Almost forty years after the release of the cult classic and fan favorite National Lampoon’s Vacation, three stars of the film reunited at a comic-con for a photo and trip down memory lane.
Wearing their Christmas sweaters, Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, and Christie Brinkley posed for a photo during some downtime which was later captioned by the latter – the former “Girl in the Ferrari”- on social media.
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“These Three Amigos are going to need a Christmas Vacation after @steelcitycomiccon,” Brinkley said in a post to Instagram. “I just love you two.”
Chevy Chase followed up the post with his own comments, simply saying “The Three Amigos…”
As Fox News briefly recounted, Chase and D’Angelo portrayed the iconic Griswold parental unit, replete with their well-intentioned but often gaffe-prone efforts.
Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo starred as Clark and Ellen Griswold in the classic family series which began with an innocent, cross-country drive to Walley World theme park.
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The 1983 film directed by Harold Ramis and written by John Hughes also starred Anthony Michael Hall, Dana Barron, Randy Quaid and John Candy. Brinkley had the iconic role as “The Girl in the Ferrari.”
The Griswold’s headed to Europe for the second movie, and returned to Chicago for the ultimate holiday tradition, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”
One comment under the article on Fox’s site captured not the just the comedic success of the film, but often its relatability – particularly among dads.
I was younger and found it funny but my dad would laugh hilariously every time he watched it and it made us feel good that he enjoyed so much. Later I realized why my Dad could relate so much to the movie. I guess if your a Dad and have gone through a few family holidays prepping and trying hard to make it wonderful in spite of the setbacks you totally relate … especially the decorations and trying to have it all just right and best in neighborhood and the Christmas bonus etc. Thanks for the memories.
And though the premise has been well hashed, an interesting aside about the third Christmas installment in the Vacation series is that the role of Rusty almost went to future Hollywood leading man Leonardo DiCaprio.
As reported by Cinema Blend, the young DiCaprio’s acting talent was instantly recognized, although for the comedic series he was eventually passed over for not being goofy renough.
There is one noteworthy “what if?” regarding the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation cast. As fans recall, there is a running gag throughout all of the Vacation movies in which Clark and Ellen’s (Beverly D’Angelo) children, Rusty and Audrey, are played by different actors each time. The festive third installment stars Johnny Galecki and future Oscar nominee Juliette Lewis as the Griswold kids, but the role of the male sibling almost went to one of Hollywood’s most esteemed stars of today.
In a short featurette by the American Film Institute, Christmas Vacation casting director, Heidi Levitt, recalls meeting with future Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio for the part of Rusty and immediately noticing his talents. However, “he wasn’t goofy enough,” so the role went to Galecki, who would also go on to star on Roseanne as David and lead The Big Bang Theory cast as Leonard.
Featured image: Screen shot from embedded Instagram post.