100 Fun Facts About National Lampoon's Vacation

John Hughes wrote National Lampoon's Vacation, but who directed it?

Harold Ramis shot it as a genuine road trip, starting in Colorado in July 1982 and working through dozens of locations in under two months.

National Lampoon's Vacation was based on a John Hughes short story with which title?

Vacation '58 sends its family to the real Disneyland, and it is Walt Disney himself who ends up shot in the leg by the father.

Producer Matty Simmons said a Paramount executive told him Vacation would never make a movie because it was too what?

Episodic, said Jeffrey Katzenberg, then at Paramount; Simmons shot back that a road trip is 'supposed to be episodic', and one Warner Bros. executive fought to get it made.

What slogan does Walley World go by in National Lampoon's Vacation?

America's Favorite Family Fun Park is Disneyland in thin disguise: John Hughes's story sent the family to the real park, but the film was not allowed to use the name.

What has the dealer done to Clark's old car by the time he tries to refuse the Family Truckster?

Crushed it flat: 'like a pancake', as Clark tells Ellen, which is why he drives home in a station wagon he never ordered.

What colour is the Family Truckster's paint scheme called?

Metallic pea was the dealer's idea, not Clark's: he had ordered an Antarctic Blue Super Sportswagon, and is told the right car would take six weeks to arrive.

When his family wants to give up and go home, Clark declares the trip is no longer a vacation but what?

A quest for fun: 'I'm gonna have fun and you're gonna have fun', Clark rants, ten hours short of the park, before muttering 'I gotta be crazy'.

Which SCTV comedian plays Ed, the car salesman who sticks Clark with the Family Truckster?

Eugene Levy's Ed promises 'You think you hate it now, but wait until you drive it', a line Clark is soon repeating to his own wife.

In which city does a wrong turn leave the Griswolds asking for directions in a rough neighbourhood?

St. Louis: a man asks five dollars for directions and keeps Clark's ten, while his friends steal the hubcaps off the car.

Which make of sports car does the flirtatious blonde drive past Clark in National Lampoon's Vacation?

Ferrari: the credits call her only 'the girl in the red Ferrari', and Clark nearly drives head-on into a truck while trying to keep alongside it.

In which state do the Griswolds stop to visit Cousin Eddie's family in National Lampoon's Vacation?

Kansas: Eddie's farm is in Coolidge, where dinner is Hamburger Helper with no hamburger, which he says 'does just fine by itself'.

What is the name of Aunt Edna's mean dog?

Dinky is still tied to the rear bumper when Clark drives away from the campsite; a motorcycle cop pulls the family over and hands back the empty leash.

Which comedy legend plays Aunt Edna in National Lampoon's Vacation?

Imogene Coca, Sid Caesar's partner on 1950s television, plays Edna as pure spite: after her dog's death she sneers at Clark's choice of restaurant and adds, 'Dog killer.'

After Aunt Edna dies mid-trip in National Lampoon's Vacation, how do the Griswolds carry her body to Phoenix?

Tied to the roof under a tarpaulin, through a thunderstorm; finding her son away from home, they leave her on his back patio and drive on.

Near which landmark do the Griswolds crash and get stranded in the desert in National Lampoon's Vacation?

Monument Valley is where Clark launches the car past a 'road closed' sign, then staggers for miles in search of help, only to find his family already rescued.

Which famous sight gets only a two-second glance from Clark in National Lampoon's Vacation, just after he empties a hotel till?

The Grand Canyon: refused cash for a cheque at the El Tovar hotel, Clark raids the till, leaves the cheque behind, nods at the view and hustles everyone back into the car.

What do the Griswolds find on reaching Walley World?

It is closed for two weeks of repairs, as a cheery recording from the park's mascot tells the empty car park; Clark's answer is to go and buy a BB gun.

Who plays Russ Lasky, the Walley World security guard Clark takes hostage?

John Candy was a late addition: his scenes were written and shot months after the rest, as a new ending, because preview audiences had despised the first one.

Preview audiences hated Vacation's first ending, in which the Griswolds take whom hostage?

The park's owner, Roy Walley, was held hostage and made to sing and dance before Clark went off to jail; the reaction was so bad that a new ending was shot months later.

After Clark insists on driving to California, how do the Griswolds travel home at the end of Vacation?

By plane: the end-credit snapshots finish with the family flying back to Chicago, which is exactly what Ellen had begged to do before they set off.

What is the name of Walley World's mascot in National Lampoon's Vacation?

Marty Moose is Mickey Mouse with antlers: barred from using Disney's names, John Hughes wrote, 'Mickey Mouse became Marty Moose', and the family even sings his anthem in the car.

