National Lampoon's Vacation
''National Lampoon's Vacation'', sometimes referred to as simply ''Vacation'', is a 1983 American black comedy road film directed by Harold Ramis and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, John Candy, and Christie Brinkley in her acting debut with special appearances by Eddie Bracken, Brian Doyle-Murray, Miriam Flynn, James Keach, Eugene Levy, and Frank McRae. It tells the fictitious story of the Griswold family on a cross-country trip to an amusement park and various locations as accidents occur along the way. The screenplay was written by John Hughes on the basis of his short story "Vacation '58", which appeared in '' National Lampoon''. The film was a box-office hit, earning more than $60 million in the U.S. alone with an estimated budget of $15 million. As a result of its success, five sequels have been produced: '' European Vacation'' (1985), '' Christmas Vacation'' (1989), '' Vegas Vacation'' (1997), '' Christmas Vacation 2'' (2003), ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Boris Vallejo
Boris Vallejo (born January 8, 1941) is a Peruvian-American painter who works in the science fiction, fantasy, and erotica genres. His hyper-representational paintings have appeared on the covers of numerous novels in the science fiction, sword and sorcery, and fantasy fiction genres, along with album covers for musical groups in addition to movie posters and other media. His art is also sold through a series of annual calendars. Early biography Born in 1941 in Lima, Peru, Vallejo began painting at the age of 13, in 1954, and obtained his first illustration job three years later in 1957 at the age of 16. He attended Escuela Nacional Superior Autónoma de Bellas Artes on a five-year scholarship, and was awarded a prize medal. Career After emigrating to the United States in 1964, at the age of 23, he quickly garnered a fan following from his illustrations of Tarzan, Conan the Barbarian, Doc Savage, and various other fantasy characters (often done for paperback-fiction works fea ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Eddie Bracken
Edward Vincent Bracken (February 7, 1915 – November 14, 2002) was an American actor. Bracken came to Hollywood prominence for his comedic lead performances in the films '' Hail the Conquering Hero'' and '' The Miracle of Morgan's Creek'' both from 1944, both of which have been preserved by the National Film Registry. During this era, he also had success on Broadway, with performances in plays like '' Too Many Girls'' (1940). Bracken's later movie roles include '' National Lampoon's Vacation'' (1983), '' Oscar'' (1991), '' Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'' (1992), '' Rookie of the Year'' (1993), and '' Baby's Day Out'' (1994). Life and career Edward Vincent Bracken was born in Astoria, Queens, New York on February 7, 1915, the son of Joseph L. and Catherine Bracken. Bracken performed in vaudeville at the age of nine and gained fame with the Broadway musical '' Too Many Girls'' in a role he reprised for the 1940 film adaptation. He had performed in a short film series c ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Total Film
''Total Film'' was a British film magazine published 13 times a year (published monthly with a summer issue added, between the July and August issues, every year since issue 91, 2004) by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and offered cinema, DVD and Blu-ray news, reviews, and features. ''Total Film'' was available both in print and interactive iPad editions. In 2014, it was announced online that ''Total Film'' would be merging into ''GamesRadar+,'' alongside ''SFX (magazine), SFX'', ''Edge (magazine), Edge'', and ''Computer and Video Games''. In October 2024, Future announced that the publication of ''Total Film'' would be ending on issue 356, with the publication joining ''All About Space'', ''Total 911'' and ''3D World'' as titles axed by the company at the same time. Features Each month, ''Total Film'' provided a range of features, from spotlight interviews with actors and directors to the making of on-set pieces for new and future releases. Each issue alway ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Vacation (2015 Film)
''Vacation'' is a 2015 American road comedy film written and directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (in their directorial debuts). It stars Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Leslie Mann, Beverly D'Angelo, Chris Hemsworth, and Chevy Chase. It is the fifth theatrical installment of the ''Vacation'' film series, serving as a standalone sequel to '' Vegas Vacation'' (1997). It is also the second not to carry the ''National Lampoon'' name after ''Vegas Vacation''. The film was released by New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. on July 29, 2015. It successfully grossed $104 million on a $31 million budget but received generally negative reviews. Chevy Chase received a Worst Supporting Actor nomination at the Golden Raspberry Awards. Plot Rusty Griswold is now working as a pilot for the low budget regional airline Econo-Air, living in suburban Chicago and in a stale relationship with his wife Debbie and their two sons, shy and awkward 14-year-old James, and naughty and sad ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2
''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2'' (also known as ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure'') is a 2003 American made-for-television comedy film. It is the only film in the Vacation franchise not to star Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo as Clark and Ellen Griswold respectively. It premiered December 20, 2003 on NBC and stars Randy Quaid and Miriam Flynn reprising their roles as Cousin Eddie and Catherine, along with Dana Barron reprising her role as Audrey Griswold. It is a spin-off/sequel to the 1989 film, '' National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation''. Plot The story begins with Cousin Eddie at his latest workplace, a nuclear facility where he 'works' alongside a chimpanzee. When the chimpanzee outperforms him in every test (specifically mental agility), the decision is made to fire him. Upon finding out the news, the two get into an argument which results in the chimpanzee biting him. With Christmas approaching, Eddie is worried about w ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Vegas Vacation
