Friday, September 19, 2014

Remember These Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker Vacations on ‘Modern Family’?

“Modern Family” is about to start its sixth season, and it’s anybody’s guess where the Pritchett-Dunphy clan will land.  Last season, the Emmy winning ABC comedy headed to Australia for a family vaca, and producers called the trek the show’s “most ambitious” on-location shoot yet.
“We promise to feature a kangaroo, a koala and a boomerang,” executive producer Steve Levitan said in a statement. “I’m sure there will be lots more, but so far that’s all we know about Australia – our American school system is a disaster…. Plus it’ll be nice to go to a place where everyone looks like Hugh Jackman and Miranda Kerr.”

Of course, that wasn’t the first time fans of the hit sitcom went along for the ride on one of this funny family’s vacations. Check out five of the most memorable “Modern Family” vacations.

Hawaii

The Bradys have nothing on the Dunphys! “Modern Family’s” first season ended with a family trip to Hawaii to celebrate Jay’s (Ed O’Neill) birthday. And while there was no surfboard accidents or cursed tiki statues, there was a vow renewal (Claire and Phil!) and a trip to a banana plantation. In an interview with Emmy TV Legends, co-creator Christopher Lloyd explained that while he initially had concerns about filming an on-location vacation  (the original premise was to show just the family’s airport mishaps), producers later concurred, “Audiences love to see the characters in  new, exciting, exotic locations, so [the network] was very much in favor of it.”



Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Season 3 kicked off with the vacation-themed episode “Dude Ranch.” Set in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, The rustic ranch setting featured  a campfire proposal, which had mom Claire (Julie Bowen) answering for her daughter Haley (That’d be a big fat “no”) while Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell) kept busy mastering Cowboy 101:  “I’ve been I've been practicing all the core cowboy skills: shootin', ropin', pancake eatin',” he said. Lloyd  told TV Line that the rugged dude ranch setting was also the perfect place for Mitchell and Cameron (Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet) to decide if they could actually raise a son. (At the time they had a baby boy adoption in the works.) “They figure, ‘A dude ranch sounds like a good way for us to rediscover our macho side,’” Lloyd dished.

Check out the making of “Dude Ranch" here:


Disneyland

Yep, they’re going’ (OK, went) to Disneyland! Season 3 marked the sitcom’s obligatory trip to Disneyland, which had Phil feeling queasy after a roller coaster ride and Gloria (Sofia Vergara) attempting to walk the park in sexy high heels. Speaking of shoes, Mitch and Cam had trouble keeping track of daughter Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons) at the massive theme park (yeah, they lost her a couple of times), so when a leash garnered them disapproving stares from strangers, they “trapped” her with the next best thing: Kiddie high heels,  which made it difficult for the tot to run off.  Fun fact: Past sitcom family’s like the Conners (“Roseanne”) and the Tanners (“Full House”) have also gone on Disney theme park vacations.


Palm Springs

Nothing like New Year’s Eve in the Golf Capital of the World. Especially when you stumble upon a nudist New Year’s celebration and an impromptu poker game with actor Billy Dee Williams. Jay Pritchett spearheaded the adults-only family trip featured in the Season 4 episode “New Year’s Eve,” but the hotel he once raved about didn’t exactly improve with age.

Las Vegas

Another adults-only trip (hey, is this becoming a theme?) took place in Season 5, when the grownups took a weekend jaunt to Sin City. For Claire it was all about gambling (she wanted to win back the cash she lost in Vegas years earlier), while her hubby Phil was determined to attend an underground magic society meeting (guest star Patton Oswalt played magician group leader Ducky). Meanwhile, Mitch ran into his ex (played by Fred Armisen). After a series of misunderstanding that involved a misplaced room key, a naked Gloria, and a magic trick gone awry, it’s safe to say that what happened to the “Modern Family” gang in Vegas should definitely stay in Vegas.

“Modern Family” airs on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.


No comments: