filming_location national lampoon's christmas vacation
Jeremiah S . Chechik ( born 1955 in ___MASK88___ , Quebec , ___MASK2___ ) is the director of such films as " National Lampoon ' s Christmas Vacation ", " Benny & Joon ", " Diabolique " and " The Avengers ". Beverly Heather D ' Angelo ( born November ___MASK98___ , 1951 ) is an American actress and singer , who starred as Ellen Griswold in the " National Lampoon ' s Vacation " films ( 1983  2015 ). She has appeared in over 60 films and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her role as Patsy Cline in " Coal Miner ' s Daughter " ( 1980 ), and for an Emmy Award for her role as Stella Kowalski in the TV film " A Streetcar Named Desire " ( 1984 ). Her other film roles include Sheila Franklin in " Hair " ( 1979 ) and Doris Vinyard in " American History X " ( 1998 ). National Lampoon ' s Christmas Vacation is a 1989 Christmas comedy film directed by Jeremiah S . Chechik . It is the third installment in National Lampoon ' s Vacation film series , and was written by John Hughes , based on his short story in National Lampoon magazine , `` Christmas ' 59 '' . The film stars Chevy Chase , Beverly D ' Angelo and Randy Quaid , with Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki as the Griswold children Audrey and Rusty , respectively . Since its release in 1989 , Christmas Vacation has often been labeled as a modern Christmas classic . It is also the only sequel in the Vacation series to have spawned its own direct sequel : a 2003 made - for - TV release entitled National Lampoon ' s Christmas Vacation 2 : Cousin Eddie ' s Island Adventure . The film has achieved three home video releases : VHS and Laserdisc in early 1990 , and a `` Special Edition '' DVD in 2003 . In 2009 , the film was released as an `` Ultimate Collector ' s Edition . '' At the same time of this release , it was also released on a simple Blu - ray / DVD combo . Bethlehem (" House of Meat "; "", , " House of Bread "; ) is a Palestinian city located in the central West Bank , Palestine , about south of Jerusalem . Its population is approximately ___MASK35___ , 000 people . It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate . The economy is primarily tourist - driven . ___MASK2___ ( French : ) is a country in the northern half of North America . Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean , covering , making it the world ' s second - largest country by total area and the fourth - largest country by land area . ___MASK2___ ' s border with the United States is the world ' s longest land border . The majority of the country has a cold or severely cold winter climate , but southerly areas are warm in summer . ___MASK2___ is sparsely populated , the majority of its land territory being dominated by forest and tundra and the ___MASK40___ . About four - fifths of the country ' s population of 36 million people is urbanized and live near the southern border . Its capital is Ottawa , its largest city is ___MASK48___ ; other major urban areas include Montreal , Vancouver , Calgary , Edmonton , Quebec City , Winnipeg and Hamilton . Juliette L . Lewis ( born June ___MASK6___ , 1973 ) is an American actress and singer . She gained fame for her role in Martin Scorsese ' s 1991 remake of the thriller " Cape Fear " for which she was nominated for both an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress . This followed with major roles in " What ' s Eating Gilbert Grape ", " Natural Born Killers ", " Strange Days ", " The Evening Star ", " Kalifornia ", " From Dusk till Dawn ", and " The Other Sister ". Her work in television has resulted in two Emmy nominations . Christmas or Christmas Day ( meaning " Christ ' s Mass ") is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ , observed most commonly on December ___MASK35___ as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world . A feast central to the Christian liturgical year , it is prepared for by the season of Advent or the Nativity Fast and initiates the season of Christmastide , which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night ; in some traditions , Christmastide includes an Octave . The traditional Christmas narrative , the Nativity of Jesus , delineated in the New Testament says that Jesus was born in Bethlehem , in accordance with messianic prophecies ; when Joseph and Mary arrived in the city , the inn had no room and so they were offered a stable where the Christ Child was soon born , with angels proclaiming this news to shepherds who then disseminated the message furthermore . Christmas Day is a public holiday in many of the world ' s nations , is celebrated religiously by the vast majority of Christians , as well as culturally by a number of non - Christian people , and is an integral part of the holiday season , while some Christian groups reject the celebration . In several countries , celebrating Christmas Eve on December ___MASK63___ has the main focus rather than December ___MASK35___ , with gift - giving and sharing a traditional meal with the family . Cornelius Crane " Chevy " Chase ( born October ___MASK74___ , 1943 ) is an American actor , comedian , writer and producer . Born into a prominent ___MASK69___ family , he worked a plethora of strange jobs before moving into comedy and began acting with " National Lampoon ". He immediately became a key cast member in the debut season of " Saturday Night Live ", where his recurring " Weekend Update " segment soon became a staple of the show . Red is the color at the longer - wavelengths end of the ___MASK38___ of visible light next to orange , at the opposite end from violet . Red color has a predominant light wavelength of roughly 620  740 nanometers . Light with a longer wavelength than red but shorter than terahertz radiation and microwave is called infrared . ___MASK88___ officially Montréal in both Canadian English and French , is the most populous municipality in Quebec and the 2nd - most populous in ___MASK2___ . Originally called " Ville - Marie ", or " City of Mary ," it is named after Mount Royal , the triple - peaked hill in the heart of the city . The city is on the Island of ___MASK88___ , which took its name from the same source as the city , and a few much smaller peripheral