Chevy Chase

:This article is about an American comedian; Chevy Chase is also a 16th century ballad about the battle between Earl Douglas and Earl Percy and a town in Maryland.

Career

Saturday Night Live

Chase is best known as one of the original cast members for NBC's Saturday Night Live television series from 1975 to 1976. Chase was the original anchor for the Weekend Update segment, which he began with the catch phrase "I'm Chevy Chase, and you're not," a takeoff of New York news anchor Roger Grimsby's "Here now the news" opening line. Another trademark was the pratfall during the opening skits.

Related Topics:
NBC - Saturday Night Live - 1975 - 1976 - Weekend Update - Catch phrase - Roger Grimsby's - Pratfall

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In a 1975 New York magazine cover story, NBC executives referred to Chase as "The first real potential successor to Johnny Carson" and claimed he would begin guest-hosting The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson within six months of the article (which proved to be false).

Related Topics:
Johnny Carson - The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

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At 6' 4", he was the tallest original cast member of "Saturday Night Live." Among the other tall guys to follow were Dan Aykroyd, Dean Edwards, Will Ferrell, Anthony Michael Hall, David Koechner, Norm Macdonald, Finesse Mitchell, Bill Murray, Kevin Nealon, Randy Quaid, Rob Riggle, Charles Rocket, Damon Wayans, and Fred Wolf. Only Nealon and Quaid equaled Chase in height.

Related Topics:
Dan Aykroyd - Will Ferrell - Anthony Michael Hall - David Koechner - Norm Macdonald - Finesse Mitchell - Bill Murray - Kevin Nealon - Randy Quaid - Rob Riggle - Charles Rocket - Damon Wayans

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Immediately tagged by the media as the star of the show, and only signed to the show for one year, Chase left in 1976 to pursue a career in film. Ironically, he was never signed as a cast member. He signed a one year writer contract and became a cast member during rehearsals. Chevy was the first member of the original "Saturday Night Live" cast to leave the show, and was replaced by Bill Murray. He has said that he regrets leaving after just one year.

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After leaving as a cast member, Chevy Chase hosted Saturday Night Live eight times. He was banned from ever hosting the show again after the February 15, 1997, episode due to his verbal abuse of the cast and crew during the week. Chase became notorious for his treatment of certain cast members when hosting past episodes, particularly his remarks to openly gay cast member Terry Sweeney in 1985 when he suggested that a perfect skit for Sweeney would be one in which Sweeney plays an AIDS victim who gets weighed every week. Chase's abusive behavior during the 1985 episode and others are detailed in the Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live book. Although Chase has not hosted the show since 1997, he appeared on the 25th anniversary special in 1999 and was interviewed for the 2005 special on the first five years at SNL.

Related Topics:
Saturday Night Live - February 15 - 1997 - Terry Sweeney - 1985 - AIDS - 1999 - 2005

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Film

Chase's earliest major film roles were Foul Play (1978) and Oh! Heavenly Dog (1980). He followed these with the more successful Caddyshack (1980), and Modern Problems (1981), where Chevy Chase was nearly killed (electrocuted) during the filming, when, during the sequence in which he is wearing "landing lights" as he dreams that he is an airplane, the current in the lights short-circuited through his arm, back, and neck muscles. The near-death experience caused him to experience a period of deep depression. His career continued in 1983's National Lampoon's Vacation. Chase's big hits for National Lampoon were Vacation and European Vacation movies; in which he played Clark Wilhelm Griswold, Jr. And 1985's Fletch.

Related Topics:
Foul Play - 1978 - Oh! Heavenly Dog - 1980 - Caddyshack - 1980 - Modern Problems - 1981 - 1983 - National Lampoon's Vacation - National Lampoon - 1985 - Fletch

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In 1986, Chase joined SNL veterans Steve Martin and Martin Short in the comedy ¡Three Amigos!. He admitted in an interview that making ¡Three Amigos! (1986) was the most fun he has had on a film.

Related Topics:
1986 - Steve Martin - Martin Short - ¡Three Amigos!

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The role of Eric 'Otter' Stratton in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) was originally written with him in mind, but owing to a scheduling conflict, he had to turn the role down. The role went to Tim Matheson instead.

Related Topics:
National Lampoon's Animal House - Tim Matheson

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At the height of his career he earned around $7 million per film.

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Later years

Considered a comedy genius in the late 1970s and 1980s, Chase saw his career take a downturn in the 1990s. Few of Chase's subsequent films have been able to duplicate the critical or commercial success of his early career, and in 1993 he hosted a talk show, The Chevy Chase Show, which was cancelled after five weeks and remains one of the most notorious failures in the history of broadcast television. It was billed as a Cornelius Production, Cornelius being Chevy's real first name. He later appeared in a Doritos commercial which made humorous reference to the show.

Related Topics:
1993 - Talk show - Doritos

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1995 saw Chase team up with Farrah Fawcett and many precocious kids in Man of the House, which immortalized the YMCA Indian Guides program. He was also convicted of drunk driving this same year.

Related Topics:
1995 - Farrah Fawcett - Man of the House - YMCA

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Chevy is a Winner of Harvard Lampoon Lifetime Achievement Award 1996.

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When he visited Cuba, his room was bugged with both video and audio recording devices, says former Cuban intelligence officer Delfin Fernandez. Later at Earth Day 2000 in Washington, D.C., Chase stated, "Socialism works. I think Cuba can prove that."

Related Topics:
Cuba - Earth Day - 2000 - Socialism

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He was Roasted into the New York Friar's Club on September 28, 2002. Chevy Chase is a member of the exclusive Hollywood Gourmet Poker Club with fellow card players Johnny Carson, Martin Short, Steve Martin, Carl Reiner, Barry Diller, and Neil Simon.

Related Topics:
September 28 - 2002 - Carl Reiner - Barry Diller - Neil Simon

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On May 30, 2005, Chase was the keynote speaker at Princeton University's Class Day, part of commencement activities for the graduating Class of 2005. Though he mentioned that he "left his written speech on the corner of the bathtub at home," he spoke for about fifteen minutes about sense of humor and the perspective on life that it creates.

Related Topics:
May 30 - 2005 - Princeton University - Bathtub

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He appeared in the music video and sang in the choir on the song "Voices That Care." He appeared alongside Paul Simon, who is one of his best friends, in the music video "You Can Call Me Al," in which he lip-syncs all of Simon's lines.

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