50 Fun Facts About Chevy Chase

What is Chevy Chase's real first name?

He was named for his adoptive grandfather Cornelius Vanderbilt Crane, heir to the Crane Company fortune.

Where did the nickname 'Chevy' come from?

'The Ballad of Chevy Chase' seemed apt to a grandmother proud of her Clan Douglas descent.

Chase's grandfather, Rear Admiral Miles Browning, served on which carrier at Midway?

His mother was a concert pianist and his grandmother an opera singer who performed at Carnegie Hall.

At Bard College, Chase played drums in a band with two future founders of which group?

The Leather Canary also featured Walter Becker and Donald Fagen; Chase graduated in 1967 with a BA in English.

By a legend Chase himself half-confirmed, why was he thrown out of Haverford College?

His old roommate insists he actually left for academic reasons.

Chase was the original anchor of which recurring Saturday Night Live segment?

His sign-off, 'Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow', was later revived by Jane Curtin and Tina Fey.

Which US president did Chase famously portray on SNL as a bumbling klutz?

The impression, based on a real trip down the Air Force One steps, stuck to Ford despite his having been a college football star; the two later became friendly.

How many Primetime Emmy Awards did Chase win for his SNL work?

He was nominated four times, as both performer and writer, and thanked Ernie Kovacs in an acceptance speech.

Chase was contracted to SNL's first season in what capacity, only joining the cast during rehearsals?

He then introduced every show but two with 'Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!', usually after a pratfall.

Chase left SNL in late 1976, saying the main reason was what?

He moved to Los Angeles, married Jacqueline Carlin, and was replaced on the show by Bill Murray.

Which cast member replaced Chase on SNL when he left?

The two later came to blows in Belushi's dressing room in 1978, then reconciled to make Caddyshack.

Which musician reportedly witnessed the 1978 backstage fistfight between Chase and his SNL replacement?

Murray had mocked Chase's marriage; Chase insulted Murray's looks. Harold Ramis helped them make up.

Which Animal House role, written for him, did Chase turn down for a Goldie Hawn comedy?

Tim Matheson got the part; Chase said he wanted to try 'real acting' instead of schtick.

Chase's first film hit and Golden Globe-nominated role came in which 1978 comedy?

It made more than $44 million and paired him with Goldie Hawn, whom he rejoined for Seems Like Old Times in 1980.

What is the name of Chase's laid-back golfer character in Caddyshack?

Harold Ramis's film cost $6 million and took $39 million despite mixed reviews.

What is the name of the country club in Caddyshack?

Danny Noonan caddies there for its affluent members while chasing a college scholarship.

What is the name of the family Chase heads in the Vacation films?

Clark, Ellen, Rusty and Audrey set out for Walley World, 'America's Favorite Family Fun Park', in 1983.

Who wrote the screenplay for National Lampoon's Vacation, based on his own short story 'Vacation '58'?

Ramis directed; the story first appeared in National Lampoon magazine.

What is the ugly, oversized car Clark is forced to buy in Vacation?

His trade-in has already been crushed by the time he objects.

Which supermodel made her acting debut in Vacation as the woman in the red Ferrari?

The cast also included Beverly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid, John Candy and Imogene Coca as Aunt Edna.

The family's destination in Vacation gave rise to what real-life nickname?

The film spells it Walley World; the Walmart nickname drops the e.

Who plays Clark's long-suffering wife Ellen across the Vacation films?

She returned alongside Chase for the 2015 reboot too.

In Christmas Vacation, what does Clark receive instead of his expected bonus?

The 1989 film took $71 million and its holiday theme made it one of Chase's most durable pictures.

Who plays Cousin Eddie, the unwelcome relative, in the Vacation films?

In the first film Eddie is Ellen's cousin's lazy husband in Coolidge, Kansas, who palms Aunt Edna off on the family.

How many National Lampoon's Vacation films did Chase play Clark Griswold in, between 1983 and 2015?

