| | | | National Lampoon's Vacation
(1983) |
irected by 80's director/actor Harold Ramis ("Caddyshack, "Stripes", "Ghostbusters 1" & "2") National Lampoon's Vacation tells the hilarious story of The Griswolds family trip from their leafy suburban Chicago home to Wally World Theme Park in sunny California.
The film commences at a sterotypically dodgy car dealership where Clark Griswold (Chase) has gone with son (Michael Hall) to trade in the "old gas guzzler" and pick up the new "Antarctic Blue Super Sports Wagon with CB and optional family fun pack". The dealer... with fantastic permed mullet!... informs that the car won't be delivered for another six weeks and thus offers a dated family wagon instead, Griswold declines the offer initially but after seeing that his 'gas guzzler' has been crushed beyond repair, has no choice but to reluctantly accept.
This first 'deviation' from inept but sincere Clark's carefully plotted route across the West is the first of... well, nothing goes according to plan... yet Clarke keeps cracking the goofy remarks regardless of his predictiment, be it lost in a Harlem-like neighbourhood, or when he accidentally kills the dog, then the sour Aunt Edna perishes, they lose all their holiday money, and wreck the new car... of course they haven't got to Wally World yet for the hysterical conclusion where Clark finally snaps and the fun really starts!
 Don't forget that National Lampoon's Vacation is now available to order on Widescreen DVD using our special 80s Retro Assistant...
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National Lampoon's Vacation is a classic big studio 80's family comedy, it is definitely a product of it's time... one scene which highlights this is when Chevy Chase's character takes a black security guard hostage and commands him like a dog... sit, down, stay, etc.
Another scene has the young daughter, aged 12 smoking marijuana, it is unlikely that these scenes would appear in big studio family comedies of the 90's and Millennium.
The wardrobe for the film is great with the cast adorned in pink & green LaCoste polo shirts, Converse footwear and plenty of other top 80's gear. Christie Brinkley is the archetypal 80's babe.
Vacation is filled with imagery and artefacts of the decade and is a throughly enjoyable, fun movie.
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The script was based on John Hughes' short story titled "Vacation '58," which was loosely based on a real life trip he took as a child with his family.  -Thanks to Christine Gieseke
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The Wagon Queen Family Truckster actually started life as a Ford Country Squire station wagon. Noticable changes included the addition of a second grille and headlight assembly to the front, a second set of taillights, changing the styling of the rear windows, adding the gold crown logos everywhere, all that fancy wood trim and yes your eyes don't deceive you, those are green wall tyres! My favorite is the hefty garbage bag for an airbag. The Griswald's wagon at the begining of the movie that gets crushed is a early 70's Olds Vista Cruiser, which was unique because of the glass observation window over the rear seat. "If you think you hate it now, wait till you drive it." -Thanks to Albert
The car salesman is played by Eugene Levy, who later starred in "Splash" and more recently in both "American Pie" films. -Thanks to Jonathan Lim
One of the first 'supermodel's' Christie Brinkley made her movie debut as the mysterious, flirtatious blonde in red Ferrari (See Pics).
The screenplay was written by top 80's director John Hughes, who also brought us such gems as "The Breakfast Club", "Pretty In Pink", "Sixteen Candles, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" & "Weird Science".
Staple John Hughes actor Anthony Michael Hall, who was to go on to appear in most of John Hughes's movies throughout the 80's makes an very young appearance as Griswold's son Rusty.
The Redneck cousin girl who gives the daughter the joint is Jane Krakowski from the hit TV show Ally McBeal. -Thanks to Jessica Kissick
Pay close attention. In the beginning of the movie, when the Griswold's set off, you get an aerial view of the station wagon on the Freeway in Chicago and you see the Green Family Truckster taking an exit ramp. Now in the opening credits of the TV Show "Married With Children" you see the same freeway with the Griswold's Family truckster taking the exit ramp, it seems that the Married With Children producers used that scene as part of their intro. credits! -Thanks to Alexander Farfan
More from Married with Children... When you first see the truckster on the highway in Vacation, for a few seconds, you will see a fountain. This is the same one from the beginning of Married with Children. It looks like the producers really liked that movie a lot! -Thanks to Patrick
The exterior Griswald house at the beginning of the movie looked a lot like the exterior of the Ferris Buellers Day off House. -Thanks to Peter Vincent
The obscure video game machine and its controllers that the kids are using before (and during) Clark's outlining of the family trip are from the short-lived Bally Astrocade. -Thanks to Logan
I have a vague recollection of seeing a Swedish film on PBS that seemed to follow the story line of "Vacation". I think the tile translated as "At least the weather was good". But I have never been able to find any reference to it. Can anyone help? -Thanks to Robert Bienkowski
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Find much more great trivia in the filmmaker's commentary on the National Lampoon's Vacation DVD.
