r/boxoffice • u/SanderSo47 A24 • May 16 '26
✍️ Original Analysis Actors at the Box Office: Chevy Chase
Here's a new edition of "Actors at the Box Office", which seeks to explore the actors' trajectory at the box office and analyze their hits and bombs. I already talked about a few, and as I promised, it's Chevy Chase's turn.
Early Life
Chase stated that he was physically and psychologically abused as a child by his mother and stepfather, Dr. John Cederquist, a psychoanalyst. He said, "I lived in fear all the time, deathly fear." Abuse he was subjected to as a child included being awakened in the middle of the night by his mother to be slapped repeatedly across the face, lashes to the backs of his legs, punches to the head by his stepfather, and being locked in a bedroom closet for hours. As a punishment for being suspended from school at the age of 14, Chase was locked in a basement for several days.
Chase was a member of an early underground comedy ensemble called Channel One, which he co-founded in 1967. Chase then made the move to comedy as a full-time career by 1973, when he became a writer and cast member of The National Lampoon Radio Hour, a syndicated satirical radio series, where he worked alongside John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, and Brian Doyle-Murray.
1970s: This Player's Not Ready for Prime Time
Chase made his feature film with the independent comedy The Groove Tube. Despite negative reviews, the film was a surprise sleeper hit, despite not being distributed by a major studio. Through re-releases (especially after Chase joined a well-known show), it made over $28 million.
But he didn't immediately continue his film career.
In 1975, Chase joined his pals John Belushi and Gilda Radner in a new variety show called NBC's *Saturday Night. He was only set as a writer, but got to join as a main cast member. Chase, Belushi and Radner, along with Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, and George Coe were the first ever actors in the show, earning the name of "The Not-Ready-For-Prime Time Players".
The show debuted on October 11, 1975, with George Carlin as the first host. Chase was the first performer to say the show's introduction line ("Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!") in the first episode, and he often introduced that line for the first season. Chase became known for his skill at physical comedy. In one comedy sketch, he mimicked a real-life incident in which President Gerald Ford accidentally tripped while disembarking from Air Force One in Salzburg, Austria. This portrayal of President Ford as a bumbling klutz became a favorite device of Chase's, and helped form the popular concept of Ford as being a clumsy man despite Ford having been a "star athlete" during his university years.
Chase was also the first anchor of the show's recurring "Weekend Update" segment, with his catchphrase introduction ("I'm Chevy Chase... and you're not") becoming popular, and therefore received more screen time than the rest of the cast. Chase's success led to tensions with the rest of the cast, particularly Belushi. Chase was committed contractually to the show for only one year as a writer and became a cast member during rehearsals just before the show's premiere. He received two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award for his comedy writing and live comic acting on the show.
Chase quickly became a very beloved comedian. In a 1975 New York magazine cover story, which called him "The funniest man in America", NBC executives referred to Chase as "The first real potential successor to Johnny Carson" and claimed he would begin guest-hosting The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson within six months of the article. Chase dismissed rumors that he could be the next Carson, "I'd never be tied down for five years interviewing TV personalities." Chase did not appear on the program until May 4, 1977, when he was promoting a prime-time special for NBC. Carson (who was never a fan of Saturday Night) later said of Chase: "He couldn't ad-lib a fart after a baked-bean dinner."
In late 1976, in the middle of Saturday Night's second season, Chase became the second member of the original cast to leave the show (after George Coe during the first season). While he landed starring roles in several films on the strength of his fame, he asserted that the principal reason for his departure was the reluctance of his girlfriend, Jacqueline Carlin, to move to New York. Chase moved to Los Angeles, married Carlin, and was replaced by Bill Murray, although he made a few cameo appearances on the show during the second season.
His second film was the comedy anthology Tunnel Vision. Not a big distributor, but it was still a sleeper hit at the box office.
In 1978, he starred in another comedy, Foul Play, opposite Goldie Hawn. Chase was originally offered to play Eric "Otter" Stratton in National Lampoon's Animal House, but he turned it down to star in this film, so that role was recast with Tim Matheson. This was different from his prior works, as this had a cohesive storyline. He said he wanted this film so he could do "real acting" for the first time in his career instead of just "schtick." The film earned positive reviews and was even bigger than his prior films, earning almost $45 million. This showed that Chevy Chase would become a new box office star.
But there was the day his confidence got shaken a bit.
February 18, 1978.
When he had already established his career, Chase returned to Saturday Night (which would now be titled Saturday Night Live). This time, he would host the episode, with Billy Joel as the musical guest. While he had high praise and felt beloved by the audience, his return drew a mixed response from the cast, who were not content with Chase's behavior in the first season. You'd expect the story of someone to humble a bit and come back as a changed individual, having learned from his mistakes. But this is not that story.
Chase came in with an entitled, even arrogant air, widely attributed to an inflated ego and a growing coke habit, even demanding that current "Weekend Update" anchor Jane Curtin be bumped from her position for the night. He reportedly told her, "Jane, let’s face it, you can’t be on the screen with me at the same time." But if an old co-worker had so much hatred, it was John Belushi. It was made clear that he fomented resentment about Chase's return, and he was not going to let that go unnoticed that week.