Which two California locations stood in for Walley World?

Santa Anita Park and Six Flags Magic Mountain split the role: the racetrack's vast car park plays the entrance, and the coasters the family finally rides are Magic Mountain's Revolution and Colossus.

In which Wild West tourist town does a saloon bartender 'shoot' Clark in National Lampoon's Vacation?

Dodge City: warned that the Long Branch's bartender is 'an ornery cuss', Clark needles him anyway until the man pulls a gun and 'shoots' him, to Ellen's horror.

Which Fleetwood Mac member wrote and sang 'Holiday Road', the theme of National Lampoon's Vacation?

Lindsey Buckingham ended 'Holiday Road' with dog barks for a laugh, not knowing the film had a scene in which a dog is dragged behind the family car.

In National Lampoon's Vacation, the desert mechanic who takes all Clark's cash also holds which other job?

Sheriff: asked what the repairs cost, he replies 'How much you got?', and when Clark threatens to report him to the law, he laughs and shows his badge.

In National Lampoon's Vacation, what does Clark claim to do for a living when he finally talks to the mystery blonde?

Owns a motel chain: all 2,200 units of it, he says, which he tours 'incognito' once a year, with his brother's family borrowed as a disguise.

How does Clark come to park outside the family's first motel in National Lampoon's Vacation?

Fast asleep at the wheel: having sworn he could 'go another 100 miles', he snores down an exit and through town until Ellen stirs, then brakes so hard the car spins into a space.

Which future teen-movie star plays Clark's son, Rusty, in National Lampoon's Vacation?

Anthony Michael Hall caught the eye of the film's writer: John Hughes called it 'a remarkable accomplishment' for a kid to 'upstage Chevy', and went on to cast him in Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club.

Which future 30 Rock star plays Cousin Eddie's daughter Vicki in National Lampoon's Vacation?

Jane Krakowski made her film debut at 14 as Vicki, who stirs the family's Kool-Aid with her bare arm until Clark begs to take over.

Which Vacation sequel first dropped 'National Lampoon's' from its title?

Vegas Vacation (1997), the third of five follow-ups, dropped the Lampoon name; it came back in 2003 for a made-for-TV sequel built around Cousin Eddie.

Who directed European Vacation (1985), the first sequel to National Lampoon's Vacation?

Amy Heckerling came to it from Fast Times at Ridgemont High; John Hughes kept a writing credit but said later, 'I didn't write any of it.'

How do the Griswolds win their trip to Europe in European Vacation?

On a game show, Pig in a Poke, and by accident: stumped by a question about an 1804 expedition, Clark dithers until an exasperated 'Clark!' from his own family is taken as the answer, and it is right.

Stuck on a London roundabout in European Vacation, which landmark does Clark announce to his kids on every lap?

Big Ben, with Parliament beside it: 'Kids, Big Ben, Parliament, again', he sighs, lap after lap of the Lambeth Bridge roundabout, unable to reach the left-hand exit.

What does Clark do to Stonehenge in European Vacation?

Topples it with the car: having just told the kids it is 'bound to be here 1,000 more' years, Clark reverses into one stone and the ring goes down like dominoes.

Which future Big Bang Theory star plays Rusty Griswold in Christmas Vacation?

Johnny Galecki was the third Rusty in three films: both Griswold children were recast for the first sequel, and again for every film after it, while their screen parents stayed put.

In Christmas Vacation, Clark's long-awaited bonus turns out to be a year's membership of which club?

Jelly of the Month, 'the gift that keeps on giving the whole year', as Cousin Eddie brightly points out; Clark had already put down a deposit on a swimming pool.

Which Las Vegas entertainer takes a shine to Ellen in Vegas Vacation (1997)?

Wayne Newton, playing himself, has tickets to his show and a dress delivered to Ellen's hotel room, then pulls her up on stage to sing with him.

What does Clark accidentally do during a guided tour of the Hoover Dam in Vegas Vacation?

Springs a leak: he begs for chewing gum to plug the holes, loses the tour and has to climb scaffolding up the face of the dam to get back to his family.

Who plays the grown-up Rusty Griswold in the 2015 reboot Vacation?

Ed Helms's Rusty has grown up to fly for a budget airline, Econo-Air, whose landing announcement promises passengers it is 'working hard to win back your trust'.

What is the Tartan Prancer, the car Rusty rents for the road trip in Vacation (2015)?

An over-complicated Albanian minivan: 'Tartan's the Honda of Albania', Rusty tells his sons, admitting that a holiday weekend left him few rental options.

Which writing-directing duo made the 2015 Vacation?

