National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Katie welcomes superfan Doug Greenberg for a hilarious deep dive into the 1989 holiday classic National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, exploring its enduring relatability as adults grapple with family chaos, holiday pressures, and Clark Griswold's optimistic disasters, from epic light displays to Cousin Eddie's antics, while sharing personal traditions, trivia, and why John Hughes' script remains a timeless yuletide staple.

Creators and Guests

Host

Katie Geilenkirchen

Guest

Doug Greenberg

What is The Director's Chair Network?

Join Ryan and many featured guests and other hosts as they break down and review a variety of directors and their films!
So far, this podcast has featured films from Edward Zwick, John Hughes, Brian De Palma, and Michael Mann.
Soon, we will feature Edgar Wright, Sam Peckinpah, Paul Verhoeven, and David Fincher!

2:06
Katie: Hello. Hello, I'm Katie, and welcome to Retro Made Your Pop Culture Rewind. I've got one more holiday movie for you today we're gonna head back
2:15
to 1989 to spend the holidays with the Griswolds National Lampoon's. Christmas Vacation is one of those movies that somehow gets funnier
2:23
and more relatable the older you get from family chaos and workplace letdowns to the impossible pressure of a perfect Christmas.
2:32
This episode is all about why this movie still hits decades later and why it's never really left the seasonal rotation.
2:39
My guest today is Doug Greenberg. Doug, thank you for joining me for season two of Retro Made.
2:45
How are you doing? Doug: Hey Katie. I'm doing great. Thank you so much for having me, especially for this one.
2:51
I was shocked when you gave me the list of what was left, that this was still on there. I don't know how this wasn't one of the first picked up.
2:58
Katie: There's a couple that I'm surprised, I am now nearing the end. And there's a couple, more unknown ones.
3:05
But yeah, it's, there have been a few surprises. Doug: Well, , I will say when you did send me the the list,
3:11
it was earlier on in the year. It wasn't exactly Christmas season, so maybe people weren't jumping at Christmas movies just yet.
3:17
Katie: yeah, Doug: You know? And even me, when, when I picked it, I was like, I love this movie, and I, I can't wait to cover it.
3:22
But, you know, it's like the summer. I don't have that Christmas feel yet. So, but here we are.
3:27
Here we are days before. Katie: Christmas as when you listen to this, Christmas will have passed,
3:33
but as we're recording it, Christmas is in a few days and we'll talk about it when we get into the episode.
3:39
But Doug what's new, what's going on in your world of podcasting? Doug: My only real active regular podcast right now is the one I do with
3:48
Ryan, the Frank Stallone, who is this guy podcast where we do a deep dive
3:54
into Frank Stallone and kind of try to figure out what's going on behind that
3:59
psyche of his, like he's, he's a little he's a little out there, you know, Katie: Really you don't say
4:05
Doug: I, I I sure do. It's, yeah. So we pour through like his Instagram, his his interviews that he's done like
4:12
over the past, you know, decade at least. He's quite an eccentric character you know, from, from living in his
4:18
brother's shadow to trying to make it on his own merit in a music career. So it's, it's fun to, to dive deep into who Frank is.
4:28
Katie: That's a very generous way of putting it. Doug. That's kind of you. Doug: Yeah.
4:33
Yeah, he's, he I guess the, lately, I guess more so, than earlier he's gotten more into politics, which that stuff kind of gets old and
4:41
boring and he's far too angry. So, we kind of breeze past a lot of that.
4:47
So we tried to get into, I mean, a while back he was talking about workouts and
4:52
you know, going on dates and everything. So that's the fun, Frank. That's the, we, we don't like Angry Frank. Angry Frank is, you know, he's better left
5:01
somewhere back in the seventies. Katie: shadow. He's living in that shadow and he hates it. Doug: Yeah.
5:06
He really does. He, he kind of blows it off and he will never admit it, but, it kind
5:11
of peaks out from time to time. We get deep. We get deep, we analyze everything that Frank says, so, yeah, check us out.
5:18
Katie: And it's called, name the podcast again, the title of it. Doug: F Frank Stallone, who is this guy?
5:24
Katie: Check it out, everyone. All right. Now, Doug, this is your first time on season two for John Hughes.
5:30
We have a wheel of trivia categories to spin. The new version of the time capsule.
5:36
And we're gonna open the time capsule from 1989. And I will tell you guys, if you're listening, if you want more pop
5:42
culture trivia from 1989, check out the , uncle Buck episode. That was also from 89.
5:48
Doug: Okay, good. I'm, I'm very intimidated by this segment, by the way. I suck at this game.
5:54
Katie: Oh, I bet you'll be, I think people say that and then they're more surprised. So
6:00
Doug: was around, I was, I was alive in, in, in 1989, Katie: yeah. Doug: a lot of this hits home.
6:05
Mm-hmm. Katie: Let's see, what category of pop culture are we gonna come to?
6:13
Okay. We have VHS vault. I'm gonna give you clues unless you guess them out of nowhere.
6:19
The top video cassette rentals in 89. So you're gonna Blockbuster or whatever your, your local
6:26
video store was in, in 89. Doug: So these are probably movies that were new in 88.
6:32
Right. Katie: That's a fair assumption. Doug: Okay. Katie: Okay. Anything coming to mind?
6:39
Doug: Uh, 88 I think. Beetlejuice Goonies, I think was 88,
6:44
Katie: Good guesses. Good guesses. Doug: I don't know. I'm drawing a blank. I'm not good with ears.
6:50
Katie: Here's your clue alone. Warrior faced towering odds.
6:56
Doug: Oh die Hard. Katie: Yes. Die hard. Doug: All right. All right. to a good start.
7:02
Katie: you are off to a good start. I just remember, did you ever watch friends like Joey and Chandler?
7:07
Doug: Oh, big. I was a big fan of friends. Katie: was an episode where they're , super into die diehard,
7:12
and they're like, well, what else would you wanna watch after? Diehard too? And they just, Doug: Yeah. Katie: into it.
7:18
Okay, the next one, a band of rebels defied authority on horseback.
7:24
Doug: Band a horseback throws me. Katie: Ryan's a big fan of this Doug: it's a Western.
7:30
Oh, young guns. Katie: Yeah. Doug: Okay. That's actually a lot earlier , than I remember young guns being.
7:37
Katie: You thought it was in the nineties maybe? Doug: I did. I did. I mean, younguns two perhaps.
7:44
Katie: Yeah. There was also like a young writer's TV show that sometimes I conflate with young guns, and that might've been in the nineties.
7:50
I don't know. Doug: Yeah, Ryan would've got that right off the bat. So, Katie: Well, you're doing well. Okay, next
7:56
Doug: all right. Katie: An underworld conspiracy unfolded in ink and paint.
8:04
That's kind of Doug: say, and under Katie: an underworld underworld conspiracy unfolded in ink and paint.
8:14
That's a Doug: That's, that's rattling me in, in pain. Katie: It is. It is animated
8:20
Doug: I'm not getting it. Katie: Jessica Rabbit, like a sexy. Doug: Jesus. Yeah. Who framed Roger Rabbit?
8:26
Katie: Yeah, that was a hard one. Like that, that clue Doug: Ink and Paint. Yeah. That was, man.
8:32
Yeah. I wish, I wish the, the cl I, I'm a huge fan in, in fact me and Ryan had talked about you know, me doing a Robert Ekka podcast somewhere down the line.
8:40
Katie: I'm obsessed with Robert Ek Doug: are you? Katie: yeah, I love, I love all his, I'm, I'm a big fan. Like I didn't realize it until now.
8:47
I'm like, oh my God, I love all of his movies. Mm-hmm. Doug: I know when you look at his, at his filmography. Obviously Roger Robinson EK is film, so, I should have gotten that.
8:56
Yeah. I wish the clue was a little more, you know, Katie: Usually I will say it's, this is unusual because normally the clues
9:03
are like far too easy, I think, and Doug: Yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah. Katie: All right, next one. Prehistoric Lost Travelers sought a Mythical Haven,
9:13
also animated. Doug: Oh wait. Pre mythical haven. That's not a,
9:21
oh man. The dinosaur Katie: Mm-hmm. Yes. It's so cute. It's Doug: Yeah. With the, the, the one dinosaur dies and everybody, it's, you know, very sad.
9:30
What the hell's it called? I keep wanting, say land of a loss, but Katie: it it's the land.
9:35
Doug: land before time. Katie: before time. Very good. Very good. Okay. All right, last one.
9:41
This is interesting. There must have been, I, well, I won't say too much. Okay.
9:46
A timeless tale. Found New Life half a century later.
9:52
So this was a re-release of the movie. Must have been a recent re-release of an old classic.
9:59
Doug: Half a century. So 50 years before 88 would've been 38. Not a Wizard of the Wiz,
10:06
Katie: You were on the right track earlier. Doug: the Wizard of Oz. Katie: Wizard of Oz.
10:11
Doug: So, oh, wait, so what was the, oh, it, the Wizard of Oz was re-released. Katie: It must have been
10:18
Doug: Oh. So, oh, the original must have been re-released. Oh. Maybe for 50th Katie: for the 50th anniversary. Yep, that's exactly, it
10:23
Doug: Oh. I thought like a, Katie: In Doug: like the Wiz was like a re-imagining of it, Katie: it was, yeah.
10:29
Doug: but, Oh, okay. So the re-lease of the, oh, that makes Katie: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Doug: Okay.
10:34
Katie: You did very good, Doug. Let's see what other Doug: helped me, you helped me a lot on that one. Katie: Let's see.
10:39
We come to say Doug: say what, Katie: which is popular sayings slang terms,
10:48
stuff like that. Doug: Catchphrases kind of Katie: Yes. Oh, I didn't know. This coined in 1988.
10:55
This euphemism refers to the use of the expletive starting with F.
11:04
Doug: I mean, there's only one. Katie: Yes, but it's a euphemism for the word. It's like this is a slang term apparently.
11:11
That was coined in 88. So it was popular in 89. I didn't know that it was coined in 88
11:17
Doug: Hmm. Katie: on f blank.
11:23
Doug: fuck Buddy. Katie: Well, that too that probably came beforehand before 19 in the eighties.
11:33
F bomb is the answer. Doug: oh F Oh, just the letter F.
11:38
Katie: F bomb. Doug: Oh, yeah, yeah. All Katie: of saying like the actual word, fuck.
11:43
An, you know, like Doug: It would call be called the F-bomb. Yes. Yes. Okay. All right. All right.
11:49
That, wow, that's interesting. Katie: First recorded in 1987. So this was popular in 89.
11:56
This term described the act of sitting around and watching television all day.
12:02
Doug: Couch, potato Katie: Couches, correct? When it's a different word.
12:08
Doug: couch. Katie: Like a verb couch. Doug: Oh. Couch surfing. Katie: Yes.
