Chevy Chase made his screen debut in the 1974 American independent comedy film ‘The Groove Tube’ directed by Ken Shapiro. The film currently holds a 13% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The following year, he became a part of the American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show ‘Saturday Night Live’ created by Lorne Michaels. He starred in 38 episodes and remained a part of the show until 2015. He also won 2 ‘Primetime Emmy Awards’ for his performance in the show. In 1978, he starred as ‘Tony Carlson’ in the American romantic neo-noir comedy thriller film ‘Foul Play’ directed by Colin Higgins. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics and grossed over $45 million on a budget of $5 million. He was next seen in films like ‘Oh! Heavenly Dog’ (1980), ‘Seems Like Old Times’ (1980), ‘Under the Rainbow’ (1981), and ‘Modern Problems’ (1981). In 1983, he starred as ‘Clark Griswold’ in the American road trip comedy film ‘National Lampoon's Vacation’ directed by Harold Ramis. The film opened to a positive reception and was a financial success, grossing over $61.4 million on a budget of $15 million. That same year, he also appeared in the William Friedkin-directed American comedy film ‘Deal of the Century.’ The film received mostly negative reviews from critics.
Chase continued to star in films like ‘Fletch’ (1985), ‘National Lampoon's European Vacation’ (1985), ‘Three Amigos’ (1986), ‘Funny Farm’ (1988), ‘Caddyshack II’ (1988), ‘Fletch Lives’ (1989), ‘National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation’ (1989), ‘Nothing but Trouble’ (1991), ‘Memoirs of an Invisible Man’ (1992), ‘Last Action Hero’ (1993), and ‘Cops & Robbersons’ (1994). In 1995, he starred as ‘Jack Sturgess’ in the American comedy film ‘Man of the House’ directed by James Orr. While the film was panned by critics, it managed to achieve moderate business at the box office. He went on to star in films like ‘Vegas Vacation’ (1997), ‘Dirty Work’ (1998), ‘Snow Day’ (2000), ‘Orange County’ (2000), ‘Bitter Jester’ (2003), ‘Our Italian Husband’ (2004), ‘Ellie Parker’ (2005), ‘Funny Money’ (2006), ‘Zoom’ (2006), ‘Stay Cool’ (2009), and ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ (2009). In 2009, he joined the cast of the American television sitcom ‘Community’ as ‘Pierce Hawthorne.’ He starred in 83 episodes and remained a part of the show until 2014. He was next seen in films like ‘Hot Tub Time Machine’ (2010), ‘Not Another Not Another Movie’ (2011), ‘Before I Sleep’ (2013), ‘Lovesick’ (2014), ‘Hot Tub Time Machine 2’ (2015), ‘The Last Movie Star’ (2017), ‘The Last Laugh’ (2019), and ‘The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee’ (2020). He was last seen in the 2021 computer-animated sci-fi film ‘Panda vs. Aliens’ directed by Sean Patrick O'Reilly.
Clark Griswold begins his plans for a "fun old-fashioned family Christmas" by driving with his wife Ellen and two children Audrey and Rusty to a country farm and securing the biggest tree. However, he struggles to keep his Christmas spirit up after unsophisticated relatives show up at his house and his boss denies his much-awaited bonus.
Clark Grisworld decides to take his family on a cross-country car trip from Chicago to Southern California amusement park Walley World. The family have numerous adventures along the way including a falling out, the death of a family member, getting lost in the desert and Clark becoming infatuated with a beautiful woman driving a red Ferrari.
Seems like Old Times is a romantic comedy film which revolves around a writer Nick Gardenia, who is kidnapped and forced to rob a bank. Now, wrongly accused of the crime, he has no other option but to seek the help of his ex-wife, a pubic defender, who is now married to the soon-to- be Attorney General of California.
Andy Farmer is a former sportswriter who along with his wife, moves to a small town in Vermont so that he can focus on writing his novel. They soon realize that the locals are not very welcoming and the farm is also quite distracting.
Foul Play is a mystery thriller film which revolves around Gloria Mundy, a librarian, who lives a completely ordinary life. Her life takes a turn when she finds herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the Pope. She soon meets the detective who is assigned to the case, and they soon fall for one another.
Danny Noonan, a young caddy, intends to bag the prestigious caddy scholarship offered by the Bushwood Country Club. For this, he has to impress the arrogant Judge Elihu Smails, the co-owner of the club. Al Czervik, a loud construction tycoon wants to purchase the club and gets into a conflict with Smails. Meanwhile, the golf course ground keeper is troubled by a rampaging gopher.
