| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Melinda Dillon | ... | ||
| Darren McGavin | ... | ||
| Peter Billingsley | ... | ||
| Scott Schwartz | ... |
Flick
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Jean Shepherd | ... |
Ralphie as an Adult
(voice)
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Ian Petrella | ... | |
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Tedde Moore | ... | |
| R.D. Robb | ... | ||
| Zack Ward | ... | ||
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Yano Anaya | ... | |
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Jeff Gillen | ... | |
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Colin Fox | ... |
Ming the Merciless
(scenes deleted)
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Paul Hubbard | ... |
Flash Gordon
(scenes deleted)
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Leslie Carlson | ... |
Christmas Tree Man
(as Les Carlson)
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Jim Hunter | ... | |
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? Written by garykmcd
How difficult is it to perfectly capture nostalgia? It must be pretty darn difficult or else everyone would make movies like this. It may not be absolute perfection but Jean Shepherd, Bob Clark and the outstanding cast came as close as anyone here.
Creating a story centered around nostalgia is a tricky thing as the memories that creates it are unique to each of us. The themes, however, are similar and that's where the success lies.
I didn't want a Red Ryder BB gun when I was that age but my Christmas wish was just as fervent and I schemed just as hard as Ralphie. The bully at my school didn't have yellow eyes but he was pretty much like Scut Farkus. And so on, from the fantastically flawed parents to the pop-heroes, A Christmas Story captures it all.
Truly wonderful.