Aunt Edna (Imogene Coca) suffered a stroke about midway during filming. She insisted on completeing the work and much to their credit, Director Ramis and the production crew agreed and shot alternate scenes while she recovered AND had to relearn all her lines INCLUDING the scene where she took a bite out of sandwich that the dog peed on, which she IMPROVISED! Yes, after a stroke! She was a real pro! May she Rest in Peace.
"Then you just recast them to be younger..." The changing cast of the children, and their relative ages to each other, is one of my favorite running gags of the series. And that they call attention to Clark forgetting their names and ages 🤣🤣🤣
They even poke fun at the changing kids in Vegas Vacation - "There's something different about you Russ...Who's that? Audrey? Her wearing that outfit I thought she was someone else". 🤣🤣🤣
Fun fact. When they are driving on the freeway leaving Chicago, some of those air shots were used in the opening credits of the TV show Married With Children.
This came in 1983 you could still drop f-bombs , Howard the Duck 1986 with few others caused new ratings on movies , Xmas vacation 1989 new movie rating. One reason 1980s was best decade for action movies , Die Hard , Predator, Lethal Weapon , Indiana Jones , Commando , Scarface a.s.o Sound tracks got better it was not anymore brass horn jazz like in 1970s actions.
When we would drive past the part of Jackson Heights, Queens, NY we lived in when I was born on the way towards my Uncle Tom's house, my dad would always say, "Lock the doors. Shut the windows. And that's where we used to live." He wouldn't even slow down as we passed by.
"Hey, uh, excuse me holmes? Uh, what it is, bro?" I swear to god I've rarely laughed as hard at ANY line from a film as I did when I first watched this 😂
Great reaction. One thing I don't know if you noticed...Cousin Vicki, who grows the devil's lettuce, was played by Jane Krakowski in her film debut. The future 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Ally McBeal star was 14 at the time.
This was HBO gold in the early 80s for us over 50 as kids. The second one, "European Vacation", was hilarious also. "Vacation", "Sixteen Candles", and the first "Revenge of the Nerds" were some my most favorite comedies growing up.
One of the reasons why test audiences hated the original ending was because audience and the Griswold's didn't get to see what Wally World looks like. In the original ending, Christie Brinkley's character was Roy Wally's daughter and because of her is why Clark doesn't go to jail in that ending. The last photo in the ending credits of the Griswold's wearing Wally World hats taking an airplane home is from the original ending.
One of my favorite lines that wasn't shown here. Also after the car crash in the desert when Audrey says "I think I got my period." Which in the TV version is changed to "I have to go to the bathroom."
The Vacation series is one of the rare movie franchises, in which every entry is genuinely entertaining. And Randy Quaid just steals every scene he is in. Looking forward to watching you react to the sequels.
Fun fact.when Chevy Chase was in college he was in a rock band and when he left the band to pursue acting the remaining members of the band formed a new band called steely Dan .
(i posted this on another review, but, my cousins in California are neighbours with Christie Brinkley & say she is always naked swimming & gardening & suntanning & my auntie asked her why & she said so she doesn't get tanlines, now my cousins & aunt are always naked too) (their houses are pretty private lol) that's just so funny to me 😂
Brian Doyle-Murray, who played the campground clerk, later played the role of Clark's cheapskate boss, Frank Shirley, in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989).
Chevy Chase hated the big roller coaster, that's why they put John Candy in front of him. If you watch closely, you can catch his face a couple of times and he's clearly not enjoying it.😂
Anytime something is closed I can’t not say “Sorry folks, the moose out front should have told ya” …and I agree with Matt that Beverly D’Anfelo had a profound effect on a whole generation of young men!
The idea for National Lampoon's Vacation came to writer/director John Hughes during the Chicago Blizzard of 1979, when he began developing a short story titled "Vacation '58" for an issue of the National Lampoon magazine. Hughes eventually expanded the idea into a full screenplay, and also wrote another short story for National Lampoon called "Christmas '59" which Christmas Vacation was based on. Vacation was directed by Harold Ramis, and was Ramis' second directing job after Caddyshack. Hughes would make his directorial debut a year later with Sixteen Candles, but Vacation is technically Anthony Michael Hall's first appearance in a John Hughes project.
To really appreciate Harold Ramis, Eugene Levy & John Candy, along with Rick Moranis, Catherine O'Hara, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, Martin Short, and Joe Flaherty, who we lost this past Monday (on April Fool's Day, no less), see a show called SCTV. It like SNL, only better.
She was same actress who was in most of the Vacation films.... She was also in Mr. Mom (1983) with Michael Keaton... She was also the voice of Taz's mom in the Tazmania cartoon series...
European Vacation is great, just as good as Vacation and Christmas Vacation, criminally underrated and overlooked, nowhere near enough reaction vids here on YT for that one.
Before this movie there were other National Lampoon movies , but National Lampoons started off as a comedy comic magazine like MAD magazine or CRACKED.
