A Christmas Story facts for kids

A Christmas Story is a 1983 Christmas comedy film. It was directed by Bob Clark. The movie is based on the 1966 book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd. The film stars Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, and Peter Billingsley.

The story is about a young boy named Ralphie Parker and his family. It takes place in December 1940 in Indiana. Ralphie really wants a specific toy for Christmas, but the adults think it is not safe. The film shows the funny things that happen to the family during the holiday season.

When the movie was released in 1983, it was moderately successful. Over time, it became a very popular holiday classic. In the United States and Canada, it is famous for being shown on television for 24 hours straight on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. In 2012, the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry because it is culturally important.

Plot

The front of the Parkers' house where A Christmas Story was filmed in Cleveland. It is now a museum called A Christmas Story House.

The movie is told by an adult Ralphie Parker, who remembers a Christmas from his childhood. Young Ralphie is 9 years old. All he wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle.

Ralphie asks his mother for the BB gun, but she says no. She warns him, "You'll shoot your eye out." He writes an essay for school about the gun, but his teacher, Miss Shields, gives him a C+ and writes the same warning. Even a department store Santa Claus tells him the same thing.

On Christmas morning, Ralphie opens his gifts. He is happy but sad that he did not get the rifle. Then, his father, known as "The Old Man," points to one last box hidden in the corner. It is the Red Ryder BB gun. Ralphie runs outside to use it. He shoots at a target, but the BB ricochets back and breaks his glasses. Ralphie is worried, but he tells his mother a small lie that an icicle fell and broke them. She believes him, and he does not get in trouble.

That night, Ralphie goes to sleep with his new gun. The adult Ralphie says it was the best Christmas present he ever received.

Funny Family Moments

The movie shows several funny stories about the Parker family:

• The Furnace: The Old Man often fights with the house's broken furnace. When it smokes and rumbles, he gets angry and mutters funny gibberish words.
• The Flagpole: Ralphie's friends, Flick and Schwartz, have an argument. Schwartz dares Flick to stick his tongue to a frozen flagpole at school. Flick does it, and his tongue gets stuck to the cold metal. The fire department has to come and help him get loose.
• The Leg Lamp: The Old Man wins a "major award" in a contest. It turns out to be a lamp shaped like a woman's leg. He loves it and puts it in the front window. Mrs. Parker does not like the lamp. Later, she accidentally breaks it, which makes The Old Man very sad.
• The Decoder Ring: Ralphie listens to the Little Orphan Annie radio show. He waits for a secret decoder pin in the mail. When he finally gets it, he decodes a secret message. He is disappointed to find out the message is just an advertisement for Ovaltine.
• The Tire: While helping his father change a flat tire, Ralphie accidentally says a bad word. His mother makes him wash his mouth out with soap.
• The Bullies: Ralphie and his friends are bullied by a boy named Scut Farkus and his friend Grover Dill. One day, Ralphie gets angry and stands up to Scut Farkus. He wins the fight, and his mother comforts him.
• The Bunny Suit: Ralphie's Aunt Clara sends him a gift. It is a pink bunny suit that looks like pajamas for a baby. Ralphie is embarrassed to wear it.
• The Christmas Dinner: The neighbors, the Bumpus family, have many dogs. On Christmas Day, the dogs run into the Parker house and eat the Christmas turkey. The family has to go to a Chinese restaurant for dinner instead.

Cast

• Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker
• Jean Shepherd as the voice of adult Ralphie
• Ian Petrella as Randy Parker (Ralphie's little brother)
• Melinda Dillon as Mrs. Parker (The Mother)
• Darren McGavin as Mr. Parker (The Old Man)
• Scott Schwartz as Flick
• R. D. Robb as Schwartz
• Zack Ward as Scut Farkus (The Bully)
• Tedde Moore as Miss Shields (The Teacher)

Production

Writing and Filming

The script is based on short stories by Jean Shepherd. He wrote about his own childhood in the book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash. The director, Bob Clark, heard one of Shepherd's stories on the radio and wanted to make a movie. It took many years to get the movie made.

Jean Shepherd is the narrator of the film. He also has a small part in the movie as a man standing in line at the department store.

Locations

The movie is set in a fictional town called Hohman, Indiana. This is based on Shepherd's real hometown of Hammond, Indiana.

The movie was filmed in two main places:

• Cleveland, Ohio: The scenes at the department store, Higbee's, were filmed here. The house where the Parkers lived was also in Cleveland.
• Toronto, Ontario: The school scenes and the Christmas tree lot were filmed in Canada.

The house used in the film has been restored. It is now open to visitors as "A Christmas Story House". Fans can tour the house and see props from the movie.

The Red Ryder BB Gun

The gun Ralphie wants is a "Red Ryder" model. This was a real BB gun made by the Daisy company starting in 1938. The movie version had a compass and a sundial in the stock (the wooden part). The real Red Ryder gun did not have these things, but another model did. The filmmakers made a special gun for the movie.

Release and Legacy

Box Office and Awards

A Christmas Story was released in November 1983. It made about $19 million. At first, it was just a regular movie, but it won two Canadian Genie Awards in 1984.

Television Success

The movie became very famous because of television. In the late 1980s and 1990s, TV channels began showing it during the holidays. In 1997, the network TNT started a tradition called "24 Hours of A Christmas Story". They played the movie 12 times in a row from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day. Later, the channel TBS also started showing the marathon. Millions of people watch it every year.

Sequels and Adaptations

There have been other movies and plays based on the same stories:

• My Summer Story (1994): A sequel about the Parker family during the summer. It had a different cast.
• A Christmas Story 2 (2012): A direct-to-video sequel.
• A Christmas Story Christmas (2022): This sequel was released on HBO Max. Peter Billingsley returned to play Ralphie as an adult. It features Ralphie taking his own family to his childhood home.

In 2012, a musical version of the story opened on Broadway. It was nominated for Tony Awards.

See also

• List of Christmas films
• Parker Family Saga (franchise)