John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, directing for the first time, have Rusty promise a son who has 'never even heard of the original vacation' that the new one 'will stand on its own'.

Which Monty Python member plays the cyclist the Griswolds keep running into across Europe in European Vacation?

Eric Idle's unlucky bike rider waves off his injuries with 'It's just a flesh wound', the Black Knight's line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Which supermodel made her acting debut as the flirtatious blonde in National Lampoon's Vacation?

Christie Brinkley's nameless temptress coaxes Clark into a motel pool after dark, where his yell at the cold water brings every guest, and his wife, out to look.

Who plays Ellen Griswold in National Lampoon's Vacation and its sequels?

Beverly D'Angelo played Ellen in five films over 32 years, opposite a new Audrey every time, from Dana Barron in 1983 to Leslie Mann in 2015.

Who plays Cousin Eddie in National Lampoon's Vacation?

Randy Quaid's Eddie, out of work and broke, asks whether Clark could 'spare a little extra cash'; asked how much he needs, he says, 'About $52,000.'

During which event did John Hughes write the short story that became National Lampoon's Vacation?

The Chicago blizzard of 1979 'trapped me happily in my house', Hughes wrote, with a toddler, a pregnant wife and hours to write; his only outline was a road atlas from the trunk of his car.

Through whose eyes did John Hughes tell the short story that National Lampoon's Vacation retells from Clark's side?

The son's: Hughes said he wrote in a boy's voice 'to flatten the big moments'; the film's director and star then moved the story to the father's side for 'a more mature entry'.

The Wagon Queen Family Truckster was built from which real station wagon?

A 1979 Ford LTD Country Squire was made as hideous as possible on purpose, for comic effect: extra headlights, and fake wood on nearly every panel, the hood included.

The writer of 'Holiday Road' says he declined the theme for which 1984 comedy?

Ghostbusters: having pulled off one comedy theme, he said, he did not want it to become 'a repetitive part of my identity', so Ray Parker Jr. got the hit instead.

Which Marvel star plays Audrey's husband, the weatherman Stone Crandall, in the 2015 Vacation?

Chris Hemsworth's Stone Crandall is a Texas weatherman being courted by the networks, which leaves an envious Rusty muttering that he is 'not exactly a celebrity'.

Which original Saturday Night Live cast member plays Clark Griswold in the National Lampoon's Vacation films?

Chevy Chase played Clark in five Vacation films between 1983 and 2015. He had been the breakout name of Saturday Night Live's first season before leaving for the movies.

National Lampoon's Vacation inspired a lasting nickname for which major retailer, taken from the Griswolds' destination?

Walmart picked up the nickname Wally World, spelled without the extra letter the film's park uses. The habit grew out of the film's popularity and has stuck ever since.

What does a furious Clark Griswold buy to force a Walley World guard to take his family on the rides?

A BB gun that looks like the real thing lets Clark march a guard around the park. The bluff holds until the guard works out what it is and tries to walk away.

Which creature bursts out of the Griswolds' replacement Christmas tree and wrecks their home in Christmas Vacation?

A squirrel was hiding in the replacement tree Clark chopped down himself. The trained one hired for the scene died before the shoot, so an untrained stand-in was found at the last minute.

Which future Home Alone director quit National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation after a personality clash with its star?

Chris Columbus walked away from the Griswolds, and John Hughes later handed him a different Christmas script. Jeremiah Chechik stepped in to direct Clark's family holiday.

Which American landmark does the Griswolds' airliner damage on the flight home at the end of European Vacation?

The Statue of Liberty has its torch knocked upside down after Clark, hunting for a toilet, stumbles into the cockpit and sends the jet into a dive.

Which John Hughes comedy did the first Rusty Griswold actor choose instead of returning for European Vacation?

Weird Science won out, and the sequel's director then asked for both Griswold children to be recast. New kids in every film became a running joke of the series.

Which future sitcom star plays Margo, the Griswolds' yuppie next-door neighbour, in Christmas Vacation?

Julia Louis-Dreyfus played Margo Chester shortly before Seinfeld made her famous as Elaine Benes. Margo and her husband take the brunt of Clark's festive mishaps.

National Lampoon's Vacation was produced and directed by veterans of which earlier comedy hit from the same magazine?

Animal House was produced by Matty Simmons, who made Vacation next, and co-written by its director. Its success is why the Griswolds' first trip was planned as a raunchy R-rated comedy.

Which punk band's 'Blitzkrieg Bop' sits alongside 'Holiday Road' on the National Lampoon's Vacation soundtrack album?

Ramones share the 1983 album with June Pointer and Nicolette Larson. The record itself never charted, even though the film opened at number one.