12:13
Couch Doug: Couch surfing. Okay. Katie: Mm-hmm. Doug: All right.
12:19
Katie: Now this one, it says, this term popularized in 89, refers to taunting or boastful comments made to intimidate or provoke . An opponent
12:30
often in like sports and stuff. Doug: Like a dis
12:35
Katie: Yes. It's um, trash talk. Yep. Doug: Oh. All right. All right. Katie: Yeah, yeah.
12:40
Alright, I think we have time for one more category. You're doing very well. Doug: That was a tough, that was a tough category
12:47
Katie: Was, I know I, there's a few more and I was like, let's, let's move on. What do we have here? . Big screen time machine.
12:55
So similar to VHS Vault, except this is the, the top movies at the theater in 1989.
13:02
Doug: All right. Katie: I'm looking to see if you guessed any of them. Doug: Batman?
13:08
Katie: That's the number one. Batman didn't even need a clue. Doug: No, that that one I, I remember well,
13:15
Katie: Yeah, that, that did encompass like 89. That was like a whole big thing.
13:21
Okay. A globe trotting academic followed in his father's footsteps.
13:27
Again, it's a little cryptic because otherwise it gives it away. I will say it's a sequel Doug: Indiana Jones,
13:32
Katie: and which, Doug: Oh. The last Crusade. Katie: yes. Yes. Mm-hmm.
13:37
This next one is also a sequel, a Reckless Partnership Thrived Amid Chaos.
13:46
Doug: Reckless partnership. Not a lethal weapon. Was it Was it lethal Weapon two?
13:54
Katie: Two. Yep. We, the Weapon two. Doug: Alright. Katie: Let's see here. An infant had a lot to say.
14:01
Doug: Yeah, baby, look who's talking? Katie: Yes, you're, yeah, Doug: was one of my favorites, man. That was one of my favorites.
14:07
Katie: I really liked it too. I really liked John Volta, I guess at that time maybe.
14:13
Doug: yeah, yeah, he was, he was very funny in that. Katie: Mm-hmm. Charming.
14:20
Okay. There's one more, and I loved this one. An invention turned a backyard into a perilous landscape.
14:30
Kids movie. Doug: Backyard. Oh honey Ash shrunk. The kids. Katie: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
14:36
Doug: Yes. Katie: Yes. Doug: You know, I I think, I think,
14:41
what were they? It was Batman, Indiana Jones. Katie: Letha weapon. Look who's talking.
14:47
Doug: And honey, I shrunk the outside a lethal weapon. I saw all four of the other ones in the theater when I was a kid.
14:55
Katie: You know, I, yeah, I think I did too. Doug: I was a huge Indiana Jones fan long before that, so that was just perfect.
15:01
Yeah. So I remember vivid memories of that. Good stuff. That Katie: thank you for playing.
15:07
Are you in the mood now for 1989? Doug: It brings me back, let's go.
15:13
Katie: Alright. Before we get into the movie this season, I'm covering John Hughes. So I was curious if you have any particular thoughts about him in
15:21
general, or, when you realized that he was responsible for all these iconic movies from the eighties and nineties.
15:28
Doug: Yeah. I've seen a lot of them growing up, loving them. Not even realizing John Hughes, you know, there was one man behind all of
15:36
the movies that I loved in my youth, you know, I mean, you know, I didn't see the Breakfast Club when I was eight years old.
15:43
But, you know, the older I got, I saw that Ferris Bueller, you know, was very early
15:49
Katie: Mm-hmm. Doug: you know, loved that stuff. But all, all those kind of movies like just struck me in
15:54
a, in a certain way and then. You know, realizing it was John Hughes that was behind them all.
16:00
I was like, oh, I guess, I guess I'm a John Hughes fan, you know? And, those are the ones that he was directing.
16:06
Now the other ones that he wrote you know, that he didn't have a directing hand in, but he was still behind.
16:12
A lot of those, I fell in love with two, and I was like, and when I realized, honestly, I didn't realize a lot of them, he was responsible for,
16:20
until I'm listening to your podcast. And I was like, wow, wow, wow. And it's, you know, it's just all, you know, I'm, I'm a John Hughes fan,
16:29
without even realizing John Hughes had his fingerprints all over so many of these iconic movies from those days.
16:36
Katie: Same. There've been several surprises. But, but yeah, I think Breakfast Club, 16 candles.
16:41
Those are the ones I really, that come to mind when I think of John Hughes. Doug: Yeah. But he, but the, the other ones that he wrote and produced and stuff
16:50
like this, for example, you know, he didn't direct it, but he is behind it, you know, fully, has his hands elbowed deep in, in this story.
16:59
And I mean, that's this, this is a classic. Katie: It is. And so speaking up, shall we get into National Lampoon's Christmas vacation?
17:14
Doug: Can't wait. Katie: So this was released December 1st, 1989. And I don't think I realized, but it's not surprising.
17:22
I just took note of that. The principle of photography started in. My neck of the woods in Summit County, in the mountains like Breckenridge
17:30
and Silverthorne and Frisco. And then they moved, the scenes at the Griswold house are
17:35
actually on a set in Burbank. But Doug: Right. Yeah. In fact, their, their house and the house next door have been in TV shows and movies
17:45
like, you know, for years before this. Katie: yeah, I think one of my, I think Margo and Todd's was like all
17:52
the lethal weapon movies, wasn't it? Murtaugh's House, I wanna say. Is that
17:57
Doug: Yeah. In fact, I saw an interview with Chevy Chase where he said that they moved the toilet from a member lethal weapon when the toilet blows out of his, out of his
18:07
win, there was a bomb in the toilet. I dunno if you're, I mean, it's an iconic lethal weapon scene. But the toilet ends up landing, it blows out of the house landing on the front
18:15
lawn, and it was like a landmark kind of, you know, just leaving the toilet there. But when this, when they started filming this, they had
18:21
to move the toilet, obviously. So they moved it behind the bushes of the Griswold house.
18:26
And when Chevy Chase fell off the roof on that one scene, he landed on the toilet. Katie: No way. I didn't know that.
18:33
Good tidbit. It is rated PG 13. It's a 7.5 IMDB rating, which is really high.
18:43
As I'm doing more movie reviews, I would say that's pretty high. It's gone on to become a Christmas classic, but it originally,
18:50
I guess, had mixed reviews, Doug: Even now, I, I hear people say that it's not that great.
18:56
I don't know if it's like an oversaturation thing and it's just been, done to death. But, I mean, is this like a regular watching experience
19:04
for you Every Christmas. Katie: I think so more lately. And obviously I think like doing the podcast I have a sharper eye
19:12
and I watch things in a different way than perhaps I used to. And I notice that until I'm really paying attention and taking notes
19:21
on a movie that I missed some stuff. But I did notice a lot of things.
19:26
I find this movie so much more relatable as an adult. Like then as a kid, a lot of the stuff that I find hilarious now,
19:34
I'm like, I, it didn't, didn't quite catch me when I was a kid. So maybe, maybe people are like just remembering that it wasn't that
19:40
funny 'cause they were a kid and, uh, I don't know Doug: Well, you kind of empathize with Clark and Ellen at this stage in life.
19:48
Right. Katie: exactly. Doug: their point of view of it, especially Clarks like, it's, it's wild.
19:54
Katie: Exasperation. I'm like, I get it. You know, when he kicks everything and goes nuts with the, when the lights don't work.
20:00
Like I, I'm like, I feel you, Clark, Doug: Yeah, you, I told you before we started, I was putting together
20:06
my daughter's kitchen set, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't get, get a little Clark Griswold while I was putting it together here and there.
20:14
Katie: all those pieces Doug: Yeah. it's dropping screws, screw roll rolls under the the cabinet, and I'm
20:21
like, God dammit, you know, getting pissed off and yelling and yeah. So me, me and Clark are simpatico
20:27
at this point in life. This has been a regular watch for me since it came out, me and my brother
20:34
are really close and we have two cousins who are about the same age as us.
20:40
Very, very close with them. And starting very early on in our our lives, we used to get together just
20:46
a week or two or you know, sometime in the month of December to spend a weekend at, at one one of our houses and just watch all our favorite
20:55
Christmas movies, Christmas cartoons and we've carried it on to this day.
21:01
We still do it and we involve our kids in it and mean now it becomes more of like,
21:06
'cause my brother moved to Massachusetts and my cousins are scattered all throughout like New Jersey hours away.
21:13
So, it's usually like the one time a year where we can all get together. So it just becomes more like catching up and like hanging out than it
21:21
does watching the Christmas movies. Although we do still put them on. But they're more in the background. But I mean, we grew up sitting in front of the TV watching this stuff
21:30
for hours and hours and hours. We're talking like the classic cartoons and all the classic movies that you can think of.
21:37
And this one was definitely in the rotation. Still is, but it, it wasn't just limited to that get together.
21:45
I watched this probably 5, 6, 7 times every Christmas.
21:50
Katie: Really? 5, 6, 7 times I Oh, okay. Wow. Doug: I've, I've seen this hundreds, hundreds of times in my life.
21:59
Katie: I didn't realize that you were such a fan like that. I didn't know that. And that, okay. Helpful to know.
22:05
Also, I love your tradition with your brothers and your cousins. That's, that's really sweet.
22:10
Doug: it was, we always, you know, dreamed that we'd involve our kids too, so we're not, like, our kids couldn't give a shit about the movies.
22:16
They just hang out and they go . Putts around town or whatever. Like now they're, they're teenagers, but yeah, but we, I mean, it was
22:23
always revolved around the movies. Now it's, you know, there's alcohol involved and Katie: I mean, of course.
22:30
Doug: back then we were kids. It was just like, it was about the movies, man. It was Katie: Mm-hmm. Oh, the simpler times.
22:36
That's really sweet. I like all those Christmas memories and I, I guess I felt watching this again,
22:41
we'll get into the cast and the director and stuff, but since you brought that up rewatching it last night, it really took me back to Christmas as a kid.
22:52
The way their families get together and wearing festive clothes and the big decorated tree in their downtown.
22:59
And then going to the mall to buy presents and all the Christmas trees and decorations.
23:04
Christmas was so magical when you're a kid and it's just a little different as an adult, you know, we've been beaten down by, the hustle and bustle of modern adult
23:16
life it's been helpful to watch some of these Christmas movies to help, you know, kind of help me get back into the spirit.
23:21
Doug: Yeah. Nowadays it's a rat race, you know? And the second Thanksgiving ends, it's like you snap your fingers and Christmas
23:27
is here, but when we're kids, it's like the second Thanksgiving ends, you start preparing for Christmas, you're like, when is Christmas gonna come?
23:35
We forgot that some, somewhere, somewhere along the lines. It, it, you know, we, we forgot to enjoy it.
23:41
And every year me and my wife even talk about it. Like we, we try to slow down and, and like get ourselves into the Christmas spirit.
