See Chevy Chase Channel Clark Griswold For A Christmas Lighting
It’s a hap- hap- happy family Christmas this year at Raising Cane’s. Christmas Vacation star Chevy Chase “roadtripped” with Raising Cane’s founder Todd Graves to Morton Grove, IL, a township just north of Chicago, to ignite a gaudy Christmas light display on the town’s Raising Cane’s restaurant. The former SNL star shared videos of him and Graves on the “trip” to Chicago riffing and making Griswold references all the merry way.
As Chevy Chase and Todd Graves trek across America in a Griswold family-style station wagon, the duo untangles Christmas lights, battles a rogue squirrel, and sings Christmas carols. All while eating Raising Cane’s chicken and fries, of course.
The trip ended in the Chicago suburbs with a festive celebration. In classic Clark Griswold fashion, Chevy Chase united the power chords that lit a zealous display of Christmas cheer. Of course, his unique clumsiness and comedic timing made for an ill-fated first attempt. Among the crowd were a marching band providing a drum roll to Chase’s lighting, and carolers to sing “Hallelujah Chorus” at the sight of the Christmas display.
Chase seemed in good spirits for the holiday deed. The legendary actor, who has been a part of iconic films and television shows like Fletch, Caddyshack, Three Amigos!, and Community, has had his fair share of controversy. The actor has long been said to be difficult to work with, even back to his early days on NBC’s Saturday Night Live.
Those allegations persisted into the actor’s run on Community, with cast and crew members citing conflicts over creative choices as launch points for Chase’s tirades and bigoted langauge. Many have been outspoken about their issues working with Chevy Chase. Community star Donald Glover, who witnessed some of Chase’s inappropriate racial language, said he viewed the outbursts as a symptom of a fading star’s battle for relevance.
Chevy Chase admits he is disappointed by the way his co-stars view him, but at the end of the day, he doesn’t really care. At 79 years old, the storied actor and comedian believes he is who he is, and his aloofness about other’s opinions is a part of his identity he is comfortable with.
Chevy Chase continues to lend his talent and star power to projects here and there, and even returned to the role of Clark Griswold in 2015’s Vacation, a reboot to the 1983 original. Though his career appears to be in a wind down phase, it seems Chevy Chase is still a good sport when it comes to his most iconic roles. His latest homage to Christmas Vacation on Instagram rings with good fun, and was a welcome sign from a star whose reputation has been rocky, especially in recent years.
Christmas Vacation, the third of National Lampoon’s Vacation series, debuted in 1989 and has since become a holiday classic. Chevy Chase leads the Griswold family through the holidays with his trademark wit, earnest love of tradition, and slapstick clumsiness that only he could deliver. The film is available to stream on HBO Max.
