Tours of the Funny Farm House
In the comedy Funny Farm,Chevy Chase plays Andy Farmer, a sportswriter who quits his job and buys a house in the country, where he plans to write a novel.
The movie takes us through all four seasons in the small town of Redbud, Vermont, but it ends during the holidays when the Farmers' charming Cape Cod is decorated with white lights and covered in snow.
Let's take a look back at the house from the movie!
(Note that this post may have spoilers for those of you who have inexplicably failed to watch it before.)
The House from "Funny Farm"
Funny Farm was based on a comedic novel by Jay Cronley (now out of print, but I managed to find a used copy online, and it's hilarious).
Andy and his wife Elizabeth think life will be perfect and peaceful in Redbud, but things go wrong from the start.
The fact that he has writer's block is the least of his problems.
The house is a simple Cape Cod that sits (in real life) on a pond in Grafton, Vermont.
A reader named Michelle wrote me about it:
"Wanted you to know I got an e-mail from the Grafton Historical Society regarding the house in the Funny Farm movie. The house is still around and is still a private residence.
The exterior and interior house shots in the movie were of the same house. The owners' furnishings were moved out and stored, and the movie company furnished the house to fit their needs."
Things haven't been going too well for the couple, but they get worse when Elizabeth digs up the body of a former homeowner buried in the garden:
They also have to deal with a crazy mailman who flies past their lane, throwing their mail out into the road every day. Andy tries everything he can think of, but nothing works:
The decor is a little dated (the movie came out in 1988, after all), but I like how simple and unpretentious it is.
Andy and "Yellow Dog" sit by the fire in the living room:
Looking into the living room from the kitchen:
The kitchen on moving day:
The kitchen after they move in:
They finally get a phone installed in the kitchen — too bad you have to feed it quarters:
Looking up the stairs to the second floor:
Madolyn Smith (Elizabeth Farmer) kind of disappeared from Hollywood after making this film. I think it's time for her to stage a comeback!
Andy's working on a novel called "The Big Heist," but while he's not making much progress on it, Elizabeth writes and sells a children's book about a squirrel who moves to the country.
After a series of mishaps, misunderstandings, and general misery, Elizabeth and Andy decide to sell the house and get a divorce. They know it will be easier to sell the house if the town is on board, so they offer a $50 reward to anyone who does something to help them sell it. At the town meeting, Andy says:
"Citizens of Redbud, we came to Redbud filled with hopes and dreams for a better life and a better place. Basically, we've seen those hopes and dreams crushed and shattered before our very eyes."
Bud and Betsy Culbertson are the unwitting couple that comes to see the house.
The Farmers are prepared to wow them.
Andy grabs his walkie-talkie and says, "Cue the deer!"
According to This Is Vermont:
In 1987, the Chevy Chase film, "Funny Farm" was being filmed in the area and a local citizen's home was used for the movie character's house.
The film crew meticulously decorated the building and lawn for winter, complete with plastic snow and icicles, cotton batting over rooftops and fences.
The next day eight inches of heavy wet snow fell.
The "Redbud" town scenes were shot in Townshend, Vermont:
The filmmakers built the gazebo for the movie and the community liked it so much that they kept it.
Is this one of your favorite Christmas movies to watch every year, too?
Visit my Houses Onscreen page to see all the others I've featured, listed A-Z.
Source: https://hookedonhouses.net/2009/12/27/funny-farm-chevy-chases-cape-cod-in-the-country/
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