A Christmas Story

A Christmas Story is a 1983 film based on the short stories and semi-fictional anecdotes of author and raconteur Jean Shepherd, including material from his books In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash and Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories. It was directed by Bob Clark.Since 1997, the film has been best-known for traditionally airing in a 24-hour marathon on Christmas on the Turner family of networks.Tagline: "A Tribute to the Original, Traditional, One-Hundred-Percent, Red-Blooded, Two-Fisted, All-American Christmas..." Plot summary:The film relates the tale of 9-year-old Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley), who wants a BB gun for Christmas (specifically, "an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and 'this thing' which tells time") and will go to any lengths to get it despite the numerous adult admonitions, especially those of his mother, of "you'll shoot your eye out."

Over the course of the film, Ralphie hides a Red Ryder advertisement in his mother's Look magazine, fibs about the spotting of grizzly bears in the neighborhood, blurts his desire outright, writes an essay on the subject, and asks an impatient Santa just as the department store closes. Ultimately, Ralphie's "Old Man" gives in and buys Ralphie his BB gun for Christmas, stating that he had one himself when he was 8 years old. Ralphie eagerly runs outside in his boots and pajamas to "try it out," but the BB ricochets off a piece of metal and knocks off his glasses, injuring him slightly and temporarily convincing him that he did shoot his eye out. Subplots:Several subplots are incorporated in the body of the film, based on other separate short stories by Shepherd.

The most notable involves the Old Man (Darren McGavin) winning a "major award" (thanks to his wife supplying the winning answer of the name of The Lone Ranger's nephew's horse): a lamp shaped like a woman's leg wearing fishnet stockings, much to Mrs. Parker's displeasure. The leg was the logo of the contest's sponsor, the Nehi bottling company (this was not made clear in the movie.).Other vignettes include:Ralphie's friends Flick and Schwartz disputing over whether or not a person's tongue will stick to a frozen flagpole. Schwartz gives Flick a "triple dog dare," and Flick's tongue gets stuck to the pole, much to his terror.

A suction tube within the flagpole was used to simulate the freezing of Flick's tongue to the pole.Ralphie receiving his Little Orphan Annie Secret Society decoder pin, and learning a lesson about being ripped off. Ralphie and his friends dealing with the neighborhood bully, Scut Farkus (Zack Ward). The Old Man's legendary battles with the aging and malfunctioning furnace. Ralphie letting slip the dreaded "f-dash-dash-dash" word and later falsely blaming his friend, Schwartz. The numerous smelly and bothersome hound dogs of the next door neighbors, the Bumpuses. Several fantasy sequences depict Ralphie's daydreams of glory and vindication, including the vanquishing of prison-striped villains, an extremely good grade for his written theme about the BB gun, and parental remorse over a case of "soap poisoning."

Major credits:The movie was written by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown and Bob Clark. Shepherd provides the movie's narration from the perspective of an adult Ralphie, a narrative style later used in the dramedy The Wonder Years. Shepherd also has a cameo appearance in the department store scene, as the man who directs Ralphie and Randy to the end of the line. Director Clark has a cameo as Swede, the neighbor who questions the Old Man about the Leg Lamp. Cast:Darren McGavin as The Old Man (Mr. Parker) - Ralphie's dad is at the center of the Major Award vignette, and is depicted using colorful nonsensical invective. His first name is never revealed. Melinda Dillon as Mrs. Parker - Ralphie's mom is the primary dispenser of the oft-repeated phrase, "You'll shoot your eye out."

Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker - the film's protagonist, a nine year old imaginative dreamer ,Ian Petrella as Randy Parker - Ralphie's younger brother, who will not eat his meatloaf ,Scott Schwartz as Flick - Ralphie's friend, who learns about tongues and cold metal the hard way, R.D. Robb as Schwartz - Ralphi

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