23:49
You know what I mean in fact, you'll like this. We enter a house lighting competition every year.
23:55
And I, yeah, yeah. I'll, I'll share a picture of my house in, on your retro made page. But
24:00
I do like a, I do my roof, like the griswolds with, I line Katie: that's awesome.
24:06
Because that's become a thing too, like you griswold to your house, like it's like a verb now or a thing that people talk about.
24:12
Doug: I always wanted to my, my whole life, and I was married previously, and my ex-wife, she never let me go all out.
24:19
But my current wife, she's all about it. She loves it. Yeah. She loves it too, so
24:25
Katie: Do you have a and Todd next door? Doug: No, every our, our neighbors are great.
24:30
Yeah. Everybody's though I haven't launched a gutter, icicle through their window or anything like
24:37
Katie: No, no city power outage because of your house. Doug: No, not yet. Not yet.
24:42
My, my power of my house has gone out once or twice, but not, not citywide.
24:47
Katie: And I hope that you don't have 10 plugins into one outlet Doug: Oh, no,
24:52
no. no. That's what caused the powder outage outage in my house, so I had to spread it out.
24:59
Katie: Oh, amazing. You guys tell me if you're the type of Christmas person that, goes big
25:05
with your house decorations, I have a, Doug: Yeah, sure. The Katie: LightUp things. Yes. Yeah. Send me your pictures.
25:10
Email me retro made [e-mail]. I'll Doug: There you go. All right. Katie: page.
25:16
But like you said, Doug. John Hughes did not direct this movie. Jeremiah s Cheick did, are you at all familiar with him?
25:26
Doug: No, and I didn't really look into him much beyond that. Katie: Well, lucky for you. I did.
25:33
Doug: it's almost as if it's your job. It's your mandate, you know? Katie: he's a Canadian director.
25:40
Movies you would know him from Benny and June and He got a Ra nam for directing the Avengers, not the Marvel Avengers,
25:50
but apparently, I don't know if you recall, there was a movie called The Avengers from 1998 with Sean Connery.
25:57
So he directed that got Ra Doug: Hmm. Katie: for it, res Now for it. And then we talked about him last season on my Kurt Russell and
26:04
Patrick Swayze season, because he directed Tall Tale, which is a very
26:09
lesser known Patrick Swayze movie. Doug: Mm-hmm. Katie: the nineties. Now, I don't know if you've heard the stories, but originally Chris Columbus
26:17
of Home Alone he quit the project after he realized very quickly that there was no way that he was gonna have a good working relationship with Chevy Chase.
26:25
Literal quote from him says, there's no way I can make a movie with this guy. First of all, he's not engaged.
26:31
He's treating me like, shit, I don't need this. I'd rather not work again. I'd rather write.
26:38
Doug: That's such a shame because it's, it's a, a very common story about Chevy Chase.
26:43
So I mean, you know, if you hear enough of it, you gotta know it's true. Katie: Where there's smoke, there's fire.
26:48
Doug: the problem is he is such a brilliant comedic actor that, I mean, his,
26:56
his career could have been miles and miles better than what it turned out to be.
27:01
It was just insufferable to work with. Katie: It's really unfortunate. But yeah, poor Beverly DeAngelo, I mean, she put up with him for several movies.
27:11
Doug: I. Katie: So Cheick got this because after Columbus pulled out, then they
27:19
tried to enlist John Hughes to direct. And then also they tried to get George Roy Hill, who did work
27:26
with Chubby Chase on Funny Farm. He directed Funny Farm. Doug: Actually he would, he was recommended by Chevy Chase.
27:32
Katie: that's right, you're right. Yep. And then ch Chase also proposed bringing Harold Ramis in because he directed the
27:40
original National Lampoon's vacation. But he was already obligated. He was doing Ghostbusters two, so he had to decline.
27:48
And so that's how we have Jeremiah as Cheick as our director here.
27:55
Doug: Interesting, interesting. I wonder like how his name came out or if it was just a 'cause Harold Ramis, Chris
28:03
Columbus and oh, John Hughes himself. There's a couple in there that, that have a connection , to this world.
28:08
And then Jeremiah Cheick comes outta nowhere. Katie: A little bit. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, we'll pay you money.
28:15
You just gotta put up with this guy, take it or leave it. Doug: Yeah. Yeah. Right. Katie: And I'm sure you know, as a big fan of the movie, John Hughes used to
28:23
write for National Lampoons magazine. This was a story that was called Christmas 59.
28:29
And then it was published in the magazine, the original vacation movie. Also based on uh, Lampoon's magazine article called Vacation 58.
28:40
Doug: Now, do you know vacation 58 was based on a John Hughes childhood memory?
28:47
I don't know. Was this, was Christmas of 59 based on that same thing, or was it just kinda invented story?
28:55
I don't mean to put you on the Katie: Yeah, I don't know. I, I I could venture to guess that this was kind of based, I think that
29:01
Hughes bases a lot of characters scenes comedic happenings based
29:06
on, experiences that he's had. But, that's just my guess. And did you notice that the label on the movie reel that Clark finds in
29:14
the attic was labeled Christmas 59, Doug: Absolutely. Katie: but what year did it actually show?
29:21
It wasn't 59. Like when Doug: Was it 55? Katie: yeah. Yeah. All right.
29:27
Excellent. Doug: Because it, oh, somebody's holding up a sign in the in the, the, the
29:32
Katie: Yep. Yeah, something like that. Yeah. Now, in terms of the cast, we'll see if you get this Mr. Christmas vacation.
29:42
This movie has four, four Oscar nominees.
29:47
Doug: Oh man. Katie: Can you name them? Doug: I'm gonna guess that uncle Lewis, I don't I forgot his real name.
29:55
I'm thinking he was one. Katie: You are right. William Hickey. Who plays Uncle Lewis. Yep.
30:00
Doug: I know was, was may Quiel. Was she ever nominated Katie: No not that I
30:06
Doug: Juliette Lewis. Katie: Lewis. Yes. That's okay. Two more.
30:12
Doug: Man, Randy Quaid, I don't think was ever Chevy. Chase was Never Beverly DeAngelo?
30:19
No. Not the kid. Not Johnny Ecky. Was he ever nominated? Katie: you were, on a line of thought and you were right.
30:26
So Randy Quaid, it came up in that episode. 'cause I was so shocked because I'm like, what?
30:32
What movie was Randy Quaid nominated for? An Oscar for the last detail, which I've not seen.
30:40
Doug: Yeah. All right. All right. All right. Good for you. Randy Quaid. Katie: the last one is Diane Lad.
30:47
Doug: Oh, yeah. Okay. Katie: Mm-hmm. Doug: right. Who was like eight years older than Chevy Chase.
30:54
Yeah. And played Katie: Playing his mom. Playing his mom. Yeah. Speaking of her.
31:00
so obviously, so we have Chevy Chase and Beverly DeAngelo are reprising their roles of Clark and Ellen.
31:05
We have new kids, which is the shtick, which I think is the smart thing since they couldn't keep the original.
31:10
Just change 'em every time. Is Juliette Lewis is Audrey. And Johnny Galecki is Rusty Griswold.
31:17
Everybody probably knows Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki Big Bang Theory. He was probably where he got really famous, but I know him best because he was
31:25
David on Roseanne and I loved Roseanne. Doug: Yep. Katie: I read a very, very, very accomplished and well-known Alister
31:34
auditioned for this part, but they didn't think he was right. They thought he was far too not silly enough.
31:41
Like he was too Doug: the rusty part, Katie: For Rusty? Mm-hmm. Doug: Alister. So you had to be a teenager at this point?
31:48
Katie: Mm-hmm. Doug: Cory, not Cory Feldman. Is he in like that kind of
31:54
Katie: No, no. He's Oscar bait type actor. Doug: Leonardo DiCaprio?
32:00
Katie: Yes. Isn't that interesting? Like those two Doug: That is, Katie: like Doug: no, that would've been, that would've been an interesting role for him.
32:08
I remember. Do, do you remember him on growing pains? Katie: Yes, I absolutely do.
32:13
Doug: Yeah. Yeah. I Maybe He could have pulled it Katie: he, I mean, like Doug: It would've been a different, yeah.
32:19
Yeah. It would've been a different portrayal of it, of Katie: definitely I could see though, I, I feel like I read something like
32:25
the, one of the casting people was like, he just is a little too serious or not lighthearted enough or something.
32:31
So I liked Johnny Gil in this. Doug: Yeah. I thought he was Katie: two favorite. These are my favorite versions of Audrey and Rusty.
32:38
Doug: Oh, totally. Yeah. Yeah. I love these two as Audrey and Rust.
32:44
Katie: But getting back to Diane Lad, who plays Clark's mom, Nora, she was nominated for three Oscars known for her roles in Wild at Heart.
32:52
Alice doesn't live here anymore, which has come up a lot. That must I, I've not seen that movie.
32:57
Have you? Doug: No, no, I never really heard of it. Katie: I hadn't either until doing the podcast, but I feel like it's come up.
33:04
It must be a very good, well-known movie and also she was in Chinatown.
33:10
She played the mother of another one of my ultimate every men from last season.
33:16
She, She, played Patrick Swayze's mom in fatherhood.
33:21
Doug: Hmm. Do you No, but I'm aware of it. Have you, so do you recognize her from, it was like, is she
33:30
Katie: She plays very different from this. She's not a great mom. Like Patrick didn't grow up well, or I can't, whatever his name was.
33:37
Jack, maybe. What was his name in that movie? His mom's kind of like, she, she lives at the casino.
33:44
She does like, Doug: Oh, Katie: you know, they pull scams on people, so she's more like,
33:49
Doug: Like a grifter. Katie: yeah so she, she doesn't have a grandma look to her. She has like that sexier.
33:56
I think she smokes. She's in the casino like that, Doug: Was she recognizable? Katie: yeah. Yeah.
34:01
Yeah. I think Doug: because she's such a, like a sweet lady in this, you know, it's, it's tough to picture her as like a, you know, a hard ass mom.
34:09
Katie: I feel like she's usually like a sexier role than this, so I think this is more out of character from what I know her from, I guess,
34:17
but yeah. But you grew up, like this is your movie man, so you're like, Doug: Oh yeah. This, this is my only Diane Lan.
34:24
Katie: that's Clark's mom, Diane l Doug: Yeah. Yeah. Katie: His dad is played by John Randolph.
34:30
He is like a, you'd know his face. He's a Tony Award-winning character actor.
34:36
But I read that he was very into social activism in the forties and fifties, which caused him to be blacklisted During the McCarthy era.
34:46
Doug: No kidding. Katie: Yeah, Doug: Sort of shit's been going on forever. Katie: yeah, yeah.
34:51
And then at some point, somebody e eventually reintroduced him and he had a second shot because he has nearly 200 acting credits dating back to the forties.
