Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation is the film to watch every Thanksgiving night year after year. Out of all the National Lampoon movies, this 1989 classic is by far the best. Whether its the animated Santa montage in the beginning or the Clark Griswold and family debacles that follow, no one can resist watching and repeating every line from it. No one can help but notice that the immediate family that just wants a damn pool (and not a Jelly of the Month subscription) has moved on to other fantastic roles in the industry too. So check out where the actors ended up right here.
Chevy Chase as Clark
Chevy will forever be known as Clark Griswold. Whether its drinking that eggnog with Cousin Eddie or chewing on that overcooked turkey, Chevy has given us the best holiday film ever. There's no introduction for this actor. He's worked on Saturday Night Live since 1975 through 2007 on and off and continues to work on one of the best comedies in television, Community.
Beverly D'Angelo as Ellen
Beverly also went on to work in a popular series in television. It may need a second glance or two, but Beverly actually worked on Entourage beginning in 2005 and up until its finale this year. She played Barbara and often had it out with Ari. It was quite the role change since her National Lampoon days. She's most remembered in the film as getting sap in her hair, kissing that little butt chin of Clark's and putting up with her mother. And fun fact: She once dated Al Pacino!
Juliette Lewis as Audrey
The kids of the film really went far in their careers. Juliette Lewis may have gotten her eyes frozen open and made fun of her dad's 'stupid' tie in the classic film, but who knew Juliette would get as big as she is in the industry. She's been in a string of projects that include The Switch, Whip It, Enough, Old School and The Other Sister. She even once dated Brad Pitt in the early 90s and is now the lead singer in her band Juliette & the Licks.
Johnny Galecki as Rusty
Johnny Galecki quite possibly played the best character besides Clark and Cousin Eddy. His sarcasm was subtle and he knew, just like the rest of us viewers, that his dad was a complete idiot that we couldn't help but love. In real life the actor moved on to Roseanne and The Big Bang Theory. He even did a small stint on Entourage, which his on screen mom was seen, as previously mentioned.
Honorable Mentions
-Doris Roberts as Francis Smith: She went on to play the mother in Everybody Loves Raymond.
-Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie: He went on to get arrested because of missing a court date. Not before being that strange towny that fights with the aliens in Independence Day though.
-Julia Louis Dreyfus as Margo Chester: "I don't KNOW Margo!" is probably the best line ever spoken to her in a project. And that is a pretty bold statement being that she went on to play Elaine in Seinfeld.
Best Lines
1. Clark:
Hey! If any of you are looking for any last-minute gift ideas for me, I have
one. I'd like Frank Shirley, my boss, right here tonight. I want him brought
from his happy holiday slumber over there on Melody Lane with all the other
rich people and I want him brought right here, with a big ribbon on his head,
and I want to look him straight in the eye and I want to tell him what a cheap,
lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating,
inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless,
hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped,
worm-headed sack of monkey sh*t he is! Hallelujah! Holy shit! Where's the
Tylenol?
2. Clark:
Can I refill your eggnog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out to
the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?
Eddie:
Naw, I'm doing just fine, Clark.
3. Ellen:
Clark, Audrey's frozen from the waist down.
Clark:
That's all part of the experience, honey.
4. Audrey:
We're not coming all the way out here just to get one of those stupid ties with
Santa Clauses on it are we?
Clark:
No, I have one of those at home.
5. Todd: Well, something had to come through the window! Something had to break the
stereo!
Margo:
And why is the carpet all wet, Todd?
Todd:
I don't know, Margo!
6. Rusty: Dad, this tree won't fit in our back yard.
Clark:
It's not going in the yard, Russ. It's going in the living room.
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