Two incompetent CIA applicants are led to believe that they are on a mission. They soon find themselves in Pakistan, then in Afghanistan, and soon they are pursued by the Russians. They eventually realize that they are being used as decoys for a Nuclear War.
During 1920s, three out-of-work actors, Ned, Lucky day and Dusty Bottoms, who play heroic cowboys in silent movies, accept a show in Mexico assuming that they have to reprise their screen roles. Only on arrival they realize that they’re expected to fight real-life bandits who torment the villagers. As the locals hope for protection, the three must live up to their image.
A journalist comes to know that he has inherited an old mansion. However, misfortune follows him, and he soon finds himself suspected of murder.
Nothing But Trouble is a comedy film which revolves around a businessman and his friends who are arrested and taken to court, where they face trouble from a sadistic judge.
Man of the House is a comedy film which tells the story of a woman named Sandy, who finds love in a man named Jack, a lawyer, after going through several years of unsuccessful marriage. However, things get problematic because her son Ben dislikes him, although Jack tries his best to impress him.
Three despondent friends get together to spend some time at a ski resort, after one of them faces medical issues. They are joined by a young Jacob. The four consume an illegal Russian drink and get transported back into time in 1986. They must do everything the same way as it happened to come back to present times, but then the desire to do unpleasant things differently is also there.
A magic movie ticket transports teenager Danny Madigan into the fictional world of his favorite movie character, the indestructible Los Angeles Cop Jack Slater. When the fictional villain, Mr. Benedict, uses the same ticket to escape into the real world, Danny and Slater must also travel back and team up to stop him.
Two friends—Sam and Mitch—are in need of money to pay for Sam’s dad’s heart surgery. However, they both get fired, after which they come up with a great idea to make money. They start a revenge-for-hire business, which becomes a big success.
After his application is rejected at Stanford University, Shaun finds out that his academic transcript got mixed up with that of another student. Due to his determination to get accepted at the university, Shaun decides to use any means necessary.
Rusty Griswold decides to take a cross-country car trip to Walley World with his family to relive the fond memories of his childhood vacations. Unfortunately, one misadventure after another and many detours turn the trip into a disaster for the Griswolds and anyone who comes in contact with them.
On a game show, the Griswold family wins a 15-days’ vacation to Europe and gets set for the trip, though daughter Audrey is hesitant to leave her boyfriend behind, while son Rusty can’t wait to meet girls. The bumbling family travels from London to Paris, then Germany and Rome, moving from place to place, leaving a trail of disaster wherever they go.
When a nuclear accident renders an evacuated building invisible, stock analyst Nick Halloway taking a nap inside, also turns invisible. As CIA agent Jenkins realizes Nick’s situation, he tenaciously pursues Nick to recruit him as invisible CIA agent. Alice Monroe, whom Nick had met just before the accident, helps him escape Jenkins while Nick desperately searches for a solution to his condition.
The Griswolds are on a family vacation to Las Vegas. However, each of them face their own misadventures, and they try their best to stay out of trouble.
This comedy sci-fi film tells the story of Nick and Jacob, who decide to help their friend, Lou, who is in trouble. Therefore, they use a time machine in order to travel back in time. Unfortunately, things don’t go as they plan.
Benjamin is a private eye who is approached by a stranger claiming to be a Member of Parliament, who wants to hire Benjamin as a bodyguard for a friend Patricia. Since he is offered a huge sum of money, Benjamin decides to accept the assignment. However, both Patricia and Benjamin are murdered by someone shortly after. Benjamin is soon reincarnated as a dog, and he tries to find the murderer and solve the mystery.
An unexpected snowfall closes a town in New York. A group of elementary school kids led by Natalia Brandston hijack a plow truck to make sure that the schools remain closed.
Zoom is a superhero comedy film which tells the story of Jack Shepherd, a former superhero, who is asked to come back to work in order to train a group of kids with useless powers.
Caddyshack II is a comedy film which tells the story of a real estate tycoon who is extremely annoyed after a snobbish country club denies him membership. He decides to take revenge by purchasing the club and turning it into an amusement park.
A TV weatherman working in Los Angeles feels bored with his job as well as his relationship with his girlfriend. His life takes a turn when he begins to receive secret messages from an electronic freeway sign near his home.
Hero is a comedy drama film which tells the story of Bernie, a wanted thief, who rescues passengers from a burning airliner, but is shocked to see that another man is taking the credit for his heroic actions.
Chevy Chase Awards
| The Paul Simon Special | Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Special | 1978 |
| Saturday Night Live | Outstanding Continuing or Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in Variety or Music | 1976 |
| Saturday Night Live | Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Series | 1976 |
