National Lampoon’s Vacationis one of cinema’s classic road trip comedies.
Eventually, the S.W.A.T.
team arrives and arrests the family.
Dana Barron, Beverly D’Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall, and Chevy Chase in the original ending from ‘National Lampoon’s Vacation’.Everett Collection
But that’s not howNational Lampoon’s Vacationoriginally ended.
In the original finale, the Griswolds never enter Walley World at all.
But when the original cut of the film was shown to test audiences, there was a problem.
Chevy Chase in the original ending from ‘National Lampoon’s Vacation’.Everett Collection
“And then they went strangely quiet and did not laugh again for the rest of the picture.”
And they really expected to get to Walley World.
And here we were denying them the payoff to the whole trip."
Chevy Chase and Christie Brinkley in ‘National Lampoon’s Vacation’.Everett Collection
With his otherwise hilarious film running out of gas, there was only one option before it hit theaters.
“We cast John Candy in the part of the security guard, and that became the end sequence.
When we followed the original script, it really took us nowhere.
John Candy, Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Dana Barron, and Anthony Michael Hall in ‘National Lampoon’s Vacation’.Everett Collection
But then the rethink kind of saved the picture in a big way.”
But instead of heading back to Walley World, Clark heads straight to the top instead.
DANA BARRON: Chevy has his breakdown where he loses it and gets a BB gun.
Chevy Chase, Anthony Michael Hall, Beverly D’Angelo, and Dana Barron in ‘National Lampoon’s Vacation’.Everett Collection
And basically, he has this ridiculous idea to kind of hijack Roy Walley.
BARRON: He wants Roy Walley entertainment fun, and he deserves it.
HALL: The scene was basically Chevy breaking into his mansion.
And Roy Walley who is essentially Roy Disney is having a lunch with his associates.
And Chevy holds them hostage.
We just drove across the country."
And Roy’s like, “I know what that’s like with the smelly family and all.”
So he’s like, “Oh, it’s fine.
Go to Walley World.”
But we never see us in Walley World only Roy Walley, right at the end there.
HALL: Eddie Bracken played Roy Walley, and he was a wonderful character actor.
He’d been around since the days of Preston Sturges' films in the ’40s.
He was a lovely man and a great guy.
He was so funny and he was from that different era.
Eddie and Chevy had great chemistry together.
That’s what I remember about the original ending' just enjoying the Roy Walley entertainment.
HALL: Oh s—!
You’re bringing all these memories back.
I don’t even remember that.
But I have a photo from the plane that I sign at Comic-Cons.
I never even thought about that.
I don’t even remember what happened with that.
That got nixed too, man.
So the hats on the plane show that we were in Walley World.
And they announce on the plane, “We’re not going back to Chicago.”
I don’t know where they said the plane was going, but it was the wrong direction.
Of course, Clark freaks out and goes bananas that we’re going the wrong direction again.
HALL: That’s funny.
Now you’re bringing it all flooding back to me.
That was during the original production because that photo is pre-pubes Anthony Michael Hall.
Christie Brinkley’s actual character identity revealed?
And that daughter is played by… Christie Brinkley!
But is it true?
BARRON: Not true.
That is a rumor.
HALL: People are thinking too hard on that.
I don’t know anything about that.
BARRON: A fan maybe five years ago said, “Hey, I heard this is true.”
I went, “Are you kidding?”
So that makes sense to me that she would be Roy Walley’s daughter, but definitely not.
That’s just a very clever rumor.
But the new ending was not the only noticeable change for the reshoot.
BARRON: Anthony Michael Hall shot up like a giant.
He looks completely different.
HALL: Puberty kicked in hard for me.
They called everybody back together again, but I was in the throes of puberty, right?
So I had sprouted up.
It was that summer where you just grow, and all of a sudden you’re a man.
And my hair got darker.
BARRON: My hair had blonde streaks in it by the end of the film.
I had pimples and I had shot up about a foot.
So if you look carefully at Rusty, I actually look like a different kid.
Chevy made me feel goofy about it and I was kind of embarrassed by that.
BARRON: I’m not going to put down my mother.
Let’s just say she wasn’t a great cook.
And then, all of a sudden, I had craft services, I had meals all the time.
I found food, so I went from like 80-nothing pounds to like 96.
And I’m little, so that’s a huge gain.
Michael grew up, and I grew out.
HALL: So, Chevy as Clark Griswold does not make it ever to Walley World.
And the audiences tested at the screenings in 1982 were bummed because they never made it.
They really wanted to see them make it.
BARRON: Harold was right.
Harold tested the first ending.
He’s like, “This is not testing well.
People are depressed when they leave.”
It just wasn’t the uplifting movie that it is now.
HALL: It is a testament to test screenings.
What the hell’s the point?"
The studio was satisfied, and obviously audiences were.
And it began what became this franchise.
And fans aren’t the only ones.
I have the original picture with the old ending."
BARRON: I don’t think anyone in the cast other than Chevy has seen the original ending.
HALL: I’m sure I never saw that original ending.
I thought it was funny when I was making it with everybody, but never did see it.
BARRON: No one ever showed it to me.
To my knowledge, they’re not planning to release it.
I haven’t gotten to see it yet, but I’d like to.
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