Christmas Vacation has a somewhat unique place in the pantheon of Christmas classics. As opposed to being traditional, it is transgressive. It is a film that actively seeks to satirize the saccharine nature of the Christmas holidays by revealing what it truly constitutes: stress, uncomfortable familial encounters, arduous planning and gift-giving, and a healthy dose of incendiary language.
Nothing goes right during the Griswold family Christmas. It is not a vacation, it is a chore, which offers a host of now legendary comedic set-pieces. In this article, we’ll delve into some of the unique facts associated with National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
This Is NOT Chumlee!
Despite rumors on the internet, Rocky, played by Cody Burger, is not Pawn Star’s Chumlee. Mr. Burger is currently attending college in Florida and plans on making an acting comeback.
BONUS TRIVIA! Rocky never speaks in Christmas Vacation!
There is a Reason Aunt Bethany Looked Shaky in Christmas Vacation! – Christmas Vacation
During filming, when Uncle Louis and Aunt Bethany arrive, there was a minor earthquake that took place during filming. The next time you are watching, watch when Bethany enters the home, the shot starts to shake but was left in!
Capra Connection
Another Christmas classic that viewers often cherish during the Christmas Holiday is It’s A Wonderful Life, directed by the legendary Frank Capra.
Surface-level, it may appear there is nothing in common between Christmas Vacation and It’s A Wonderful Life. However, the assistant director of Christmas Vacation was none other than Frank Capra’s grandson, Frank Capra III. The two films are bound by familial lineage.
Christmas Vacation Meets Overboard! – Christmas Vacation
The truck that tailgates Clark in the beginning of the movie is the same Dodge work-truck that Kurt Russell drove in the 1987 classic “Overboard”!
Leonardo Dicaprio?
In Christmas Vacation, the character of Rusty is played by Johnny Galecki. Purportedly, however, another actor was also pursued for the role. At the time, childhood star Leonardo DiCaprio was also being considered for the part.
Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. According to casting director Annie Leavitt, Dicaprio wasn’t regarded as being “goofy enough.”
Griswold v. Claus – Christmas Vacation
After the Christmas lights fail to come on, Clark freaks out and beats up the decorations in the yard. When Chevy Chase punches Santa Claus, he actually broke one of his fingers, which irritated the actor so much that Mr. Chase proceeds to beat the snot out of the rest of the decorations! The frenzy was so perfect that the scene was left in!
Safe Spaces?
During the climax of the film, Clark’s regrettably obtuse brother-in-law, Eddie, unwisely kidnaps and extorts Clark’s boss into providing Clark with an end-of-the year bonus. The SWAT team is consequently called on the Griswold household amid their celebrations, resulting in stunned astonishment and fear.
The SWAT, per their protocol, orders the Griswold’s to “freeze.” They summarily do, with Ellen, Clark’s wife, freezing her hands directly on Clark’s private parts. According to cast-members, this wasn’t planned. Beverly DiAngelo, the actress playing Ellen, improvised the moment and the editing team of the film took advantage of its hilarity.
Christmas Vacation’s SNL Foursome! – Christmas Vacation
There are a total of FOUR Saturday Night Live alumni in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation!
Two-Time Offenders
When Cousin Eddie kidnaps Clark’s boss, Ellen tells him, “this is our first kidnapping”. Any Vacation aficionado knows that this statement is FALSE! In the first Vacation movie, Clark kidnaps the security guard, played by John Candy, and takes ALL OF Walley World hostage after the moose out front tells him that the park is closed!
Unemployment Benefits – Christmas Vacation
“Cousin Eddie” arrives at the Griswold household in ignominious fashion, hauling his family into Chicago in a weather-worn RV. His wife opines to Ellen that Eddie’s been out of work for a while, prompting financial distress within the family. Eddie doesn’t seem bothered, enjoying himself heartily on the Griswold’s hospitality, often seen smoking, drinking, and emptying his RV’s “shitter” with glee into the sewage drains of the quiet Midwestern suburb.
Clark eventually gleans that Eddie’s been out of work for seven years since his prior employment at the asbestos factory, which would coincide with the release of the original National Lampoon’s Vacation.
Derogatory Language
In one of the most seminal moments in Christmas film history, Clark, the self-proclaimed “family man” dances with the devil and delivers expletive after expletive against his spendthrift boss.
The Griswold’s listen in both horror and bemusement, as Clark dives into a derogatory ditch of crass of language.
The camera cuts to the Griswold’s family’s reactions on several occasions, but during the filming of the scene, each cast member actually had a card dangling around their neck featuring an obscene adjective. Chevy Chase, who plays Clark Griswold, was able to mostly ad-lib this entire scene with his castmates help.