35:01
Doug: Wow. Katie: Do you know him from anything else? Doug: I can't say I do, but I mean, I, I'm, you know, I'm
35:08
not like a big old movie buff kind of guy, so I, I wouldn't know stuff from like the sixties or whatever,
35:15
Katie: I mean, unless it's like a super classic movie I read this little tidbit is interesting. He originally played Frank Castanza in Seinfeld,
35:26
I guess the episode Doug: what? The pilot. Katie: Well, it says the episode, the Handicap Spot.
35:33
I don't know if that was the pilot or not, but he was replaced by Jerry Stiller and his scenes in that episode were then refiled with Stiller as well.
35:42
So it must have been Doug: I wonder if that, that's gotta be, on the internet somewhere, right? That would be, that would be interesting to watch.
35:50
I mean, you can't, you can't, like Jerry Stiller is Frank Stanza. You can't picture anybody else.
35:56
Katie: Also Jerry Stiller as Carrie's mom Doug: Oh, Arthur Spooner. Katie: Yeah.
36:01
Yeah. Doug: That's one of my favorite Katie: Carrie's dad. I know. I I really like that one too.
36:07
And John Randolph's wife, Sarah Cunningham, died of an asthma attack
36:12
at the 1986 Oscar telecast ceremony.
36:17
Doug: Wow. Right there in the theater. She had a asthma attack. Katie: It says telecast ceremony. So I'm not sure what that means, but like at the Oscars, she died.
36:26
Doug: wow. Katie: Mm-hmm. Doug: Wow. Katie: That's, that's sad. Doug: yeah.
36:31
Interesting. Katie: Are you familiar with art Ellen's dad Played by EG Marshall.
36:37
Doug: The only thing I, I know him from is he was the president in Superman. in, yeah.
36:42
the the, the, Christopher Reeves Superman. Katie: Was he? I haven't seen that in so many years.
36:48
Doug: I've probably seen him in other things, but Katie: He's known for 12 Angry Men.
36:53
And he won two Emmys for his role in a 1960s TV series that of course
36:59
you've never seen called The Defenders. He played Dr. Arthur Thurmond in the nineties TV series, Chicago
37:07
Hope, and he played Joe Kennedy in the 1983 miniseries called Kennedy,
37:14
Doug: Hmm. Katie: EG Marshall. Doug: You know, if, if I would've thought harder, I probably would've
37:19
guessed him as like an Academy Award winner at some point, Katie: He has this, uh, he has a definitely a look.
37:26
He kind of reminded me of one of my grandpa's, . Something about his face. It's kind of like an old man look from the eighties.
37:35
I don't know what that means, but, Doug: he, it, it, he reminded me of my grandpa in a way of, of his
37:41
like dismissiveness of, of Clark, and, you know, anything fun.
37:50
Falling asleep, you know, everywhere. So, Katie: oh, they both fall asleep.
37:55
Both of the grandpas they're speaking of which they were watching a parade or there was a parade on tv,
38:02
what parade were they watching? Doug: I don't, Katie: to be the Macy's, right? Doug: yeah, it, it couldn't have been, it was a couple of days before Christmas.
38:08
It had, I mean, and there, there were Chicago suburbs, so it had to be like a local Katie: Unless they taped the Macy's day parade.
38:15
But yeah, it could have just been a taped Doug: Yeah. Katie: a, a, a local, it looked like the Macy's Day parade,
38:21
Doug: it did with the balloons and everything, and they make a mention of the balloon like flying away or something like that.
38:26
Katie: They do. That's right. Doug: don't know what other parade has balloons. Katie: Chicago, probably Chicago has big parades, ala Ferris
38:34
Bueller, so I don't know, doris Roberts plays Ellen's mom, Francis, and she was really funny. She's a funny lady.
38:40
Doug: She is. And she plays a character and everybody loves Raymond that I, you're supposed to despise and mission accomplished.
38:48
'cause you know, the, the overbearing mother character, I understand and I kind of hated her for that.
38:55
But I mean, it's a character, but, she's hilarious. She's a funny, comedic actor.
39:00
Katie: She really is. So yeah, she's obviously known for everybody loves Raymond, for which she won several Emmys and I never saw these two TV shows.
39:09
I, I've definitely heard of them, but she was nominated for her role in Remington Steel. Did you ever watch that TV show?
39:16
Doug: No, but back when I was doing Rocky Minute, a lot of the Rocky characters back in the seventies were Remington Steel people,
39:24
you know, like side characters and stuff. Yeah. Katie: A lot of accolades for Doris Roberts. She won an Emmy for her role in Saint Elsewhere,
39:31
Doug: Oh, okay. Katie: which I've heard of but never seen. Doug: That's what, that's a like a serious show. Right. It's not, not a comedy,
39:38
it's, it's about a hospital. Katie: it is, yeah. Yes. No. I'm thinking of General Hospital. I think it's a, like a drama series that's
39:45
Doug: Yeah. I want, I can't imagine her as like a dramatic actor.
39:51
Katie: don't know. I didn't, yeah, I didn't note like who she played, but, but she won an Emmy for her.
39:58
Whoever she Doug: she must have been, yeah, she must have been in it quite a bit then. Katie: Mm-hmm. Now we have cousin Eddie and cousin Catherine Eddie's wife back by the same
40:08
actors, Randy Quaid and Miriam Flynn. And he was not in European vacation.
40:16
Mm-hmm. And people missed that. I guess there was feedback like, where's Cousin Netti? We like Ca Netti.
40:21
So who's brought back? Because fans really were disappointed and I think this movie really, I mean,
40:26
I can't imagine it without c Katti. Can you? Doug: No, he is this movie.
40:32
He is everything funny about this movie, like all the, the iconic things, the shitters full, you know, like everything comes back to him.
40:41
Um, yeah, I think they, saw what he did for this movie and they kind of went to
40:47
the well, a little too much because he was in Vegas vacation, which Vegas vacation
40:53
in and of itself was kind of like a flop. But then they, they went on and they made like a Christmas vacation too,
40:59
which was revolved around cousin Eddie on an, on an Katie: you are right. Yes, you're right. Did you watch it?
41:05
Have Doug: I've never seen that. I had no interest. I knew it was gonna be bad. It was like a straight to video kind of film.
41:12
So Katie: But if you're Randy Quaid, I mean, I'm taking these roles all day. I, yes.
41:18
Yeah. I mean, what else is he, , it's not like he's Leonardo DiCaprio, Doug: No, I know. And, and nowadays I don't think he's doing much of anything.
41:25
He is, he's gone off the deep end Katie: Yeah. I feel like I've heard he's a little, a little, a little not quite all.
41:32
Yeah. Mm-hmm. That's a nice way of putting it. Now Miriam Flynn is a Hughes go-to, you know how the directors
41:38
and writers a lot of times and producers have their go-to people. She was obviously in all the vacation movies, but also Mr.
41:45
Mom also written by Doug: Oh, yeah. Yeah. She was one of what's her name's, Katie: friends. Yep.
41:50
And national Lampoons class reunion. She was also in that.
41:56
Doug: I don't think I saw that Katie: I guarantee you haven't, I feel like I'm one of like four people who's seen it.
42:02
Doug: okay. Katie: So yeah. Now, now Todd and Margot. They're the neighbors, the uppity like yuppie, uber
42:10
modern, house from the eighties. Uh. Yes, Doug: Uhhuh, huh? Katie: so Julia Louie Dreyfuss AK Elaine Bennis plays Margot, and her
42:19
husband Todd is played by Nicholas Guest, and I didn't know who that was,
42:25
but he is Christopher guest's brother. Doug: I did not realize that for the longest time.
42:32
I mean, it makes complete sense. You know, they have the same last name and they sort of resemble one another.
42:38
So it Katie: Do they, I I wouldn't have, Doug: Well it, Christopher guess from like Spinal Tap, you know, he looks younger
42:47
and, and he kind of like resembles, Nicholas guessed in this film a little bit. So I, I, I could definitely see how they could be brothers and yeah, it, I
42:56
didn't realize that for the longest time. , They're great as that snobby, they don't even seem like they
43:02
fit in like a suburban area. They, they're like city folk. Katie: I think they're, I feel like they're the, the couple who moved to
43:08
the suburbs and they hate it there. You know what I mean? They're like, why did we move here?
43:14
Two things, my brain is going in in two different ways, but regarding Nicholas Guest, he is a former National Lampoon group member.
43:21
So it kind of tracks that he got in this role. And I don't recall, I watched MacGyver growing up, but I
43:27
don't recall a robot in it. But I guess there was, because he,
43:33
Doug: robot. Katie: in nine episodes, he was the robot's voice in MacGyver. So at least nine episodes had, maybe it wasn't like a visual robot, maybe it was
43:43
like, like I, I don't know, somebody tell me, somebody remind me what the Doug: uh, like Kit and night Rider,
43:48
kinda like just, you know. Katie: feel like. But I have this weird, because I haven't seen this a thousand times.
43:55
In my head, he was David Deney. Doug: Oh,
44:00
Katie: I don't know why, like if I, if someone asked me before I re-watched this yesterday, who played Todd, I would've said David Deney.
44:08
Anybody else? Doug: That's. Katie: why. I don't know where that comes from. And then the last cast member to, to chat about is May Quest, who plays Aunt
44:17
Bethany Clark's 80-year-old senile aunt. It was her final film, and of course, Doug, what do we know her from?
44:27
Doug: Betty Boop. Katie: Yeah. Her career began in 1930 as the voice of Betty Boop.
44:34
Doug: That's amazing. How, how long she was in the game. I didn't realize this was her last film either. I mean, it makes sense.
44:40
She, how do you know what her age was at this time? Katie: 81. I think she was one year older than her character.
44:48
Doug: and I think she was like 20 years older than the guy that played Uncle Lewis.
44:54
I think he was just in his sixties, Katie: right. Yep. Doug: that. A funny tidbit about may Quiel and, and her re recitation
45:03
of the pledge of Allegiance. She left out the part where it says, under God she's the only person that leaves out.
45:11
'cause everybody stands up or not stands up. But everybody at Uncle Eddie, cousin Eddie's the only one idiot
45:16
that stands up and, and puts his hand on his, on his heart. But they all recite the pledge of Allegiance, but
45:22
she's the only one that leaves out the words under God from One Nation under God, indivisible.
45:27
Because that was an added to the pledge until 1954 when so she would've
45:34
said the pledge, you know, dozens of times without using those words. So it was just like natural to her.
45:41
Katie: Yeah, if you ask me to recite the pledge of Allegiance, it, you don't even think about it. It's an automatic, so for her growing up, it was an automatic for her to
45:48
not use the under God, because that was added later. Yeah. Yeah. That's how old she is.
45:54
And I also didn't know that that wasn't added until later, but that totally tracks. Doug: I didn't either, but yeah.
46:00
Katie: Yeah. The music here, there's a few interesting things.
46:06
So did you notice any music missing from this That's in the others?
46:11
Doug: Oh, the holiday Road song? Katie: Yeah. Lindsey Buckingham's holiday Road. Doug: Is that, that's in all of the other ones, right?
46:18
Katie: yes, he, they asked him, they wanted him to, they offered the opportunity to write the theme for this movie, but he declined
46:26
'cause he didn't wanna get typecast as the soundtrack musician. I, Doug: Oh yeah, that's, I mean, what, what are they really known for?
46:36
Otherwise, you know, Lindsay Buckingham isn't exactly a a household name in
46:41
Katie: what's the one, at that time, no, but wasn't he Fleetwood Mac Doug: is No.
46:47
Is it? Katie: I think so. Am I completely off my rocker? Doug: hold on.
46:52
If that is, that, that's big if true. Let's see the guitarist vocals for rock band.
46:57
Fleetwood Max, son of a bitch. You are right. Katie: Yeah.
47:03
So I don't know if Doug: Wow. So maybe not a big solo career, but Katie: Yeah, yeah.
47:09
And maybe he was trying to make a bigger solo career, and therefore that's why he didn't want to get typecast as a soundtrack musician.
47:17
Doug: yeah. Listen, I'm gonna need you to go and erase all the, the ignorant shit I just, I just said Right.
47:23
Edit all that Katie: see. We'll see. Um, but the composer here is Angelo Bar Menti.
47:32
Doug: Oh, Katie: I, I like it. I like I'm guessing he's Italian. Doug: Italian. We know how you feel about Italians,
47:39
Katie: yes, it's true. I am Angelo. Doug: ones named Stallone.
47:45
Katie: Yeah, I like the dark features and all that jazz. So he's not known for comedies.
47:51
This Angelo, he was hired because Cheick wanted specifically to have
47:57
someone who hadn't done a comedy before. And I don't know why 'cause no, they were like, nobody could have imagined him doing
48:03
this kind of a score because he is most known for his works with David Lynch,
48:10
Doug: Oh, really? Katie: example like Blue Velvet Mulholland Drive. And he won a Grammy for composing the theme for the TV show.
48:18
Twin Peaks. Doug: Hmm. It's an Katie: who Angelo.
48:25
Doug: I do it again. I like, I like that sounds, sounds really authentic. That, that, that's an interesting tactic to hire somebody specifically
48:34
who doesn't do comedies to do a comedy. It's, Katie: Yeah. Why do you think that was? Doug: I don't know.
48:39
To, I mean, I, I understand the, the idea of maybe getting like a fresh take on a comedy from a composing standpoint.
48:46
But I would think you want somebody who,
48:52
who like knows how to do that. 'cause I mean, if you don't know how to do that and you, and you're all, all of a sudden tapped to score a comedy, now you gotta do a whole lot
48:59
of research on how to score a comedy, Katie: Yeah. Unless they were trying to get some of that, like touching,
49:07
like wholesome, like Christmasy. Doug: Okay. Katie: That's just my guess, but yeah, I thought that was really interesting.
49:14
Doug: you know, something though John Williams, who's one of the most famous composers of all time composed the score A Home Alone.
49:23
Katie: Mm-hmm. Doug: Obviously you've, you've done that one before. And so he's not like a typical comedy.
49:29
Composer, but you know, I mean, that's John Williams though. You can't compare anybody.
49:35
You can't compare bad Mente to John Katie: that, that was a really touching, like the theme from Home Alone is a
49:41
really, like touching, you know, it's not like a comedic song, it's to get you feels.
49:46
Doug: Yeah. But then, you got like the, the burglars theme that's comedic. You got like the Mickey Maing effects that are that's like when Mickey Maing
49:55
is like, when you emphasize like an action that happens you know when somebody falls on the ice and you hear the, as they fall, like that's
50:02
like Mickey Maing that action anyway. But that's that's all part of like comedy composing, right?
50:10
I would think so. But does somebody who, who doesn't normally compose comedies know that stuff?
50:15
I don't know. I mean, it works. I mean, I have no complaints about the music and Christmas vacation.
50:22
I'm, Katie: This is not a David Lynch show, so this is the first time I've come upon him. Usually there's a handful that directors or writers kind of have
50:30
their people that they work with. But anyway this was made for $25 million and it grossed 73.3 million.
50:39
Which actually was the highest grossing film in the series?
50:44
Doug: Was it really, Katie: I guess. Yeah. I Doug: so that's that's three times the budget roughly.
50:49
That's, I don't know. Is that, that's, it doesn't seem like a lot, is what I, is what I'm saying.
50:57
I don't know. Maybe, maybe comedies. Comedies don't gross a whole lot anyway. Katie: yeah. Almost 75 million I guess that for a comedy.
51:05
And that's the $89 Doug: that's true. Yeah. Okay. All right. I'm being ignorant.
51:11
Katie: No, I, had similar thoughts and it debuted at number two at the box office opening weekend behind back to the Future part two.
51:20
Doug: Hmm. Katie: And then it eventually topped the box office charts in the third week of its release and remained in the number one position for a few weeks, I think.
51:29
Um, But Doug: to the future. Two and others. The Mecca film. Katie: Yes, that's correct. Even actually regarding zumeka, the back to the Future films
51:36
aren't even my favorites. Like I like his other. Doug: Wow. Yeah. Oh, there, there's so many.
51:41
Katie: romancing The Stone's one of Doug: Well, yeah. Yes. Yes. Yeah. Mm-hmm.
51:47
We'll talk about this later. Katie: Doug, you clearly have a strong, solid history with Christmas vacation.
51:57
What's your elevator pitch for your thoughts on the movie? Doug: Oh man.
52:03
It's based around the holidays when, you know, everything's chaotic as it is in and of itself.
52:10
And Clark is a guy who, if it can go wrong, it will go wrong
52:15
and in spectacular fashion. So, sit back for all the thrills of the, the holiday season and join
52:23
the Griswold family on their, on their journey for a staycation.
52:28
This isn't a real vacation. right. They Katie: is, Doug: it's staying at home.
52:33
Katie: It's one of two Christmas themed movies released in 89 that featured Johnny Galecki.
52:40
Can you think of the other one? I went to a matinee of this movie, 1989.
52:45
Doug: it and I'm gonna get so mad 'cause Katie: It's not one that will come to mind, but once I say it you'll be like, of course
52:53
Doug: I Katie: give Doug: of him. What Katie: Prr. Doug: Oh, the, the, yeah. The reindeer movie.
52:59
Yes. Oh, wait, was he, he was the, the voice of one of the, was he a voice or was he actually in it?
53:05
Katie: I don't know. I don't know. It's been a long time. But I think Sam who played like the dad or the grandpa was like,
53:12
Doug: oh God. Katie: Oh my gosh, I wish my brain worked. He was in Roadhouse with Patrick Swayze what's his name?
53:18
Doug: Elliot. Sam Katie: Elliot. Wasn't he in Prancer? Doug: yeah. From, I mean, if it wasn't him, it was, you know what?
53:27
let's let's stop all the guessing games Katie: I didn't realize Johnny Doug: That was 19.
53:32
Katie: Yeah. he was like hot, I guess at this time. 'cause he was also on Roseanne? Doug: Yeah. That, and that was big around this time.
53:40
Standby. Sam Elliot Sure. Was. Cloris. Leachman.
53:45
Abe Vigoda. Katie: Oh, I need to re-watch Prr Doug: cow. Yeah. Oh, John Ecky.
53:50
Billy Quinn. He wasn't a, he was a Katie: one of the kids. Doug: Yeah.
53:56
All right. Yeah. I'm gonna watch Prancer. Katie: Yeah, animal movies get me though.
54:01
So I feel like it was a sad one. Doug: Yeah. Especially around this time when the lamb, before time was killing off
54:08
Katie: Oh yes. Oh my God. So we kind of alluded to it.
54:14
You were just like putting together a kitchen set for your daughter and all your lights.
54:19
So I feel like you can really relate to Clark. At what age do you think Christmas vacation stops being a comedy and
54:25
starts feeling like a documentary? Doug: Ooh, man. Katie: What, what hits really close to home? Like what happening to Clark?
54:33
You relate to the most now as an adult? Doug: The, the thing that would've set me off the most is doing
54:41
all that work on the lights and plugging it in, and they don't work. That, that right there, that's, that's the moment.
54:48
That's, the crossroads, like how do you handle this? Do you flip out like Clark or do you just say, okay, I'm gonna just go check
54:56
25,000 light bulbs to make sure they work? Katie: We're led to believe, he did already do that.
55:01
We checked him out, didn't we? Russ? Doug: Yeah, but then he goes back again and, and re-do 'em.
55:07
And, and the, the the problem was a, A light switch. A light switch in the garage.
55:12
Yeah, Katie: gag. Doug: Now there's, I I, I'm sure in your quest for trivia, you, you came across
55:18
these two tidbits too, but a when he flips out and he punches the santa and
55:23
the, and the reindeer, he broke his finger punching the santa in the face, Katie: I did see
55:28
Doug: and they use that take for it. And, Katie: kicking it. Of course. Doug: yeah, because he broke his hand.
55:34
Katie: yeah. Doug: And when the lights actually do work, the extension cords
55:40
were like, there was some safety protocol that was overlooked.
55:46
And every time he connected the two extension cords, he got like a, a really v violent electrical shock.
55:54
Katie: Jolted. Oh really? Doug: And it ha and it happened like 10 times before, before they realized what
56:01
was going on, and like his arm went numb and like he couldn't feel his fingers
56:06
for a while for like hours, you know, like he, he really got a violent shock Katie: maybe this is karma for being kind of a
56:14
Doug: Yeah. Maybe. Maybe. Yeah. Katie: dunno. I dunno. So I think one of his coworkers even calls him like, are you the last true
56:22
family man or something on earth? Doug: Yeah. Love Katie: and and then Ellen in bed, she's like, you know, Clark, you, you know,
56:31
maybe don't set your expectations so high, yada, yada, yada. So is he the most optimistic family man of all time, or a
56:39
walking cautionary tale or both? Doug: I love right from the beginning, from vacation, he is the most optimistic.
56:48
Like he loves his family so much and he wants to give him these. And, , this is another area where me and Clark are like right here, like some potty
56:57
go, because I love to give my family these experiences and to make everything memorable.
57:04
I can't say things go wrong on the level where, where it goes wrong for Clark, but I get it, man.
57:11
Like he, he wants, it's easy to fly somewhere and go to Disney World or Wally
57:17
World and you know, have this vacation. But he wants to drive because it's like all part of the experience, right?
57:24
He just wants to spend time with his family and give him this grand vacation. And everything you can possibly imagine goes wrong.
57:31
And that's like it. Same thing with European, same thing with this, same thing with Vegas.
