National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation was the link movie connecting Over Your Dead Body and John Candy: I Like Me.
Linked through Juliette Lewis and Chevy Chase.
Both Juliette Lewis and Chevy Chase appeared in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
About National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
"Yule crack up!"
It's Christmastime, and the Griswolds are preparing for a family seasonal celebration. But things never run smoothly for Clark, his wife Ellen, and their two kids. Clark's continual bad luck is worsened by his obnoxious family guests, but he manages to keep going, knowing that his Christmas bonus is due soon.
Directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik
Written by John Hughes
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Soundtrack
Score by Angelo Badalamenti
Angelo Badalamenti composed the score, conducted by Shirley Walker; this film is the only Vacation installment not to use Lindsey Buckingham's "Holiday Road." It features the song "Christmas Vacation" (music by Barry Mann, lyrics by Cynthia Weil) performed by Mavis Staples, includes "Mele Kalikimaka" and Gene Autry's 1957 Challenge Records version of "Here Comes Santa Claus," and had no official soundtrack release (a 1999 CD circulating online was declared a bootleg).
Movie trivia
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1
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is the third installment in the Vacation film series and the final film in the series to involve John Hughes and National Lampoon.
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2
The film was inspired by John Hughes's short story "Christmas '59", which was published in the December 1980 issue of National Lampoon magazine.
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3
Chris Columbus was initially set to direct but left after a personality clash with Chevy Chase; Jeremiah S. Chechik replaced him and Hughes later gave the script to Columbus for Home Alone.
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4
Principal photography began on March 27, 1989, in Summit County, Colorado (Silverthorne, Breckenridge, Frisco) before moving to Warner Bros. Ranch in Burbank; filming wrapped on June 30, 1989.
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5
The crew's trained squirrel died of a heart attack before filming the squirrel sequence, so an un-trained squirrel was hired at the last minute and the sequence required three days to shoot.
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6
Johnny Galecki inherited the role of Rusty, prevailing over several actors including Leonardo DiCaprio, whom casting team member Heidi Levitt described as too thoughful and not goofy enough for the character.
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