FINALLY

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO NATIONAL LAMPOON?

This month’s Vacation reboots the franchise that started with 1983’s Vacation as Griswold son Rusty (Ed Helms in Anthony Michael Hall’s old role) and his family have a vacation of their own. (Peruvian artist Boris Vallejo’s brilliant poster for the original film is seen here.)

But wait a minute, that 1983 pic was actually called National Lampoon’s Vacation, the prefix a reference to the satirical magazine publisher that branched out into sketch comedy and film production in the 1970s, including National Lampoon’s Animal House, National Lampoon’s Class Reunion and the Vacation franchise. But by the early ’90s the National Lampoon movie brand had become diluted, the title often sold to projects that weren’t actually developed by the company’s creative leaders. National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1, Senior Trip and Van Wilder are the only recognizable titles post 1989, though as recently as 2013 National Lampoon Presents Surf Party was released. The company does still maintain a Facebook page, which is largely filled with posts about its glory years. As for the magazine — which featured a groundbreaking mix of highbrow content, lowbrow humour and, oh my gosh, nudity — it lost its bite in the 1990s and ceased publishing in 1998. —MW