57:37
You know, we're not talking about Vegas. But this he, he is the most optimistic. Wholehearted like every, like he feels with his whole chest, you know?
57:45
Like he really wants to he's doing this outta love, Katie: It is coming from such a wholesome place.
57:51
Yeah, Doug: Yeah. But nothing goes right. Nothing goes right. And he, and he loses it, which I get.
57:57
I get that, man. You're just, you're just doing everything you can to, to keep this together and everything is going wrong.
58:04
Katie: So he's a lovable hero, Clark Griswold, Doug: Totally. Yeah. Chevy Chase, asshole Clark Griswold, he is, he is the cat's pajamas,
58:16
Katie: The cats pajamas. I don't think I've heard that. I like it. I'm gonna use it. Uh, Doug: You know that
58:21
Katie: reason, yeah. You're right, I think a lot of parents feel that way around the holidays. They go by quick.
58:26
You wanna, make me memories and experiences and it, and a lot of times it's unmet, like maybe something didn't go wrong, but it's like unmet expectations.
58:37
And here with him, it's not only with his family, it's at work and the holidays in general with everybody coming and I think maybe that's why
58:45
it aged so well and is again, as an adult I find it so much more relatable
58:52
Doug: When you have unexpected family that are coming into town, like you, you don't account for this, but then, you know, your wife says, my parents are coming.
59:00
How do you say no to that? And then Eddie shows up outta nowhere alright, like, how do you say no to that?
59:05
You know? Katie: He is there, I mean Doug: Yeah. Yeah. He just shows Katie: at least planned their trip, but why did they come so early?
59:14
They come like a week before Christmas, right? Doug: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And he says that they're not leaving until next month.
59:21
so Katie: Oh yeah. Doug: you know, don't fall in love with the rv 'cause we're
59:26
taking her when we leave next Katie: Yeah. The grandparents come earlier than him, but I don't know if family spent more time together back in the day, but
59:35
like a week and a half with someone. That's a long time. Doug: that is, you could, make an argument for a couple of days, but Yeah.
59:42
You're talking like a week. Yeah. That's wild. Also, when Eddie pulls into town, that scene has one of the funniest comedy lines
59:51
in movie history as far as I'm concerned. Uh. When when Eddie asked Clark, are you surprised?
59:58
And Clark says, if I woke up tomorrow morning with my head to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am right now.
1:00:06
Katie: I thought you were going. That's true. That is true. But so he shows up, not just us cousin Eddie and his wife, but they're
1:00:14
two kids and they're a Rottweiler. Doug: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Katie: He says, I never caught this as a kid, but I was like, what?
1:00:22
That's a, he is alluding to the fact that he wants some alone time with his wife in the
1:00:27
rv. He says, get the rubber sheets and gerbils out.
1:00:33
Doug: yeah. Katie: What? Oh my God. That must've been like, in the rumors of, remember the
1:00:40
rumors of, uh, yeah. Yeah. Doug: Yeah. Yeah,
1:00:45
yeah, But as a kid, it, it's like it flies right by you. Like what? Gerbils Okay. But yeah.
1:00:51
That's wild. Mm-hmm. Katie: I gotta say well actually to go back, so we, we talked about this a little
1:00:57
bit in the European vacation episode. But this is the third movie in the series. But it wasn't originally supposed to be.
1:01:04
It was initially, the third film was supposed to be National Lampoon's Australian Vacation, but they scrapped that.
1:01:12
And I guess Chevy Chase later expressed regrets about that. Um,
1:01:17
he said about not making, he said, I, I wish we would've made more of them.
1:01:22
Doug: I ever Katie: did do Vegas vacation, but they were like other ideas that they had were
1:01:28
Yugoslavian Vacation, Hawaiian Vacation, Swiss family Griswold.
1:01:34
And then Beverly DeAngelo joked about Hey, we could do vacation on Mars. Why not?
1:01:41
Doug: I heard they had an Easter and Thanksgiving vacation. They, they had a lot of these ideas.
1:01:47
Katie: I mean, maybe if you're easier to work with, Doug: yeah, maybe. Yeah. Yeah. We can blame that on Chevy Chase.
1:01:54
Katie: I sure Doug: It's, it's probably good that we don't have all of those. 'cause you go to the well one too many times.
1:02:02
Katie: so is Christmas vacation clear? Is this your, your favorite of the vacation movies? Doug: Yeah.
1:02:07
I, I am a huge fan of the first two also. A lot of people don't like European vacation.
1:02:14
I love European vacation. It's so quotable. It's Katie: Mm-hmm. Yeah,
1:02:19
Doug: the Katie: I'd forgotten about it, but yeah, I liked Doug: it. Katie: as well. Doug: They're, they're both very good.
1:02:24
Very good. This is my favorite, but I, I do, I'd love the first two. Vegas I've seen a few times and I could take your leave, but
1:02:32
Katie: I maybe saw it once, I recall nothing from it. Doug: Yeah. Well, your your buddy from Dutch is in it.
1:02:38
Katie: Ed O'Neill. Oh, Ethan Doug: Ethan, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I wish that O'Neil was in it.
1:02:43
Yeah. He's Katie: O'Neill. Oh, okay. Maybe I haven't seen it. Okay, got it.
1:02:49
I think also, so Christmas movie always adds a little that, that helps the movie. You know, we all have sweet memories.
1:02:56
There's a lot of comforting carryovers too that kind of add to this. A cozy feeling. Brings me back, like I said, to a more innocent childhood Christmas time.
1:03:05
They have the wood paneled station wagon. It's just an updated version, like the late eighties version.
1:03:12
The pretty young woman that he attempts to flirt with it. There. There's that in this one as well, speaking of which, I don't remember
1:03:21
her lifting her skirt completely up to show that there's no underwear lines just out in the middle of the mall.
1:03:27
Doug: I know this is things that would never happen in real life, but, Katie: You think she closed the sale?
1:03:32
You think she got the sale on that? Doug: Up until Rusty showed up, but yeah, I think Rusty ruined it.
1:03:39
Katie: Oh Doug: I, I have a bit of trivia that that would interest you and goes back to our union for the first, for your first season of
1:03:48
Katie: oh Doug: Mm-hmm. The pickup truck from the opening scene.
1:03:55
Katie: I, I couldn't believe when I saw that, I was like, what are the odds that Doug was my guest on both
1:04:00
Doug: I know how hilarious did we mention that when we did Overboard?
1:04:06
Katie: I think so. 'cause when I saw it, something clicked with me. And it's also in they live,
1:04:12
so I, I think we did talk about it, that the light blue truck is Dean's truck, Doug: yeah, yeah.
1:04:17
yeah. Mm-hmm. Katie: it's the. The dudes that are Doug: The hillbillies.
1:04:23
yeah. To tailgate 'em. you know what's funny? I remember when we recorded that episode, my, my first daughter was like, just born.
1:04:31
She was like newly born, and now she's two and a half. It's, it's, and I
1:04:36
Katie: been that long? Oh my Doug: It's, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's wild.
1:04:41
Katie: It really is. Doug: When they say life goes by fast, man, it's Ferris Bueller said it
1:04:46
Katie: If you don't stop and look around every once in a while, you may miss it. Doug: There we go. There we go. Yeah.
1:04:52
I thought I knew you liked that trivia and I I enjoyed it too. Katie: Yes. Thank you for bringing that up.
1:04:57
Well, speaking of car hijinks the vacation movies always have that element of it.
1:05:03
And you know, it was certainly here too. They fly over some snowbank and perfectly land at the tree lot or
1:05:09
wherever they're gonna get their tree. I guess my point is I like all the comforting carryovers Doug: One of the things I love about Clark too is like downplaying you know, the, I
1:05:18
meant to do that kind of attitude that he has, you know, like the 50 yards. In the original vacation, and this like when after they launch over that
1:05:26
snow bank and he crashes through the sign and they kind of skid to his side, he goes, oh, we made good time.
1:05:32
Katie: Good point. Yeah, it's those little, it's those little things I think that really elevate movies in general, but
1:05:38
Doug: Yeah, but that's, I mean, that it, and bring it back to John Hughes, that takes clever and brilliant writing, and John Hughes just a master.
1:05:49
Katie: He, he definitely is. I also, 'cause I'm just like a grumpy woman I work in corporate
1:05:55
America so I loved, I like live vicariously through Clark which,
1:06:02
what he's able to do in this movie. But what's the story like, were bonuses a, do people get bonuses anymore at all?
1:06:10
And clearly back in the day, they were so big that you could put a pool in your backyard,
1:06:18
Doug: I I, that always rattled me, like, how much is, are these bonuses
1:06:24
and that, and when in the end when he gives him a 20% raise on his bonus you know, Clark passes out because it's such a, I tried to do the math and I
1:06:34
was thinking like, back then, if his bonus was like $10,000 at the end of
1:06:39
the year, 20% on that would be 2000. Is that pass out kind of money, like a $12,000 bonus
1:06:47
or are we talking like 50,000? Katie: I think we're talking more because he's expecting the bonus and
1:06:54
so he's already put down a deposit on the pool, which he says is $7,500.
1:06:59
That's $89. So I feel like that would be the equivalent of like a
1:07:06
hundred thousand dollars pool. Doug: Back then. Katie: No, now, meaning if 7,500 was the deposit.
1:07:13
That's prob some percentage of the total. Doug: Yeah. I've priced in ground pools.
1:07:19
It, it's about 90 to a hundred grand now. Katie: Okay, so, so his bonus is enough to put a pool in and he says, I'll fly y'all
1:07:28
Doug: yeah, that's, that's another thing. If there's enough leftover, like what, what are we talking About here?
1:07:33
Let's do some, we're gonna do some, 'cause we, we, we want answers, right? Katie: I don't have a pool in my yard, so I don't know what
1:07:39
percentage you have to put down, but I, I mean, 7,500 is a lot in 89.
1:07:44
Doug: yeah. Usually with, like construction projects, you'd have to put down a third for a deposit.
1:07:50
Katie: Okay. So the pool would've ended up costing like $23,000 and $89.
1:07:59
If, if, if you put down a third Doug: So a hundred thousand in today's money would've been 37 plus in
1:08:07
1980 or 80? 89. Katie: that kind of Doug: Yeah. Like, Katie: Yeah.
1:08:13
Doug: Yeah. Katie: a, that's a big bonus, I guess, is where I'm, I'm Doug: That it, it's, yeah. So, so if he was talking about having money left over to fly people out, fly.
1:08:23
That's another thing. Flying people out. Katie: I guess maybe airfare wasn't, who knows what the story was in
1:08:30
Doug: So I had, so we're talking like 50 grand maybe as a bonus.
1:08:36
So he must have been making, Katie: I Doug: that's just a bonus. 2, 200, 300 grand a year.
1:08:43
Katie: I mean, they, they live in a nice house in a Chicago suburb, so May and I don't think Ellen works, so.
