The 1983 film Vacation is a comedy about the Griswold family's cross-country road trip to Walley World, a fictional amusement park. The film stars Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold, the patriarch of the family, and Beverly D'Angelo as Ellen Griswold, his wife. The film also stars Randy Quaid as Rusty Griswold, their son, and Dana Barron as Audrey Griswold, their daughter.
The Griswolds set out on their road trip in their new car, the "Wagon Queen Family Truckster," a large and ugly station wagon. Along the way, they encounter a variety of misadventures, including getting lost, running out of gas, and being chased by a dog. They also meet a number of interesting characters, such as a redneck family, a group of bikers, and a woman in a red Ferrari.
Despite all of their setbacks, the Griswolds eventually reach Walley World. However, they soon discover that the park is not as perfect as they had imagined. It is crowded, expensive, and the rides are not as exciting as they had hoped.
In the end, the Griswolds decide that the best part of their trip was not Walley World, but the time they spent together as a family.
Vacation was a critical and commercial success upon its release. It spawned four sequels: National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985), National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation (1997), and Vacation (2015).
The film Vacation is a classic comedy that is still enjoyed by audiences today. It is a funny and heartwarming story about the importance of family.
Cast
- Chevy Chase as Clark W. Griswold, the patriarch of the Griswold Family.
- Beverly D'Angelo as Ellen Griswold, the wife of Clark.
- Anthony Michael Hall as Russell "Rusty" Griswold, the son of Clark and Ellen.
- Dana Barron as Audrey Griswold, the daughter of Clark and Ellen and the sister of Rusty.
- Imogene Coca as Aunt Edna, the aunt of Ellen.
- Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie Johnson, the cousin-in-law of Clark and Ellen.
- John Candy as Russ Lasky, a security guard at Walley World.
- Christie Brinkley as the Girl in Red Ferrari
- Eddie Bracken as Roy Walley, the owner of Walley World.
- Brian Doyle-Murray as the Kamp Komfort clerk
- Miriam Flynn as Cousin Catherine Johnson, the cousin of Ellen and wife of Eddie.
- James Keach as the motorcycle cop
- Eugene Levy as Ed, the car salesman.
- Frank McRae as Grover, a security guard at Walley World.
- Jane Krakowski as Cousin Vicki Johnson, the daughter of Eddie and Catherine.
- John P. Navin Jr. as Cousin Dale Johnson, the son of Eddie and Catherine and brother of Vicki.
- Violet Ramis (daughter of Harold Ramis) as Cousin Daisy Mabel Johnson, the daughter of Eddie and Catherine who was born without a tongue.
- Mickey Jones as Mechanic
- John Diehl as Assistant Mechanic
-James Staley as the hotel clerk - Popeye the Dog as Dinky, a dog owned by Aunt Edna.
- Harold Ramis has an offscreen voice cameo as one of the police officers at Walley World and provides the voice of the recorded message from Marty the Moose.
Director: Harold Ramis
Writers: John Hughes
Box Office Gross: $61,418,063
Distributor: Warner Bros
Release Date: July 29, 1983