Just when you think it’s safe to go back to your DVD collection to watch a film, most likely your favourite actor or even someone who starred in your favourite movie of all time, was associated with the National Lampoon catalogue of comedy.
They might have started out while they were young before they were well known, or they’re so washed up, they’ll take any bad film to earn a crust. Even though National Lampoon started off as a humour magazine and spawned into a radio show, it branched out to movies in the late 70s, having a major hit with their second film Animal House in 1978. With the film making household names with many stars, you’ll be surprised who is in what film that has the National Lampoon logo stamped on its arse. With over 71 films associated with the franchise, it’ll be difficult not to overlook it.
While the National Lampoon brand was highly cashable in the mid 1980s due to the hit flicks Animal House and the Vacation franchise, the series did suffer when the brand name was sold for a licensing fee, enabling any production house to make a shithouse frat flick and smack the name at the top, giving a false impression it was a genuine Lampoon film.
Here’s an incomplete list of well knowns (before /during / past their prime) that are in the catalogue, either a good flick or a bad one. The decision is yours on if you liked the film or not.
Animal House (1978)
Harold Ramis, John Belushi, Ivan Reitman. Tim Matheson, Donald Sutherland, Karen Allen, Kevin Bacon (There’s your six degrees right there if you’re doing a Kevin Bacon connection to all the National Lampoon films)
Class Reunion (1982)
John Hughes
Movie Madness (1982)
Diane Lane, Robert Culp, Fred Willard. Olympia Dukakis, Christopher Lloyd, Julie Kavner
Vacation (1983)
Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall, Randy Quaid, John Candy, Brian Doyle-Murray, Christine Brinkley, Eugene Levy, Jane Krakowski, Henry Gibson
Joy Of Sex (1984)
Colleen Camp
European Vacation (1985)
Eric Idle, Mel Smith, Robbie Coltrane, John Astin, Moon Unit Zappa
O.C. and Stiggs (1987)
Jane Curtin, Dennis Hopper, Cynthia Nixon, Jon Cryer
Christmas Vacation (1989)
Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki, Doris Roberts, Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Loaded Weapon 1 (1993)
Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Samuel L Jackson, Jon Lovitz, Tim Curry, William Shatner, Denis Leary, Erik Estrada, Phil Hartman, Bruce Willis, Denise Richards, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Christopher Lambert
Last Resort (1994)
Corey Feldman, Corey Haim
Favorite Deadly Sins (1995)
Andrew Dice Clay, Joe Mantegna
Senior Trip (1995)
Tommy Chong, Jeremy Renner
Dad’s Week Off (1997)
Henry Winkler, Olivia d’Abo, Richard Jeni
Don’s Analyst (1997)
Sherilyn Fenn, Kevin Pollak
Vegas Vacation (1997)
Wallace Shawn, Wayne Newton
Golf Punks (1998)
Tom Arnold
Men In White (1998)
Barry Bostwick, Thomas F Wilson
Van Wilder (2002)
Ryan Reynolds, Kal Penn, Tara Reid
Repli-Kate (2002)
Ali Landry
Blackball (2003)
Vince Vaughn
Barely Legal (2003)
Amy Smart
Thanksgiving Reunion (2003)
Bryan Cranston, Judge Reinhold, Penelope Ann Miller
Going The Distance (2004)
Jason Priestley, Avril Lavigne
Adam & Eve (2005)
Emmanuelle Chriqui
Cattle Call (2006)
Thomas Ian Nicholas, Diedrich Bader, Chelsea Handler
Dorm Daze 2 (2006)
Charles Shaughnessy, Justin Whalin
Electric Apricot: Quest for Festeroo (2006)
Les Claypool, Seth Green, Matt Stone
Pledge This (2006)
Paris Hilton, Holly Valance, Sofia Vergara, Carmen Electra
Pucked (2006)
Jon Bon Jovi, Estella Warren, David Faustino, Cary Elwes
The Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell (2007)
Tony Hale
TV: The Movie (2007)
Lee Majors, Jason Mewes, Steve-O, Judd Nelson
Homo Erectus (2007)
Ali Larter, Sasha Grey, Ron Jeremy, Gary Busey, David Carradine
RoboDoc (2008)
Michael Winslow, Alan Thicke
Ratko: The Dictator’s Son (2009)
Katrina Bowden, Adam West
