A Christmas Story (1983)

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), 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
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
Peter Billingsley	...	Ralphie
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 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?

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | bb gun | tongue stuck on a pole | boy | 1940s | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes Christmas is about getting what you really want.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

In early December of 2008 there was a contest to see who could portray the best Ralphie, whether in a pink bunny suit or his winter apparel, in celebration of the movie's 25th anniversary. They revealed the house in Cleveland where the movie was filmed.

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Goofs

When the children are taking their seats after they were handed the fake teeth, Schwartz appears to look at the camera and smile. He in fact looks just off screen-right, then at Ralphie, smiles, and looks off screen-left.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ralphie as an Adult: [narrating] Ah, there it is. My house, and good old Cleveland Street. How could I ever forget it? And there I am, with that dumb round face and that stupid stocking cap. Oh, but no matter. Christmas was on its way. Lovely, glorious, beautiful Christmas, around which the entire kid year revolved.

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Crazy Credits

Above the MGM distribution logo at the end of the closing credits is the film's title

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Alternate Versions

Another fantasy of Ralphie's, in which Flash Gordon faces Ming the Merciless with the help of Ralphie and his Red Ryder BB gun, was deleted from the final cut. (However, credits for Flash Gordon and Ming the Merciless remain in the cast list of the closing credits.)

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Connections

Featured in Shameful Sequels: A Christmas Story 2 (2013)

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Soundtracks

I Guess I'll Have to Dream the Rest
Music by Harold Green
Lyrics by Martin Block and Mickey Stoner
Performed by Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra

User Reviews

The 12 Days of A Christmas Story...

12 reasons that A Christmas Story is a modern Classic!

12: "Fa-Ra-Ra-Ra-Ra Ra-Ra-Ra-Ra" 11: "Don't forget to drink your Ovaltine" 10: "Nadafinga!!" 9: Ralphie's pink bunny outfit 8: Scut Farkus' yellow eyes 7: "Fuuuuuuuudddggee" 6: "Randy...how do the little piggies eat?" 5: "Fra-Gi-Le...it must be Italian" 4: "Where's the glue?" "We're out of glue!" "You used up all the glue on purpose!!" 3: "I triple-dog dare ya!" 2: "Alright, I'll get that kid to eat. Where's my screw driver and my plumber's helper? I'll open up his mouth and I'll shove it in" ... and, of course, the #1 reason: "You'll shoot your eye out, kid!"

A Christmas classic and tradition in every sense of the word!

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. DVD site

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 November 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Christmas Story

Filming Locations:

232 Queen St W, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$3,300,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,072,473, 20 November 1983

Gross USA:

$20,605,209

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$20,618,717

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1