91 Fun Facts About Christmas Vacation Movie

Who played Rusty Griswold in Christmas Vacation, a role Leonardo DiCaprio reportedly auditioned for?

Johnny Galecki played Rusty; the Griswold kids were recast in every Vacation film, with Anthony Michael Hall, Jason Lively and Ethan Embry taking the role in the 1983, 1985 and 1997 films.

Which animal causes chaos after being released in the Griswold house?

A squirrel hiding in the replacement tree bursts out and Eddie's dog chases it through the house; Clark ends up with it on his back before dog and squirrel bowl over Margo at the front door.

What does Clark Griswold primarily plan to use his anticipated Christmas bonus for?

A swimming pool: Clark has already put down a deposit he cannot cover without the bonus, which is why the envelope from work sours his Christmas Eve.

What is Cousin Eddie's dog called?

Snots, Cousin Eddie's dog, drinks from the Christmas tree stand, and Eddie warns that if he lays into your leg it is best to just let him finish.

In Christmas Vacation, what has the dotty Aunt Bethany wrapped up as a present, which Clark works out by shaking the box?

Her cat, which yowls from inside the box. The cat later chews through the Christmas-light cord and is electrocuted, leaving a scorched outline on the carpet.

In Christmas Vacation, what does Clark's boss send instead of the expected cash bonus?

A Jelly of the Month Club membership, which Cousin Eddie calls 'the gift that keeps on giving the whole year'. Clark's response is a rant of more than twenty insults, followed by a kidnapping.

What is the surname of Clark Griswold's boss in Christmas Vacation, the man who quietly cancels the bonuses and ends up kidnapped?

Mr. Shirley, Frank Shirley, whom Cousin Eddie kidnaps and delivers to the Griswold living room. After a dressing-down he reinstates everyone's bonuses, plus twenty percent for Clark.

Clark's furious rant about his boss in Christmas Vacation runs through twenty-odd insults and ends with a demand for what?

'The Tylenol!', as in 'Where's the Tylenol?', after calling his boss everything from four-flushing to worm-headed. The headache is understandable.

What does Uncle Lewis accidentally set ablaze while lighting his cigar?

The Christmas tree, which burns to a skeleton in seconds, so Clark chainsaws a replacement from the front yard. Lewis's second match of the night ignites the gas in the storm drain outside.

What is the surname of Todd and Margo, Clark Griswold's yuppie neighbours?

Chester: Todd and Margo Chester are the childless yuppie neighbours whose windows keep getting smashed by Griswold mishaps.

Asked to say grace at the Christmas Eve dinner in Christmas Vacation, what does Aunt Bethany recite while everyone bows their heads?

The Pledge of Allegiance, after first assuming they mean a woman named Grace, who she says died thirty years ago. The family dutifully joins in, hands folded.

Clark takes a chainsaw to which wobbly part of the house?

The newel post, the upright at the foot of the staircase, which he saws clean off and announces, deadpan, 'Fixed the newel post.' It is about the only thing in the house he fixes all movie.

After the explosion outside, Aunt Bethany launches into which patriotic song?

'The Star-Spangled Banner', as the flaming plastic Santa and sleigh sail overhead like the rockets' red glare. Everyone, including the SWAT team sent for the kidnapping, stands and sings.

In Christmas Vacation, what does Cousin Eddie empty from his RV into the storm sewer while wearing a bathrobe?

Sewage, and Clark warns that it is illegal and pities anyone who lights a match within ten yards of it. Uncle Lewis does exactly that, and the blast sends the plastic Santa into the sky.

In his tirade about the missing bonus, Clark wants his boss brought to the house with what on his head?

A big ribbon on his head: Cousin Eddie takes the request literally and delivers the boss in his bathrobe and pyjamas, tied up with a bow.

The 1989 film was based on a John Hughes short story published in National Lampoon under what title?

The original 1983 Vacation came from his earlier story 'Vacation '58'.

Who directed Christmas Vacation after Chris Columbus quit over a clash with Chevy Chase?

Jeremiah S. Chechik, a commercials director making his feature debut, took over after Columbus walked away rather than work with Chase.

About how much did Christmas Vacation gross at the box office?

$73.3 million: a solid hit that opened in second place on December 1, 1989, and became a holiday television staple in the years after.

How many lights does Clark string on the outside of the house?

25,000 imported Italian twinkle lights, 250 strands of 100 bulbs each, which refuse to light at all until Ellen flips the switch in the garage.

What are the names of Cousin Eddie's two children who arrive in the RV?

Rocky and Ruby Sue, Eddie and Catherine's kids, who arrive unannounced in the RV; Eddie admits to Clark that the family has been living in the camper since he lost his job.

What is Cousin Eddie's surname?

