Interesting Facts About 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'

Alamy

"Christmas Vacation" is considered a holiday classic many people.

Every Christmas, fans watch the movie and laugh as patriarch Clark Griswold tries to put together a fun, old-fashioned Christmas.

Yet, as with the other Vacation movies, the family experiences one disaster after another. Whether it's Cousin Eddie showing up in his camper, the tree burning down, or a squirrel getting loose in the house; the Griswolds wish this was one Christmas they could forget.

Recently, the film celebrated its 30th anniversary, so in honor of this milestone let's take a look at some interesting facts about the movie.

Fans loved Clark's dear Aunt Bethany and Uncle Lewis, who join the family for Christmas dinner.

As seen in the movie Aunt Bethany is a bit senile as she wraps her cat in a box, then recites The Pledge of Allegiance during grace.

Mae Questel played the role of Aunt Bethany, and if cartoon fans will probably recognize Mae from her previous voice-over work.

In the 1930s, Mae worked as a voice-over artist and provided the voice for the iconic cartoon characters Betty Boop and Olive Oyl.

Like most movies, Christmas Vacation had its share of goofs.

During one scene where Clark's Christmas lights finally come on, you can see Cousin Eddie's RV parked in the driveway. Yet, in the next scene when the lights go off, you can see the RV has disappeared.

Another goof occurs when Clark's Christmas tree burns down. He then heads outside with a chainsaw to chop down another tree. As Ellen and the kids are standing on the porch, you can see that the original tree still intact and lit up in the living room.

Cousin Eddie's daughter Ruby Sue steals the spotlight in the movie. One of her most memorable scenes is when she expresses her fears to Clark that Santa isn't coming to visit.

Ellen Latzen played the role of Ruby Sue, but before that she played Michael Douglas' daughter in the film Fatal Attraction.

Latzen was still sporting the same pixie haircut she had in Fatal Attraction. For her role in Christmas Vacation, the director asked stylists to fit her with a wig to wear.

For the roles of Rusty and Audrey, Johnny Galecki and Juliette Lewis were cast.

In the movie, we see Audrey's annoyance at her younger brother and her protest at having to share a room with him while the grandparents are visiting. As for Rusty, he's seen trying to help his dad with the Christmas decorations and keeping Clark from going crazy.

Thirty years later, Johnny and Juliette got to work together again on the set of the ABC sitcom The Connors. This time Juliette played Johnny's girlfriend on the show.