It’s a Griswold family reunion!Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo, who played parents Clark and Ellen Griswold in National Lampoon’s Vacation movies in the ’80s and ’90s, met up Dec. 10 at Steel City Comic Con in Pittsburgh.
“Together again…” D’Angelo 71, captioned a selfie of the two on her Instagram. “@steelcitycomiccon with @chevychase!”
The two were not the only Vacation cast members at the weekend convention. Chase, 79, and D’Angelo were joined by Christie Brinkley. The supermodel, 68, played a Ferrari driver who flirts with Clark on a highway in the original 1983 Vacation film and later in the fourth movie in the series, the 1997 flick Vegas Vacation.
D’Angelo shared a photo of Chase hugging her and Brinkley at the convention on her Instagram, writing, “HIGH SCHOOL REUNION.”The actor commented, “Threes never a crowd with this crew.” He also posted the same pic on his page, writing, “The Three Amigos”—referencing the nonrelated but also popular ’80s comedy movie of the same name.
The Community alum also shared a TikTok video of himself posing with the two actresses. “These Three Amigos are going to need a Christmas Vacation after @steelcitycomiccon,” Brinkley wrote on her Instagram page. “We’re back again today and I’m in the mood for some fun! I just love you two @officialbeverlydangelo and @chevychase.”
The three attended the convention less than two weeks after the 33rd anniversary of the release of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, the third film in the series. Chase and D’Angelo had also reunited at a 30th anniversary screening of the movie, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in 2019. They were joined by Johnny Galecki and Juliette Lewis, two of eight actors who portrayed the Griswolds’ son and daughter, Rusty and Audrey, in the original Vacation film series.
1. John Hughes’ script is based on a short story he wrote for Lampoon called “Christmas ’59.” It is the last screenplay the late filmmaker wrote for the franchise, which was based on his original “Vacation ’58” article. There’s a small nod to the movie’s origin: The label on the home movie reel that Clark finds in the attic is labeled “Xmas ’59.”
2. The house used as the Griswold family’s neighbors Todd and Margo’s home on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank is the same one used for the Murdoch home in Lethal Weapon.
3. Chris Columbus was originally set to direct, but he ultimately decided to pass on the project after meeting with Chevy Chase. “It was fraught with pain and tension with Chevy Chase, but I needed the job desperately,” Columbus told Insider. “At the time I was living with my wife’s parents. It took everything in my power to convince myself to resign from Christmas Vacation because I couldn’t make the movie with Chevy Chase.”
Fortunately for Columbus, he was sent the script for Home Alone two weeks later. As he said, “The rest is history.”
4. Jeremiah Chechik would go on to land the job, making his feature directorial debut despite having never watched the first two films in the franchise. “I was nervous about accepting it, because I didn’t know about Chevy and I wasn’t sure if it was too commercial,” he admitted. “But I agreed to do it and I had just a fantastic time doing it.”
5. Chechik is actually the man featured on the cover of the People magazine issue that Clark is reading in bed.
6. Per tradition, two new actors were brought in to play Clark and Ellen’s exasperated children. Juliette Lewis took over the role of Audrey, telling Rolling Stone, “The fact that the Griswolds have a new set of kids each time became the thing. Your agents couldn’t explain why it was acceptable; it just is. Of course, I grew up with the Vacation movie with the legendary Anthony Michael Hall. This was this huge exciting opportunity and even at 15, I knew it was a big deal.”
7. Just before production began, Lewis discovered her then-boyfriend was cheating on her. “That first trip to Colorado, I took my boyfriend and caught him in our hotel room talking to another girl on the phone,” she revealed to Rolling Stone. “I didn’t even tell him that I heard him, I just asked who he was talking to. He lied and I said, ‘Oh, by the way. You’re leaving tomorrow morning.’ I booked his flight and then he left, and then I went to go film.”
8. Future Big Bang Theory star Johnny Galecki became the franchise’s new Rusty after putting himself on tape and sending it in. “They flew me out to Los Angeles; it was one of the first times I was ever here,” he recalled. “I read with Chevy and Jeremiah—and that alone would have been enough for me. I could have been given my walking papers and sent home on the next flight and it still would have been a dream come true. Chevy told me right there in the room that I had gotten the role.”
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