islands , the largest of which is Île Bizard . It has a distinct four - season continental climate with warm to hot summers and cold snowy winters . The Christ Child , also known as Divine Infant , Baby Jesus , Infant Jesus , Child Jesus , the Holy Child , and Santo Niño , refers to Jesus Christ from his nativity to age ___MASK95___ . Upon reaching ___MASK61___ years - old he was considered to be an adult in accordance with Jewish custom . The canonical Gospels lack any narration of the years between Jesus ' infancy and the Finding in the Temple when he was twelve . Roseanne is an American sitcom that was broadcast on ABC from October ___MASK44___ , 1988 , to May 20 , 1997 . Lauded for its realistic portrayal of the average American family , the series stars Roseanne Barr , and revolves around the Conners , an Illinois working - class family . The series reached # 1 in the Nielsen ratings , becoming the most watched television show in the United States from 1989 to 1990 . The show remained in the top four for six of its nine seasons , and in the top twenty for eight seasons . CBS ( an initialism of the network ' s former name , the Columbia Broadcasting System ) is an American commercial broadcast television network that is a flagship property of CBS Corporation . The company is headquartered at the CBS Building in ___MASK69___ City with major production facilities and operations in ___MASK69___ City ( at the CBS Broadcast Center ) and Los Angeles ( at CBS Television City and the CBS Studio Center ). What ' s Eating Gilbert Grape is a 1993 American drama film directed by Lasse Hallström and starring Johnny Depp , Juliette Lewis , Darlene Cates and Leonardo DiCaprio . The film follows ___MASK63___ - year - old Gilbert ( Depp ), a grocery store clerk caring for his morbidly obese mother and mentally impaired younger brother in a sleepy Midwestern town . Peter Hedges wrote the screenplay , adapted from his 1991 novel of the same name . The film was well - received ; DiCaprio received his first Academy Award nomination for his role . John Mark " Johnny " Galecki ( born April ___MASK70___ , 1975 ) is an American actor . He is known for his role as David Healy in the ABC sitcom " Roseanne " from 1992  97 and as Dr . Leonard Hofstadter in the CBS sitcom " The Big Bang Theory " since 2007 . Galecki also appeared in the films " National Lampoon ' s Christmas Vacation " ( 1989 ), " Prancer " ( 1989 ), " Suicide Kings " ( 1997 ), " I Know What You Did Last Summer " ( 1997 ), " Bookies " ( 2003 ), and " In Time " ( 2011 ). American History X is a 1998 American crime drama film directed by Tony Kaye , written by David McKenna , and stars Edward Norton , Edward Furlong , Fairuza Balk , Stacy Keach , Elliott Gould , Avery Brooks , Ethan Suplee , and Beverly D ' Angelo . The film was released in the United States on October ___MASK70___ , 1998 and was distributed by New Line Cinema . The Other Sister is a 1999 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall and stars Juliette Lewis , Giovanni Ribisi , Diane Keaton , and Tom Skerritt . It was filmed in ___MASK7___ , Pasadena , and San Francisco , California . The film was written by Marshall , Bob Brunner , and Malia Scotch Marmo ( uncredited ). Saturday Night Live ( abbreviated as SNL ) is an American late - night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol . The show premiered on NBC on October ___MASK82___ , 1975 , under the original title NBC ' s Saturday Night . The show ' s comedy sketches , which parody contemporary culture and politics , are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members . Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest ( who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast ) and features performances by a musical guest . An episode normally begins with a cold open sketch that ends with someone breaking character and proclaiming , " Live from New York , it ' s Saturday Night !", properly beginning the show . Martin Charles Scorsese ( born November ___MASK54___ , 1942 ) is an American director , producer , screenwriter , actor , and film historian , whose career spans more than 53 years . Scorsese ' s body of work addresses such themes as Sicilian - American identity , Roman Catholic concepts of guilt and redemption , faith , machismo , modern crime , and gang conflict . Many of his films are also known for their depiction of violence and liberal use of profanity . The Big Bang Theory ( often shortened to Big Bang Theory , and abbreviated to TBBT or BBT ) is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady , both of whom serve as executive producers on the series , along with Steven Molaro . All three also serve as head writers . The show premiered on CBS on September ___MASK63___ , 2007 . In March 2014 , the show was renewed for three more years through a tenth season , which premiered on September 19 , 2016 . Patsy Cline ( born Virginia Patterson Hensley ; September ___MASK74___ , 1932  March ___MASK9___ , 1963 ) was an American country music singer . Part of the late 1950s / early 1960s Nashville sound , Cline successfully " crossed over " to pop music and was one of the most influential , successful and acclaimed vocalists of the 20th century . She died at the age of 30 in a multiple - fatality crash of the private plane of her manager , Randy Hughes . The Nativity Fast is a period of abstinence and penance practiced by the Eastern Orthodox , Oriental Orthodox , and Eastern Catholic Churches , in preparation for the Nativity of Christ , ( December ___MASK35___ ). The corresponding Western season of preparation for Christmas , which also has been called the Nativity Fast and St . Martin ' s Lent , has taken the name of Advent . The Eastern fast runs for 40 days instead of four ( Roman rite ) or six weeks ( Ambrosian rite ) and thematically focuses on proclamation and glorification of the Incarnation of God , whereas the Western Advent focuses on the two comings ( or " advents ") of Jesus Christ : his birth and his Second Coming or " Parousia ". Quebec ( pronounced or ) is the second - most populous province of ___MASK2___ and the only one to have a predominantly French - speaking population , with French as the sole provincial official language .