Talk about the ultimate family diary. National Lampoon’s Vacation Star Dana Barron still has the original script for the 1983 comedy hit that introduced America to the Griswold family, starring Chevy Chase’s pratfall-prone patriarch Clark. And actress John Hughes knows there are some significant differences between what the screenwriter wrote on the page and what Harold Ramis directed on screen.
“I have the original script, so I can always go back [to it] And say, ‘Oh, this is what happened,'” Baron told Yahoo Entertainment about that debut. Vacation timeIt’s arriving in 4K Ultra HD on June 27 to mark its 40th anniversary. And she’s returning to it recently as she’s working on her own memoir, which chronicles the making of the film. “I had to go back and relive my memories,” says Baron, 16, of playing the oldest Griswold daughter, Audrey, opposite Anthony Michael Hall, as her younger brother Rusty and Beverly D’Angelo, their long-suffering mother. Ellen
Check out our interview with Dana Barron on YouTube below
And some of these memories include: Vacation timeA never-before-seen original ending. In the film, Clark piles his family into the Wagon Queen Family Truckster and embarks on a road trip to Wally’s World – the happiest Disneyland on Earth. Both versions Vacation time The Griswolds conclude by pulling into the park only to find that the park is closed for maintenance. In the theatrical release, Clarke takes Wally World’s hapless security guard Russ Laskin (played by the late John Kennedy) hostage and squeezes in as many rides as possible before the cops show up.
But in the version of the finale, which Hughes scripted and Ramis shot first, Clarke heads straight to the home of park owner Roy Wally (Eddie Bracken) and is kidnapped instead. But test audiences responded poorly to the Griswolds being home invaders, so Ramis quickly assembled the cast to shoot the alternate ending. To this day, the original ending has never been released, although Chase says his version is on VHS.
“I’m going to have to ask Chevy to show me because I’m seeing him in a couple of weeks,” laughs Barron. “I think they should have let it go [4K edition]And I’m sure because I’m sure fans will love to see it.
In the absence of Chase’s VHS tape, Baron must rely on her own memories—as well as her script—to reconstruct what they recorded. “I have a picture of me getting on top of a truck in Roy Koi Pond,” she says. “We’d shoot the property with a BB gun and Chevy would make Roy and all the execs dance and sing. That was fun and I miss that part.”
On the other hand, Barron was not happy about shooting that siege in the middle of the summer. “It was very hot, and people were literally passing by,” she recalls. “They had to give them smelling salts to wake them up!”
While she would have liked to see the original ending released for historical purposes, Baron ultimately thinks Ramis made the right call to end the film at Wally World instead of Wally’s property. “Harold said the first ending didn’t work, because no one ever went to Wally’s world. It wasn’t fun – it was ugly. Every time we tried to get there, and we never saw it. Now we do!”
Since the new ending was shot months after production wrapped, there are persistent errors in Wally World’s ending. Hall has gone through a growth spurt, so Rusty is much older than he was in the rest of the movie. And all four lost the summer tan that Griswold got with a shot in the first round. But Candy’s comedic performance as Russ more than makes up for those differences. “It was a lot of fun being with John,” Barron confirms. “I think the whole movie works because Wally loves the world.”
Baron says her upcoming book will also correct the narrative about others. Vacation time Inaccurate stories. For example, there’s a fan theory that Christie Brinkley’s famous “girl in the red Ferrari”—who is Clark’s roadie—is actually Roy Wally’s daughter, and that’s why she’s driving cross-country. “That’s not true,” Baron insisted.
Meanwhile, in a previously recorded commentary track, Chase seems to hint that Clarke’s previous late-night motel pool encounter will include a kiss before Brinkley is discovered by the rest of the guests — including his embarrassing family. “That wasn’t shot and it was shot as written,” Barron recalls. “Chevy and Harold rewrote John’s script, which John wasn’t too happy about. But they had to make Clark the centerpiece. It was originally supposed to be from Rusty’s point of view, and they changed it to Clark’s point of view.” It changed the whole movie. Chevy This was a big story and should have been the star of the movie.
But Barron is quick to note that the famous villain Chase didn’t bring to set up a star’s ego. “He was very nice and fun — there was nothing wrong with him,” says the actress, who years later took time to write a letter of recommendation for her application to New York University’s business school. “He’s a nice guy, but you’ve got to be really quick. We had a convention once, and the announcer was freaking out and he yelled, ‘Your toes.’ [around him].”
Speaking of rust, Barron reveals that one hall-related story beat was shot in the pool area that didn’t make the final cut. “Anthony, there’s a woman standing by the porch who’s supposed to be a prostitute,” she says. “[Rusty] He was going to go into a hotel room with her. But they cut that out – ‘It’s not appropriate!’
According to Barron, the then 14-year-old star conspired to pull off another ageless moment behind the scenes. At the beginning of the film, Ramis paid tribute to Alfred Hitchcock Psycho Where Clark sneaks up on his wife while she’s showering. When he pulls back the curtain, he surprises a topless Ellen with…bananas. Meanwhile, Hal surprises everyone when it’s revealed that he crashed the show to watch D’Angelo’s nude scene.
“Michael Hall, 14, was hiding on set to watch his mother strip,” Barron says with a laugh. ” already taken. [producer] Matty Simmons, ‘What are you doing? Get out of here!’ He was trying to spy on his naked mother! That’s it. Vacation time to you”
Sadly, Barron was unable to join her parents on their way home. European vacation After two years. In the year The 1985 series, directed by Amy Heckerling, cast new actors such as Audrey and Rusty, but Howell was unable to reprise the role due to his commitment. Weird science. “We can’t keep the old Audrey with new rust,” Amy recalls. “So they’ve got two new kids, and Matty Simmons says it’s one of the biggest mistakes he’s ever made in his career.” (Dana Hill and Jason Lively play brothers European vacationJuliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki took over for the 1989s. Christmas vacation And Marisol Nichols and Ethan Embry joined the fray in the 1997s. Vegas vacation.)
“It was tragic,” Barron said. “My family left me!” But instead of arguing in her room, she went on her own European vacation. “I was 18, so I put my backpack on my back and took myself to Europe!” I thought, “If they won’t take me, I’ll take myself.” Really On vacation.”
National Lampoon’s Vacation It will be released on Tuesday, June 27 in 4K Ultra HD.
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