National Lampoon's Vacation
A well-meaning but clueless father leads his family on a chaotic cross-country road trip to a beloved amusement park, battling mechanical failures, misadventures, and his own stubborn determination to make the journey a bonding experience.
“Every summer Chevy Chase takes his family on a little trip. This year he went too far.”
Synopsis
Clark Griswold is on a quest to take his family to the Walley World theme park for a vacation, but things con
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 43+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Pembroke J HerringShot by Victor J KemperScored by Ralph BurnsDesigned by Jack T Collis
Box Office
1983 · Box office
💰 Box-office hit — grossed 4.1× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$61.4M
US & Canada: $61.4M — 100% of worldwide · International: $19K (0%)
Opening weekend: $8.3M — 14% of its US run. It had legs — it kept earning long after opening weekend.
Opening week (7-day): $13.5M — 22% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 1,175 theaters
Full synopsis
Also known as
- Die schrillen Vier auf Achsede
- National Lampoon's Vacationen
- Bonjour les vacancesfr
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Cast & Crew
43 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Chevy Chase
as Clark Griswold
Beverly D Angelo
as Ellen Griswold
Imogene Coca
as Aunt Edna
Anthony Michael Hall
as Rusty Griswold
Randy Quaid
as Cousin Eddie
Dana Barron
as Audrey Griswold
Eddie Bracken
as Roy Walley
Brian Doyle Murray
as Kamp Komfort Clerk
Miriam Flynn
as Cousin Catherine
James Keach
as Motorcycle Cop
Eugene Levy
as Car Salesman
Frank Mcrae
as Grover
Supporting cast
23John Candy
as Lasky, Guard at Walleyworld
Christie Brinkley
as Girl In The Red Ferrari
Jane Krakowski
as Cousin Vicki
John P Navin Jr
as Cousin Dale
Nathan Cook
as Man Giving Directions
Christopher Jackson
as Pimp
Mickey Jones
as Mechanic
John Diehl
as Assistant Mechanic
Jeannie Dimter Barton
as Dodge City Cashier
Randy Lowell
as Wyatt Earp
Virgil Wyaco Ii
as Indian
Gerry Black
as Davenport
James Staley
as Motel Desk Clerk
Adelaide Wilder
as Car Hop
Tessa Richarde
as Motel Guest
Fritz Ford
as Neighbor
Eric Stacey
as Neighbor
Scott Perry
as Swat Leader
Dennis Freeman
as Policeman
Michael Talbott
as Cowboy
John Craigmile
as Camel Rider
Henry Gibson
as Hotel clerk (uncredited)
Harold Ramis
as Car salesman (voice) (uncredited)
Directors
1Writers
1Producers
1Other crew
6Parents Guide
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