Posted on 12/05/2008 11:11:43 AM PST by qam1
Fans of the holiday classic “A Christmas Story” are celebrating the film’s 25th anniversary with a convention and trips to the house where the movie was made.
The 1983 film, an adaptation of Jean Shepard’s memoir of a boy in the 1940s, was set in Indiana but largely filmed in Ohio. The movie starred Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker, a young boy determined to get a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.
The film was a modest theatrical success, but critics loved it. It eventually joined “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Miracle on 34th Street” as a Christmas classic.
“It’s a film about being a kid and looking back,” said Brian Jones, who owns the house where the movie was shot and the neighboring museum dedicated to the film.
About 4,000 fans attended the recent convention at Cleveland’s Renaissance Hotel, where they met some of the film’s actors, watched documentaries made about the film, and saw the original 1938 fire truck from a famous scene in the movie involving a child’s tongue stuck to a frozen pole.
“It is unbelievable that a movie has touched the lives of millions of families,” said Phil Gillen, son of the late actor Jeff Gillen who played the movie’s worn-out Santa Claus. He traveled from Miami with his family to attend the convention....
(Excerpt) Read more at kansascity.com ...
“Intolerance”? He’s clearly tolerating it. Didn’t know “tolerance” also means you can’t say anything negative about the subject.
Haha, I do too, and then laugh like a mad fool. Most times people don't get it and looked shocked but that's okay, they rarely bother me after that.
My mom always said one of the regrets of her life is not going to hear him in NYC. From what I understand he used to do readings in the Village.
I have to put my two cents in here ... I’m 32 and can totally relate to the movie. Some aspects of the father are familiar, as are the hillbilly neighbors, getting a piece a of junk in the mail when you expected something great, and of course bullies.
I don’t know how, but I was actually offended when people were badmouthing it upthread. How can you not love this movie?
Well hop to it then:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPODCrn-kPo
You will be quizzed on your knowledge of this movie later on.
:-)
So you are the one!
bump
Darren McGavin, who was always a favorite of mine, is PERFECT as the dad in A Christmas Story. My old man used to fight the furnace and haggle with the Christmas tree salesman just like that!
BTW, did anyone see the follow-up to A Christmas Story, “It Runs in the Family”? It wasn’t exactly a sequel, but it was about the same family and based on another of Jean Shephard’s stories.
In any case, it was a real stinker. None of the original actors, IIRC, were involved. Darren McGavin’s role was played by Charles Grodin, Mary Steenburgen played the mom, and Ralphie and his little brother were played by a couple of the Culkin brothers. Pee-YEW!
Ralphie’s done better for himself than the kid who played Flick (Scott Schwartz). He went on, sadly, to become an ‘actor’ in the porn industry.
Yep. Wizard of Oz premiered in August 1939, and Ovaltine ceased their sponsorship of the Little Orphan Annie Radio show in January 1940, so that kind of narrows down the speculation a bit for those of us obsessed with facts.
I've been told there are some interviews with Shepherd who related that it wasn't supposed to be set in a specific year but was a compendium of childhood events and memories rather than a apecific narrative of one year's Christmas events. I'm willing to accept that; I've just never been linked to, or shown these interviews by the people who've told me they exist. Furthermore, Jean Shepherd was born in 1921, so it stands to reason his early childhood memories would have been well before 1940.
I have read and re-read these stories many times and always find them good for a laugh.
See my post below. If you read his stuff, you will always laugh. Promise!
Obviously you never grew up in the northern states! That scene called back some childhood memories!
Interesting. <Johnny carson voice> "I did not know that." </Johnny Carson voice>
I read that the same was done to Shirley MacClaine in the bar scene near the end of "The Turning Point" when Ann Bancroft tosses a drink in her face. It was never done in any rehearsals.
BTW. I evoked your namesake on This thread earlier today. I was surprised to be taken to the "A Christmas Story" thread when I clicked to read your reply. Strange coinky-dink.
I once slowed down the scene and you can take a gander at the Orphan Annie Decoder pin. I think it had the year on it. Of course, such things are limited by the ability of the prop department to get the proper pin!
I always assumed the year to be 1939, the year the wizard of oz premiered. They make such a big deal about it in the movie.
Decoder pins: http://www.radioarchives.org/annie/
I've got recordings of a few of those, if you're interested.
Where did you get the Major Award Christmas ornament? I want one! :-)
“He looks like a pink nightmare!”
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