Where do the Griswolds leave Aunt Edna's body when her son turns out to be away from home?

On his back patio is where they prop her, in the rain, with a note attached. Her son was not due home until Monday, and Ellen argued against the whole plan.

Which police unit storms in at the climax of both National Lampoon's Vacation and Christmas Vacation?

A SWAT team surrounds the Griswolds in both films. Both times the man they have wronged decides not to press charges, and the officers end up joining the celebrations.

What do locals steal from the Family Truckster while Clark Griswold asks for directions in a rough neighbourhood?

The hubcaps vanish while a man charges Clark for directions that make no sense. The family had simply taken the wrong exit off the highway.

What does Clark Griswold share with Rusty during a man-to-man talk before walking off into the desert for help?

A beer seals the father-and-son chat beside the wrecked car. Clark then walks for miles, only to find his family already waiting at the gas station he reaches.

From which Paris landmark does a dog leap after the beret Clark throws away in European Vacation?

The Eiffel Tower dog lands safely in a fountain below. Clark was only trying to spare Rusty, who was being teased by young women over the family's stencilled berets.

What does a passer-by steal from the Griswolds in Paris after Clark asks him to take a family photo?

Their camcorder disappears with the stranger, and the private footage of Ellen on it later turns up on a billboard in Rome.

Which actress plays Debbie, the wife of the grown-up Rusty Griswold, in the 2015 film Vacation?

Christina Applegate plays Debbie, whose wild sorority past comes to light at the family's first stop in Memphis.

What has Clark Griswold already paid a deposit on, counting on his yearly bonus, in Christmas Vacation?

A swimming pool was to be Clark's surprise for the family, and he ordered it before he had the money in the bank to cover the payment.

In what do Cousin Eddie and his family turn up unannounced, and admit to living, in Christmas Vacation?

An RV parked outside the Griswold house is the family's only home, which is why Clark offers to buy Christmas presents for Eddie's children.

What colour is the new sports wagon that Clark Griswold ordered before being handed the Family Truckster?

Antarctic blue was the car Clark and Rusty came to collect. The salesman rolled out the Truckster instead, and Clark ended up driving it home.

In which state is Kamp Komfort, the shabby campground where the Griswolds stop after leaving Cousin Eddie's farm?

Colorado is also where the cameras first rolled, in the town of Boone. At Kamp Komfort the family rent three tents for the night.

What is the first name of Ellen Griswold's cousin, the wife of Cousin Eddie, in the Vacation films?

Catherine is played by Miriam Flynn, who kept the part through Christmas Vacation, the Las Vegas sequel and a 2003 TV spin-off about Eddie's family.

What drops unnoticed from the top of the Family Truckster, costing the Griswolds their credit cards?

Ellen's vanity case holds her credit cards, but Clark is not worried, sure they can always cash a cheque. That confidence later leaves him raiding a hotel till.

Which grade did CinemaScore's audience polls give National Lampoon's Vacation, the top film of its opening weekend?

C+ was the verdict, which baffled CinemaScore's own founder. Ed Mintz said in 2016 that he loved the film and could not work out why audiences had not loved it more.

Which sound did the writer of 'Holiday Road' add near the end of the song to give it a sense of humour?

Barking was added purely as a joke. The songwriter had no idea the film would include a scene in which a pet is accidentally dragged behind the family car.

Which Caddyshack co-writer plays a camp clerk in National Lampoon's Vacation and Frank Shirley in Christmas Vacation?

Brian Doyle-Murray is the older brother of Bill Murray. His Frank Shirley is the executive who cancels the staff bonuses in the Christmas film.

Which 1930s cartoon star was voiced by Mae Questel, the actress who plays Aunt Bethany in Christmas Vacation?

Betty Boop spoke with Mae Questel's voice through most of the 1930s. The forgetful Aunt Bethany, almost sixty years on, was Questel's final screen role.

How does Clark Griswold's elderly uncle set the family Christmas tree on fire in Christmas Vacation?

Lighting his cigar is all it takes. The same uncle strikes again at the end of the film, when his discarded match ignites sewer gas outside the house.

Which actress played Audrey Griswold in Christmas Vacation two years before the role that won her an Oscar nomination?

Juliette Lewis landed Audrey as her first major supporting role. Her nomination followed for Martin Scorsese's thriller Cape Fear.

Which future Hollywood superstar auditioned for Rusty Griswold in Christmas Vacation but was judged not goofy enough?

Leonardo DiCaprio struck a member of the casting team as too thoughtful for Rusty. The part went to a boy who would become a sitcom star instead.

