A Christmas Story

19831983
PGPG
1h 33m

A Christmas Story (1983)

Official Clip: It's a Major Award!

Play trailer0:54

In the 1940s, a young boy named Ralphie attempts to convince his parents, his teacher and Santa that a Red Ryder BB gun really is the perfect Christmas gift.In the 1940s, a young boy named Ralphie attempts to convince his parents, his teacher and Santa that a Red Ryder BB gun really is the perfect Christmas gift.In the 1940s, a young boy named Ralphie attempts to convince his parents, his teacher and Santa that a Red Ryder BB gun really is the perfect Christmas gift.

Director
- Bob Clark
Writers
- Jean Shepherd(based on the novel "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash" by)
- Leigh Brown(screenplay)
- Bob Clark(screenplay)
Stars

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Awards
- 3 wins & 11 nominations

Peter Billingsley in A Christmas Story (1983)

Peter Billingsley and Jeff Gillen in A Christmas Story (1983)

Peter Billingsley in A Christmas Story (1983)

Peter Billingsley and Melinda Dillon in A Christmas Story (1983)

Peter Billingsley and Scott Schwartz in A Christmas Story (1983)

Peter Billingsley in A Christmas Story (1983)

Peter Billingsley and Jeff Gillen in A Christmas Story (1983)

Peter Billingsley in A Christmas Story (1983)

Peter Billingsley at an event for A Christmas Story (1983)

Peter Billingsley, Bob Clark, R.D. Robb, Scott Schwartz, and Zack Ward at an event for A Christmas Story (1983)

A Christmas Story (1983)

A Christmas Story (1983)

Director
- Bob Clark
Writers
- Jean Shepherd(based on the novel "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash" by) (screenplay)
- Leigh Brown(screenplay)
- Bob Clark(screenplay)
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

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 shoot 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? —garykmcd

christmas bb gun boy 1940s bully 137 more

Taglines
- Sometimes Christmas is about getting what you really want.
Genres
- Comedy
- Family
Certificate
- PG
Parents guide

Trivia
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.

Goofs
Before Ralphie and Randy get in line to visit Santa in Higbee's Department store, The Wizard of Oz (1939) characters pass by, and the witch tries to talk to Ralphie, who won't interact with her because he's busy 'thinking'. Watch Randy's face in this scene as he comes out of character for a moment and smiles at a scared little girl, who is off camera. She was afraid of the witch during rehearsal, and never really was able to handle her presence.

Quotes
Ralphie as an Adult: [narrating] Only one thing in the world could've dragged me away from the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window.

Crazy credits
Early home video copies contained the following text immediately after the end credits:

"THIS TRANSFER IS DEDICATED TO 'POPPY' JOE BLUTH 1984."

Alternate versions
Theatrical and home video versions have the end credits scrolling in red text over a shot of the Parker house. The airings on TBS in the United States have the credits on white over a black background.

Connections
Featured in At the Movies: A Christmas Story/Star 80/Running Brave/Streamers (1983)

Soundtracks
The Hut-Sut Song (A Swedish Serenade)
Written by Leo Killion, Ted McMichael, and Jack Owens
Performed by Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra

Top review

9/10

Christmas is Not Complete Without Watching This

The 1983 "Terms of Endearment" won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Now it was deserved. The film still remains popular today. What's hard to believe now is that "A Christmas Story" (released the same year) was ignored everywhere. If anything it should of been nominated for best adapted screenplay!

Now when the film was released it was "Critically Acclaimed" but, MGM failed to capitalized on that. The film was poorly handled & failed to capture a large theatrical audience!

Well thanks to the Home Video Market & television this film has now become part of Americana. It also helped that Ted Turner made "24 Hours Of A Christmas Story" an annual event.

It is now 2017, and "A Christmas Story" it is now one of the most popular films of all time. Even "Return of the Jedi" ( The Highest Grossing Film of 1983) "Isn't gaining as many new fans". .

"Return of the Jedi" has always rode the coattails of the earlier "Star Wars" films. "A Christmas Story" has gained fans for just being a great film!

Now my review Set in the 1940's the film makes you identify with Ralphie and you your routing for him in every single way!

Ralphie is in elementary school. His has a little brother and all he wants for Christmas is a BB-Gun. He wants this more than anything. Before Christmas gets there he has many obstacles to overcome. One of them is getting home! He & his friends are always being bullied before they can make it home.

The film is flawless. It is a joy to watch and only improves every time you watch it. It is also true that for some reason the older it gets the better it becomes!

You need to see this. Also there is a fan made documentary called "A Christmas Story Documentary: Road Trip for Ralphie". That is a great fan made documentary.

helpful•16

6

Sober-Friend
Dec 29, 2017

Release date
- November 18, 1983 (United States)
Countries of origin
- United States
- Canada
Official site
- Warner Bros. DVD site
Language
- English
Also known as
- Božićna priča
Filming locations
- 3159 W. 11th Street, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Production companies
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- Christmas Tree Films
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Budget
- $3,300,000 (estimated)
Gross US & Canada
- $20,640,209
Opening weekend US & Canada
- $2,072,473
- Nov 20, 1983
Gross worldwide
- $20,653,717

See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

Runtime
1 hour 33 minutes
Sound mix
- Mono
Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1

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