There are plenty of genres of cinema that resonate with audiences in major ways. It’s increasingly easy to just focus on giant summer blockbusters or interconnected franchises, due to how these spectacles have become the norm. These types of movies are a lot of fun and serve a definite purpose, but they also overshadow smaller types of movies, like comedies. Comedy is such an important genre and it can be easy to forget its significance due to how it’s often overlooked during awards season.
Laughter is so essential and tons of comedies have become entrenched in pop culture, whether it’s overtly realized or not. For a long time the National Lampoon series of films were some of the funniest movies available. They introduced a mainstream, yet subversive style of comedy and the Vacation movies turned into a major star vehicle for Chevy Chase. These movies are still looked back on with affection, but there are many hidden details that go overlooked.
15 The Griswolds Forget How To Spell Their Name
The Griswolds have certainly become one of the more iconic pop culture families and their name is such the perfectly silly fit. Most of the films in the series spell their surname as Griswold, with an "o." However, National Lampoon's European Vacation spells their name as "Griswald," with an "a." Maybe they were having tax problems or something.
14 A John Hughes Trademark Makes It Into Christmas Vacation
One of the more entertaining moments in Christmas Vacation is when Clark Griswold breaks out in an impassioned rant against how much he despises his boss. One of the many insults that Clark hurls at his employer is the term "four-flusher." It's a phrase that John Hughes has worked into a number of his movies as a disarming, unique insult.
13 Clark Has A Recurring Nickname Through The Vacation Films
One sweet touch through all of the National Lampoon's Vacation films is that Ellen has the pet name "Sparky" for her husband, Clark. The name Sparky appears in all of the Vacation films, but it's also something that Beverly D'Angelo came up with herself. She even still affectionately uses it with Chevy Chase.
12 There’s A Famous Truck In Christmas Vacation
The Griswolds have become an iconic family through the National Lampoon's Vacation films, but plenty of the supporting characters and other elements of this universe have stood out in major ways. For instance, the Dodge pickup truck that stalks the Griswolds during the beginning of the film has appeared prominently in some other movies. The truck is used in both John Carpenter's They Live and the Kurt Russell movie, Overboard. It's got quite the resume for a vehicle.
11 Clark Griswold's Chicago Bears Hat Has Become A Part Of The Character
It's always interesting to see how certain details or character affectations can evolve over a number of films and become more important. For example, Clark Griswold innocently wears a Chicago Bears baseball cap in National Lampoon's Vacation. He goes on to do the same thing in the following National Lampoon's Vacation films, showing it's much more than a random accessory, but Clark's favorite team.
10 Chevy Chase Fits One Of His Trademark Gags Into The Films
There's a moment in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation where Clark and Rusty Griswold are together and Rusty goes to check the time, only to realize that he's not wearing a wristwatch. It's a cute gag, but it actually originates from Chevy Chase and it's a recurring bit of his that he'll work into projects.
9 The Director Of Christmas Vacation Makes A Sly Cameo
It's not unusual for the directors of crew from films to make subtle cameos in their pictures, but there's an especially tongue-in-cheek use of this in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. During the scene where a frustrated Clark tries to read a People Magazine in bed with sap-covered fingers, the person who's on the cover of the magazine is actually Jeremiah S. Chechik, the film's director. That's one way to not have to memorize lines.
8 Lindsey Buckingham's "Holiday Road" Becomes A Running Vacation Joke
A strange detail that becomes established throughout the course of the National Lampoon's Vacation films is that the song "Holiday Road" by Lindsey Buckingham appears in all of them, except for Christmas Vacation. It's a pleasant song, but the repeated use of it gives it thematic significance to the Griswolds.
7 Walley World Merch Is Seen Throughout The National Lampoon's Vacation Films
The first National Lampoon's Vacation sees the Griswold going to the fictional theme park, Walley World. It makes for a momentous trip and so it's only fitting to see evidence of this trip during the Griswold's other adventures. Walley World mugs can be seen in Christmas Vacation, but signs of them continue to pop up in other Vacation films.
6 The Griswolds Can't Keep Their Kidnappings Straight
There's a moment in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation where Ellen flippantly jokes that this is the family's "first kidnapping." It's a throwaway line, but it's actually inaccurate, since both Vacation and European Vacation feature the Griswolds both at the giving and receiving ends of hostage situations.