Whom does Cousin Eddie kidnap and deliver to the Griswold house as a present in Christmas Vacation?

Clark's boss is seized because Eddie takes an angry outburst literally. Confronted by Clark, the man restores the staff bonuses he had cancelled.

Which actress, later a famous sitcom mother-in-law, plays Ellen's mother, Frances, in Christmas Vacation?

Doris Roberts went on to worldwide fame as Marie Barone in Everybody Loves Raymond. In the film, the bickering of the two sets of grandparents soon wears on the family.

Which real Las Vegas stage act do the Griswolds go to see soon after arriving in Vegas Vacation?

Siegfried & Roy appear as themselves, and the film's star shot scenes with the show's tigers. The Mirage's owner closed parts of the resort so the crew could film there.

Which casino game finally wins the Griswolds back their money in Vegas Vacation, thanks to a dying stranger's ticket?

Keno was the family's last two-dollar bet, and their own numbers lost. The lonely man beside them won instead, and let Clark know the ticket was his before he died.

Besides spending his bonus, what do Clark and Ellen Griswold go to Las Vegas to do in Vegas Vacation?

To renew their wedding vows is the plan Clark announces at home. They manage it only at the very end, with Cousin Eddie's family looking on.

What job does the grown-up Rusty Griswold do for the budget carrier Econo-Air in the 2015 film Vacation?

Airline pilot Rusty flies for a low-budget regional carrier. His work connections pay off at the end, when he books a trip to Paris for just himself and Debbie.

Which Walking Dead star plays the menacing trucker who seems to stalk the Griswolds in the 2015 film Vacation?

Norman Reedus plays the trucker, who turns out to be harmless. He has only been following the family to hand back a ring that Debbie lost.

In which city do Clark and Ellen Griswold run a bed and breakfast in the 2015 film Vacation?

San Francisco is where a stranded Rusty turns up at his parents' door. Clark then lends him the old Family Truckster for the last leg to Walley World.

Which future DreamWorks co-founder turned down National Lampoon's Vacation while he was an executive at Paramount?

Jeff Katzenberg was the first person producer Matty Simmons took the story to. Most executives at the studio that eventually made it raised the same objection.

Which stand-up comedian sued over National Lampoon's Vacation, claiming it was based on his script Goodbye Grandma?

David Brenner filed a $27.2 million suit months after the film opened. He said he had sent his own script to several studios, including the one that made the Griswolds' trip.

Which real California roller coaster appears in National Lampoon's Vacation as the Walley World ride Screemy Meemy?

Colossus was the tallest and fastest wooden coaster in the world when it opened in 1978. It has since been rebuilt with steel track under a longer name.

Which actress, the first Audrey Griswold, returned to the role 20 years later in the TV film Christmas Vacation 2?

Dana Barron became the first Griswold child to reprise a part. She had been told she would be back for the European sequel, before both children were recast.

Which Twin Peaks composer wrote the score for National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation?

Angelo Badalamenti scored the Griswolds' Christmas shortly before his television theme won him a Grammy. It is also the only film of the series that leaves out 'Holiday Road'.

Which NHL team adopted 'Holiday Road' as an unofficial playoff victory song on the way to the 2013 Stanley Cup?

Blackhawks wins that spring were followed by the Vacation theme, thirty years after the song was written for the film. The team lifted the Cup on June 24.

Which Your Show of Shows legend plays the lonely gambler Mr. Ellis in Vegas Vacation?

Sid Caesar's cameo echoes the first film, in which his old television partner from that show played Aunt Edna.

Scenes set in West Germany in European Vacation were actually filmed in a German-speaking part of which country?

Italy stood in for Bavaria, with the German-speaking town of Brixen hosting the village where Clark turns a folk dance into a street brawl.

During which televised sporting event did the 2010 Griswold short film Hotel Hell Vacation make its debut?

The Super Bowl saw it premiere as a series of adverts for a holiday-rental company, which bought a replica Family Truckster for the campaign.

Which country was to be the setting of an unmade Vacation sequel that got as far as a script with shark gags?

Australia was the destination in a script the series star began with a British castmate soon after the European trip. It was never finished, and a 1990s revival of the idea came to nothing.

Which pop star's 2024 cover of 'Holiday Road' returned her to the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time since 2018?

Kesha recorded an electro-rock version of the Vacation theme for a streaming service's holiday series, and it also reached the UK top 40.

Which Karate Kid villain plays Jack, Audrey Griswold's jock boyfriend, in National Lampoon's European Vacation?

William Zabka had played the bully Johnny Lawrence only a year earlier. He returned to that part decades later in the series Cobra Kai.