavin. The film was written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy, and produced by Universal Studios. It made over $25.5 million...
, Happy Gilmore
Happy Gilmore
Happy Gilmore is a 1996 sports comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and produced by Robert Simonds for Universal Studios. It stars Adam Sandler as the title character, an unsuccessful ice hockey player who discovers a talent for golf. The screenplay was written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy...
), the audience identifies with Willie as a "lovable loser" who may not be a great role model, but perseveres even though people seem bent on ruining his life.
Bishop Nelson, for example, insults Willie's mother and speeds off after carrying on a seemingly pleasant conversation with Willie about his sermon the previous day. Once he leaves, Willie yells at him, "It's not my fault the bartender cut you off last night, you fucking douchebag!"
The last person to pay the US$ 1.25 toll, a young woman, appears set to leave without insulting Willie, until he offers her a receipt. She asks him to sign it, and then says she wanted proof that she had met "the biggest fucking dipshit with the smallest dick alive."
When Willie leaves his tollbooth to accost the woman, he is struck by the seventh car, whose passengers immediately express astonishment that they've run over such a worthless person, as Willie vows to beat them up as soon as he heals.
Impact
The name of the road is never identified, but is presumably the Massachusetts TurnpikeMassachusetts Turnpike
The Massachusetts Turnpike is the easternmost stretch of Interstate 90. The Turnpike begins at the western border of Massachusetts in West Stockbridge connecting with the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway...
, the only toll road with exits near Worcester. The road does not have any exits within Worcester; at the time the skit was recorded, the closest two were in the neighboring towns of Auburn
Auburn, Massachusetts
Auburn is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,188 at the 2010 census.- History :Auburn was first settled in 1789 and was officially incorporated in 1808 as the town of Ward, in honor of American Revolution General Artemas Ward...
(Exit 10) and Millbury, Massachusetts
Millbury, Massachusetts
Millbury is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,261 at the 2010 census. The town is part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor.-History:...
(Exit 11). (Another exit in Millbury, Exit 10A, opened in 1998 and is located not far from the Worcester city line.) Thus, in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, the skit has come to be identified both with Worcester and with the turnpike.
Several of the skit's lines have become catchphrases. Radio stations in Central Massachusetts still occasionally play Sandler's "Welcome to Worcester ..." greeting (sometimes complete with "... a dollar twenty-five, please"). Most Sandler fans instantly recognize the one-liner "I'm comin' outta da booth!".