''Vegas Vacation'' is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Stephen Kessler in his feature directorial debut. It is the fourth installment in '' National Lampoon''’s ''Vacation'' film series, and was written by Elisa Bell, based on a story by Bell and Bob Ducsay. The film stars Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid, Wayne Newton, Ethan Embry, and Wallace Shawn. It tells the story of Clark Griswold taking his family to Las Vegas to renew his vows to Ellen as the series' usual hilarity occurs. The film opened at #4 at the box office and grossed over $36.4 million domestically. ''Vegas Vacation'' is the first theatrical ''Vacation'' film not to carry the ''National Lampoon'' label or a screenwriting credit from John Hughes. Also, this is the final film released before ''National Lampoon'' magazine folded. This was also the last ''Vacation'' movie to be released until New Line Cinema, a production company of Warner Bros., produced a standalone sequel that was released 1 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' is a 1989 American Christmas slapstick comedy film and the third installment in ''National Lampoon'' magazine's ''Vacation'' film series. ''Christmas Vacation'' was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, written and co-produced by John Hughes, and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, and Randy Quaid with supporting roles by Miriam Flynn, William Hickey, Mae Questel (in her final film role before her death in 1998), Diane Ladd, John Randolph, E.G. Marshall, Doris Roberts, Juliette Lewis, and Johnny Galecki. Based on Hughes's short story, "Christmas '59", published in ''National Lampoon'', the film tells the story of Clark Griswold's efforts to have a good old-fashioned family Christmas as they take a hilarious turn for the worse. It is the final film in the series to involve Hughes and ''National Lampoon''. Filming took place in Summit County, Colorado, Silverthorne, Breckenridge, and Frisco as well as Burbank, California between March ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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National Lampoon's European Vacation
''National Lampoon's European Vacation'' is a 1985 American comedy film directed by Amy Heckerling and written by Robert Klane based on characters created by John Hughes. The second film in National Lampoon's ''Vacation'' film series, it stars Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Dana Hill, Jason Lively, Victor Lanoux, and Eric Idle with special appearances by John Astin, Paul Bartel, Maureen Lipman, Willy Millowitsch, Mel Smith, and Moon Zappa. It tells the story of the Griswold family when they win an all-expense-paid trip to Europe as chaos of all sorts occur. The film received mixed reviews from critics but was a financial success. Plot The Griswold family competes in a game show called ''Pig in a Poke'' and win an all-expense-paid trip to Europe. They first stay in a sordid London hotel with a sloppy, tattooed Cockney desk clerk. While in their English rental car, a yellow Austin Maxi, Clark's tendency to drive on the wrong side of the road causes frequent accidents. Later, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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National Lampoon (magazine)
''National Lampoon'' was an American humor magazine that ran from 1970 to 1998. The magazine started out as a Spin-off (media), spinoff from ''The Harvard Lampoon''. ''National Lampoon'' magazine reached its height of popularity and critical acclaim during the 1970s, when it had a far-reaching effect on American humor and comedy. The magazine spawned National Lampoon's Vacation (film series), films, The National Lampoon Radio Hour, radio, live theater, various sound recordings, and print products including books. Many members of the publication's creative staff went on to contribute creatively to successful media of all types. The magazine often featured parody and surrealist content. Its issues often had long and short written pieces, a section of actual news items (dubbed "True Facts"), cartoons, and comic strips. Most issues also included "Foto Funnies" or Photonovel, fumetti, which often featured nudity. The magazine declined during the late 1980s and ceased publication in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Short Story
A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest types of literature and has existed in the form of legends, Myth, mythic tales, Folklore genre, folk tales, fairy tales, tall tales, fables, and anecdotes in various ancient communities around the world. The modern short story developed in the early 19th century. Definition The short story is a crafted form in its own right. Short stories make use of plot, resonance and other dynamic components as in a novel, but typically to a lesser degree. While the short story is largely distinct from the novel or novella, novella/short novel, authors generally draw from a common pool of literary techniques. The short story is sometimes referred to as a genre. Determining what exactly defines a short story remains problematic. A classic definition ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Frank McRae
Frank McRae (March 18, 1941 – April 29, 2021) was an American film and television actor and a professional football player. Early life McRae was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He graduated from Tennessee State University with a double major in drama and history. He was a defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears in the 1967 NFL season appearing in 6 games. Career Among his acting roles are bank robber Reed Youngblood in '' Dillinger'' (1973); a shouting police captain named Haden in ''48 Hrs.'' (1982), a role he later parodied in ''Last Action Hero'' (1993) and '' Loaded Weapon 1'' (1993); the history teacher, Mr. Teasdale, in ''Red Dawn'' (1984); James Bond's friend Sharkey in ''Licence to Kill'' (1989); and former professional boxing champion Harry Noble in '' Batteries Not Included'' (1987). He also appeared opposite Sylvester Stallone in 4 films: '' F.I.S.T.'' (1978), ''Paradise Alley'' (1978), ''Rocky II'' (1979), and '' Lock Up'' (1989), as well as a protective trucker in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Eugene Levy
Eugene Levy (born December 17, 1946) is a Canadian actor and comedian. Known for portraying flustered and unconventional figures, Levy has won multiple accolades throughout his career including four Primetime Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2011, and was made Companion of the Order of Canada in 2022. Levy started his career in Canada starring in the 1972 musical production of '' Godspell'' and the sketch series '' SCTV'' (1976–1984), the latter of which he also wrote and earned two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series. He collaborated with Christopher Guest in a series of films as a co-writer and actor in '' Waiting for Guffman'' (1996), '' Best in Show'' (2000), '' A Mighty Wind'' (2003), and '' For Your Consideration'' (2006). He is known for his role in the '' American Pie film series'' (1999–2012) and also appeared in '' National Lampoon's Vacation'' (1983), '' S ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |