50 Fun Facts About Chevy Chase

What is Chevy Chase's real first name?

He was named for his adoptive grandfather Cornelius Vanderbilt Crane, heir to the Crane Company fortune.

Where did the nickname 'Chevy' come from?

'The Ballad of Chevy Chase' seemed apt to a grandmother proud of her Clan Douglas descent.

Chase's grandfather, Rear Admiral Miles Browning, served on which carrier at Midway?

Browning was chief of staff of Task Force 16 aboard the carrier USS Enterprise at the Battle of Midway in June 1942, serving under Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance.

At Bard College, Chase played drums in a band with two future founders of which group?

The Leather Canary also featured Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, who went on to found Steely Dan; Chase graduated from Bard in 1967 with a BA in English.

By a legend Chase himself half-confirmed, why was he thrown out of Haverford College?

Keeping a cow in his room is the reason Chase himself has given for his Haverford expulsion, though the college and a former roommate say he simply left for poor grades.

Chase was the original anchor of which recurring Saturday Night Live segment?

Chase anchored Weekend Update from SNL's October 1975 premiere; his sign-off, 'Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow', was later revived by Jane Curtin and Tina Fey.

Which US president did Chase famously portray on SNL as a bumbling klutz?

The impression, based on a real trip down the Air Force One steps, stuck to Ford despite his having been a college football star; the two later became friendly.

How many Primetime Emmy Awards did Chase win for his SNL work?

Chase won 2 Primetime Emmys for SNL, both in 1976: one as a supporting performer in a variety series and one shared with the show's writing team.

Chase was contracted to SNL's first season in what capacity, only joining the cast during rehearsals?

Chase signed on for SNL's 1975 launch as a writer, not a performer, and was added to the on-air cast during rehearsals before the October premiere.

Chase left SNL in late 1976, saying the main reason was what?

Chase said his girlfriend would not move to New York; he quit in November 1976 and moved to Los Angeles, marrying her, the actress Jacqueline Carlin, soon afterwards.

Which cast member replaced Chase on SNL when he left?

Bill Murray joined the cast in January 1977 to fill the gap; the two came to blows backstage when Chase returned to host in 1978, then shared a scene in Caddyshack.

Which musician reportedly witnessed the 1978 backstage fistfight between Chase and his SNL replacement?

Billy Joel was the musical guest on the February 1978 episode Chase returned to host, the night the two comedians scuffled backstage minutes before air.

Which Animal House role, written for him, did Chase turn down for a Goldie Hawn comedy?

Eric 'Otter' Stratton was written with Chase in mind, but he chose to make the Goldie Hawn comedy instead and Tim Matheson took the part in 1978.

Chase's first film hit and Golden Globe-nominated role came in which 1978 comedy?

Foul Play grossed more than $44 million and earned Chase a Golden Globe nomination; he and Goldie Hawn reunited for Seems Like Old Times in 1980.

What is the name of Chase's laid-back golfer character in Caddyshack?

Ty Webb, Chase's free-spirited club golfer who tells caddie Danny to 'be the ball', anchors Harold Ramis's 1980 film, which cost $6 million and grossed about $39 million.

What is the name of the country club in Caddyshack?

Bushwood Country Club is where Danny Noonan caddies while angling for the club's caddie scholarship under the eye of Judge Smails.

What is the name of the family Chase heads in the Vacation films?

The Griswolds — Clark, Ellen, Rusty and Audrey — set out from suburban Chicago for Walley World, 'America's Favorite Family Fun Park', in the 1983 original.

Who wrote the screenplay for National Lampoon's Vacation, based on his own short story 'Vacation '58'?

John Hughes adapted his own short story 'Vacation '58', first printed in National Lampoon magazine in 1979, and Harold Ramis directed the 1983 film.

What is the ugly, oversized car Clark is forced to buy in Vacation?

The Wagon Queen Family Truckster, a pea-green station wagon with eight headlights, is forced on Clark after the dealer has his trade-in crushed before he can object.

Which supermodel made her acting debut in Vacation as the woman in the red Ferrari?

Christie Brinkley, then a top swimsuit model, made her screen debut as the flirtatious Ferrari driver Clark keeps meeting on the road; she reprised the role in Vegas Vacation (1997).

The family's destination in Vacation gave rise to what real-life nickname?

'Wally World' for Walmart is the nickname, dropping the e from the film's Walley World theme park, whose closed gates greet the family at the end of the trip.

Who plays Clark's long-suffering wife Ellen across the Vacation films?

Beverly D'Angelo played Ellen opposite Chase in every theatrical entry, from the 1983 original to a cameo in the 2015 reboot.

In Christmas Vacation, what does Clark receive instead of his expected bonus?

A Jelly of the Month Club membership arrives by courier in place of Clark's bonus, triggering his meltdown and Eddie's kidnapping of the boss, Frank Shirley.

Who plays Cousin Eddie, the unwelcome relative, in the Vacation films?

Randy Quaid plays Cousin Eddie, husband of Ellen's cousin Catherine, first met on a rundown Kansas farm where the family is saddled with Aunt Edna.

How many theatrical Vacation films did Chase play Clark Griswold in between 1983 and 2015?

Chase played Clark in 5 theatrical films: Vacation (1983), European Vacation (1985), Christmas Vacation (1989), Vegas Vacation (1997) and the 2015 reboot, where Ed Helms's grown-up Rusty takes the wheel.

Fletch (1985) was based on novels by which author?

Gregory Mcdonald wrote the Fletch novels, beginning with the Edgar-winning Fletch in 1974; the film grossed more than $50 million and spawned Fletch Lives in 1989.