Rediscover your favorites! If you like
National Lampoon's Vacation or 80's Comedy classics, then be sure to
check out this list: ..... Tootsie ..... Raising Arizona ..... Good Morning, Vietnam ..... Blues Brothers ..... Heathers ..... Fast Times At Ridgemont High ..... This Is Spinal Tap ..... Naked Gun ..... Adventures In Babysitting ..... Airplane ..... License To Drive ..... Money Pit ..... Porky's ..... Risky Business ..... Twins ..... Soul Man .....[More]
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The original ending of the movie was totally different and never seen by audiences. In the original ending, after Clark punches Marty Moose, and buys the b.b. gun, he than drives into Beverly Hills instead of returning to Walley World. He finds Roy Walley's mansion and drives thru the front gates to find Roy Walley on the back patio having a meeting with some of his associates. Clark than forces Walley and his associates at gunpoint, to sing and dance to some Marty Moose songs. The police arrive and the ending is similar to the police arriving at Walley World. Clark and Roy have a heart to heart and Walley decides not to press any charges. The final scene is the Griswolds on an airplane. They are discussing their vacation, and how they must add Roy Walley to their christmas card list and wearing Marty Moose hats. The flight attendant announces on the P.A. that the flight is headed on a non-stop to Atlanta. Clark realizing they are on the wrong plane, gets up and begins to scream that they are on the wrong plane. Then it cuts to the runway and you hear the ground control radioing in for security about a cabin disruption. Six months after the film ended production, it was screened to preview audiences and they hated the ending. So the cast and crew got back together and shot the Walley World ending. -Thanks to Clark Griswold
Vis a vis the alternate ending: This would probably explain the picture of the Griswold family wearing Marty Moose ears under the Warner Brothers logo at the end of the closing credits. -Thanks to John Edward Kilduff
Based on the description you have for the "original" Vacation ending, it sounds an awful lot like (although reworked) the scenerio used as the ending of Christmas "Vacation" movie. (With Cousin Eddie abducting Clark's boss..etc.) -Thanks to Michael Munro
Chevy Chase recalled on Jay Leno's show that the original script had a red stripe on the highway trailing behind the station wagon when they were pulled over because of the leash that was hanging from the bumper. The scene was edited -for obvious reasons -but I think it sure would have been funny. -Thanks to Mike Leymaster
John Hughes's original short story mentioned Disneyland as the family's destination. The film was then scripted that same way. However, because Disneyland is open 365 days a year, they refused to allow the park to be shown closed for repairs at the end of the film. The script was then altered with a fictional theme park as the family's destination. -Thanks to Jonathan Lim
When Clark has his talk with Rusty on the hill, his glasses fall apart. In the next scene they are repaired with tape in the middle. -Thanks to Llama
In the scene where they are leaving Aunt Edna on the back porch and saying a prayer in a few of the shots as Beverly D'Angelo is speaking you can see the boom mike in the lower part of the screen. -Thanks to Nika Tedder
In the beginning of the movie, when Clark and Rusty pull into the car dealership, it states that they are in Chicago. However, if you look in the background, you can see palm trees, which do not exist in there! -Thanks to Aaron Hagele
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|  |  |  | | National Lampoon's Vacation
Locations |
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 Featured Movie Location: Walley World
Wanna see the real life filming location used for Walley World in the movie? These scenes were actually shot at Magic Mountain, located in Valencia, S. California. [New! Show Google Map]
For the scene in which they are at Walley World's parking lot, it is NOT Magic Mountain, but appears to be a glass painting overlay or a wall set up in the parking lot of the Santa Anita Racetrack. [Thanks to Antonio Gonzalez jr.]
The scene where Clark and Rusty are running in slow motion to the song from "chariots of fire" was also the parking lot of Santa Anita racetrack in Arcadia Ca. [Thanks to Dino Falabrino]
The car dealship where they pick up their new car is now Star Ford in Glendale, Ca. On Brand Blvd. [Thanks to Michael Biggs]
The gas station that Clark pulls into, and runs across the street to buy the BB gun used to be on the corner of Ocean Ave and Santa Monica Blvd in Santa Monica. It's now home to two resturants... one being 'Ocean Seafood' [Thanks to Gary Barth]
Also Monument Valley, Arizona, USA
And Schnebly Hill Road outlook, Sedona and Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA
The hotel where Chevy self cashes a check is the El Tovar Hotel at the Grand Canyon. It is located on the south rim. [Thanks to Charley Small]
Can you help? Do you know any of the (or any other) filming locations used for National Lampoon's Vacation? [Please send them in]
|  | | | | ![[16:9 -Widescreen Enhanced]](16_9.gif) | ![[5.1 CH SURROUND]](dd5.gif) | Trailer, Commentary, Featurette, OutTakes |
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Comments: Special Edition DVD |
| | ![[Letterbox -NOT 16:9 Enhanced]](lbx.gif) | | Trailer |
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An enjoyable 80's soundtrack, with pop/rock tracks of the period including the Ramones classic 'Blitzkeig Bop', Lindsey Buckingham's 'Holiday Road'& 'Dancin Across The USA' with tracks also from Vanity 6, and The Fleetwoods.
The original music in the film is by Ralph Burns, who also scored Annie (1982) and The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984).
The theme song for the "National Lampoons Vacation" "Holiday Road", was written by Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac. -Thanks to Ben Servin
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Soundtrack Available:
Used Vinyl LP / Tape
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