If you’re a fan of the classic holiday film, Christmas Vacation, you’ve probably wondered who was behind the wheel of that massive RV that caused so much chaos and hilarity throughout the movie. Well, wonder no more! We’ve done some digging and have all the answers for you.
First things first: the RV in Christmas Vacation is a 1972 Condor II by GMC. It’s an impressive vehicle, measuring over 30 feet long and weighing in at around 12,000 pounds. With that kind of size and weight, driving it takes some serious skill.
So who was up to the task? In the movie, it’s Clark Griswold (played by Chevy Chase) who takes on the responsibility of piloting the RV as he leads his family on a cross-country trip to visit relatives for Christmas. And while Clark may be a bit hapless at times, there’s no denying he’s got some serious driving skills when it comes to handling that behemoth of a vehicle.
Of course, in reality, it wasn’t actually Chevy Chase doing all the driving. For safety reasons (and to avoid any potential liability issues), a professional stunt driver was brought in to handle most of the RV scenes during filming. That driver’s name was Gary Baxley, and he had quite an impressive resume when it came to stunt driving – including work on films like The Blues Brothers and Smokey and the Bandit.
But while Baxley did most of the driving during filming, Chevy Chase did get behind the wheel for a few scenes – particularly those where Clark is struggling to park or maneuver the RV in tight spaces. And according to some reports from crew members on set, those scenes were often filmed with minimal safety precautions or rehearsal time – meaning that what you see on screen is pretty much what actually happened!
In addition to Baxley and Chase, there was also another driver involved in the making of Christmas Vacation: a man named Fred Culbertson. Culbertson was the owner of the actual Condor II RV used in the movie, and he was responsible for transporting the vehicle to and from set each day (as well as making some minor repairs and adjustments as needed). So while he wasn’t technically driving during filming, he played an important role in bringing the RV to life on screen.
All in all, it took a team effort to bring the RV in Christmas Vacation to life – from the professional stunt driver handling most of the driving, to Chevy Chase gamely taking on some of the more challenging scenes, to Fred Culbertson keeping the vehicle running smoothly. And while we may never know exactly who was behind the wheel at any given moment during filming, one thing’s for sure: it took a lot of skill (and probably some luck) to pull off those crazy stunts and make that massive RV seem like a character all its own.
So there you have it – now you can watch Christmas Vacation with a little more insight into just who’s driving that iconic RV. And if you ever find yourself behind the wheel of a giant motorhome like that, just remember: it takes teamwork (and maybe a little bit of movie magic) to make it look easy.