Vacation (1983)

Beverly D'Angelo: Ellen Griswold

Photos 

Quotes 

• [after driving off the road] 

  Ellen Griswold : I think I broke my nose.

  Rusty Griswold : I stabbed my brain.

  Audrey Griswold : I just got my period.

• [Delivering the eulogy for Aunt Edna, flatly] 

  Clark Griswald : O God, ease our suffering in this, our moment of great dispair. Yea, admit this good and decent woman into thine arms in the flock in thine heavenly area, up there. And Moab, he laid its down by the band of the Canaanites, and yea, though the Hindus speak of karma, I implore you: give her... give her a break.

  Ellen Griswold : Clark... Clark... This is a serious matter. I'll do it myself.

  Clark Griswald : Honey, I'm not an ordained minister; I'm doing my best, OK?

• Rusty Griswold : Is that a real gun, Mom?

  Ellen Griswold : I don't know, Rusty, but when this is all over, your father... may be going away for a little while.

• [Clark punches the Marty Moose statue] 

  Ellen Griswold : Clark, what are you doing?

  Clark : We watch his program... We buy his toys, we go to his movies... he owes us. Doesn't he owe us, huh? He owes the Griswolds, right? Fucking-A right he owes us!

  Ellen Griswold : Clark, you're scaring me.

  Clark : DON'T BE SCARED! I think that someone just owes us an explanation that's all!

• Ellen Griswold : Stay in the car! It's hot and dangerous out here.

  Aunt Edna : Don't you tell me what to do, I'll do what I want! I should never have come on this trip with you, I should have taken an airplane... and he...

  [pointing to Clark] 

  Aunt Edna : He shouldn't even have a license to drive an automobile! He should be BEHIND BARS!

  Ellen Griswold : SIT down and SHUT UP! Move outta that seat and I'll split your lip!

• Ellen Griswold : This is so dangerous, Clark. We have no business being in a neighborhood like this!

  Clark Griswald : Oh I don't know, hun. This is a part of America we never get to see.

  Ellen Griswold : [sarcastic]  That's good!

  Clark Griswald : Uh... no that's bad. We can't just ignore the plight of the inner cities. See the plight kids?

  [gunshots are heard and a woman is heard screaming] 

  Clark Griswald : Roll 'em up!

• Aunt Edna : I was afraid you'd get pulled over, Clark. You've been exeeding the speed limit for thousands of miles!

  Rusty Griswold : Dad wasn't speeding. The cop stopped us because Dad forgot to...

  Ellen Griswold : He was speeding, Rusty!

  Rusty Griswold : No he wasn't, Mom. He...

  Clark : Rusty! Listen to your mother. I was speeding. I was driving like a maniac. We can all be grateful for this man for stopping us. You see kids...

  [the motorcycle cop appears at the car window with the dog leash] 

  Motorcycle Cop : Here's the leash, sir. I'm going back to get the rest of the carcass off the road.

• Ellen Griswold : Clark, let's just skip the house of mud. I think Dodge City was enough fun for one day. Besides, Catherine and Eddie are expecting us.

  Clark Griswald : It's living history Ellen. But if you'd rather see your cousins. Personally I'd rather see a pile of mud than Eddie.

• Clark Griswald : Could I do your back, honey?

  Ellen Griswold : I've already done my back.

  Clark Griswald : Could I do your front?

  Ellen Griswold : Go do your own front.

• Ellen Griswold : The next time you have one of your outbursts, I'd really appreciate it if you think about the consideration of our kids.

  Clark Griswald : What are you talking about?

  Ellen Griswold : You don't know? After everything that happened, you still don't get it?

  Clark Griswald : I'm just trying to treat my family to a little fun.

  Ellen Griswold : Oh spare me, Clark! I know your brand of family fun. Tomorrow you'll probably kill the desk clerk, hold up a McDonalds, and drive us 1,000 miles out of the way to see the world's largest pile of mud!

• Clark Griswald : [talking about Aunt Edna]  She can't weigh more than 100 pounds.

  Ellen Griswald : Oh, no. You can't just put her on the roof.

  Audrey Griswald : Yes, he can!

  Clark Griswald : You want me to strap her to the hood? She'll be fine. It's not as if it's going to rain or something.

• Ellen Griswold : I honestly don't think you're going to find the Grand Canyon on this road.

  Clark Griswald : Jesus, it's only the biggest damn hole in the world.

  Aunt Edna : Clark, watch your language!

  Clark Griswald : Make that the second biggest.

• Aunt Edna : You're the ones who sent me the fruitcake for Christmas. It made me so sick!

  Ellen Griswold : Oh - we're sorry. We thought you enjoyed fruitcake.

  Aunt Edna : Do you enjoy throwing up every five minutes Claude?

  Clark Griswald : Clark.

  Aunt Edna : I thought so. Whew! Well am I gonna eat, or am I gonna starve to death?

• Clark : Aah, what d'ya say honey? Ohh. Despite all the little problems, it really is fun isn't it?

  Ellen Griswold : No. But with every new day there's fresh hope.

• Aunt Edna : Did you tell Clark and Ellen the good news?

