Chevy Chase through the years

Chase was born in 1943 and began his comedy career in 1967 by co-founding the comedy troupe Channel One. He wrote a piece for MAD Magazine in 1970, but he really got his break thanks to National Lampoon. Chase was a writer and performer on “The National Lampoon Radio Hour” and its live stage show “Lemmings.” This is where Chase first got noticed.

In time Chase would become a movie star, but you may have missed his film debut. That’s because it came in the 1974 release “The Groove Tube.” It was one of those sketch comedy movies that were somewhat popular at the time, and it was directed by fellow Channel One member Ken Shapiro.

A couple of Chase’s fellow performers on “The National Lampoon Radio Hour?” That would be John Belushi and Gilda Radner. Those three, plus some other notable names, would become members of the original cast of “NBC’s Saturday Night.” You probably know it better as “Saturday Night Live.”

Chase was a star on “SNL” from the beginning. He began the tradition of parodying the sitting president with his performance as Gerald Ford. In his version, Ford was a bumbling, stumbling oaf, which played into Chase’s affinity for physical comedy. He also was the original host of Weekend Update, a staple that remains part of the show to this day.

Stardom was swift for the original “SNL” cast, but Chase wasted no time striking when the iron was hot. He was the first cast member to leave the show, departing in the middle of the second season. His replacement? Some guy named Bill Murray.

Chase’s first real foray into the film world was 1978’s “Foul Play.” Not only was this his first major film role, but he also was straight-up starring in a movie. He found success right out of the gate, as he was nominated for two Golden Globes for his performance.

Probably not, but we will anyway. You know all about “Caddyshack.” It’s one of the most-beloved film comedies of all time. Chase is only part of an ensemble that includes Bill Murray, Ted Knight and Rodney Dangerfield, but his role of Ty Webb is still iconic. This is the movie that will probably lead his obituary.

After “Caddyshack,” Chase made a couple of movies that didn’t really click, and also he was electrocuted and almost died while filming “Modern Problems.” Then he took on another iconic role in Clark Griswold in the National Lampoon comedy “Vacation.” The film was so popular it would end up spawning three sequels, although one will be mentioned later in a less cheerful chapter of Chase’s career.

Chase’s entire movie career to this point was built on either pratfalls or cutting deadpan. Nobody delivered a searing quip with a straight face like Chevy. “Fletch” was a great vehicle for this and also something of a gripping action comedy with some genuine drama to it. Plus, Geena Davis has a delightful small role early in her career.

All those quips led to Chase being given the role that quipsters often get: hosting the Academy Awards. Chevy hosted it for the first time in 1987 and did a good enough job that he was able to host again in 1988. He began those proceedings by saying, “Good evening, Hollywood phonies.” He never hosted again.

Look, Chase was a comedian in the ‘70s and ‘80s. OF COURSE he had experience with drugs. However, when Chevy went to the Betty Ford Clinic in 1986, it wasn’t for cocaine but for prescription painkillers. He said that he began using them to deal with back pain from all the pratfalls he had performed in his career. Given the opioid epidemic facing the United States these days, we can certainly sympathize with that.

They say what goes up must come down, and for Chase his film career basically took a nose dive after 1986’s “The Three Amigos.” He made a couple of poorly received sequels in “Fletch Lives” and “Caddyshack II,” and then the nadir of not just Chase’s career, but perhaps movies in general. He made “Nothing But Trouble.” This was the first of three big flops in a row for Chase.

With his film career in trouble, Chase turned back to television. Specifically, FOX gave him a talk show. Hey, he could quip and be quick on his feet! He had hosted the Oscars. What he couldn’t do, evidently, was host a talk show. “The Chevy Chase Show” was canceled after five weeks.

“Christmas Vacation” and “European Vacation” have their fans, but 1997’s “Vegas Vacation” generally is not remembered fondly. By this point, Chase’s film career was on life support, and the lack of success of the fourth entry of this well-worn series was effectively the death knell. This was the last time Chase was a true leading man.

Even before “Vegas Vacation,” the writing was on the wall for Chase. He got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994, and then in 1996 he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award from the “Harvard Lampoon.” People were fondly remembering the heights of his career, but they were all in the rearview mirror by this point.

Roasts aren’t fun at their best. Comedy Central’s roasts of celebrities can be particularly brutal. However, none was more brutal than the roast of Chevy Chase. By and large, none of a Chase’s actual friends, or coworkers, was on the stage. It was a bunch of professional roasters taking down Chase with glee. Though Chase had a bad reputation, it was uncomfortable to watch him get gutted by strangers.

Eyebrows raised when it was reported that Chase would be returning to television with a role in an ensemble for the new NBC comedy “Community.” In it, Chase played Pierce Hawthorne, a wealthy, out-of-touch senior citizen who was a member of a diverse study group. It was a great show, and Chase was a key part of it…for a while.

Like we said, Chase has a reputation for being less than warm. That is to say, some people find him to be one of the bigger jerks in Hollywood. “Community” creator Dan Harmon, by his own admission, can be a bit of a maniac in his own right. It was inevitable these two would be in conflict. Indeed, their feud spilled into public, and Chase left the show after the fourth season.

Here are some of the other roles that Chase took on in recent years. He played a repairman in “Hot Tub Time Machine” and its sequel. Chevy also cameos as Clark Griswold in the “Vacation” reboot starring Ed Helm and Christina Applegate. On television, he showed up in a few episodes of “Chuck,” and “Law and Order,” where he was clearly aping Mel Gibson, and an episode of “Hot in Cleveland.”

So what’s Chase up to now? Well, he’s 75, so he could simply happily retire if he so chose. His reputation as being difficult is fully ingrained, which has seemingly made getting work increasingly difficult. After the “Community” fiasco, it seems unlikely he will get a regular role again. Chase starred in the 2019 Netflix film “The Last Laugh” alongside Richard Dreyfuss, another man with a less-than-ideal reputation. He also is providing a voice in the upcoming animated film “Pandas vs. Aliens.” Well, at least he’s still finding some work.