Griswold House from 'Christmas Vacation' movie now aglow in Wadsworth

Table Of Content

• KUSA would like to send you push notifications about the latest news and weather.
• Cousin Catherine has a Looney Tunes connection.
• Filming
• Where is the Griswold house from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation?
• You can buy a Clark Griswold Chicago Blackhawks jersey.
• The National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation House As It Looks Now
• And a word on cousin Eddie’s RV

That’s because multiple scenes from the classic Christmas film were shot in Summit County. Hillman’s house is known for its elaborate Halloween displays. When he decided to do it big this holiday season, Hillman thought to channel a Chicago-centric Christmas classic.

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Fans of the 1989 movie ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ will likely recognize the Grizwold house. However, those who have never seen the movie may still recognize this property. That’s because the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation house has featured in numerous movies over the years, something we shall discuss later in the article. Including everything from the Griswold house (fully decorated and lit), to the family car — with the Christmas tree in tow — to cousin Eddie’s RV, the collection makes for a great Christmas gift for National Lampoon Christmas Vacation fans.

Cousin Catherine has a Looney Tunes connection.

Chicago-area resident Clark Griswold intends to have a great Christmas with his entire family. He drives his wife Ellen and children Audrey and Rusty out to the country to find a tree, ultimately choosing the largest one they can find. Realizing too late that they did not bring any tools to cut down the tree, they are forced to uproot it instead. Clark's holiday plans inadvertently cause steadily escalating chaos for the family's yuppie neighbors, Todd and Margo Chester. Based on Hughes's short story, "Christmas '59", published in National Lampoon,[3] 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

Unfortunately, the memorable movie house isn’t included in the Warner Brothers Studio tour, but you can check out other real sets, backlots, and sound stages (including the set of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls). Matty Simmons, who produced the movie, is on the cover of the magazine that gets stuck to Clark’s hand while he talks vacation plans with Ellen. By the way, Chase reportedly kept the pajamas he wore in that same bedroom scene until (at least) 2015. Not only did Doyle-Murray appear in two of the Vacation movies (look for him in the original flick’s Kamp Komfort scene), but he also made frequent appearances on The National Lampoon Radio Hour.

Griswold House from 'Christmas Vacation' movie now aglow in Wadsworth - Akron Beacon Journal

Griswold House from 'Christmas Vacation' movie now aglow in Wadsworth.

Posted: Mon, 27 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Where is the Griswold house from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation?

However, Clark maintains a positive attitude and remains undeterred in his plans. He covers the house's entire exterior with thousands of lights, which temporarily cause a citywide power shortage once he gets them to work properly. A replica of Cousin Eddie's motor home − the real one from the movie is located not too far away at the Castle Noel museum in Medina − is parked nearby along with mannequins recreating memorable scenes from the movie. This marks the 11th year that the family has covered their home in lights to spread holiday cheer and raise money for charity. This house, in particular, has been used in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Small Soldiers, American Beauty, Hocus Pocus, and many more. Other houses on ‘Blondie Street’ have been used in movies such as Lethal Weapon (Danny Glover’s houses), Bewitched, Pushing Daisies, and many others.

In popular culture

Stow offers its “Glow With Stow” at the city center complex on Darrow Road. It’s a half mile in length and features lights and various displays (Santa’s Camper, Santa and his reindeer, a toy soldier and more) and takes about a half hour to complete. The 6th annual 9NEWS Christmas Movie Bracket was launched in early December with 64-holiday movies. This is "Christmas Vacation's" fifth  victory in six years in the 9NEWS Christmas Movie Bracket, which first launched in 2018. The movie begins with a tree-cutting scene as the family heads out to the country to pick the perfect Christmas tree.

You can buy a Clark Griswold Chicago Blackhawks jersey.

On the opposite side of the road, as seen in the 1998 movie ‘Small Soldiers’, you can also see the house used in Bewitched on the left of the photo, as well as a fake church. The same street as seen in Lethal Weapon, with Danny Glover’s house on the left, and the house used in Bewitched on the right. The National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation house before the Christmas lights were turned on in the movie. In the movie, Clark (Chevy Chase) has big plans for a “good, old-fashioned family Christmas.” Both sets of grandparents are coming for Christmas.

The National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation House As It Looks Now

If you’re a die-hard fan of the funny festive film, you might want to visit Ohio to see cousin Eddie’s sweet ride. This being said, not a year goes by without an over-eager fan of the movie recreating the Christmas magic in their own house. Ranch where National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation was filmed is closed to the public since the made-for-the-screen Blondie Street and the surrounding area is used for filming on a regular basis. Ranch where National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation was filmed is set at 411 North Hollywood Way in Burbank, California. Continue reading all about the Griswold family home (and we’ve thrown in a few details about cousin Eddie’s beloved RV too).

The fourth film in the series, Vegas Vacation, would follow in 1997, without the involvement of either Hughes or National Lampoon. The film performed well at the box office, grossing $73.3 million against a $25 million budget while receiving generally mixed reviews from critics. There are 12 residential homes on the street in a variety of styles. You can tell it’s the Christmas Vacation house by the two chimneys and the attached garage.

It has also been home to many movies and TV series, including Pleasantville, Bewitched, The Partridge Family, and The Middle. You can see a photo of the exterior of the house as it looks today on the back lot here. Johnny Galecki, who played Rusty in this movie, is now all grown up and stars in the popular sitcom The Big Bang Theory.

In fact, the shopping scenes with Clark and Eddie were shot at the Frisco Walmart. "They were worried about things happening at my house and pretty much we've got all that ironed out," Norton said, noting that as long as the city of La Mirada isn't held liable for any mishaps or issues, they're fine with the festive display. But in 2021 he faced some backlash from the city of La Mirada as he had added a faux second story to his single-story home so it better matched the film. WADSWORTH, Ohio — A popular winter attraction in Wadsworth—a home that is nearly an exact replica of the Griswold’s home from "National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation"—lit up for the 2021 season Friday night.

He reasoned that his display would give people dejected and depressed by the COVID-19 pandemic a psychological boost with a fun diversion. Osterland said Wednesday that interest in the display continues to increase. This year, Greg Osterland, the man behind the display, livestreamed the official 2020 lighting on social media to keep in-person onlookers to a minimum.

This year he added a second story to his home to match the movie. While the display certainly lights up the neighborhood, he did not receive a jolly response from city officials. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.