Johnson: Eddie Johnson, played by Randy Quaid, is married to Ellen's cousin Catherine, which makes him a Griswold in-law rather than a Griswold.

What ruins the Christmas Eve dinner before things get worse?

The turkey is overcooked: Catherine's bird is so dry it collapses in a puff of steam when Clark carves it, and the family chews politely through it.

What does Clark gather the family to recite after his father's talk?

'The Night Before Christmas': cheered by his father's admission that his own Christmases were never perfect either, Clark opens the book to read it, only for Eddie to burst in with the kidnapped boss.

Whose call brings a SWAT team storming into the Griswold house?

Helen Shirley, Frank's wife, who reported her husband kidnapped; the SWAT team crashes through the windows, and Frank then declines to press charges after reinstating the bonuses.

What does Uncle Lewis say the distant light really is, correcting Clark's 'Christmas Star'?

A sewage treatment plant: 'That ain't the friggin' Christmas star, Gris, it's a light on the sewage treatment plant', says Lewis, before tossing his match into the storm drain.

Which four Christmas Vacation actors had played the same roles in an earlier Vacation film?

Chase, D'Angelo, Quaid and Miriam Flynn, who plays Eddie's wife Catherine; the Griswold children were recast for every sequel, so their actors were new to the series.

Which actress played Clark's mother Nora, though barely eight years older than Chevy Chase?

Diane Ladd, born November 1935, played Nora Griswold; Chevy Chase was born October 1943, so his screen mother was under eight years older than him.

What is Ellen Griswold's maiden name, shared by her parents Art and Frances?

Smith: Ellen's parents, Art and Frances Smith, arrive alongside Clark's parents, and the two couples bicker from the moment they hit the door.

Aunt Bethany was played by which actress in her final film role?

Mae Questel, the longtime voice of Betty Boop and Olive Oyl in the Fleischer cartoons, played Aunt Bethany in what proved to be her last film.

The Colorado exteriors were shot in Summit County, including which ski town?

Breckenridge: the opening tree-hunting scenes, with the family wagon skidding along mountain roads, were shot around Breckenridge and Frisco in Summit County.

Who composed the score for Christmas Vacation?

Angelo Badalamenti, David Lynch's composer on Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks, wrote the score, a rare comedy assignment for him.

Who sings the film's theme song 'Christmas Vacation'?

Mavis Staples, of the Staple Singers, sings 'Christmas Vacation', the title song heard over the animated opening credits.

Which film beat Christmas Vacation to the top of the box office on its opening weekend?

Back to the Future Part II, in its second weekend, held number one over December 1–3, 1989, while Christmas Vacation opened in second place.

How many stars out of four did Roger Ebert give Christmas Vacation?

Reviews were mixed at first, but it is now widely regarded as a Christmas classic.

In 2020, Chase and D'Angelo reprised Clark and Ellen Griswold in a commercial for which car?

The Ford Mustang Mach-E: Chase and D'Angelo reprised Clark and Ellen in Ford's 2020 holiday commercial for its new electric SUV, 31 years after the film.

The 2003 TV spin-off Christmas Vacation 2 carried what subtitle?

Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure: the 2003 NBC movie maroons Eddie's family on a desert island; Chase and D'Angelo sit it out, while Dana Barron returns as Audrey.

Clark promises the happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with whom?

Danny Kaye: on the drive to find a tree Clark vows 'the hap-hap-happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny Kaye', Crosby and Kaye being the stars of White Christmas.

What does Clark watch while trapped in the freezing attic?

Old family home movies: locked in the attic in a turban and borrowed gloves, Clark threads 8mm reels of his childhood Christmases onto a projector and weeps.

Which entry in the Griswold film series is the only one rated PG?

Vegas Vacation (1997) is the series' lone PG film; the 1983 and 2015 films are R and European and Christmas Vacation are PG-13. It was also the first made without John Hughes or the National Lampoon name.

What pet name does Ellen call Clark?

Sparky, Ellen's pet name for Clark throughout the Vacation series; she uses it whenever she needs to talk him down from one of his schemes.

Chevy Chase played Clark Griswold in how many Vacation films, from the 1983 original to the 2015 reboot?

Five: Vacation (1983), European Vacation, Christmas Vacation, Vegas Vacation and a cameo in the 2015 Vacation. The 2003 TV movie about Cousin Eddie did without him.

What is Aunt Bethany's lime Jell-O mold topped with?

Cat food: Aunt Bethany's lime Jell-O mold turns up decorated with cat food, one of the signs of how confused the elderly aunt has become.

Which studio released Christmas Vacation on December 1, 1989?

Every Vacation film has been distributed by Warner Bros., including the 2015 sequel from its New Line label.

Roughly how much did Christmas Vacation gross on its opening weekend?

$11.75 million over the December 1–3, 1989 weekend, good for second place; it climbed to first place later in the run.

In which week of release did Christmas Vacation finally reach No. 1 at the US box office?

It stayed at No. 1 the following weekend too, and ended as the highest-grossing Vacation film until 2015.

Which later film finally overtook the 1989 movie as the highest-grossing entry in the series?

Vacation (2015), the reboot that made Rusty the lead, grossed over $100 million worldwide and passed the 1989 film's long-standing series record.

On which street does Clark's rant say his boss lives with 'all the other rich people'?

Melody Lane: Clark wants his boss brought 'from his happy holiday slumber over there on Melody Lane with all the other rich people' to the Griswold living room.

In which issue of National Lampoon did John Hughes's story "Christmas '59" first appear?

Hughes said the studio "begged for another one" and he only agreed because he had a good story to base it on.

Which script did Hughes hand to Chris Columbus after Columbus left Christmas Vacation?

Columbus had clashed with Chevy Chase; Home Alone became the top-grossing film of 1990.

Who played Mary, the lingerie-counter clerk Clark babbles at while shopping?

Nicolette Scorsese plays Mary, the department-store lingerie clerk whose name tag Clark reads aloud; she reappears in his backyard-pool daydream.

What product does Clark pitch to his boss at the office?

A non-nutritive cereal varnish: Clark's pitch is that the semi-permeable coating seals the flake so the milk cannot soak in and the cereal stays crunchy.

What tool does Clark use to fix the lights to the house?

A staple gun: Clark works along the roofline firing staples through the cords, at one point stapling his own shirt sleeve to the house.

Eddie says his dog has 'a little' of which breed in him?

Mississippi leg hound: Eddie explains the dog's habit of humping legs with 'he's got a little Mississippi leg hound in him' and advises letting him finish.

Where was the set of the Griswold house and street located?

The Warner Bros. Ranch in Burbank, a backlot residential street dressed with fake snow, while the snowy Colorado location work covered the tree hunt.

What does the Griswold wagon end up wedged under on the way to find a tree?

A logging truck: after a road duel with two rednecks in a pickup, Clark's wagon slides beneath a trailer of logs and pops out the far side, the family screaming.

What do Clark and Eddie drink from the moose-head mugs?

Eggnog: Clark pours it into the moose-head mugs during a late-night heart-to-heart in which Eddie admits he has been out of work.

Which company created the film's animated opening title sequence?

Kroyer Films, Bill Kroyer's studio, animated the opening titles, in which a cartoon Santa crash-lands on the Griswold roof under the theme song.

Who conducted the Christmas Vacation score?

Shirley Walker conducted it; she was among the first women to conduct a major studio film score and later composed for Batman: The Animated Series.

Which Lindsey Buckingham song appears in every Vacation film except Christmas Vacation?

'Holiday Road', Buckingham's 1983 theme, turns up in every other Griswold film, but Christmas Vacation replaced it with a specially written title song.

Which songwriting duo wrote the theme song "Christmas Vacation"?

Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, the Brill Building husband-and-wife team who also wrote 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'' and 'Somewhere Out There'.

Clark Sr. says he survived his own imperfect Christmases with a lot of help from whom?

Jack Daniels: when Clark asks how his father got through Christmases that were never perfect either, Clark Sr. admits 'I had a lot of help from Jack Daniels'.

Which Hawaiian-themed Christmas song by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters plays in the film?

'Mele Kalikimaka', Crosby's 1950 recording with the Andrews Sisters, scores Clark's sun-drenched backyard daydream starring the lingerie clerk.

Whose recording of "Here Comes Santa Claus" plays during the film's climax?

Gene Autry's: the singing cowboy co-wrote and first recorded 'Here Comes Santa Claus' in 1947, and his version is the one heard in the film's final stretch.

What is true of Christmas Vacation's official soundtrack album?

None was ever released: no official soundtrack album exists, and a '10th Anniversary' CD that later circulated turned out to be a bootleg padded with music from other films.

What does Clark spray on the saucer sled before his record-breaking run?

A kitchen lubricant: Clark coats the sled with 'a new non-caloric silicon-based kitchen lubricant my company's been working on' and rockets down the hill.

When Ellen says the tree is too big, Clark insists it is just what?

Full: 'It's not big, it's just full,' Clark insists, moments before the untied tree springs open and blasts through the living-room windows.

How old is Ruby Sue when she arrives in Cousin Eddie's RV?

Her brother Rocky is six; both kids have started doubting that Santa exists.

What breed is Cousin Eddie's dog?

A Rottweiler: Eddie's big black-and-tan dog slobbers under the dinner table and drinks the water from the Christmas tree stand.

