Funny Farm Movie Cape Cod House
The FUNNY FARM MOVIE Cape Cod House
Funny Farm is a 1988 crazy comedy starring Chevy Chase and Madolyn Smith. Chevy Chase plays Andy Farmer who quits his successful NY sports writer job to move with his wife to the country and write a novel. They buy an idyllic Cape Cod house in the town of Redbud, Vermont to begin their new life.
They roll up to their new country home full of country life dreams. The Funny Farm movie Cape Cod is actually a resident’s home in Grafton, Vermont called Hall House. The Vermonter reports “the owners’ furnishings were moved out and the movie filled the house up with their own furniture and decorations.
Andy and Elizabeth Farmer race to their backyard and
gaze on their beautiful property.
Country life doesn’t exactly go as planned. Andy carries Elizabeth over the threshold of their new house and she falls through the Dutch door.
The empty kitchen on move-in day. Water and electric are turned on. They were supposed to install a beige wall phone in the kitchen, but no phone.
Andy thinks this room will make a perfect room to write his novel and
say’s “isn’t it perfect Elizabeth, a bird nest right outside my writing window!?
On the first day Andy and Elizabeth find out about Redbud’s maniac mailman who never stops at the box. He races by throwing the mail out his window.
The movers never arrive until the next day because they get lost. Andy and Elizabeth have to sleep on the floor.
Elizabeth plants a garden and finds a body buried in a casket.
At the same time through a calamity they find the phone hidden inside a cabinet to call the sheriff for help only….
the operator thinks it’s a coin phone. “Please sir, deposit 20 cents in the slot and I’ll complete your call as requested”
The body is removed. Then the town charges the Farmer’s $4,000 for burial at the cemetery that Andy refuses to pay.
Turns out writing a novel in the country is hard. Andy starts to do anything to avoid writing like fishing. Elizabeth unpacks making the house into a home.
In town Andy finds a baseball game to watch while Elizabeth explores Redbud’s Antique store. She furnishes their home with a lot of antiques the quirky owner hardly wants to sell.
Hysterically their kitchen wall phone is finally installed!
The Cape Cod is now full of charming furniture and decor. In the office scene above Andy is jealous of Elizabeth who wrote a children’s story about a squirrel that has the interest of publishers.
His own publishers want his manuscript. He doesn’t have one and turns in the squirrel story behind Elizabeth’s back that infuriates her. They have a terrible fight and agree to a divorce and to sell the house.
Andy offers the city $15,000 if it will help him sell the house. He also promises to pay $50 to anyone who will look, dress and act like they are out of a Norman Rockwell painting in front of perspective buyers.
It’s Christmastime. Bud and Betsy arrive to see the house.
Maniac mailman who never once set foot in the house arrives dressed in Norman Rockwell fashion and hand delivers a package.
The whole town is dressed to impress.
As the Farmer’s and Bud and Betsy enter Ivy’s CAFE, the staff and customers yell out greetings of Merry Christmas. This will cost Andy more than he expected.
The idyllic scenes continue back at the house including
carolers singing invited inside for hot chocolate.
Bud and Betsy offer to pay above asking price. Andy and Elizabeth change their minds. The house is not for sale! Of course they are still in love.
The End, not the end, the story doesn’t stop here. You need to see the movie for fun scenes I left out and see the ending.
Click to see how location scouts can put your home on the big movie scene or click the image below to see the House from Miracle on 34th St.
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I love THAT house, the ducks, the setting, EVERYTHING!!! I am a published children’s book writer with America Star Books and I feel I could write many many more books in a setting like that. I would love to live there but right now it would be too rich to buy for me. Maybe if I hit lottery big and bought it or had one built like it somewhere in a setting like that one…
It’s been awhile since I saw this movie and it was a nice change of pace from today’s comedies.
Oh, I remember this movie! It was so funny. The house is very charming if you can see past the skits. Thank you for bringing back the laughs. 🙂
This is great news that the Funny Farm house made your list of favorite Christmas movie houses Sarah.
I love this movie and this house! I am working on a post right now about my personal Christmas movie house favorites and this is one of them!
Thanks Crystal, your comments always make me smile. I think you and the family would like this movie. We didn’t watch many movies in the past compared to now either.
Wow. This is all so interesting to say the least to me. I have never seen this movie (it was before 2000 and prior to 2000 I hardly EVER watched TV.)
I love that you included the information for how to get your home featured in a movie.
It’s a very charming and fun quirky comedy to love.
I don’t think I’ve seen this one Sue, but I surely will now! That house looks so quaint and adorable. thanks for bringing this to my attention. A must see for sure!