How much of ‘National Lampoon’s Vacation’ was actually filmed in St. Louis?

ST. LOUIS – One of the most memorable 1980s cult classics to feature St. Louis, albeit briefly, is “National Lampoon’s Vacation.” While the city plays only a small role in the movie, the amount of it acutally filmed in St. Louis is even smaller.

Starring Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold, the 1983 comedy followed the misadventures of the Griswold family on their road trip from Chicago to the fictional Wally World amusement park in California.

St. Louis in “National Lampoon’s Vacation”

Near the early-middle stages of the movie, there are a few key scenes that represent the Griswold’s journey through the St. Louis region…

• In broad daylight, the family crosses state lines from Illinois into Missouri by car.

• Clark excitedly points out the Gateway Arch and Mississippi River during the drive.

• The family appears to merge onto Interstate 70 from Interstate 55, prompting Clark’s wife Ellen to question the route.

• At night, the family seems lost while driving through an unfamiliar area, which is widely assumed to portray East St. Louis, Illinois.

• Clark stops to ask for directions, only for his car’s hubcaps to be stolen while he receives unhelpful guidance, then scrambles to leave town.

These key moments suggest two primary locations: One as the family navigates the interstates near the heart of Downtown St. Louis and another often associated with East St. Louis, Illinois.

How much of this was filmed in St. Louis?

According to IMBD, an online database for movie productions, filming locations for “Vacation” included St. Louis, Missouri, but only exterior shots. Meanwhile, East St. Louis, Illinois, was not listed among filming locations.

This data suggests that while real footage of the family’s car was captured crossing into Missouri, the interior car scenes and the nighttime sequences were shot elsewhere.

There are two distinguished clips of St. Louis and the Griswold’s family car on interstates, each around 10-15 seconds, as the car crosses state lines. Aside from that, there is no other confirmed or obvious footage of St. Louis in the movie.

The “East” St. Louis scene

One interesting detail: According to IMDb, an original cut of the movie included an on-screen text label reading “East St. Louis” as the Griswold family gets lost. However, filmmakers reportedly intended for this to refer to the eastern part of the city of St. Louis, Missouri, rather than the city of East St. Louis, Illinois, according to IMDb’s “Goofs” page for the movie.

Geographically speaking, that makes some sense. If the family had actually crossed back into East St. Louis, Illinois, from St. Louis, Missouri, they would have been heading east, while their intended target (California) is much further west.

Additionally, IMBd further notes one scene of being depcited in St. Louis as the Town House Motel, which is actually in Glendale, California. The motel name isn’t explicitly involved in the scene, unlike a spot called “Ron Frazier’s Downtown Bar.” Filmmakers say that Ron Frazier is an uncredited propmaker foreman for the film, though it’s unclear whether the bar was ever a real location of simply a set piece.

As for the “East” St. Louis scene itself, Clark attempts to ask two different people for directions. One shouts an expletive back at him, and another requests $5 in exchange for help. The latter direction-giver initially points toward a sign advertising “rib tips” before changing course, directing Clark toward a Ford Torino that belongs to his cousin Jackie. As Clark and his family process the conversation, a group of people swiftly remove all four hubcaps from his car, adding to the family’s growing string of misfortunes.

In 2009, a Riverfront Times report revisited the scene that cemented East St. Louis’ reputation in pop culture, despite the fact it wasn’t filmed there. The report highlighted how the scene contributed to negative stereotypes associated with East St. Louis. It also included remarks of regret from the film’s director, Harold Ramis, who once said, “I apologize for the whole scene.”

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