In Christmas Vacation, why do the Griswolds end up uprooting their enormous Christmas tree instead of cutting it down?

They forgot to bring any tools, so the whole family hauls it out roots and all. The tree then does not fit in the living room, and smashes the windows when its ropes are cut.

Flustered at the lingerie counter, Clark says it is a bit what out?

Nipply: 'It's a bit nipply out... I mean nippy,' Clark stammers to the lingerie clerk Mary, then digs himself deeper by asking what he just said.

Which retailer's 2012 holiday ads reunited Chase and D'Angelo as Clark and Ellen Griswold?

Old Navy: its 2012 holiday campaign reunited Chase and D'Angelo as Clark and Ellen alongside several actors who had played the Griswold kids over the years.

Who plays Audrey Griswold in Christmas Vacation?

Juliette Lewis plays Audrey Griswold; the other three options played Audrey in the 1983, 1985 and 1997 films.

Who plays Ellen's mother, Frances?

Doris Roberts plays Frances, Ellen's sharp-tongued mother, who arrives with husband Art and spends the visit sniping at Clark and his parents.

Who tells Clark that 'the little lights are not twinkling'?

Art: Ellen's father delivers the deadpan verdict on the dead display, and Clark answers, 'I know, Art, and thanks for noticing.'

Clark offers to drive Eddie out to the middle of nowhere and do what?

Leave him for dead: 'Drive you out to the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?' Clark asks Eddie through a fixed host's smile, offering it like a refill.

Eddie warns Clark not to fall in love with the RV because his family leaves when?

Next month: 'Don't you go falling in love with it now, because we're taking it with us when we leave here next month,' Eddie warns Clark about the RV parked out front.

Who asks Clark where he is going to put a tree that big?

Todd: 'Hey, Griswold, where do you think you're gonna put a tree that big?' he calls as the family unloads it, and Clark tells him to bend over and he will show him.

Asked how things could get worse, Clark says they are at the threshold of what?

Hell: 'Worse? How could things get any worse? Take a look around here, Ellen. We're at the threshold of hell,' Clark says on Christmas Eve.

On the tree hunt, Ellen tells Clark that Audrey is frozen from where down?

The waist: 'Clark, Audrey's frozen from the waist down,' Ellen reports in the snowy field, and Clark answers, 'That's all part of the experience, honey.'

Aunt Bethany asks whether Rusty is still in which branch of the military?

The Navy: 'Is Rusty still in the Navy?' Aunt Bethany asks about the teenage boy standing in front of her, one of several signs she has lost the thread.

Clark says waking with his head sewn to what would be no bigger surprise than Eddie?

The carpet: 'If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am right now,' Clark tells Eddie as the RV pulls up unannounced.

Clark insists on having what kind of family Christmas?

Fun and old-fashioned: 'Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas,' Clark declares, the phrase he repeats all the way to the finale.

Clark claims an airline pilot spotted Santa's sleigh on its way in from which city?

New York City: 'I heard on the news that an airline pilot spotted Santa's sleigh on its way in from New York City,' Clark tells the kids, and Eddie asks, 'You serious, Clark?'

Scared by Clark's driving, Ellen says she does not want to spend the holidays how?

Dead: 'I don't want to spend the holidays dead,' Ellen tells Clark as he duels a pickup on the icy highway on the way to find a tree.

After Eddie's family arrives, Clark says he will be where 'for the season'?

Outside: 'I'm gonna park the cars and check the luggage, and well, I'll be outside for the season,' Clark says as Eddie's clan settles in.

Leaving the office, Clark's muttered 'Merry Christmas' tirade ends with which holiday wish?

Happy Hanukkah: 'Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, kiss my ass, kiss his ass, kiss your ass, Happy Hanukkah,' Clark mutters on his way out.

Out of work, Eddie tells Clark he is holding out for what?

A management position: asked if he is working, Eddie says, 'I'm holding out for a management position,' which is why he has been jobless for years.

How old was the actress playing Audrey when she filmed Christmas Vacation?

15: the actress, born in June 1973, shot Christmas Vacation in the spring of 1989, a couple of years before her Oscar-nominated breakout.

Audrey is appalled that she has to share a bed with whom?

Her brother: with the house full of relatives Audrey must bunk with Rusty, and she asks her mother, 'Do you know how sick and twisted that is?'

Which SNL alum plays Margo, the yuppie neighbour, in Christmas Vacation?

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, an SNL cast member from 1982 to 1985, plays Margo; she joined Seinfeld as Elaine the following year.

What effect do Clark's exterior lights have once he finally gets them working?

A citywide power shortage: the blaze of lights forces the power company to throw the switch to auxiliary nuclear power, after the display had refused to light until the garage switch was found.