The 2015 Vacation put Ed Helms's grown-up Rusty in the driving seat with Chase and D'Angelo in support.

Fletch (1985) was based on novels by which author?

It grossed more than $50 million on an $8 million budget and spawned Fletch Lives in 1989.

What is Fletch's full name?

The investigative reporter's disguises are the film's running joke; his favourite team is the Lakers.

Which NBA player appears as himself in Fletch's dream of playing for the Lakers?

Announcer Chick Hearn also turns up; the film is packed with references to Fletch's beloved team.

Which arrogant tennis-club member's tab does Fletch run up on lunches and cabana bills?

Fletch takes revenge after watching him shout at a waiter.

Chase co-starred with which fellow SNL alumnus in the 1985 John Landis comedy Spies Like Us?

The two play bumbling State Department wannabes used as decoys.

Which SCTV comedian played the third amigo alongside Chase in the 1986 Western comedy ¡Three Amigos!?

The three play silent-film actors mistaken for real heroes; Randy Newman co-wrote it and the songs.

Who wrote ¡Three Amigos! along with Steve Martin and Randy Newman?

The SNL boss also produced it; the bandit villain is El Guapo.

Chase hosted the Academy Awards in which two consecutive years?

He opened the second telecast with 'Good evening, Hollywood phonies!'

The Chevy Chase Show, a Fox late-night talk show, lasted how long in 1993?

It ran from 7 September to 15 October to overwhelmingly negative reviews and even briefly revived Weekend Update.

Which 1991 film began Chase's run of three straight flops and earned Razzie nominations?

Memoirs of an Invisible Man and Cops & Robbersons followed.

Chase's career revived with which character on the NBC sitcom Community?

He clashed with creator Dan Harmon and left in season four; the character was killed off in season five.

Community was created by whom?

The Greendale study group also included Joel McHale, Alison Brie, Donald Glover and Danny Pudi.

In 1986 Chase entered the Betty Ford Center for addiction to what?

The habit began with back pain from all those SNL pratfalls; he was treated for alcoholism at Hazelden in 2016.

On the set of which 1981 film did Chase suffer a near-fatal electric shock?

The lights short-circuited during a scene and current ran through his arms, back and neck.

Chase served as honorary mayor of which Los Angeles neighbourhood in the late 1980s?

He lived there in a Tudor-style house from 1980 to 1995 before moving to Bedford, New York.

Which comedy legend did Chase thank in his Emmy acceptance speech as an influence on his SNL work?

He also spoke about the influence in a 1982 documentary on the TV pioneer.

Which magazine's 1975 cover story called Chase 'The funniest man in America'?

NBC executives touted him as the successor to Johnny Carson; Carson later said he 'couldn't ad-lib a fart after a baked-bean dinner'.

Which syndicated satirical show made Chase a full-time comedian in 1973, alongside Belushi and Radner?

It also featured Belushi, Gilda Radner and Bill Murray, the future Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time Players.

In which year did Chase get his Hollywood Walk of Fame star and become Hasty Pudding's Man of the Year?

It was also the year his Fox talk show flopped.

Which 2010 comedy featuring Chase spawned a sequel he also appeared in?

He plays the mysterious hot-tub repairman.

Chase graduated as valedictorian in 1962 from which Massachusetts boarding academy?

He had earlier been expelled from Riverdale Country School in the Bronx.

How many times did Chase host SNL between 1978 and 1997?

Reports that Lorne Michaels banned him after 1997 were dismissed by Michaels as 'idiotic', though he has not hosted since.

Where was Chevy Chase born in 1943?

He grew up in Woodstock, New York; the Maryland town shares his nickname by coincidence.

Chase told a talk show he dodged the draft by falsely claiming what to his draft board?

Not going to medical school after Bard had left him eligible for the draft.

How did Chase open the 1988 Academy Awards telecast?

That same year he starred with Madolyn Smith in Funny Farm, a $25 million hit and one of his last before a run of 1990s flops.