The 1983 movie National Lampoon's Vacation lives on as a comedy classic today, but even 40 years later, there are behind-the-scenes secrets just coming out. Five members of the cast—Beverly D'Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall, Dana Barron, Christie Brinkley, and Randy Quaid—recently took part in a panel at Fan Expo Chicago looking back on their time making the movie. And they spilled one detail about then-14-year-old Hall's behavior on set: He tried to spy on D'Angelo, who played his character's mom, while she was shooting a nude scene.
As reported by Entertainment Weekly, the actors had to talk around the movie due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike and union rules. But, they were able to share a few memories from making the beloved film, including the story about Hall being caught spying on his co-star. Read on to find out more.
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Vacation was one of Hall's first movies.
Hall is also famous for his roles in the iconic John Hughes teen movies Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, and The Breakfast Club. National Lampoon's Vacation was actually his first time working with Hughes, who wrote the script for the Harold Ramis-directed film. It was only Hall's second movie credit, following 1982's Six Pack.
In Vacation, Hall plays Rusty Griswold, the son of Clark and Ellen Griswold, who are played by Chevy Chase and D’Angelo. Rusty’s sister, Audrey, is played by Barron. The film follows the family's eventful road trip to an amusement park, including various setbacks and shenanigans along the way.
He tried to sneak onto the set to see an adult scene.
Warner Bros.As reported by EW, during the Fan Expo Chicago panel, Barron mentioned that Hall tried to sneak a peek when D'Angelo was filming a scene in the shower.
"Should I pick up the story right here?" Hall said to Barron. The 55-year-old explained, "So, I got busted because I tried to sneak onto the set when Beverly was doing the shower scene." He then said that he couldn't elaborate due to the SAG-AFTRA strike preventing union members from discussing struck work.
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Hall admitted to the teen indiscretion before.
Featureflash Photo Agency / ShutterstockRanker reports that in an oral history of Vacation for Maxim, producer Matty Simmons remembered catching the young star in the process of trying to spy on D'Angelo.
"I grabbed him by the shoulder and said, 'Get the hell out of here!'" Simmons shared. Hall said in the same piece, "I was totally trying to sneak a peek... Was I conflicted that she was playing my mom? You know what? At times I was."
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D'Angelo said fans still talk to her about the scene today.
On the panel, D'Angelo said that at fan conventions she hears from "a lot of guys who say I was the first boobs they saw." Brinkley added, "Somebody walked up to my booth yesterday and said, 'I just love you in the naked scenes.'"
That said, Brinkley does not actually appear naked in Vacation. During one scene, she's meant to be skinny dipping in a pool with Chase, but Barron pointed out during the panel that there was some movie magic happening.
"Christie wore a suit that made her look nude, but she wasn't nude because she was, or is, a top model and you don't want to reveal everything, she used to say," Barron said.
In response to this, D'Angelo added, "I'm still realizing that I was the only person who was really nude. Now I'm rethinking my whole life."
