Eisenhower Days
"I wrote the first sentence -- 'If Dad hadn't shot Walt Disney in the leg, it would have been our best vacation ever!' -- and the rest was automatic," recalls John Hughes in a piece about the writing of "Vacation '58," which became National Lampoon's Family Vacation. I've always loved Hughes' original story; I never liked the film all that much.
The original Griswold family
"I used the voice of a boy to cover my lack of skill, and to flatten the big moments. In Rusty's prosaic language, a ruined vacation and an assault with a deadly weapon upon an entertainment legend enjoyed comparable importance. I called to mind a clamor of relatives, situations, catchphrases, and behaviors. I was mindful of my feelings as a child witnessing phony pop inventions go to hell. I understood that the dark side of my middle-class, middle-American, suburban life was not drugs, paganism, or perversion. It was disappointment. There were no gnawing insects beneath the grass. Only dirt.
"I also knew that trapped inside every defeat is a small victory, and inside that small victory is the Great Defeat. This knowledge -- along with a cranky old lady; strange, needy relatives; a vile dog; and everything that could possibly go wrong on a highway -- was enough to make a story, plug a hole in the magazine, and get on to the next issue."
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on August 7, 2009 at 12:17 PM
comment #1
Steve Guttenberg
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Posted by Steve Guttenberg
at August 7, 2009 12:30 PM
comment #2
mitchtaylor
says ...
I somehow missed vacation in my upbringing- just watched it. It was nearly ruined by Chase's stupid hammy schtick. That said--it's better than Little Miss Sunshine.
Posted by mitchtaylor
at August 7, 2009 12:34 PM
comment #3
bents75
says ...
With all due respect mitchtaylor - "I think you're fucked in the head!"
Chevy Chase OWNS in 'Vacation', to use the parlance of our time.
It's brilliantly written and directed, but Chase nails that generic father role - I can't imagine it being the same without him.
Posted by bents75
at August 7, 2009 12:39 PM
comment #4
dinovelvet
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Yeah i think mitch is way off...Chevy IS Vacation, everything else in it is of minor importance.
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at August 7, 2009 12:48 PM
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at August 7, 2009 12:56 PM
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Rich S.
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Since this was one of my favorite stories in National Lampoon ever, like Jeffrey I was disappointed in the film. The story is told from the point of view of the son, who looks up to his screw-up dad like a god. The movie gets that dynamic all wrong and is the lesser for it.
That said, Chevy does have some moments in the film. I still use the line "We're gonna have so much fuckin' fun, we'll be whistling 'Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah' out our assholes!....Don't touch!"
Posted by Rich S.
at August 7, 2009 12:56 PM
comment #7
Travis Crabtree
says ...
"She was born without a tongue, Clark."
I liked Hughes' "Vacation '58". Thing is though, I find that it's actually funnier early on when it rings true. As the story goes on and becomes evermore fantastic and far-fetched it loses some of its charm.
Posted by Travis Crabtree
at August 7, 2009 1:53 PM
comment #8
Gordon27
says ...
'Vacation' didn't fuck it up nearly as bad as 'O.C. & Stiggs'. But I do love that even a cheesy '80's movie franchise can have people saying, "The movie ruined the original book/story!"
Do people ever complain about 'Die Hard' ruining the book?
Posted by Gordon27
at August 7, 2009 2:10 PM
comment #9
Mr. F.
says ...
Did Hughes originally write the screenplay with Rusty as the focus, or Clark? (Not that I expect anyone to know -- I imagine there's not a lot of historical record about the devlopment of the movie...)
Just wondering if shifting the focus was his idea or the studio's... did Hughes specifically write it for Chase to star in from the beginning, or did it evolve at all?
Posted by Mr. F.
at August 7, 2009 2:17 PM
comment #10
Movie Watcher
says ...
Vacation + Chevy Chase= Terrible. Unwatchable.
Vacation - Chevy Chase= Worth it.
Mr. F., I HOPE HE DID NOT WRITE IT FOR CHASE!!
He ruins it with his stupid, I-can-do-anything-and-
they'll-buy-it shit. I tried to watch it, but I'd rather watch a plumber unclog a toilet. There must have been someone, anyone, better than Chase to star in it.
Posted by Movie Watcher
at August 7, 2009 2:42 PM
comment #11
larry braverman
says ...
It confuses me that someone who names themselves for a character in Real Genius only just watched Vacation.
Posted by larry braverman
at August 7, 2009 4:23 PM
comment #12
Admiral82
says ...
I find it mildly funny. Though, I love that part where they're lost in East St Louis. Clark stops to ask for directions...
Clark: Excuse me, could you tell me how to get back to the highway?
Black dude in fur coat wearing a pimp hat: Fuck your Momma!
Clark: Thank you very much... (quickly gets back in the car and proceeds to drive off)
I realize it's much funnier on screen. But god dammit, that made me chortle the first time I saw "Vacation."
Posted by Admiral82
at August 7, 2009 5:55 PM
comment #13
dinovelvet
says ...
"-Clark, this tent smells.
-Edna, this is your tent!"
Posted by dinovelvet
at August 7, 2009 6:40 PM
comment #14
Todd
says ...
Instead of Chevy Chase could have been Richard Benjamin or Charles Grodin.
Posted by Todd
at August 7, 2009 9:01 PM
comment #15
Josh Massey
says ...
Admiral: Almost better is the TV version:
Clark: Excuse me, could you tell me how to get back to the highway?
Black dude in fur coat wearing a pimp hat: Who do I look like, Christopher Columbo?!?!
It's all in the delivery.
Posted by Josh Massey
at August 7, 2009 10:24 PM
comment #16
Josh Massey
says ...
Seriously, I don't know anybody who doesn't like Vacation. A million opinions on this site baffle me, but that might be the most egregious.
Posted by Josh Massey
at August 7, 2009 10:29 PM
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Wiggumx
says ...
Todd, the thought of Charles Grodin in this suddenly intrigues me.
Posted by Wiggumx
at August 7, 2009 10:49 PM
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larry braverman
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If Charles Grodin played Clark W. Griswold would he have still been cast as The Duke?
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at August 7, 2009 11:00 PM
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at August 8, 2009 6:27 AM
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creepingmalaise
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...and was it ever called "National Lampoon's FAMILY Vacation"?
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at August 8, 2009 6:28 AM
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