What is Fletch's full name?

Irwin M. Fletcher is the full name of the disguise-loving investigative reporter, who prefers to go by Fletch and files his column under the byline Jane Doe.

Which NBA player appears as himself in Fletch's dream of playing for the Lakers?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar plays himself in the dream sequence, with announcer Chick Hearn calling Fletch's play; the film is packed with nods to his beloved Lakers.

Which arrogant tennis-club member's tab does Fletch run up on lunches and cabana bills?

Ted Underhill is the boorish member Fletch hears berating a waiter, so Fletch bills his lunches and cabana to 'the Underhills' for the rest of the film.

Chase co-starred with which fellow SNL alumnus in the 1985 John Landis comedy Spies Like Us?

Dan Aykroyd, who also co-wrote the script, plays Austin Millbarge opposite Chase's Emmett Fitz-Hume, two low-level government clerks sent abroad as decoy spies.

Which SCTV comedian played the third amigo alongside Chase in the 1986 Western comedy ¡Three Amigos!?

Martin Short plays Ned Nederlander alongside Chase's Dusty Bottoms and Steve Martin's Lucky Day, three silent-film stars mistaken for real heroes by a Mexican village.

Who wrote ¡Three Amigos! along with Steve Martin and Randy Newman?

Lorne Michaels co-wrote and produced the film; the bandit villain El Guapo was played by Alfonso Arau.

Chase hosted the Academy Awards in which two consecutive years?

Chase co-hosted the 1987 ceremony with Goldie Hawn and Paul Hogan and fronted the 1988 show alone, making 1987 and 1988 his two consecutive years on the Oscar stage.

How long did The Chevy Chase Show, Fox's late-night talk show, last on air?

About five weeks: the show premiered on 7 September and Fox cancelled it after the 15 October broadcast, following savage reviews and collapsing ratings.

Which 1991 film began Chase's run of three straight flops and earned Razzie nominations?

Nothing but Trouble, a 1991 horror-comedy set in a nightmarish backwater town, flopped and drew Razzie nominations; Memoirs of an Invisible Man and Cops & Robbersons followed.

Chase's career revived with which character on the NBC sitcom Community?

Pierce Hawthorne, the bigoted moist-towelette heir, was Chase's role from 2009; he quit during season four after clashing with the showrunner, and the character was killed off in season five.

Community was created by whom?

Dan Harmon created Community in 2009, was fired before season four and rehired for season five; the Greendale study group also included Joel McHale, Alison Brie, Donald Glover and Danny Pudi.

In 1986 Chase entered the Betty Ford Center for addiction to what?

Prescription painkillers, taken for back pain from years of SNL pratfalls, were the addiction treated at the Betty Ford Center in 1986; he entered Hazelden for alcohol problems in 2016.

On the set of which 1981 film did Chase suffer a near-fatal electric shock?

Modern Problems, in which Chase plays an air traffic controller who gains telekinesis, nearly killed him when the landing lights wired to his body short-circuited and current ran through his arms, back and neck.

Chase served as honorary mayor of which Los Angeles neighbourhood in the late 1980s?

Pacific Palisades, the seaside Westside neighbourhood where Chase lived during his 1980s film heyday, gave him its ceremonial honorary-mayor title before he moved back east to Bedford in the 1990s.

Which comedy legend did Chase thank in his Emmy acceptance speech as an influence on his SNL work?

Ernie Kovacs, the 1950s television innovator famous for surreal visual gags, was the influence Chase thanked when he collected his SNL Emmy in 1976.

Which magazine's 1975 cover story called Chase 'The funniest man in America'?

New York magazine ran the December 1975 cover; NBC executives touted Chase as Johnny Carson's successor, and Carson retorted that he 'couldn't ad-lib a fart after a baked-bean dinner'.

Which syndicated satirical show made Chase a full-time comedian in 1973, alongside Belushi and Radner?

The National Lampoon Radio Hour, syndicated from late 1973 to 1974, teamed Chase with John Belushi and Gilda Radner two years before SNL launched.

In which year did Chase get his Hollywood Walk of Fame star and become Hasty Pudding's Man of the Year?

1993 brought Chase both his Hollywood Walk of Fame star, dedicated that September as his Fox talk show launched, and Harvard's Hasty Pudding Man of the Year award.

Which 2010 comedy featuring Chase spawned a sequel he also appeared in?

Hot Tub Time Machine cast Chase as the mysterious hot-tub repairman, a cameo he reprised in Hot Tub Time Machine 2 in 2015.

Chase graduated in 1962 from which Massachusetts boarding school?

Stockbridge School, a progressive boarding school in the Berkshires, graduated Chase in 1962 after he had been expelled from Riverdale Country School in the Bronx.

How many times did Chase host SNL between 1978 and 1997?

Chase hosted 8 times, beginning with his February 1978 return and ending with a February 1997 episode remembered for his abrasive treatment of the cast.

Where was Chevy Chase born in 1943?

Lower Manhattan was his birthplace on 8 October 1943; he was raised partly in Woodstock upstate, and despite the shared name he has no connection to the Maryland town.

Chase has said he dodged the draft by falsely claiming what to his draft board?

That he had 'homosexual tendencies' was the false claim Chase says he made to his draft board to avoid serving during the Vietnam War.

How did Chase open the 1988 Academy Awards telecast?

'Good evening, Hollywood phonies!' was the greeting that opened the 60th Academy Awards on 11 April 1988, Chase's second consecutive turn as host.