Twenty Things About Movie 'Vacation'-- Part 4: An Empty Beer Can and John Candy

16.  During Clark and Rusty's father-son scene in which the two share a beer, the beer can is actually empty and the two have to pretend to take swigs from it.  Although Rusty takes a really, really big swig.

17.  In Hughes' original script, Clark snaps after arriving at Walley World and finding it closed and they drive to Roy Walley's home and kidnap him  and hold him and top executives hostage.  This did not play out well with test audiences so it was changed to where they  hijack the park with hapless security guard Lasky, John Candy as hostage and go on the rides.  (This is the first time I remember seeing John Candy.)

18.  Establishing shots of Walley World were created using matte paintings.

19.  The Walley World parking lot scene was filmed at Santa Anita race track in Arcadia, California.  It was more than 100 degrees during shooting.  Hall remembers actually trying to beat Chevy Chase in their race.

20.  The scenes inside the park were shot at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California.  The cast had to ride the  roller coasters so many times that the looks of nausea and fear on their faces was real.

--Cooter

Twenty Things You Might Not Know About the Movie 'Vacation'-- Part 3: About the Dog's Death and 'Holiday Road'

11.  Jane Krakowski made her big screen debut in 'Vacation' at age 14 as Eddie's daughter, Cousin Vicki.  She was also in "30 Rock."

12.  Imogene Coca, who played Aunt  Edna was hesitant about taking the role because she didn't think she could be mean enough.

13.  Chevy Chase and James Keach, who plays the Highway Patrol officer, improvised much of the scene in which Clark accidentally killed Aunt Edna's dog Dinky by forgetting to untie his leash from the rear bumper.  The two are  noticeably trying to stifle laughter during the scene.

14.  Stunt coordinator  Dick Ziker made a bet against other crew members that he would be able to jump the Family Truckster over 50 feet during the desert crash.  He won the bet.

**  Lindsay Buckingham's "Holiday Road," which serves as the movie's theme song,  rose to #82 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart thanks to the popularity of the movie.

--CooterPoorDoggie

Twenty Things You Might Not Know About the Movie 'Vacation'-- Part 2: Flying License Plates and Christie

6.  During a scene early in the movie Clark never rinses or puts the dishes in the dishwasher.

7.  Beverly  D'Angelo is actually a very good singer, despite what appears in the family sing-a-long scenes.

8.  During the scene where Clark is trying to find the gas cap for the Family Truckster he didn't intend to throw it.  The plate nearly hit the actress behind him who was filling her tank.   The look of concern on his face is genuine.

9.  Christie Brinkley was just becoming a superstar in the modeling industry.  She only appeared in a few scenes, but traveled with the cast and crew for much of the shoot.  It was her first movie credit.  She was also in the sequel "Vegas Vacation."

10.  Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) based his trademark tongue clique on a guy he knew in school and marked every spot on the script where he used it.

--Cooter

Twenty Things You Might Not Know About the Movie 'Vacation'-- Part 1

From the May  29, 2015, Today by Matt Murray.

Earlier this month, I wrote about the Family Truckster car from the movie 'Vacation' being at the Volo Auto Museum in Volo, Illinois. This is one of my favorite movies.

Here are 20 more things about the movie:

1.  Anthony Michael Hall, who played Rusty Griswold,  was going through puberty during the shooting and grew three inches during the shooting..

2.  The film was written by  John Hughes (who went on to write other 80s classics like  "The Breakfast Club" and  "Sixteen Candles" and was based on his story "Vacation '58."

3.  Shooting for the movie required a real-life road trip for the cast and crew and the film was shot in more than 15  locations across four states.

4.  "Vacation" is the only R-rated movie in the series.  There was some semi-nudity, plus the scene supposedly from East St. Louis, which director Harold Ramis called the most politically  incorrect sequence he ever shot.

5.  There were five Wagon Queen Family Trucksters made and used in the production of the film allowing each to be  altered in certain ways for the wear and tear of the drive.

--Cooter

Bluto Meets Clark at Volo Auto Museum-- Part 3: About That 'Vette

This title comes from their having the original Corvette from the movie "Animal House" with Bluto Blutarsky and the Clark Griswold Family Truckster from the movie "Vacation."  Two of my all-time favorite movies.

The "Animal House" Corvette was the one that Eroc "Otter" Stratton owned.

The road to procuring the "Animal House" Corvette was a winding one according to Brian Grams of the Volo Auto Museum,  First they had to deal with the Mercurial Mr. Smith who owned it.  He wanted a six-figure payment for his Corvette and it had to be in cash -- specifically in $100 bills. 

And, that was with the fact that the car's keys had been misplaced and that it hadn't run since the 1980s.

Well, Grams got his car, regardless.  Plus there were some extras that sweetened the deal.  That included the movie's transportation coordinators signed copy of the original film script that came with the car as well as the October 24,1977, dated Universal City Studios receipt for four weeks of rental, along with a copy of the $400 check written to Mr. Smith for that rental.  (What, not four $100 bills?)

Plus, Grams said the car has great value both in the fact that it is a verified piece of movie history and as a solid 1959 model Corvette featuring a dual quad high-performance engine and original paint.

"Corvette people are purists," he said.  "They love original paint, even if it does have a  few battle scars."

"Was It Over When the Germans Bombed Pearl Harbor?"  --RoadDog

Bluto Meets Clark at the Volo Auto Museum

From the December 1, 2021, Hi-Liter (Northwest Chicago suburbs) "Treat your family this year to a 'Christmas Vacation' they won't forget at Volo Museum."

It's Bluto Blutarsky meet Clark Griswold at the Volo Museum right now and a tip of Santa's cap to two of the best movies ever made in my opinion.  

They have the 1959 Corvette from "Animal House" and the Family Truckster from "Vacation."  Plus, there is a photo op you can get with Cousin Eddie's "Christmas Vacation" RV in the backdrop background.

"Animal House" is my all-time favorite movie (essentially it was my old fraternity up until the parade and I am sure we would have had toga parties if we'd thought about it.  We'd have been just the guys to do it, you know.)

Plus, "Christmas Vacation" is my second favorite Christmas movie.  But. I have to admit I thought the Wagon Queen Family Truckster had been pretty-well destroyed by Clark's trip into the desert.  And, "Vacation" is in my Top Five favorite movies especially since Liz and I are bigtime old road folks.

--Cooter