A Christmas Story (1983)

Ralphie has to convince his parents, his teacher, and Santa that a Red Ryder B.B. gun really is the perfect gift for the 1940s.

Director:

Bob Clark

Writers:

Jean Shepherd (based on the novel "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash" by), Jean Shepherd (screenplay),

Stars:

Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin

3 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Melinda Dillon	...	Mother Parker
Darren McGavin	...	The Old Man Parker
Peter Billingsley	...	Ralphie
Scott Schwartz	...	Flick
Jean Shepherd	...	Ralphie as an Adult (voice)
Ian Petrella	...	Randy
Tedde Moore	...	Miss Shields
R.D. Robb	...	Schwartz
Zack Ward	...	Scut Farkus
Yano Anaya	...	Grover Dill
Jeff Gillen	...	Santa Claus
Colin Fox	...	Ming the Merciless (scenes deleted)
Paul Hubbard	...	Flash Gordon (scenes deleted)
Leslie Carlson	...	Christmas Tree Man (as Les Carlson)
Jim Hunter	...	Freight Man

Storyline

Christmas is approaching and 9 year-old Ralphie wants only one thing: a Red Ryder Range 200 Shot BB gun. When he mentions it at the dinner table, his mother's immediate reaction is that he'll put his eye out. He then decides on a perfect theme for his teacher but her reaction is like his. He fantasizes about what it would be like to be Red Ryder and catch the bad guys. When the big day arrives he gets lots of present under the tree including a lovely gift from his aunt that his mother just adores. But what about the BB gun?

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | bb gun | tongue stuck on a pole | boy | bully | 

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Taglines:

A Tribute to the Original, Traditional, One-Hundred-Percent, Red-Blooded, Two-Fisted, All-American Christmas...

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. DVD site

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 November 1983 (Canada)

Also Known As:

A Christmas Story

Filming Locations:

3159 W. 11th Street, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Christmas Tree Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ralph's school exteriors were filmed at Victoria School in St. Catharine's, Ontario, Canada.

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Goofs

The toy wagons in the window of Higbee's Department Store have the 1980s "Radio Flyer" trademark.

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Quotes

Ralphie as Adult: [narrating] Oh, life is like that. Sometimes, at the height of our revelries, when our joy is at it's zenith, when all is most right with the world, the most unthinkable disasters decend upon us.

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Crazy Credits

"Ming the Merciless" and "Flash Gordon" are listed as characters despite being cut from the general release.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Silent Night, Deadly Night III: You Better Watch Out (2012)

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Soundtracks

Jingle Bells
Performed by Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians
Courtesy of MCA Records

User Reviews

A timeless Christmas film

"A Christmas Story" is a rare film about children yet for adults. While kids will definitely enjoy this Christmas-themed saga, adults will find a deeper level of depth than they may remember from seeing the film at a younger age.

The movie strikes a sharp contrast between the exaggerated, polysyllabic narration of Ralphie, filled with nostalgia and lucid memories, and the soft, high-pitched childlike wonder of Ralphie's spoken word. The narrator is clearly not the same character as the one portrayed on film, but a character wholly outside the story, reliving his childhood emotions and anecdotes. Yet he is the heart of the film, the true center of gravity. This is because the movie is not about a scary Santa Clause and a BB gun - it's about childhood memories and the feelings they evoke. To that end, "A Christmas Story" is flawless.

"A Christmas Story" tells of the epically materialistic journey of Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) as he searches for the golden, upheld idol of all red-blooded American boys: A Red Rider Air Rifle. Ralphie spins an intricate web of cunning and deceit as he plots to get his hands on it - including an essay, a trip to Santa Claus and more. The movie also shows us a glimpse of his family - his irritable, foul-mouthed father with a good heart, his whiny brother Randy, and his sweet, all-American mother. It is not so much a continuous story as a series of vignettes, but it ultimately serves the movie's purpose.

This is a funny film. The narration by Jean Shepherd is filled with love for this story. He absolutely captures the emotions and logic of childhood. In a subtle but amusing moment, Shepherd intones the incomparably eloquent pouring forth of thought into writing - only to have Billingsley note in his awe-filled, high-pitched voice that "I think everyone should have a Red Rider BB gun. It's very good for Christmas." (paraphrased). Most of the humor is similar - the natural exaggeration of a child as expressed by Shepherd's consistent string of hyperbole.

Also, there's a reason why it's played constantly on cable TV throughout the Christmas season - it's a movie everyone can relate to. There are moments of such pure truth here that few can deny their power. I'm sure that there is a scientific law left unwritten that determines that every kid must at some point fantasize about his parents feeling absolutely terrible and forever regretting some unutterable punishment they inflicted on their child

• in this case, the immortal washing of a mouth out with

soap.

Obviously, "A Christmas Story" is not a film that can be compared to Casablanca or Citizen Kane. It simply excels at its simple goals, and comes together as an extraordinarily entertaining piece of cinema.