Chevy Chase -- and his NH fans -- are still in a Griwsold state of mind

Dec. 9—Thirty-two years after forcing some holiday spirit and family togetherness in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," Clark "Sparky" Griswold is still a bright light with a bit of a short circuit.

And no one feigns more surprise at the character's enduring charm than the comic actor who crafted Griswold's cheeky sarcasm.

'"I'm just an old guy living at home," says Chevy Chase, his voice a little muffled and punctuated by crunching sounds. "I'm eating cereal but I'm still here for you," he says.

It's when Chase is out on tour doing talks and Q&As after screenings of "Christmas Vacation" that he sees how fervent fans still are.

"It's funny because the rest of the time I'm here with family, just basically reading, watching TV, doing what guys do, and then (the Christmas season arrives) and it's a level of totally new excitement.

"I get to be reminded that I'm a movie star," he adds with a self-deprecating laugh.

Chase's next tour stop is at Concord's Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S Main St., on Saturday. He'll share behind-the-scenes stories of his career after a 7 p.m. showing of the movie.

In a call from his upstate New York home, Chase, 78, is talking about a career that took off after the inaugural season (1975-76) of "Saturday Night Live," when he was a castmate alongside fellow groundbreakers John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman and Garrett Morris.

Chase, a physical comic who counts early movie pioneers Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton as inspirations, quickly became known not only for his quick wit but for his injury-risking pratfalls.

That first year was a blur of self-choreographed falls over desks and tables, trips off the stage, fumbles through rows of fold-up chairs — even a tumble off a ladder into a Christmas tree.

"And here I am in my wheelchair," Chase deadpans.

The reporter on the other end of the line is one beat too slow to process the quip and blurts out, "What? You are?" with concern.

"Noooooooooo," says Chase, elongating the word with a chuckle. "Laughter is all about surprise. The more you lie, the better it is."

It's that quick wit and slapstick physicality that propelled a string of memorable movies in the 1980s. Chase has a knack for characters that are cool and unflappable one second and incompetent and clueless the next — sometimes both at the same time.

He played a bumbling investigative journalist in "Fletch" adventures, a golfer with drive in the "Caddyshack" films, a depressed air-traffic controller with super powers in "Modern Problems," one of three actors mistaken for heroes in "Three Amigos," and a husband trying to hard to fit into country life in "Funny Farm."

Still going Griswold

The "Vacation" series of films began in 1983, introducing audiences to a man overly determined to get his family to Wally World amusement park.

But it's "Christmas Vacation," the most successful of the series, that still reigns supreme with fans during reindeer season. Here in New Hampshire, paying tribute takes many forms.

There's Joe and Amanda Aiello, who decided to go Griswold this year with a state-of-the-art Christmas light display at their Newton home and chronicled the project on their Aiello Family Light Show page on Facebook.

Their profile picture is the movie closeup of Griswold plugging in extension cords with crazed, wide-eyed intensity. (Chase's own Facebook cover photo is a shot of that moment, right before he realizes that not a single light has come on and he launches into a tirade, kicking and smashing his way through a few lawn decorations.)

In Manchester, there's a "Christmas Vacation" trivia night at Chunky's Cinema on Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m. The movie isn't going to be shown that night, though. "We know everyone watches this movie at least once a year," according to chunkys.com. Brush up on the various critters and relatives who invade the Griswold home over the holidays and all their memorable one-liners.

Some of those catch phrases and expressions were inspired by Chase's late father, Edward "Ned" Chase.

"He was the funniest man I ever knew. He was a serious publisher and writer, but I tell you, he did some of the funniest things. He would make faces at me and my brother. One time I discovered him talking to Norman Mailer and Truman Capote in the living room. I was about 12. I sort of peeked out from the door on the way to the kitchen. He made an incredibly funny and ugly face, while nodding at both of (the famous guests). He just kept talking. He was a wonder."

Chase (born Cornelius Crane Chase) carries on that tradition, a hint of snark twitching the corners of his mouth even as his eyes round in mock innocence.

Over in Auburn, Jon St. Pierre is a longtime fan of Chase's antics. Though St. Pierre isn't able to go to the Concord screening and Q&A, he considers "Christmas Vacation" a "must-watch" movie during the holidays. He re-watched the comedy earlier this week.

"The scene that affected me the most as a kid was when Clark was carving the turkey and it burst open," St. Pierre says.

In the scene, Griswold gazes lovingly at the picture-perfect golden bird and then around the table at the faces gathered. But the sense of peace is fleeting. The overcooked turkey splits open, revealing nothing but a puff of steam inside.

"The movie came out in '89, so I was four," St. Pierre says. Back then, his reaction wasn't so much laughter as concern. "I asked if that could really happen."

Chase's attempts at making good memories at all costs is what endears him to St. Pierre.

"How he so desperately tries to get the family together at all times ... It never goes well — not until the last scene."