A fortnight of frenzied freedom

Press, 9 December 1983, Page 36 (Supplement)

A fortnight of frenzied freedom

“National Lampoon,” the makers of the highly-success-ful American comedy, “Animal House,” are taking the whole family on holiday this time in their version of “Vacation,” which begins at the Regent today. The family’s bags are packed, the car’s petrol tank is filled, the mail is on hold, the lights are on timers, and the neighbours will water the plants. For the Clark W. Griswolds (Chevy Chase), of Chicago, 50 weeks of work and routine will soon be rewarded with a fortnight of frenzied freedom. Everything has been computer programmed — from tire wear to best routes, from choice sights to the finest A.A.-recommended lodgings; he has even computed the time lapse between the cold drink consumption and the next rest stop. With such planning nothing should go wrong — but does. The story begins at the Griswolds’ home in the suburbs of Chicago. Clark (Chase) and his wife, Ellen (D’Angelo), along with their two teenage children, Audrey (Dana Barron) and Rusty (Anthony Michael Hall), load

their brand new station wagon and head for California. At Ellen’s country cousin’s Kansas farmhouse, they meet Aunt Edna (Imogene Coca)

and the trip slips into high gear. “It’s a story that audiences can relate to,” says the producer, Matty Simmons, whose previous hit, “National

Lampoon’s Animal House,” earned S2IOM at the box office. “Filmgoers will put themselves in that car and drive right across country with the Griswolds.”