  Cousin Catherine : [nervously]  Uh, no; I was just about to.

  Ellen Griswold : Good news, what good news, Catherine?

  Aunt Edna : You're driving me to Phoenix!

  [Clark begins choking on his hamburger] 

• Clark Griswald : [to the Dodge City bartender]  Hey Knucklehead, set us up with four Red eye's will ya?

  [the bartender ignors him] 

  Clark Griswald : Hey Yellabelly, I'm talking to you!

  [the bartender glares at Clark] 

  Clark Griswald : Hey Tender foot, move your chicken wings turkey!

  [the bartender angrily glares at Clark] 

  Ellen Griswold : Clark, that's not nice.

  Clark Griswald : Relax, it's all part of the act.

  [to the bartender] 

  Clark Griswald : Hey Underpants...

  [the bartender pulls out a double-barrled shotgun and shoots Clark!] 

• [repeated line] 

  Ellen Griswold : Clark, what are you doing?

• [In Cousin Normy's backyard in the pouring rain] 

  Ellen Griswold : We can't leave her on the patio!

  Clark Griswald : Would you rather I slipped her in the night deposit box at the funeral home?

• Ellen Griswold : Lord, we loved this woman with all our heart.

  Audrey Griswold : Let's not overdo it, mom.

  Ellen Griswold : Shut up.

• Audrey Griswold : Mom, where can I go to the bathroom?

  Ellen Griswold : Find a bush Audrey!

• Ellen Griswald : We're not really violent people. This is our first gun.

  Clark Griswald : No, it isn't.

• [looking at the dead Aunt Edna in the back seat] 

  Ellen Griswold : She must have passed away somewhere near Flagstaff. What are we going to do, Clark?

  Clark Griswald : Well, we could leave her here and the first phone we pass, we could call your Cousin Normie and he could come and get her, I guess.

  Ellen Griswold : That is the meanest, coldest...

  Clark Griswald : Well what do you want me to do? Call Federal Express?

  Audrey Griswold : Mom, we don't have to ride with a dead person, do we? Please say we don't!

  Rusty Griswold : Yeah, come on, Mom. It'll be real easy for Cousin Normie to find her. All they have to do is look for the buzzards.

• Ellen Griswold : [after the bartender shoots at Clark]  Clark, I don't think that was funny. A loud noise like that could damage the kids' hearing.

  Clark Griswald : C'mon, Ellen. It looked real. Hell - I thought it was a real gun. Didn't you think it was real, honey?

  Audrey Griswold : What?

  Clark Griswald : I said didn't you think it was real?

  Audrey Griswold : What?

  Ellen Griswold : Oh are you happy now Clark? She's deaf.

  Clark Griswald : Oh what the hell - it was fun anyway.

• Ellen Griswold : [into a phone]  I'm not sure of his exact height and weight. All I know is the man was a saint with children and a genius with food additives and he was... Clark!

• Rusty Griswold : Mom, my sandwich is all wet.

  Ellen Griswold : They're all wet... Oh God!... The dog wet on the picnic basket.

• Ellen Griswold : Gee Cath looks like you really got your hands full.

  Catherine : Oh, it's not so bad. Eddie says after the baby comes, I can quit one of my night jobs.

• Ellen Griswold : No, we don't. You gave $500 to Eddie, and everything on this safari has cost twice as much as you figured out.

  Clark Griswald : Honey, there's nothing in that luggage that can't be replaced. Except for your... diaphragm. We can always cash a check down the road. Don't you trust me?

  Ellen Griswold : As long as you don't tie me to the rear bumper.

  Clark Griswald : That hurt, Ellen.

• Ellen Griswold : Don't just blurt it out about Edna dying.

  Clark Griswald : How about if I ask him to play 20 Questions?

  [Clark knocks on the front door of Normie's house and rings the doorbell, but no anwser] 

  Clark Griswald : Oh, for chrissake, he isn't even home!

  Ellen Griswold : Maybe the neighbors know where he is.

  Clark Griswald : The moron knows we're coming and he isn't home.

  Ellen Griswold : Normie's always been flighty.

  Clark Griswald : He's always been a jackoff...

  Ellen Griswold : Would you watch your mouth!

• Ellen Griswold : Clark, I need my vanity case. We've got to go back and look for it. All my credit cards are in it.

  Clark Griswald : Honey, Number 1: I've already called the bank and told them you lost them. B: there's no way we're going to find it when we don't even know where it fell off. And 3: I've got my credit cards and we've still got plenty of cash. OK?

• [Clark leads the Griswolds to the back entrance of Walley World] 

  Ellen Griswold : Clark, will you listen to me? Let's just find a hotel. I'll call my parents, they'll wire us money. We can fly home and forget this vacation ever happened.

  Clark Griswald : Honey, relax. I told you I'm not angry anymore. I'm in complete control. I'm sure they're not repairing every ride at the same time. I think they owe us a little explanation. I think they owe us a little fun, okay? Whatever happens, just trust me. Will you just trust me?

• Ellen Griswold : [leaving the house]  I turned off the water, the stove, the heat and the air, locked the door, notified the police, stopped the papers. I called to get the grass cut. Did I put the timers on the living-room lights?