18. There Were Five Wagon Queen Family Trucksters Used In The Movie
They rotated the cars out in order to alter each one to show the wear and tear from the trip.
17. One Of Chevy Chase’s Favorite Scenes Is When Clark Helps Ellen Do The Dishes
Clark helps Ellen with the dishes, but he never actually washes them or puts them in the dishwasher. Instead, he wipes them off and puts them back in the cabinets.
16. Director Harold Ramis Was Worried The Movie Was Too Edgy For His Style
In particular, Ramis said the St. Louis scene was “the most politically incorrect sequence I’ve ever shot.”
15. The Actor Who Played Rusty Was Going Through Puberty During Filming And Grew Three Inches
12. The Original Ending Had The Family Not Enter Walley World At All
Upon arriving at Walley World, the Griswolds are saddened to find the park closed. In the original script, Clark leaves the amusement park to go to the CEO’s home, where he holds him hostage. However, test audiences didn’t like this ending, so the writers changed it. In the edited version, the family enters the closed park instead.
11. The Shots Of Walley World Were Actually Matte Paintings
You can tell the park is actually a painting in this parking lot scene.
10. The Roller Coaster Scenes Were Shot At Six Flags Magic Mountain
The cast even rode the roller coasters for the scenes, and their expressions of fear and nausea were real.
9. The Crew Actually Saved A Dog That Was Tied To A Car Bumper
6. Actress Beverly D’Angelo (Ellen) Was Actually A Great Singer During The Sing-along Parts According To Chevy Chase
Beverly D’Angelo starred in the 1979 musical “Hair,” which explains her vocals during the movie.
5. The Movie Was Based On A 1979 Story By John Hughes Published In The National Lampoon Magazine
The original story was called Vacation ’58.
4. Randy Quaid Added Cousin Eddie’s Tongue Click To The Script
The actor based the sound on someone he knew in high school, and went through the scripts to mark where he wanted to add the tongue click.
3. The Beer Can Clark And Rusty Drink From In The Desert Scene Is Empty
The actors had to pretend to drink from the empty can.
2. The Stunt Coordinator Jumped The Family Truckster Over 50 Feet During The Desert Scene
Stunt coordinator Dick Ziker made a bet against other crew members that he would be able to jump the car over 50 feet, and he did.
1. Cousin Vicki Was Played By 14-Year-Old Jane Krakowski
The Theme Song, “Holiday Road,” Was A Big Hit On The Billboard Charts
Even though the soundtrack album never made it on the charts, Lindsey Buckingham’s catchy theme song was ranked 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart.
The Movie Originally Had A Not So Pleasant Ending
It Has Some Pretty Ridiculous Deleted Scenes…
One, which included Clark spotting a camel while wandering through the desert. Unfortunately, the camel the filmmakers rented was raised in captivity in southern California and refused to cooperate because it had never walked on sand before.
They Created A Re-make Of The Film In 2015
There Is A Reason The Films Poster Looks So Familiar
Boris Vallejo who painted this poster, also painted the iconic poster for the 1977 reissue of Barbarella.
