We love this movie so much, we own it on DVD.
Now if you want to see a real bad b-grade Christmas movie, there's nothing like Santa Claus Defeats The Martians It's like watching a car-wreck in slow motion. Once you start, you just can't stop. (This has become a classic on local indy TV in the Chicago Market on ME-TV)
My history with A Christmas Story goes back to the year it came out on video, when I was working in a record/video store. A fellow worker wouldn't bug me until I watched it. Years of me telling people about it followed, to be met with "What's THAT?" at best, and "I didn't think it was that funny" at worst. Now of course EVERYONE loves it, and I have the thing memorized to the point of nausea.
It will be on at my mom's house tomorrow, though, because she likes to quote lines from it, so I will of course enjoy it.
I always think of that evil male elf as Tim Robbins, though I know it's not him. "Come ahhhhn, kid."
Just as an aside, has anyone else seen the sequel to A Christmas Story? It was called “It Runs in the Family” and boy howdy was it ever a stinker! None of the cast from the first film were part of it, except for the narrator (Jean Shepard). Mary Steenburgen played the mom, One of Macauley Culkin’s brothers played Ralphy, and Darren McGavin’s part was played by (of all people) Charles Grodin.
To get the full effect, you need to watch it here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5684529284016066345#docid=-8394482045230280195
It’s the Mystery Science 3000 version, complete! It includes the first movie appearance by Pia Zadora.