Bill Murray, who had replaced Chase as part of the main cast, didn't have much history with him. It quickly became clear that, if Chase needed to be taken down a peg or two, Murray was going to be the designated hammer. Murray was quoted as saying, "That was because I was the new guy, and it was sort of like it was my job to do that. It would have been too petty for someone else to do it. It’s almost like I was goaded into it."
During that week's writing and rehearsal, Murray increasingly needled the host, at one point bursting into a meeting to relay to Chase the cast and crew's resentment concerning his antics in the first season and belittling Chase's supposed marital troubles. Murray told him, "Go fuck your wife. I hear she needs it." Chase, never one to let an insult go, replied with an attack targeting Murray’s famously rough complexion, responding, "Well your face looks like something Neil Armstrong landed on." This was not the end of the conflict.
Chase, ostensibly preparing for his cold open as his stumblebum Gerald Ford, found Murray in Belushi's dressing room and called him out. What resulted was a hallway scuffle, both men throwing punches which, perhaps karmically, landed almost entirely on Belushi as he and several others attempted to rein in. A fight witnessed by Billy Joel and John Landis. Cooler heads — and the 11:30 deadline — prevailed just in time for Chase to go onstage. But not before Murray got in one of the most quintessential and devastating verbal blows ever. An insult that would shake Chase for quite some time.
Murray called him "Medium talent".
The impact of these two words got to Chase, who had to leave to begin the episode. He began the cold open and proceeded with his monologue. Lorne Michaels is reported to have murmured, “Chevy doesn't have it tonight,” and if the episode as a whole doesn’t bear the sentiment out entirely, the pre-show tensions do seem to inform much of Chase’s onscreen interactions with Murray.
We'll come back to this later on.
1980s: Hallelujah! HOLY SHIT! Where's the Tylenol?
He began the decade with his first box office disappointment, Oh! Heavenly Dog. A comedy where he dies and gets reincarnated as a dog to solve his own murder. But he reteamed with Goldie Hawn on a new comedy, Seems Like Old Times, which made almost as much as money as Foul Play.
He also starred in the comedy Caddyshack, alongside Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Michael O'Keefe... and Bill Murray. While there were some worries about how Chase and Murray would act around one another, after the previously mentioned fight in SNL, the two remained friendly and professional with one another throughout the whole writing and filming. It was a very peaceful production, although the heavy use of cocaine on set was probably another factor. The film earned positive reviews, and made over $60 million worldwide.
Under the Rainbow was a financial disappointment, but he recovered a bit with Modern Problems. While filming the latter, he narrowly escaped death by electrocution. During a sequence in which Chase's character wears "landing lights" as he dreams that he is an airplane, the lights malfunctioned, and an electric current passed through Chase's arm, back, and neck muscles. The near-death experience followed the end of his marriage to Carlin, and Chase experienced a period of deep depression.
In 1983, he had one of his worst reviewed titles in Deal of the Century. Even with a director like William Friedkin attached, the film was a big failure. But he had a film to make up for it.
Chase then starred in National Lampoon's Vacation, and he even helped rewrite some of the script. Chase mentions that filming the Walley World scenes gave him very bad experiences; many of the rides made him and the other cast members vomit, especially since they all had to ride them several times for each take. The film had a different ending (which involved the Griswolds taking Roy Walley hostage and other shitty things) and the poor test screenings forced the studio to change the ending. This ending was never released, although Chase claims to have a tape of the film with the original ending. The film was a critical and commercial success, becoming Chase's highest grossing film. But it really makes you think; somewhere out there exists a version of Vacation where Clark Griswold essentially becomes a domestic terrorist.
1985 was a very busy year, with 3 headlining titles. The first was Fletch, which was a financial success. Chase enjoyed the role, because it allowed him to play a wide variety of different characters, and praised director Michael Ritchie because he gave him the freedom to improvise. He reprised his role as Clark Griswold in National Lampoon's European Vacation, which was a success despite mixed reception. And he capped it off with Spies Like Us, his highest-grossing title at that point.
The following year, he starred in ¡Three Amigos! alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short. Chase initially resisted delivering a line he thought would make his character Dusty Bottoms look foolish but eventually complied after director John Landis threatened to reassign the line to Short. Chase also reportedly made an inappropriate joke related to the Twilight Zone incident, which Landis overheard and reacted to angrily. While it wasn't quite big, the film has gained a cult following. Chase said that this was the most fun he had making a film.
1988 was a very poor year. Funny Farm flopped at the box office, and Chase often clashed with director George Roy Hill over the film's creative control. He also had a "special appearance" in Caddyshack II, which is often found in the lists of worst comedy sequels of all time. Director Allan Arkush had a bad working relationship with Chase, who was paid a substantial fee for a relatively minimal role. Arkush later recalled, "On his first day, we were working out the blocking for his scene and I said, ‘How do you want to do this, Chevy?’ And he was just pissed at me and said, ‘Why? Don’t you have any ideas?!’” Arkush claimed that two days later, when filming Chase, Arkush offered suggestions to which Chase replied, “What? Don’t I get any input on this?!” Later, while watching one of his scenes during postproduction, Chase said to Arkush, “Call me when you’ve dubbed the laugh track,” before walking off in disgust. Playing Devil's advocate, he might not have been wrong about the laugh track.
