Christmas Vacation

I try to keep everything vintage on the blog, but have to post some contemporary things from time to time. Christmas Vacation is one of my favorite Christmas flicks and I thought I would give you some fun trivia about it. If you haven't seen it, you will crack up! Chevy Chase as always is hilarious.

--Clark and Eddie drink from "Marty Moose" glasses, the theme-park character from the first Vacation film, Vacation (1983).

--The movie is based on John Hughes' short story "Christmas '59", the second Vacation story to be published in National Lampoon's Magazine (the first was "Vacation '58", which was the basis for the first Vacation movie). The Christmas story was printed in December 1980.

--Frank Capra III, the grandson of It's a Wonderful Life (1946) director, Frank Capra, was the Assistant Director of Christmas Vacation (1989).

--The Griswold's neighbor's house is the same house Murtaugh and his family lived in all the Lethal Weapon movies. The houses on this street are on the Warner Brothers Studios back lot.

--The house front from "Bewitched" (1964) and "The New Gidget" (1986) appears in the home movie that Clark is watching in the attic.

--The movie that Russ is watching when his grandparents arrive is It's a Wonderful Life (1946).

--After Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) unsuccessfully attempts to demonstrate his handiwork with the house Christmas lights to his family, he asks his son, Rusty (Johnny Galecki), to help him check all the light bulbs again. Rusty looks at his bare wrist, pretending to have a watch, and excuses himself. Looking at a bare wrist and pretending to have a watch is one of Chevy Chase's trademark gags.

--Final screen appearance of Mae Questel, who's film career began in 1930 as the voice of Betty Boop.

--The old Dodge pickup that tailgates Clark and the family in the opening scenes of the movie was previously used as 'Kurt Russell''s work truck in the movie Overboard (1987).

--The label on the home movie reel that Clark finds in the attic is labeled "Xmas '59". This is a reference to the name of the short story the movie is based on, "Christmas '59".

--The only Vacation movie to not feature the Lindsey Buckingham song "Holiday Road" throughout the entire film.

--When Clark shows his coworker Bill the brochure about the swimming pool he wants to put in his backward, he is seen drinking coffee out of a Tasmanian Devil coffee mug. Miriam Flynn (Cousin Catherine) would later go on to play the voice of Taz's mother in the cartoon "Taz-Mania" (1991).

--Chevy Chase appears in some scenes wearing a black Chicago Bears ball cap. He wears the same Chicago Bears cap throughout all four Vacation movies.

--Just before Clark gets locked up in the attic, he pulls out an old present from a hidden slot, and it contains a card that reads "Happy Mother's Day 1983, Love Clark". The first movie, Vacation (1983) was released that same year.

--In the scene when the police storm into the Griswold's house, the song "Here Comes Santa Claus" sung by Gene Autry is used for the background music. 'Randy Quaid' (cousin Eddie) is the third cousin of Gene Autry.

--According to Randy Quaid, many of cousin Eddie's characteristics (most notably the clicking of the tongue) were based off a guy that Quaid knew from when he grew up in Texas years ago who had similar traits.

--A minor earthquake occurred at the time when they were filming the scene where uncle Louis and aunt Bethany arrive at the Griswold house.

--The scene where the cat bites on the Christmas lights cord and gets electrocuted was nearly cut from the movie. Prior to the first test screening. the studio execs wanted the scene taken out, fearing that it might offend some viewers, but producer Matty Simmons begged them to leave the scene in, and they eventually gave in to his request. After the first test screening, the test audience had scored the cat electrocution scene as the No. 1 favorite scene throughout the entire movie.

--All the presents that are on the credenza when Clark goes in to give his to Mr. Shirley are identically shaped and likely the same gift.

Have a great Monday friends!