1:08:50
Doug: Yeah. Yeah, Katie: I guess. Doug: man. Must have been good to be the
1:08:55
Katie: house, Doug: That makes sense then why he's so irate he's like, did the bonus come, did anything come for me in the mail?
1:09:01
He's so expecting this bonus. I guess I'm thinking it's like $200, like that's what
1:09:08
Yeah, I know, I know. I've never gotten a bonus before. , So the bonus is, is big and like you said, he counts on it every
1:09:15
year and he gets a enrolled in a jelly in a month club instead.
1:09:21
Katie: yeah. So speaking of that, that aspect of it, the corporate.
1:09:26
Bullshit that he puts up with at the office. And as an adult having been beaten down by it all, when he, like all the
1:09:35
lackies of his boss kind of walked by him, he's like, Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, happy holidays. Go fuck yourself.
1:09:41
Just like nonchalantly. I loved that. Doug: Yep. Katie: Or your kiss my ass or something.
1:09:47
Doug: Tho those are the guys that he could get away with telling to go fuck themselves, you know, like he can't say that to Mr. Shirley,
1:09:53
but he could say that to all, all his lackeys. Yeah. Katie: But it does work. He literally kidnaps and tells off his boss and it works.
1:10:03
Doug: Well, he doesn't technically kidnap him. Cousin Eddie does. Katie: net. He does regardless.
1:10:09
It's so the police and the SWAT team show up. Doug: Yeah, yeah Katie: do you have thoughts about that,
1:10:15
Doug: yeah. Hilarious. And, and the way it worked out and the way they, they did it was, it was perfect.
1:10:21
It was brilliant. The way they did it. They originally wrote the ending where like, Clark ended up going
1:10:27
to jail because of the kidnapping and test audiences hated it.
1:10:32
It, it got pan so hard. So they called everybody back to redo the ending, where like everything worked out.
1:10:40
And it was beautiful the way it worked out. That's the only way it should have worked out. They did it the first time and, you know.
1:10:46
In a regular vacation where they kidnapped what's the name? Mr. Wally?
1:10:52
Katie: Yeah. In vacation and very similar test audience.
1:10:57
Test audiences didn't like that. Like Christie Brinkley's character in that turned out to be Mr. Wally's daughter.
1:11:04
So , they re reshot that. And so they used the same idea then in this one where he actually
1:11:10
does kidnap the guy or hold him hos hold him hostage or whatnot. Not, Doug: yeah. So, I mean, go what works?
1:11:17
Like everything worked out in the original vacation, make everything work out. Katie: In this, we get the happy ending despite the fact
1:11:23
that the house is completely destroyed by the end of the movie. Everybody's just like super happy and celebrating anyway, so
1:11:30
Doug: know, you know who I really kind of, aligned with in that it was the cops working on Christmas Eve.
1:11:36
Katie: That's what I want. I know. And it's not just, it's like the whole police force in this town, seemingly, and the SWAT team.
1:11:42
Doug: Yeah, everybody shows up. But yeah, , it sucks. We're taking time away. I'm for your fans that don't know.
1:11:49
I'm a police officer also, and I have to work Christmas Eve this year at night, you?
1:11:54
know, it's, yeah. Yeah. But if I can take part in a Griswold style kidnapping house
1:12:01
storming, I would love that. As long as it worked out in Katie: Interesting. Doug: Right. Katie: Yeah,
1:12:06
I was curious this is why I'm not a police officer, because I'd be like, can nobody call? I don't wanna do anything.
1:12:11
Doug: No, in, in, in reality, Katie, that's how I feel like it's, it's
1:12:16
Christmas, just everybody get along. But the holidays are some of the, the most volatile times a year, believe it or not.
1:12:23
'cause you got families who don't like each other to begin with that are forced to get together for the holidays and you mix alcohol and
1:12:31
everything and it's, it, it gets pretty pretty crazy during the holidays.
1:12:36
Katie: I can imagine that. Well, I do hope that you have a really uneventful Christmas Eve Doug: Thank you.
1:12:42
Me too. Me too. Katie: Did you notice so cousin Eddie and Clark are drinking
1:12:49
eggnog together in the living room. They have like festive outfits on. He's wearing a, like a dark dickie under a white sweater.
1:12:56
First of all love it, Dickies. If you're younger than, I don't know, some, some age, you don't
1:13:02
know what a Dickie is, but it's like a faux turtleneck, and you could totally see that. There's no shirt under there.
1:13:08
Doug: Right. Yeah. And you know, it, all the hundreds of times that I've seen this, it took me a
1:13:13
long time to recognize that, but it's, yeah, it's just like a black square on
1:13:19
his chest under the white turtleneck. That's just, that's just the Dickie, Katie: you're right. Cousin Eddie. There's so many things.
1:13:25
Well, so they're drinking eggnog out of mugs from Wally World. I'm sure you've picked up on I didn't pick up on that.
1:13:32
Yeah, yeah. Doug: I've, years ago I tried to get my hands on some of those, but they were
1:13:37
so stupid, expensive, just like a set of those mugs, because they, I mean, they
1:13:42
don't make 'em, you know, it's just like a kind of a movie kind of prop thing.
1:13:48
Katie: Did you recognize Eddie's shoes that he is wearing? Doug: The white shoes from the original vacation that he gave to Clark.
1:13:55
Katie: Yeah. Yeah, of course you did. You've seen this a hundred times. Of course.
1:14:01
Doug: I mean, Eddie could rock the shit outta those white shoes. I don't know. I don't know how you feel, but Katie: I think he might be my favorite.
1:14:07
I do kind of love Ellen's, stress smoking in this, everybody's got their own little, the
1:14:13
characters are fleshed out. Well, I feel But I think I think this is elevated.
1:14:19
We need Randy Quaid. We need Cousin Eddie Doug: You know, and also going back to the clever writing of John Hughes in
1:14:27
that, that scene with that, the eggnog scene, you got Snots, the dog is drinking
1:14:32
all the water outta the Christmas tree. Which in turn dries out the tree throughout the next couple of days,
1:14:37
which adds to the flammability of it. So when the tree goes up in flames, right.
1:14:43
It's because the dog keeps drinking water outta the damn tree. Katie: I mean, just put more water in it. Keep putting more water in it.
1:14:50
But Doug: Yeah. But if the dog's drinking it, like how, you know, you can't keep up. Katie: point. That's true. That's true.
1:14:55
I, I didn't recall the dog. And I like a, I love a big dog, so I really liked Snots the Dog.
1:15:02
Doug: Did you did you like Ellen's interest in his set of testicles
1:15:07
when they show up and, and Eddie goes you've never seen a set on a dog like this. And Ellen, Ellen takes like a, a curious glance,
1:15:14
Katie: totally missed that. Doug: Watch it again? Ellen Shame.
1:15:20
Katie: Also, that's Ellen's dog. That's DeAngelo's dog and the cat's her cat.
1:15:26
Doug: The cat's, her cat. I, I just, I just learned that when I was doing research. Yeah. Yeah.
1:15:31
Katie: I absolutely love that. I completely forgot about this squirrel scene Doug: Oh, the squirrel scene.
1:15:36
Yeah. Katie: I did find it a little bit odd though. The, I mean, you don't want the squirrel in your house, like clearly you need
1:15:43
to get it out of your house, but the family seems oddly afraid of it. It's not a snake, it's a squirrel.
1:15:50
Doug: Yeah. I, if you see like a wild critter running around inside your house, it's kind of,
1:15:56
because I mean, your dogs run around you. You can tame, you know, you can Katie: but there, it's not a wild creature.
1:16:01
Doug: yeah, like a wild animal, you kind of, I mean, maybe they go over the top Also, I, I mentioned one of the funniest lines in comedy, film history.
1:16:10
Can I mentioned another one, A Lewis line, another like this.
1:16:15
John Hughes is such an amazing writer when, when aunt Anthony's sitting there
1:16:21
and she's like, do you hear that sound? And he goes, you couldn't hear a dump truck driving through a nitroglycerin plant.
1:16:28
Katie: Uncle Louis, Doug: Yeah. Katie: say Yes, I did Doug: He says that to her like, like just to, you know, connect just a way of
1:16:36
saying you're deaf, you can't hear shit. You know, to, to use that metaphor was just, I mean, the writing,
1:16:43
God can't say enough about it. Katie: You're right. There's a lot, just little, little things like remarks that people
1:16:49
say, as a, nonchalant thing that they say, like a throwaway, but it's, it you, if you catch them.
1:16:55
Uncle Louis and Aunt Bethany apparently were based on George Burns and Gracie Allen and they wanted George Burns to play Lou Lewis.
1:17:02
Doug: I that, I think that would've been great. That would've worked. Katie: It definitely would've worked. I, I do really like the guy.
1:17:09
He's Uncle Lewis in this and I really like his characterization of him, but. Doug: Agreed.
1:17:15
Agreed. I think George Burns could have done it, but I mean, after seeing it so many times with Uncle Lewis', uncle Lewis, you know, it's, it's hard to imagine
1:17:23
somebody else, but George Burns kind of like, and I think he might have been closer to make quest's age too.
1:17:29
Katie: Yeah, a hundred percent. Yeah, because he lived to be like over a hundred, I feel like, didn't he?
1:17:34
Yeah. Chevy Chase this is another little thing. His fingers keep getting stuck on the pages of the magazine.
1:17:40
He's flipping through when they're in bed and then they get stuck on Ellen's hair because the tree was so sappy.
1:17:45
Like just little things like that are really nice touches. But the people magazine that he was flipping through the person
1:17:53
on the cover was Jeremiah Cheick. I Doug: Another, another Katie: have.
1:17:58
Recognize I wouldn't, I mean, I would never have recognized him, but yeah, Doug: doesn't that the guy kind of has like a Hitler vibe to him, doesn't he?
1:18:07
The guy on the cover of the magazine, the mustache and the Yeah, it's a people magazine.
1:18:12
You know, you probably should have made it like Forbes 'cause people's, like fam famous people, you know, like
1:18:19
Katie: Well, speaking of magazines too, so both of the grandpas so the, the grandparents stay in the kids' bedrooms,
1:18:26
Doug: mm-hmm. Katie: And one of the grandpas is in Audrey's room is reading her magazine,
1:18:32
her Sassy magazine with a flashlight. And then the other grandpa, they're on bunk beds in Rusty's room, and
1:18:40
there's a, like a model on the ceiling or whatever, and he's just like looking up at it like he's in heaven. Doug: Yeah.
1:18:45
He's got the poster taped to his ceiling, Katie: He also had a poster of tortoises having sex.
1:18:54
Did you? Doug: God. I, I never, I Katie: I know I wouldn't have ever caught it until, like I said, doing the show,
1:18:59
I am just really paying attention and I was like, what the fuck is going on? There's a tortoise humping another tortoise a
1:19:07
a poster in Rusty's room. Doug: I mean, rusty is a young, teenage, teenage boy.
