‘A Christmas Story’ still hits people where they live after 25 years

Kansas City Star ^ | 12/04/08 | Star news services

[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....

[cubreporter]

You don’t know what you are missing.

[NavyCanDo]

“It’s funny. I’m 37 and have never seen more than 5 minutes of that movie. I always turn it off, wondering why everyone thinks it’s so great.”

“What am I missing?”

What you are missing is about 10-40 years. To really appreciate and miss the good ole days of the Holiday season, and to look back at it with humor, you have to have lived through it.

[netmilsmom]

>>I used to take several packages a day to the Post Office and anytime I had a package marked fragile one of the Ladies at the counter would say “Fra-gee-eh-lee” and someone in the back would shout: “Must be Italian” and almost everyone in line would laugh. <<

There are some things that just become vernacular in the USA!

[cubreporter]

Don’t feel sorry for us... we don’t... We love the movie so...go feel sorry for someone else. Merry Christmas.

[Badeye]

Exactly.

[Charles Henrickson]

Has anyone read or heard Jean Shepherd’s other work? Any recommend place to begin? He was the one who wrote the stories and narrated.

“In God We Trust-All Others Pay Cash” by Jean Shepherd

I've got that book on the nightstand right now, as a matter of fact.

Even before the movie came out, I was a huge Shep fan. His radio show used to be carried in Chicago in the '70s and I would listen to it. Then his book, "In God We Trust," was made into a couple of TV productions, "Phantom of the Open Hearth" and "The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters" (carried on PBS, I think). Then came the theatrical movie, "A Christmas Story."

More on Shep here:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0791789

http://www.flicklives.com

Some of Shep's radio broadcasts are available on the Net and on disc sets. He was a great storyteller.

BTW, Jean Shepherd himself has an on-screen cameo in "A Christmas Story," as a guy standing in line at the department store:

[shoptalk]

A Christmas Story - 2009

Plaxie: (Plaxie is shoved down the slide, but he stops himself and climbs back up) No! No! I want an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle.

Santa Claus: You'll shoot your thigh out, kid.

[cva66snipe]

Reading the story was even better. So was “Ollie Hopnoodles Haven of Bliss”. The Old Man {dad} in the movies was really to mellow when compared to the Old Man in the written stories who strted every day smoking a couple of Lucky’s and drinking hot scalding coffee. No one dared approach him till he had them :>}

[shoptalk]

A Christmas Story - 2009

Plaxie: (Plaxie is shoved down the slide, but he stops himself and climbs back up) No! No! I want an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle.

Santa Claus: You'll shoot your thigh out, kid.

[cubreporter]

Hah, hah, hah...so do we!!!! :)

[cubreporter]

check it out and watch the whole movie then maybe you’ll see what you are missing.

[cubreporter]

did the same for my husband. Ha,ha.

[cubreporter]

You betcha!!!!

[Hoosier Catholic Momma]

One of my favorite movies, and I’m 35! My mom loves it because it reminds her of growing up during the 50s (although the movie was set in the 40s).

I don’t know how some can actually not find something humorous about this movie...even if you don’t like to watch the whole thing.

[cubreporter]

lol

[Cecily]

As others have said, it is a great depiction of American life, American people, and American families at the time and place of its setting. It strikes a chord. You can say the same thing about National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation.”

[caver]

There is quite of bit of Jean Shepherd in the old time radio archives. Just google it.

[cva66snipe]

Has anyone read or heard Jean Shepherd’s other work? Any recommend place to begin? He was the one who wrote the stories and narrated.

I have. If they characters were played the way the stories were actually written it would have an R rating most likely :>} Especially because of The Old Man LOL. Great books and stories though. TRy the book "In GOD we trust all others pay cash" and I think the book titled "Wanda Hickeys night of golden memories". Herbie goes to the prom in that one and gets sick on Boilermakers. His nearly getting married in a Polish Wedding was another funny classic :>}

[andy58-in-nh]

Shep was simply the best storyteller I have ever heard. I also grew up listening to him on the radio at night, as first recommended by my Old Man, who used listened to him back in the late 50's and early '60s.

There is a treasure trove of old WOR air checks and club appearances available on the Internet (flicklives.com is a good place to start). Check out his reading of Robert Service poems at Christmas time (The Shooting of Dan McGrew, The Cremation of Sam McGee, The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill) - all classic stuff read by a master. I've got other sites bookmarked at home if you're interested.

As for books, after In God We Trust, I would recommend Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories (and Other Disasters), and Fist Full of Fig Newtons (some terrific army stories in there).

Excelsior!

[Dr. Zzyzx]

I feel sorry for anyone who thinks this movie is worth watching. Gag.

Intolerance is the most socially acceptable form of egotism, for it permits us to assume superiority without personal boasting. Sydney J. Harris