I have to tell this again because this movie popped up. My dad saw this when it came out...he loved this movie. Uncle Carl wore white shoes that looked like those Eddie gave Clark. Daddy was "bragging" on Carl's shoes at a family gathering. About a week later, a package came in the mail. Yep, a pair of cousin Eddie's shoes. The next weekend we went to Carl's house for a cookout. He asked daddy if he got the shoes. He told him he didn't even get to wear them and that my brother had worn them out in the horse barn while cleaning stalls. He RUINED them and how mad he was. A week later, a second pair of white shoes were on our front porch. Both pairs of shoes, new in the box, were in daddy's closet when he died in 2008.
Not just one of the greatest comedies of the 80s, but one of the greatest comedies ever made. Brilliant performances and one brilliant gag after another. My favorite will always be the legendary Imogene Coca as Aunt Edna pondering the dog piss sandwich for a second and then being like "Eh, f*ck it".
Chevy Chase was on the Tonight Show when this came out and Johnny Carson said the scene with the dog and the cop just about killed him. Chevy said, being National Lampoon, they wanted to have a red streak behind the car and down the highway but realized that was probably going too far.
I hadn't noticed the connection to Christmas vacation, but right after Clark says "holy shit" Rusty offers him some aspirin. "Holy shit! Where's the Tylenol?!?"
In case you two didn't know, that was Christie Brinkley in the Ferrari. She was one of the top supermodels in the world at the time. She married Billy Joel after she met him while shooting the "Uptown Girl" music video.
Harold Ramis said they called him to the studio one day to watch Christie Brinkley try on lingerie because they wanted to know what he wanted her to wear in the film. He thought I love my job and immediately went to the studio. Lol. They reshot the end of the film also and if you pay attention, Anthony Michael Hall is actually taller at the end than the beginning. He had a growth spurt in between shooting.
Chevy Chase, Randy Quad, the woman that plays his wife and Beverly D’Angelo are the 4 main characters in almost all the Vacation movies. The kids are different in each movie because kids always eventually grow up.
Great reaction you two...👍👍 If you want to see more funny Chevy Chase 80s flicks, then check out Fletch (1985) & it's sequel Fletch Lives (1989), as well as Funny Farm (1988), Seems Like Old Times (1980), Three Amigos! (1986), Modern Problems (1981) & Spies Like Us (1985). 😁
"Ye, though the Hindus speak of karma..." That's one of my favorite lines. That line, and "Excuse me, Holmes?" This is the first R movie that I saw in theaters; it's near and dear to my heart.
Great reaction, trying to work out who requested it though. In terms of Matt's comment about how you can always find something new in it when you rewatch.....I have NEVER noticed him putting the plates straight in to the cupboard rather than the dishwasher in all the times I've watched this over 41 years until you guys pointed it out.
I'm not sure what was funnier. The movie itself (which I've seen dozens of times, but it still cracks me up) or watching both of you cracking up over the movie! 🤣 I loved both of your reactions!!
Also of note, the song that plays whenever Christie Brinkley shows up is not the original song that played during those scenes in the theatrical version. In the theatrical version 'I'm so Excited' by the Pointer Sisters was heard. It was changed for copyright reasons.
Poor Imogene Coca. God bless that woman's soul. Everyone said she was the sweetest little old lady when the cameras weren't rolling. What no one was aware of while they filmed was Imogene dealt with a severe phobia of riding in cars due to a very bad accident she was in as a young woman. Road trip movies were nothing new in 1983, but _National Lampoon's Vacation_ was the first to actually take the cast and crew cross-country to shoot at the various locations. Matt's not the only one who admired Beverly D'Angelo's physique. Anthony Michael Hall (Rusty) tried to sneak onto the set whenever Beverly filmed a nude scene. He didn't succeed.
I actually did go up in the St. Louis arch as a kid on vacation with my parents. It's actually really neat, especially the way the elevator works. Since it's traveling in an arch, it's made up of compartments that are able to rotate.
originally they wanted to film at disneyland but the disney said no. So they ended up created a disney like park. Roy Walley is basically Roy Disney. The road leading to Wally World is actually the road for Six Flags Magic Mountain. the pictures at the begining of the movie were all real tourist attraction that were taken from a tour guide book. Most the roadside attractions featured are no longer there. the off screen cop at the end "wer're all done here" is the voice of Harold Ramis based of a short story by John Hughes titled Vacation '58. Imogene Coco disliked working on the movie. theme song Holiday Road and Dancing Across The USA both written and performed by Lindsay Buckingham of Fleetword Mac This was Chrsitie Brinkley's first movie role. she was quite nervous and reluctant to show nudity. I believe they also banned the kids from the set on when they filmed the nude scenes. Anthony Michael Hall said later that he tried to sneak on the set during the filming of th nude scenes. several scenes with Hall were reshot and in soe of them he is noticeably taller as he experienced a growth spurt during reshoots. this also started a gag about the kids being different in subsquentially vacation movies, as neith Dana nor Anthony Micheal came back for European Vacation
A piece of trivia about the movie … the original ending had Clark kidnapping Roy Wally at his home (a plot they used later in Christmas Vacation), but this ending didn’t go over well with test audiences … so after several months, they refilled the ending at the amusement park … throughout the movie, Rusty (Anthony Michael Hall), was shorter the his mom, Ellen (Beverly Deangelo) … but during the break between filming the movie and reshooting the ending, Anthony Michael Hall had a growth spurt … resulting in him being considerably taller than Beverly Deangelo in the ending amusement park scenes.
Any time Beverly D’Angelo had a topless scene, they would close the set to make her more comfortable. But Anthony Michael Hall (Rusty) got busted trying to sneak a peak, and Harold Ramos made him apologize to her as punishment.
Emily the St Louis Arch is pretty cool. The elevator is actually like the inside of a big dryer and seats 4/5 from what I remember. It kind of waddles back and forth up the arch to the top then there is an inside sky walk with tiny rectangle windows. It was cool to experience.
Trivia, Chevy Chase, was classically trained when he was younger, being he's from a wealthy family. When he was in college, he formed the band called The Leather Canaries. Chevy Chase was a pretty good drummer at the time. Chevy chase stated that I was a bad jazz band. But was later kicked out of school when they found the he had a live cow living in his dorm. Chevy went on to become a famous committee character and star in SNL. His other two band mates wanted to continue with the band but decided to change the name. They both had read the book Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs and were inspired by a steam driven dildo from the book and loved the name of it, that they decided to call the band Steely Dan. Chevy chase bandmates were Walter Becker and Donald Fagen of Steely Dan.
We've had several family road trips to Disney World growing up, it was absolutely mandatory to quote Vacation. Hell, we had a trip to Gatlinburg last summer and we were quoting it!
So the theme song "Holiday Road" was written and performed by Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac as a solo project. Still not sure how that worked out but its pretty cool.
I remember what it was like to be a kid when movies like this were coming out or showing on pay cable channels, along with "Stripes," "Animal House," "Porky's." They were legendary in their glimpses at R-rated content and it felt special to be able to see them.
When I hear Daisy say I don't want to hurt anyone, I get the same kind of feels when Jackie Chan says "I don't want trouble" then proceeds to wreck fools when they don't listen. And I'm getting the popcorn ready
Chevy Chase going into profanity is hilarious because of how unflappably upbeat and overly optimistic Clark spends through the majority of the film leading up to his starting to crack. 🤣
Eddie Bracken was chosen as Roy Wally for his UNCANNY resemblance to Walt Disney, as well as being a great character actor from Hollywoods Golden Era, as his acting in several of John Hughes favorite movies growing up, ( Wizard of Oz and others), which is also why he uses May Questel (voice of Betty Boop) as Aunt Bethany in Christmas Vacation, as Hughes used to attend Cinemas on Saturdays for their Nickelodeon presentations, which had many Betty Boop shorts. Also Larry Fine (3 Stooges fame) was asked to be in this but the studio still had a grievance against him for trying to sue the industry for royalties upon syndication on several networks. Sad that he had to be cut for the movie to be Green lit.
Here's a NOTE that Y'all may or may-not have caught: the Talking Moose at the Park was Voiced by Harold Ramis! Loved this Reaction, Love this Movie but Like-Emily, I too saw "Christmas Vacation" first (long before this one) and I Love that one more TBH!👍
So a few things. Yes their kids are different actors in every movie. Anthony Michael Hall was supposed to do European Vacation but he had already committed to Weird Science. The scene of Clark taking the exit ramp is the opening shot used in Married with Children. Emma jean the actress who played Aunt Edna had a hard time filming in the car because according to Harold Ramis who did the voice of Marty Moose she was involved in a car accident when she was younger and became terrified of cars. Fortunately for everyone her as a professional actress was able to work around her fear and film the scenes. Look forward to European Vacation reaction
I liked your Classic reactions to your movies you watch cause if the movies were from the 80's or even before it seems you could get away with stuff being said or things being done in movies then if it were done now days with all the stuff done or said in movies because of how it may offend others keep them movies a rolling out thank you.
Beverly has such a great voice- check out 'Coalminer's Daughter' with Sissy Spacek as Loretta Lynn- Beverly plays Patsy Cline in it and she and Sissy do all their own singing.
1 night just before bed my mother did 1 final of the channels. This was around 91 in the UK so we only had 4 . The intro music was just starting . We decided to watch it and it became one of fondest memories.
I actually built a full size rumning driving replica of the Truckster, complete with dinkys dog leash on the back bumper and a half mannequin wrapped in a tarp,strapped to the roof with good ole 70s Samsonite luggage