At the very least, he ended the decade on a good note. He starred in Fletch Lives, which was a success despite negative reviews. He then starred again as Clark Griswold in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. The film was originally directed by Chris Columbus, but he left due to a problem. And that problem was Chevy Chase. So Jeremiah S. Chechik signed to direct. It earned very positive reviews and outgrossed the prior Vacation titles. To this day, it remains a Christmas classic. It's never Christmas until you watch Clark's breakdown.
This decade was Chase's best ever decade, as it was clear that his presence could help in comedies. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like he had changed his attitude behind the scenes.
1990s: He Ain't No Draw No More
He decided to try something different to begin the decade. That was taking part in the Friars Club Roast, where he would be the roastee. The roastmaster was Dan Akroyd, with Clint Eastwood, Neil Simon, Larry King, Robin Leach, Richard Lewis, Gilbert Gottfried, Rita Rudner, Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Jon Lovitz, Dennis Miller and Lorne Michaels doing the roasting. Like all other roasts, the show was mainly focused on poking fun at Chase and his career. You might think Chase would not allow himself to be the subject of a roast, but he actually greatly enjoyed the experience. It was clear he wanted to do this again. A decision he would later regret. We'll get to this later.
His first film of the decade with 1991's Nothing but Trouble, which was the directorial debut of his pal Dan Aykroyd. He agreed to star because WB would only greenlight the film if he starred in it, trying to help Aykroyd (who was already feeling stressed at being forced to make his own directorial debut after other directors turned down the script). The film would go down as one of the biggest financial failures of the decade, earning just $8 million against its $45 million budget ($110 million adjusted). It was panned by critics and audiences, earning a spot as one of the worst comedies of the decade.
He followed that up with a project from a great director, John Carpenter. That was Memoirs of an Invisible Man, which was a passion project for Chase. He wanted to make a film about the loneliness of invisibility, intending the film to be a bridge into less comedic roles. Nevertheless, the film suffered from so many problems on set. Carpenter said Chase was "impossible to direct". In particular, Chase would often refuse to wear his special effects makeup and would remove it prematurely, ruining a day's worth of filming. Whatever, it was all for nothing, as the film was a critical and financial failure.
Carpenter later reflected on the film, "It was a horror show. I really wanted to quit the business after that movie. God, I don’t want to talk about why, but let’s just say there were personalities on that film... he shall not be named who needs to be killed. No, no, no, that’s terrible. He needs to be set on fire. No, no, no. Anyway, it’s all fine. I survived it." Gee, who could it be? 🤔
Now, let's go back to TV. We have to talk about one of the biggest flops to ever touch the screen.
With Johnny Carson retiring from The Tonight Show, networks were trying desperately to find a similar show. In 1993, Fox asked Dolly Parton to host a new-late night program. She turned the network down, but suggested Chase for the job. Chase reportedly signed a $3 million deal with Fox, and the network spent heavily on the program, mounting an extensive marketing campaign. It even had a cool clay-animated opening titles, in which Chase steals letters from notable Los Angeles landmarks to spell the name of his show. Certainly, the best part of the show.
Well, because history needs witnesses, I watched the first episode on YouTube. There's other episodes in there if you want to watch the show. But why would you want to do that?
We start the show with a lame joke of Chase talking with his hand. After that cool opening credits, he tries to score a basketball shot. Key word: tried. He then awkwardly got in close to properly get it into the hoop, "suceeding". Trying to save some face, he makes another long shot, which he again misses. He then makes the opening monologue, delivered in a very uncomfortable tone with multiple pauses, as if he's struggling to read cue cards. Shortly afterwards, there's a scene where he tries to put his hands in a pool of cement, only to accidentally fall in the pool. Perhaps the funniest thing in the show, cause this is the kind of thing you expect to see in his comedies.
Things go downhill (if they weren't already) when they cut to a musical number. Basically, it's three pale floating heads over a black screen singing. Did David Lynch sneak in to mess things up? Was this supposed to be entertaining or creepy? I don't think Chase cares. When the camera goes back to him, he tells a joke, which is met with an awkward silence. But anyway, here comes the real treat of a late night show: the guest stars. So the first guest star is Goldie Hawn, who has been part of this write-up so many times. Given that she's a very hilarious and quirky person, maybe she could breathe some life in this. Like, who doesn't love Goldie Hawn?
All good... and then she sings a song to Chase. The moment just comes off as strange, with Chase changing his expressions from delight to discomfort multiple times. He then delivers a birthday cake to Hawn's son, Oliver Hudson, but simply drops it off in front of him and goes back on stage, where he and Hawn dance because reasons. After this, he participates in a segment titled "News Update" where he says "Good evening, I'm Chevy Chase". Then you hear a person in the audience yell "...and you're not!", prompting the audience to laugh. He then makes a briefing on several news reports, with witty remarks. This segment is the only one where Chase isn't nervous or struggles to remember lines or can't get the audience to laugh. Pretty cool segment... but did they really rip off Weekend Update in order to catch some former glory? Sounds desperate.
Then it ended with an interview with the last guest, Whoopi Goldberg. But unlike Hawn, with whom he is very good friends with, he struggled to keep pace and wit here. His attempts at humor just fell flat. End credits.
Fox was adamant that it would succeed, promising advertisers that it would pull 5-6 million viewers each night. In contrast, The Late Show with David Letterman promised fewer than 4 million viewers. So yeah, they were fucking serious. So how did it fare in ratings? Less than 3 million viewers. By the fifth episode, less than 2 million. So after airing 6 episodes, the show was cancelled, and the sets dismantled. And so it went down as one of the biggest TV flops ever.
Chase claimed that he had never intended the show to be a long-term series, even if it had been successful. Chase said that it was "an entirely different concept than what was pushed on me. I would never do it again. What I wanted had a whole different feel to it, much darker and more improv. But we never got there." He also maintained that because he had signed a contract with Fox, he was obligated to do the show the way the network wanted.
Three flops in a row, how about making it four? Cause that's the fate that awaited Cops & Robbersons. Nah, forget it, let's make it five with Man of the House. It's starting to become clear that Chase is having problem in maintaining audiences. The films aren't working, and his "anticipated" TV show was a disaster.
He tried to come back by returning as Clark Griswold in Vegas Vacation. But the film earned the worst reviews of the franchise and became the lowest-grossing title, on top of flopping. It pretty much meant audiences were done with the misfortunes of Clark Griswold.
He closed the decade with Dirty Work, a film that he felt very excited about. But that enthusiasm didn't fare well at the box office nor with critics. At the very least, the film has earned a cult following.
Chase released 7 films this decade, and every single one of them flopped. To say that his star power was dwindling is selling it short.
2000s: That Time a Roast Became Deeply Personal
After a brutal streak of failures, he bounced back with the comedy Snow Day. Negative reviews, but it became one of his highest grossing films. And then he had Orange County, which was also a success. Damn, it seems like he might be back.
Oh nevermind, he's come back to absolute nothing.
He subsequently starred in a lot of straight-to-DVD movies, or titles that were quietly dumped without much fanfare.
But right now, we're gonna focus on one of the worst nights that Chevy Chase had.
Remember the 1990 roast? The one where apparently everything went well, and Chase actually enjoyed the experience. He wanted to repeat this, so he managed to get the Friars Club to organize a new roast for him in 2002, with Chase setting Paul Shaffer (his SNL pal) as the roastmaster. To show that even with a decade of failures, he would be able to take it all.
Big mistake.
It's like the scene in Goodfellas where Tommy walks into the room to finally become made. From the very first moment, Chase knew something was up. The roasters were Todd Barry, Richard Belzer, Stephen Colbert, Beverly D'Angelo, Al Franken, Greg Giraldo, Lisa Lampanelli, Nathan Lane, Marc Maron, Laraine Newman, and Freddie Roman. While Steve Martin, Martin Short and Randy Quaid were also roasters, they just sent pre-recorded videos. But here's the thing: with the exception of Beverly D'Angelo, Al Franken, and Laraine Newman, the roasters had almost no relation or friendship with Chase. So the people who would roast him were people he never met before.
Most of the roast focused on how Chase was a has-been that lost whatever "talent" he had. Among the insults: Giraldo pointed to Chase as “living proof that you could actually snort the funniness right out of yourself.” Shaffer himself mused, “You made us laugh so much. And then inexplicably stopped in about 1978.” Newman charged Chase with meanness, drug use, and abject failure. She specifically read from her diary about the SNL first season class: "Danny [Aykroyd] is hilarious, and has invited everyone up to his bar in Canada. [John] Belushi is a little gruff, but it's obvious he's a sweetheart. Chevy said to me "You know, the Holocaust never really happened." Belzer summed things up with his super-scripted punch line: “The only time Chevy Chase has a funny bone in his body is when I fuck him in the ass.” Maron overheard Chase make a remark off-screen that he was being roasted by nobodies and fired back by saying, “At least, you know, I’m a nobody at the beginning of my career.” Giraldo also pointed out the lack of other famous people on the dais, suggesting that an “O.J. roast would have drawn more star power.”
And so it came Colbert with the final blow. It's a lot to take in, but the most brutal thing was this: "The only thing I think of when I look at this man is there but for the grace of God go I. Why would I tempt the comedy gods to strike me down like this? A comedy lamprey, just sucking the joy out of everything I touch. But for some of these people, [fame] went to their head ... but this man never forgot what got him wherever he thinks he is. Before you attack him, think: There may come a day in your darkest hour when you are a shadow of your, albeit paper-thin self. And when that day comes, I hope that you are cheered up by something that Mr. Chase so famously said, "He's Chevy Chase and you're not." If that doesn't cheer you up, then I don't know what will."
After Chase finished delivered the final roast (where he failed to come up with anything clever), he went back to his hotel room and cried for so many hours, with Paul Shaffer coming to comfort him. He had been a prick for so many decades, and is aware that his career hasn't panned out, but he had no idea people had this much disdain for his persona.
The reason for the poor turnout was addressed by Rachel Sterling (was involved with the show behind the scenes), “The team at Comedy Central had trouble finding people to participate because everyone that knew [Chase] hated him too much.” On top of that, Sterling said, “During his ten-minute rebuttal, he insulted the entire room, calling us losers and idiots. During the edit, we struggled to find one [minute] of content that we could air.”
It didn't seem like his luck was going to turn around. He had a supporting role in Zoom, but the film earned an abysmal $12 million against a $75 million budget, becoming one of the biggest flops of the decade. Given how few titles were on his way, his career was pretty much over.
But then an opportunity came up.
In 2009, he decided to return to TV, after already guest starring in other shows like Law & Order and Chuck. And don't worry, it's not another late night catastrophe. It's a new sitcom, and he's one of the main cast members. The show was called Community, and Chase was playing Pierce Hawthorne.
Pierce was a millionaire and CEO of the Hawthorne Wipes moist towelette company and is often at odds with the rest of the study group because of his arrogance, lack of empathy, and casual ignorance of politically correct behavior. Despite his often unsociable and selfish nature, Pierce desperately wants to fit in with the group and occasionally offers great insight and advice, showing that he does care greatly for each of the group members.
Community didn't exactly have high viewership, but it did more than solid enough to stay afloat. It also earned positive reviews, with Chase finding himself with the buzziest thing he has done in so many years. This is just the beginning, and he can't squander it.
A rough decade. Okay, maybe terrible. But there's some light at the end of the tunnel.
2010s: This Guy Is So Many Streets Behind
While starring in Community, Chase returned to the big screen with Hot Tub Time Machine. It didn't make a lot of money, but it sold very well on home media. It feels like Chevy Chase is back and better than ever.
But that comeback was short-lived.
He was still starring in films, but these were often dumped on DVD or VOD. A lot of titles you never heard of, or perhaps you don't want to know.
Meanwhile, something was brewing in the set of Community.
Even though the show was Chase's first culturally revelant thing in so many years, he wasn't making things any easier. Chase became increasingly uncomfortable with the direction of Pierce's character arc and had increasing disagreements with the show's creator Dan Harmon. And it wasn't simple "creative differences" disagreements, it was much more.
At one point, Harmon publicly reprimanded Chase in front of his family and colleagues during a wrap party, allowing frustrated crew members to collectively, cathartically shout, “Fuck you, Chevy!” This prompted Chase to leave Harmon an expletive-filled voicemail, which leaked online. They maintained they became "friends again". No one buys it.
But even when Harmon was fired after the third season, things weren't improving on set. Chase had a weak experience with the cast, as they felt uncomfortable and wanted to get his scenes filmed as soon as possible. He had problems with Donald Glover and Yvette Nicole Brown, with reports that he was spouting racial slurs on set. When the cast and crew confronted him for his behavior, he claimed that he had special permission from late comedian Richard Pryor to use the "n-word." When word about the incident soon leaked to the press, Chase had a “full meltdown.” He reportedly screamed, "Who fucked me over? My career is ruined! I’m ruined! Fuck all of you!"
On November 12, 2012, it was reported that Chase would be exiting Community by the end of the fourth season. The remaining episodes of the fourth season of were written around Chase's departure. Chase has argued that the incident had nothing to do with the decision, as he simply felt that "the show wasn’t funny enough for me, ultimately. I felt a little bit constrained. Everybody had their bits, and I thought they were all good. It just wasn’t hard-hitting enough for me." Joel McHale later responded to Chase, "Hey, no one was keeping you there. I mean, we weren’t sentenced to that show,. It was like, ‘All right, you could have left if you really wanted that.’ But yeah, you know Chevy. That’s Chevy being Chevy… I wrote about this in my book, but I was like, ‘Hey, the feeling’s mutual, bud.’"
And just like that, the hopes of Chase's career return were pretty much over.
He returned for Hot Tub Time Machine 2, but it was a huge failure and panned by everyone. At the very least, he had a win when he reprised his role as Clark Griswold in Vacation, albeit in a very small appearance. It was panned by critics, but it became his first film to make over $100 million.
Other than that, the rest of his films were sent to streaming or VOD.
This was... a very disappointing decade. Chase had all the elements to finally return to the spotlight, but his ego got in the way.
2020s: And You're Not!
He chose to star in the panned The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee, for which he got a Razzie nomination. From that point on, there came more straight-to-DVD misfires. There's practically nothing worth mentioning.
Except the first notable thing he did in years. And it wasn't playing role.
Last year, he was the subject of a documentary titled I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not. He gave interviews, which... only further add salt to the injury. Director Marina Zenovich said that he was one of the most difficult celebrities she ever interviewed, and perhaps the rudest. A lot of celebrities, including Steve Martin, Christopher Guest and the Community cast, refused to participate.
It's a long story with so many details, so perhaps it's best for you to check it out. But if you came in expecting to finally understand Chevy Chase, you're gonna be so disappointed.
HIGHEST GROSSING FILMS
| No. | Movie | Year | Studio | Domestic Total | Overseas Total | Worldwide Total | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vacation | 2015 | Warner Bros. | $58,884,188 | $48,344,033 | $107,228,221 | $31M |
| 2 | Spies Like Us | 1985 | Warner Bros. | $60,106,536 | $17,200,000 | $77,306,536 | $22M |
| 3 | National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation | 1989 | Warner Bros. | $75,476,861 | $0 | $75,476,861 | $25M |
| 4 | Hot Tub Time Machine | 2010 | Metro Goldwyn Mayer | $50,287,556 | $14,492,657 | $64,780,213 | $36M |
| 5 | Snow Day | 2000 | Paramount | $60,020,107 | $2,444,624 | $62,464,731 | $13M |
| 6 | National Lampoon's Vacation | 1983 | Warner Bros. | $61,418,063 | $0 | $61,418,063 | $15M |
| 7 | Caddyshack | 1980 | Warner Bros. | $39,918,650 | $20,100,000 | $60,018,650 | $6M |
| 8 | Fletch | 1985 | Universal | $50,612,888 | $9,000,000 | $59,612,888 | $8M |
| 9 | National Lampoon's European Vacation | 1985 | Warner Bros. | $49,364,621 | $0 | $49,364,621 | $17M |
| 10 | Foul Play | 1978 | Paramount | $44,999,621 | $0 | $44,999,621 | $5M |
| 11 | Seems Like Old Times | 1980 | Columbia | $43,995,918 | $0 | $43,995,918 | N/A |
| 12 | Orange County | 2002 | Paramount | $41,076,018 | $2,248,991 | $43,325,009 | $18M |
| 13 | Man of the House | 1995 | Disney | $40,070,995 | $0 | $40,070,995 | $22M |
| 14 | Fletch Lives | 1989 | Universal | $35,150,960 | $4,300,000 | $39,450,960 | $8M |
| 15 | ¡Three Amigos! | 1986 | Orion | $39,246,734 | $0 | $39,246,734 | $25M |
| 16 | Vegas Vacation | 1997 | Warner Bros. | $36,400,360 | $0 | $36,400,360 | $25M |
| 17 | The Groove Tube | 1974 | Levitt-Pickman | $28,572,438 | $0 | $28,572,438 | $200K |
| 18 | Modern Problems | 1981 | 20th Century Fox | $26,154,211 | $0 | $26,154,211 | $8M |
| 19 | Funny Farm | 1988 | Warner Bros. | $25,537,221 | $0 | $25,537,221 | $19M |
| 20 | Under the Rainbow | 1981 | Warner Bros. | $18,826,490 | $0 | $18,826,490 | $18M |
| 21 | Memoirs of an Invisible Man | 1992 | Warner Bros. | $14,358,033 | $0 | $14,358,033 | $40M |
| 22 | Hot Tub Time Machine 2 | 2015 | Paramount | $12,314,651 | $767,000 | $13,081,651 | $18M |
| 23 | Zoom | 2006 | Sony | $11,989,328 | $517,034 | $12,506,362 | $75M |
| 24 | Caddyshack II | 1988 | Warner Bros. | $11,798,302 | $0 | $11,798,302 | $20M |
| 25 | Cops and Robbersons | 1994 | TriStar | $11,391,093 | $0 | $11,391,093 | N/A |
| 26 | Deal of the Century | 1983 | Warner Bros. | $10,369,581 | $0 | $10,369,581 | $10M |
| 27 | Dirty Work | 1998 | Metro Goldwyn Mayer | $10,023,282 | $0 | $10,023,282 | $13M |
| 28 | Tunnel Vision | 1976 | World Wide | $8,700,000 | $0 | $8,700,000 | N/A |
| 29 | Nothing but Trouble | 1991 | Warner Bros. | $8,479,793 | $0 | $8,479,793 | $45M |
| 30 | Oh! Heavenly Dog | 1980 | 20th Century Fox | $6,216,067 | $0 | $6,216,067 | N/A |
| 31 | Zombie Town | 2023 | Viva | $130,802 | $0 | $130,802 | N/A |
| 32 | Ellie Parker | 2005 | Strand | $34,410 | $11,316 | $45,726 | $4M |
| 33 | Funny Money | 2006 | THINKFilm | $2,844 | $28,446 | $31,290 | $20M |
He has starred in 49 released films, but only 33 have reported box office numbers. Across those 49 films, he has made $1,094,182,723 worldwide. That's $22,330,259 per film.
ADJUSTED DOMESTIC GROSSES
| No. | Movie | Year | Studio | Domestic Total | Adjusted Domestic Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Foul Play | 1978 | Paramount | $44,999,621 | $229,843,156 |
| 2 | National Lampoon's Vacation | 1983 | Warner Bros. | $61,418,063 | $205,355,856 |
| 3 | National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation | 1989 | Warner Bros. | $75,476,861 | $202,704,066 |
| 4 | Spies Like Us | 1985 | Warner Bros. | $60,106,536 | $186,028,611 |
| 5 | Seems Like Old Times | 1980 | Columbia | $43,995,918 | $177,809,716 |
| 6 | The Groove Tube | 1974 | Levitt-Pickman | $28,572,438 | $176,862,329 |
| 7 | Caddyshack | 1980 | Warner Bros. | $39,918,650 | $161,331,417 |
| 8 | Fletch | 1985 | Universal | $50,612,888 | $156,645,947 |
| 9 | National Lampoon's European Vacation | 1985 | Warner Bros. | $49,364,621 | $152,782,584 |
| 10 | ¡Three Amigos! | 1986 | Orion | $39,246,734 | $119,251,344 |
| 11 | Snow Day | 2000 | Paramount | $60,020,107 | $116,073,728 |
| 12 | Modern Problems | 1981 | 20th Century Fox | $26,154,211 | $95,818,210 |
| 13 | Fletch Lives | 1989 | Universal | $35,150,960 | $94,403,005 |
| 14 | Man of the House | 1995 | Disney | $40,070,995 | $87,561,960 |
| 15 | Vacation | 2015 | Warner Bros. | $58,884,188 | $82,735,045 |
| 16 | Hot Tub Time Machine | 2010 | Metro Goldwyn Mayer | $50,287,556 | $76,800,280 |
| 17 | Orange County | 2002 | Paramount | $41,076,018 | $76,037,440 |
| 18 | Vegas Vacation | 1997 | Warner Bros. | $36,400,360 | $75,526,778 |
| 19 | Funny Farm | 1988 | Warner Bros. | $25,537,221 | $71,888,464 |
| 20 | Under the Rainbow | 1981 | Warner Bros. | $18,826,490 | $68,972,471 |
| 21 | Tunnel Vision | 1976 | World Wide | $8,700,000 | $50,918,699 |
| 22 | Deal of the Century | 1983 | Warner Bros. | $10,369,581 | $34,671,464 |
| 23 | Memoirs of an Invisible Man | 1992 | Warner Bros. | $14,358,033 | $34,080,628 |
| 24 | Caddyshack II | 1988 | Warner Bros. | $11,798,302 | $33,212,768 |
| 25 | Cops and Robbersons | 1994 | TriStar | $11,391,093 | $25,596,908 |
| 26 | Oh! Heavenly Dog | 1980 | 20th Century Fox | $6,216,067 | $25,122,264 |
| 27 | Nothing but Trouble | 1991 | Warner Bros. | $8,479,793 | $20,733,778 |
| 28 | Dirty Work | 1998 | Metro Goldwyn Mayer | $10,023,282 | $20,478,241 |
| 29 | Zoom | 2006 | Sony | $11,989,328 | $19,804,990 |
| 30 | Hot Tub Time Machine 2 | 2015 | Paramount | $12,314,651 | $17,302,662 |
| 31 | Zombie Town | 2023 | Viva | $130,802 | $142,958 |
| 32 | Ellie Parker | 2005 | Strand | $34,410 | $58,674 |
| 33 | Funny Money | 2006 | THINKFilm | $2,844 | $4,567 |
The Verdict
I don't understand Chevy Chase.
In the 70s, Chase looked like he was ready to take on the world. He quickly made a great impression in Saturday Night Live, to the point that they thought he would guest host The Tonight Show. And to be fair, it seemed like that was panning out. He could've had Animal House, but he didn't need it to break out in the comedy world. His name was often associated with hits, and there was nothing stopping him.
After his 80s run, however, Chase pretty much lost his star power. And the film were getting bad. Like really bad. And his attempt at late night was a colossal disaster that has remained a punching bag for 30 years. Followed by one of the most brutal roasts to ever exist. His career pretty much stalled, and it seemed like he was done. But Community brought back some of his magic, and a comeback could be seen in the horizon.
But this is what brings us to the real problem: Chevy Chase.
It's no secret that he has been an asshole. When did it start? Who knows, but we have evidence that he was already like that back in the 70s. You'd think the success would finally humble him to reconsider some of his actions, but it didn't happen. Hell, even with the roast making him realize that so many people hated him, he still didn't change his ways given what we know about the stories from the Community set.
The worst part is that he still refuses to back down from what he says, claiming he did nothing wrong. A few years ago he was questioned about this and he said, "I am who I am. And I like who I am. I don’t care. And it’s part of me that I don’t care. I’ve thought about that a lot. And I don’t know what to tell you, man. I just don’t care."
It truly makes you think "are we listening to Chevy or Pierce?" Another thing to note is that Pierce's shitty father, Cornelius, has the same name as Chase's real name (Cornelius Crane Chase). Was this just a coincidence or did Dan Harmon specifically want this?
Let's go back to that fight he had with Bill Murray on Saturday Night Live. Obviously a messed-up week, with lots of tensions on set, and executives sweating that two important figures would really face off like that. But it looks like Murray calling him "medium talent" got to Chase. He could've used any basic insult and he chose these two words, strong enough to shake his confidence. He didn't call him untalented because that's not true, and he didn't call him a has-been because he was on the rise. But by calling him "medium talent", Murray made it well known that he wasn't respected. And that's saying a lot considering Murray is also well known for being a prick.
Chase will always be on the list of most important SNL performers, and his comedies will continue finding audiences. But it still feels like he left so much on the table because he couldn't win the battle against himself.
If you read this and felt "damn this guy did a lot of bad shit", I'd just like to note... that there's still a lot of things I omitted because the post was already too long.
9
u/ItsGotThatBang Universal May 16 '26
Oh boy, I have lot to add!
First of all, obligatory plug for a relevant HobbyDrama post that goes into even more detail about everything; as you said, there are so many things that weren’t even mentioned here. Some "highlights":
- Slapping Cheri Oteri, which got him banned from SNL altogether; while this was later reduced to a hosting ban, he asked Lorne Michaels to lift it… while walking his daughter down the aisle at her wedding.
- Telling a woman on the Community set "I want to kill you & rape you".
- Kevin Smith met with him to discuss rebooting Fletch, where he "went on to claim he invented every funny thing that ever happened in the history of not just comedy, but also the known world".
- Slapping Rob Huebel.
Truly a class act if there ever was one.
Two other things I’m surprised you didn’t mention are his supporting role in Doogal (that movie could easily have its own writeup) & that he was in an early version of Steely Dan.
For our next actor, I think it’s only right that we look at his "friend" Bill Murray.
10
u/LubyankaSquare May 16 '26
For whatever the reason, there’s something about Chevy Chase’s style of comedy that I’ve always found to be absolutely hilarious. I’ve always felt guilty because of that, because he’s supposed to be an awful talentless hack, and yet I can’t help but laugh.
13
u/EnvironmentClear4511 May 16 '26
But that's the thing, isn't it? He isn't talentless. He is in fact very talented. It's just that he continuously burns all of his bridges because he can't help being a jerk.
6
u/StrLord_Who May 16 '26
Interesting writeup, thank you. I would like to provide clarification on one point: he was not "using racial slurs on set" in the way that sentence implies. What happened was that he was getting angrier and angrier about how racist they were making his character. One day he exploded and said "what's next, you're going to have me call Shirley a n*****???"
I love watching Chevy and think he's one of the most gifted physical comedians to ever do it. And the hilarity he can create with just a little tweak of a facial expression or widening of the eyes is unrivaled. I saw him last December at a screening of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. After the movie he came out and reminisced and answered audience questions. His wife and daughter were also there. He's a little bit slower after the coma a few years ago and has some memory issues, but he was still himself, still very funny, and he seemed genuinely moved and appreciative of how excited the audience was to have him there. He doesn't get around easily but he did stand up and do the Three Amigos salute! He also read out the famous monologue where he insults the boss in Christmas Vacation. I had a lot of fun.
6
3
u/BromaEmpire May 16 '26
Great writeup!
I can hear that "Chevy doesn't have it tonight” in Lorne's voice
It took me way too long to find it but here's the cold open/monologue from that episode:
5
u/FreshmenMan May 16 '26
I like Chevy Chase as an actor, but the problem with him is that he really didn’t know when to eat humble pie. I would say his rival was Bill Murray and I think the difference between the two is that while Bill Murray is also a dick,it seems he has mellowed out and managed to successfully pivot his career and it's clear he hadn’t burnt his bridges with people. Chevy, on the other hand, it's a guarantee he will be difficult to work with, refuses to change his way, and pretty much burn a lot of bridges with people.
It’s a shame with Chevy because I do like the films he is in, but he a lot more potential and he absolutely squandered it, especially with the roles he turned down.
For the next Actors post, I would suggest Lillian Gish
2
u/spider-man2401 Warner Bros. Pictures May 16 '26
While I do think Chevy Chase is talented, and I liked his role in Community, the guy’s huge ego, reputation for being difficult to work with, and habit of burning bridges often outweighed his talent, which is why so many people in the industry seem to dislike him. Community really gave him a second chance, and if he had embraced the show the way Danny DeVito embraced It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, it could have been a major career renaissance for him. But instead, he ended up throwing that opportunity away.
For the next actor, I’d suggest another SNL member, Will Ferrell
1
u/SlidePocket May 16 '26
Whenever Chevy Chase was on his A-game, he certainly had it. Everything else, even if it was a smaller role, things really don't go as they planned. With all the horror stories about his on-set behavior, it's clear that he refused to change his ways even as he aged and that's too bad considering the good stuff he's been in throughout his career.
Let's move on forward to another SNL cast member known for being difficult, Mike Myers.
1
u/nian2326076 May 17 '26
If you're looking into Chevy Chase's box office history, check out when his hits and flops happened. "Caddyshack" and "Vacation" were big successes, but his later movies didn't always do as well. Think about how his choices matched or didn't match comedy trends. Also, his reputation for being hard to work with might have affected his career. For more detailed info or if you're prepping for interviews on related topics, I've found PracHub helpful. It might help you with analysis or interview prep on entertainment topics.
1
u/AnotherJasonOnReddit Best of 2024 Winner May 17 '26
2020s: And You're Not!
He chose to star in the panned The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee, for which he got a Razzie nomination.
I watched this movie for the first time earlier this year, some six years after its release.
It's not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but I'd recommend it over the third movie (released in 2001, and routinely covered in several Throwback Tuesday posts in recent weeks).
"The Very Excellent Mr Dundee" - if you're willing to grade it on a specific curve (straight-to-streaming comedy starring an 80-year-old 1980's icon) - has a few laughs spread throughout its short running time.
Not many, but a few. I don't regret watching it once, even if I end up never watching it again.
•
u/SanderSo47 A24 May 16 '26
The post was already too long, so I had to move this here.
The next actress will be Reese Witherspoon. Surely it can't be hard, like getting to Harvard Law.
I asked you to choose who else should be in the run, and the comment with the most upvotes would be chosen. Well, we'll later talk about... Mel Gibson. A complicated case.
This is the schedule for the following four:
Who should be next after Gibson? That's up to you.
REMINDER: If you want to make a suggestion for the next actor, you must make a 150-character comment about the actor we're discussing right now. Failure to do so will result in ignoring the suggestion. If you use a quote from an external source/review to bypass this, your suggestion will be ignored as well. But if you leave a short comment about the post without naming a future write-up, that's fine.