Chevy Chase brings ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ to Foxwoods for exclusive screening, live Q&A

Chevy Chase will be at Foxwoods Resort Casino’s Great Cedar Showroom on Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. to present a screening of one of his classic Clark Griswold comedies, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”

Foxwoods is touting Chase’s appearance as an “exclusive” event, though Chase has taken part in similar events around the country for years. The star will take part in a live question-and-answer session following the screening.

Chase sightings are fairly rare due to health issues. He recently appeared on the “Saturday Night Live”-themed “Fly on the Wall” podcast hosted by Dana Carvey and David Spade, where he discussed some of the “Vacation” films and also the heart condition which landed him in the hospital last year.

The actor/comedian began as a stage performer, drumming in rock bands (including an early line-up of Steely Dan) and establishing himself as a comic actor in the high-powered ensemble of “National Lampoon’s Lemmings,” an off-Broadway hit in 1973 that also featured John Belushi and Christopher Guest in its cast.

National Lampoon, a humor magazine that became a multi-media entertainment brand, also figured prominently in Chase’s movie success. The role of Otter in “National Lampoon’s Animal House” was written with him in mind but ultimately went to Tim Matheson. A later Lampoon film, “Vacation,” directed by “Animal House” co-writer Harold Ramis and written by soon-to-be teen-movie auteur John Hughes, salvaged Chase’s movie career after a series of missteps such as “Oh, Heavenly Dog!” and “Under the Rainbow.”

The original “Vacation” film, based on a short story Hughes wrote for National Lampoon magazine, chronicles the misadventures of Clark Griswold (Chase) and his family as they take a long, disaster-filled road trip to visit the Wally World theme park.

The film being screened at Foxwoods, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” was released in 1989, and directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik. It follows the Griswold family’s attempt to hold a traditional holiday gathering for their relatives. There was a TV movie sequel, “Christmas Vacation 2,” in 2003, without Chase in it.

One of the other “Vacation” films, 1997′s ”Vegas Vacation,” is actually set at a casino, but Foxwoods didn’t choose that one for the screening.

Connecticut has seen some major comedy movie stars talking about their work on local stages. Stamford resident Gene Wilder would host screenings of “Silver Streak” at the Avon Theatre. The Bushnell in Hartford has had Mel Brooks present at a screening of “Blazing Saddles” and John Cleese for “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” Just this past week, Barry Bostwick was in New Haven for a showing of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” in which he plays Brad.

Tickets for the “Christmas Vacation” screening and Chevy Chase appearance cost $40 to $200. More information on the event can be found on the Foxwoods website, foxwoods.com.

Reach reporter Christopher Arnott at carnott@courant.com.