1:19:12
You know? It is one thing on his mind. Katie: Indeed, one more bit of trivia for you.
1:19:19
Brian Doyle Murray, Doug: Mm-hmm. Katie: who plays Clark's boss in this was in the other vacation movies as well.
1:19:27
So the first one he played the clerk at Camp Comfort, Doug: mm-hmm.
1:19:32
Katie: Or maybe not in European, but those two where the Griswold stopped to stay on their way. Doug: Yeah. He was spitting watermelon seeds in his hand.
1:19:39
Katie: Is he okay? Yeah. Yeah. So this is Bill Murray's brother, Brian Doyle Murray.
1:19:46
He was the priest in 16 candles when the sister gets married. So we talked about him in that episode, but he appears significantly older
1:19:54
than Clark, as Clark's boss in this. But he's actually two years younger than Chevy Chase
1:20:00
Doug: Wow. No kidding. No kidding. Yeah. He's in so much, he's in everything.
1:20:08
He's a great comedy actor too. Katie: is, I kind of forget about him, but Yeah, he is,
1:20:13
Doug: He, he's got that unmistakable voice, so like he, his appearance might change, , but he sounds the same in everything.
1:20:23
Katie: Is that his natural voice or is he kind of doing a little extra thing to sound like that? Is that
1:20:28
Doug: he he might put it on a little bit. I don't know. Yeah. Could be.
1:20:33
Katie: I wanna hear your final thoughts or if you have other favorite parts that we haven't gotten to. But I, again, I feel like as a kid, I didn't quite appreciate the
1:20:42
characters of Margot and Todd and now as an adult I to, I they are,
1:20:50
they're a needed addition to this. I love the neighbor aspect and who they are, who the neighbors are.
1:20:56
Again, the characters are out. Doug: Yeah, it's, they're, they're like the B plot, you know, the neighbors.
1:21:03
And it's, it from time to time, like, I, I wonder if like, my neighbors secretly
1:21:09
hate me because of whatever shit, because of my, my kids running around or whatever.
1:21:14
And but they're, I mean, they're hilarious. They're great for the b plot of this movie. But they don't ever like get over on Clark.
1:21:22
You know, Clark always, always has like a witty comeback, the snippy comeback, the, you know, where are you gonna put a tree that big bend over?
1:21:28
And I'll show you, you know, like, it's not like they never demean Clark,
1:21:34
where he like, seems less than them. So he's, he's always kind of on par with them, you know, usually when you have
1:21:40
like an antagonist , they'll have one up on the protagonist at some point.
1:21:45
But they're, they're always, like Clark is, is inadvertently making their, their life miserable, you know, with the ice through the window and the,
1:21:54
the, the, the, the spotlight shining in their room, in their bedroom. Katie: The tree, I feel like there was
1:22:00
Doug: The tree, yeah. When he, after the tree burnt down, he went and cut down a tree in his own yard, and when he cut that down, it fell through their window.
1:22:09
You know, it's, I mean, and again, the great writing when they're like, should we have gotten a tree? Like it's Christmas Eve, where are we gonna find a tree?
1:22:16
And here comes a tree, crash it through the window. They're great. They're a great comedy foil, but you know, if, if, if not
1:22:22
Katie: wet? Todd? Doug: Oh yeah. Right, right. Yeah. It's, it's the you know, the icicles, the perfect weapon.
1:22:28
Right. Because after our mals, there's no evidence. But yeah, they're like outside of them.
1:22:34
You wouldn't have any antagonist really, except Katie: I guess. Doug: Yeah.
1:22:39
Oh yeah. True. Katie: Or Doug: But Clark's own bad Katie: family? Yeah. His, yeah, his, his family showing up.
1:22:45
Like all of the things they go to the store, he doesn't have Randy Quat cousin Eddie doesn't have presents for his kids,
1:22:51
but he puts like five bags, five like 40 Doug: dog food. Katie: of dog food in the
1:22:56
Doug: Old Roy, that's the Walmart brand. But, uh, one thing Ben, like I know, I know Chevy Chase is, is a tall guy.
1:23:05
He's like six foot five. And in that you could really tell like they're Randy Craig must be obviously is a big guy too.
1:23:12
'cause they're like eye to eye in, in that, that scene, like they're just a couple of big dudes. Katie: They are.
1:23:18
Well, Doug, I could probably go on for like two more hours talking about Christmas vacation, like all the, it's super funny.
1:23:25
What did we not cover? What comes to mind that Doug: man.
1:23:30
Katie: it. Doug: The well, something o obviously the scene in the attic
1:23:35
is, is like a touching scene, right? Right. Up until the point where he falls, you know, through the, when doors opens
1:23:42
the, the thing and he falls down. But I, I love that scene simply because of the song by Ray
1:23:48
Charles the Spirit of Christmas, Katie: Oh, it was so good. Yes. I've, yes,
1:23:54
Doug: And I like, I have it on, on my own Christmas playlist because it's, it's such a, it's, it's nostalgic because it, this movie, but it's like a really pretty song,
1:24:03
Katie: It is, and I feel like it's not on a lot I, I don't, I don't hear that a lot, Doug: no.
1:24:09
If you want to hear it, add it, add it to your own Christmas playlist, 'cause it it is. It, evokes that feeling to me, you know?
1:24:16
Also the sledding scene, I know it's like an iconic scene, but one of the the things that I noticed throughout the years is, you know, as like they,
1:24:26
they'll show the hill that he's about to go down, and then he goes to sled down the hill, and it's like pew, right? Like a, like a light that just shoots down the hill.
1:24:35
If you look before, before he actually goes, they show the hill
1:24:40
a couple of times and you can see the charges running down the hill. There's like, there's Three lines of like explosive charges that run
1:24:47
down the hill in, in the exact line. That's that's the explosives that go off.
1:24:53
Katie: good eye Doug: But yeah yeah, I tell you, you see it hundreds of times. That's the stuff that you pick up
1:24:58
Katie: pick. I guess one to your point about the attic scene, it's the attic, so it's not like a complete like.
1:25:05
Floor. And so he steps through breaking through the ceiling into Rusty's room.
1:25:11
So he's stuck up there, the door gets closed. So I was like, why doesn't he just get out now that way?
1:25:18
Doug: I always wondered that too, that the, well, I mean, he's only like knee deep, so I mean it's, especially if he's as tall as he is, maybe it's difficult to,
1:25:28
to squirm. But I mean, you already broke the ceiling. Why don't you just break a little bit more of Katie: Say? That's what I was thinking too.
1:25:34
But then where's the grandpa gonna sleep? I don't know where all these Doug: Yeah. Katie: sleeping. Doug: Right. You just gotta look in the hole.
1:25:39
Katie: Where are, where are um, rusty and Audrey sleeping?
1:25:44
Is Doug: in maybe a guest bed, but I mean, they're sleeping together Katie: Wouldn't it make more sense then if there was a guest room to put one
1:25:52
set of grandparents in there and have Audrey and Rusty sleep on the bunk beds? Doug: Or are they in Audrey's room?
1:26:00
Katie: 'cause another set of grandparents are in Audrey's room, so the kids' rooms are taken by the grandparents
1:26:05
Doug: Hmm. Yeah, I don't know. That's a Katie: and so there has to be, unless there's a basement or
1:26:11
something, I don't, I don't know. Or a pullout couch or Doug: Oh, maybe. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe a pullout couch. Yeah. Maybe they're sleeping on, yeah.
1:26:16
The logistics of it, you know, aren't clear. But yeah. Maybe a pull out couch. That makes a a lot of sense.
1:26:22
Put Rusty and Audrey on the, on the couch. Katie: What are your closing thoughts? I know this is putting you on the spot and that's hard because you love this movie
1:26:28
so much and you've seen it so many times. But, thank you first of all for joining me for this super classic,
1:26:34
I had such a fun time re-watching it and talking about it with you. So thank you for joining me for it.
1:26:40
What are your closing thoughts on Christmas vacation? Doug: man, I can't say enough about it.
1:26:46
It means outside of just like the entertaining and comedic factor of it, the, the movie means a lot to me because of, you know, how I came up watching it.
1:26:56
Right. So, yeah, it's hilarious. And, and still, after all the times that I've seen it, I still watch these
1:27:03
parts and I'm describing these lines to you and I can't even get through the line because I'm laughing already, but that's I still laugh at the stuff
1:27:09
that you're supposed to laugh at. And even, even some of that, like subtle stuff, like the lines that, that I noticed that you may have not.
1:27:17
But it means a lot to me in a lot of ways. Right. And it's, I, I don't, I don't plan on ever stopping to watch it.
1:27:25
I, I hope that my kids, but like my, you know, my teenagers, my boys, they know it, they watch it, but, you know, not the way that I did growing
1:27:32
up. So, I mean, my daughters, I got a second chance on them, so hopefully they'll, they'll appreciate it the way that I do.
1:27:39
Katie: Fingers crossed, Doug. Yeah, and remind us where we can find more of you in your work.
1:27:46
Doug: Well, the main project I'm working on is with our buddy Ryan. I do the Frank Stallone podcast.
1:27:51
It's called Frank Stallone, who is this guy? And I know some people may know me from Rocky Minute.
1:27:58
That was my my podcast. I started many, many ages ago, another life ago before my divorce and, you
1:28:05
know, my remarriage and everything. And, I do plan on revisiting that.
1:28:11
I don't know if I'm gonna, I I, I'm still, because the girls are, you know, once, once they get into like, school age, you know, and, and they
1:28:19
don't take up so much of my free time. I can start podcasting on my own again and, you know, editing
1:28:26
on my own and shit like that. So, I don't know. I, I'm, I may, just start over
1:28:31
I may just start over from the beginning. Yeah. Katie: doing it minute by minute though. Doug: minute by minute. Katie: Yeah.
1:28:37
Okay. Well stay tuned Doug: it here first, folks? Katie: Yeah, no, it's super funny.
1:28:43
I mean, I can never get enough rocky coverage, so I welcome it with open arms, Doug.
1:28:49
Doug: Well, you'll be a frequent guest on it, trust Katie: Awesome. Awesome. Well, I really did, really enjoyed my rewatch last night of Christmas vacation.
1:28:58
I, I think partially because I relate to it so much more now as an adult and I'm catching things I didn't in prior viewing.
1:29:06
So super fun rewatch. This is your last holiday movie coverage, everyone.
1:29:11
It's our wrap on Christmas vacation and I do think that it perfectly captures the stress.
1:29:16
The absurdity and the weird comfort of the holidays. So thank you for spending part of your season with us, and I will
1:29:23
be back soon with another rewind. In the meantime, help spread the word to help the show grow by sharing,
1:29:30
commenting, subscribing, and reviewing. And until next time, be kind. Rewind.