‘A Christmas Story’ is a holiday tradition for just about anyone. Every year, this festive classic is seen again and again. So, for my holiday review series, I wanted to revisit (once again) this beloved classic, along with its 2022 sequel, ‘A Christmas Story Christmas.’
Based on the humorous writings of author Jean Shepherd, this beloved holiday movie follows the wintry exploits of youngster Ralphie Parker, who spends most of his time dodging a bully and dreaming of his ideal Christmas gift, a “Red Ryder air rifle.”
Frequently at odds with his cranky dad, but comforted by his doting mother, Ralphie struggles to make it to Christmas Day with his glasses and his hopes intact.
I’ll admit - for the longest time I wasn’t a huge fan of ‘A Christmas Story.’ But, after giving the holiday classic a few more chances over the years, the film finally started to grow on me.
The timeless classic is easily something that the whole family can enjoy. ‘A Christmas Story’ has so many memorable lines and scenes that you can pretty much recite the entire film as it plays through.
One of my favorite scenes is when Ralphie accidentally lets a certain word slip (and there could be a chance that it wasn’t “fudge”) while helping The Old Man with the tire and ends up with soap in his mouth from his mother. And, of course, the triple dog dare when Flick gets his tongue stuck to the frozen pole.
‘A Christmas Story’ did eventually start gaining an audience over the years and ultimately become a holiday cult classic after its initial release. During its theatrical run, the movie earned roughly $19 million and mixed reviews. This is definitely a movie that families can sit back, relax and enjoy for many more years to come! And, now, let’s get to the 2022 sequel!
In this direct follow up, Ralphie is all grown up and must deal with Christmas and all that comes with it … as a dad.
Now is this streaming sequel just as memorable as the 1983 classic? Not quite. Yet, it’s still a worthy festive sequel that’s filled with fun and nostalgia.
‘A Christmas Story Christmas’ has a nice little story that can be both enjoyable and touching. Ralphie is trying to become a writer while making sure that his kids will have a truly memorable Christmas. And, while trying to give them a memorable Christmas, a few setbacks occurred and something that comes at the worst of times - dealing with the death of a parent (The Old Man).
In between all the fun moments this sequel provides, there are a few moving scenes where Ralpie thinks about his father and we get to see some quick flashbacks and memorable moments from The Old Man. Those scenes are really touching and also kind of serves as a nice tribute to the Old Man actor, the late Darren McGavin, who passed away in 2006.
It was also good to see all the actors who played Ralphie and the kids return (including Scut Farkus). The mother ended up being recast due to the original actress being retired. But, actress Julie Haggerty (who has appeared in a couple classic comedies, such as ‘Airplane’ and ‘What About Bob?’) does a fine job as the mother.
You can catch ‘A Christmas Story’ during the 12 Movies of Christmas festival at the Dietrich Theater and can find both movies on the Max streaming service. Also, make sure to check my Wyoming County Examiner reviews page on Facebook for some fun tidbits about these holiday movies!
A CHRISTMAS STORY TIDBITS
For the scene in which Flick's tongue sticks to the flagpole, a hidden suction tube was used to safely create the illusion that his tongue had frozen to the metal.
Darren McGavin ad-libbed the profane rants while fighting with the furnace. He said he speaks gibberish the entire time because it was almost impossible for him to ad-lib angry words without actual profanity. He did this in order to ensure a PG rating.
In 2005, the 19th-century Victorian home used for the exterior shots of the Parker family home was put up for auction on eBay. The Cleveland, Ohio, home was purchased for $150,000 by an avid fan of the film named Brian Jones. Jones then spent the following year restoring the home to the way it looked on screen. The exterior was completely restored and the interior was renovated to match the interior of the home shown in the movie (parts of the interior were actually filmed in a Toronto studio). On November 25, 2006, the home finally opened its doors as a tourist attraction. Jones spent close to $500,000 in preparation for this grand opening. In addition, he also purchased a house across the street and converted it into a gift shop and museum dedicated to the film and the house.
According to Peter Billingsley, not many major studios were interested in a story about a little boy in the 1940s who wanted a BB gun for Christmas. Billingsley said the studio agreed to make this film if Bob Clark agreed to make a horror film.
For the film's final scene in the Chinese restaurant, director Bob Clark wanted to get real reaction from actress Melinda Dillon. She was the only cast member who was purposely given the wrong script and had no idea that the roasted duck brought out by the waiters would still have its head attached. Dillon was surprised upon seeing it and was genuinely startled when the waiter chopped its head off.
The film was released just before Thanksgiving and became a surprise hit. By the time Christmas rolled around, the movie had already been pulled from most theaters because it had been "played out." After complaints were lodged at the theater owners and the studio, the film played on select screens until after the first of the year 1984.
The people of Cleveland were incredibly cooperative during filming, donating antique vehicles from every corner of the city. These vintage vehicles helped to enhance the authenticity of the production design. During the filming in downtown Cleveland, the antique automobile club members whose cars were used were given a route to follow on Public Square. They were instructed to continue circling the square until otherwise instructed. Road salt was a major concern for the car owners and the cars were pressure-washed after each day's filming and parked underground beneath the Terminal Tower.
A CHRISTMAS STORY CHRISTMAS TIDBITS
Peter Billingsley (Ralphie), deliberately adjusted his voice to sound closer to Jean Shepherd, who did the narration as adult Ralphie in the original A Christmas Story (1983).
When Ralph enters Flick's Bar there is a sign that says "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash" this is in reference to Jean Shepherd's novel of the same name [Which is in the beginning credits] Four of the short stories ("Duel in the Snow," "The Counterfeit Secret Circle Member Gets the Message," "My Old Man and the Lascivious Special Award That Heralded the Birth of Pop Art," and "Grover Dill and the Tasmanian Devil") were used as the basis for A Christmas Story (1983).
Although she had retired from acting in 2007, Melinda Dillon had been approached about potentially reprising her role as Ralphie's mother. However, she ultimately declined the offer. She was replaced by Julie Hagerty, who is nearly 16 years younger. Dillon passed away two months after the film's release.
This marks the third direct sequel to A Christmas Story (1983). My Summer Story (1994) was the first sequel, followed by A Christmas Story 2 (2012) much later. Both sequels are ignored in this film.
Darren McGavin who played Mr. Parker in the original A Christmas Story (1983) passed away in 2006 and when Melinda Dillon who portrayed Mrs. Parker in the original film was asked to reprise her role for the sequel there was talks of finding another actor to replace McGavin as Mr. Parker. However when Dillon declined to reprise her role due to poor health Peter Billingsley who plays Ralphie and also co-wrote the films story felt the chemistry between Dillon and McGavin could not be replaced nor should it even have been attempted. Also as this film was made 39 years after its predecessor it would be natural that in the decades since the first movie Mr. Parker would pass away at some point. So in the end Julie Hagerty took over after Dillon was unable to reprise her role and the role of the Old Man was written off as having died at the beginning of the film.
The then current owners declined the production company from having access to the original house & surrounding neighborhood, which is now a tourist attraction and complex. The company wanted to scan the house and area to build a recreation.
In the original movie, the worry was that Ralphie would "shoot your eye out." Here, Ralphie accidentally injures his daughter in the eye with a snowball.
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