"Over the years I got to be quite a connoisseur of soap."
For many families, watching Ralphie Parker and his campaign to get a Red Ryder BB gun is as much a part of Christmas as the arrival of Santa himself. The 1983 movie A Christmas Story based on stories and anecdotes in Jean Shepherd’s book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, became a TV holiday classic and now more than 40 million people tune in to the annual 24-hour marathon that begins on Christmas Eve on TBS. In 2012, the film which humorously depicts a middle-class Midwestern family during a holiday season in the 1940s was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
This year, Golden Isles Arts and Humanities has chosen “A Christmas Story” as its Ritz Radio Theatre Christmas production. As with It’s a Wonderful Life in past years, the show is performed on stage in the style of a 1940s radio broadcast, complete with period costumes, live sound effects (maybe the Bumpus hounds?), commercials (Ovaltine, anyone?!), and a talented cast of local performers.
"Be sure to drink your Ovaltine. Ovaltine? A crummy commercial?!"
Thrilled to be presenting this all-new production, Golden Isles Arts & Humanities Executive Director, Heather Heath, assures us that everyone’s favorite moments from the movie, including Shepherd’s delightful and inimitable phrasing are included—from the “major award” to the triple-dog-dare. The show is perfect for all ages and is sure to keep everyone entertained, as Ralphie shares his quest for that “blue steel beauty” despite the constant warnings from adults, “You’ll shoot your eye out!” The cast of characters includes his quirky parents, annoying little brother, friends and bullies, classmates and teacher, and the jolly fat man in the red suit too.
"Randy lay there like a slug. It was his only defense."
“It's an exciting and interactive performance,” says Heath. "The audience is part of the broadcast as their reactions and applause are integral to the show. And getting to see the actors 'become' their characters and watch how the sounds are created is really fun.” A talented cast takes on 1940s actor personas as well as the memorable characters of “A Christmas Story.” You’ll see some of your favorite performers from past Radio Theatre productions as well as several new faces to the Ritz stage: Scott Ryfun, Peggy Parrish, Kelly Hunter, John Plough, Annie Akins, Fred Griffith, Brad Butler, Zach Ruschak, Julia Bostain, David “Boomer” Wheeler, Aubree Stephens, and Bryan Thompson.
“A Christmas Story” will be presented December 11-13 and 18-20, with performances Friday and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. The show will also be broadcast on the radio at dates and times to be announced. The Ritz Radio Theatre productions are sponsored in part by Ned Cash Jewelers and local radio station 1440 WGIG and presented by Golden Isles Arts & Humanities. To purchase tickets, visit goldenislesarts.org or the Ritz Theatre box office at1530 Newcastle St., Wednesdays-Fridays between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. or on Saturdays between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. For more information, call 912.262.6934.
"Aaah! Fran-gee-ley! It must be Italian!"
To get you in the mood for the production and stir your own nostalgia about the Christmas classic, we’ve gathered some fun facts about the movie, the book, and the people behind it all.
It all began with Playboy. It was a collection of semi-autobiographical short stories that Jean Shepherd wrote for Playboy in the 1960s that comprised his book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash. This is the book on which the film A Christmas Story is based and it was a reading of the stories on the radio that inspired director Bob Clark to create the film.
"He looks like a deranged Easter Bunny."
And speaking of inspiration, the popular television series The Wonder Years was reportedly inspired in part by A Christmas Story, and was certainly similar in humor and style. Peter Billingsley (Ralphie) appeared as one of Kevin Arnold’s roommates in one of the show’s last episodes. And in addition to providing the adult Ralphie’s voice-over narration, author Jean Shepherd has a cameo in the movie as a grouchy customer in the department store who tells Ralphie to go to the back of the line as they wait for Santa.
Darrin McGavin played the role of Ralphie’s father. He was suggested and lobbied for by director Bob Clark, who believed he was perfect for the role. Reportedly, however, the part was first offered to Jack Nicholson, who was very interested. Producers chose McGavin because they were worried about Nicholson’s high salary requests, which would have cut deeply into the film’s small budget. Now THAT would have made it quite a different movie!
"My father worked in profanity the way other artists might work in oils or clay. It was his true medium, a master."
Peter Billingsley, who played Ralphie, was “Messy Marvin” in Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup commercials. What’s he doing now? You might have noticed his name as a producer in Iron Man or The Break Up. And he hasn’t stopped doing Christmas movies either; he produced and has a cameo in Four Christmases, starring his close friend Vince Vaughn.
Ralphie wanted: “an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle.” The real Red Ryder BB Gun was first made in 1938 and was named after a comic strip cowboy. The Daisy Red Ryder Model 1938 is still available for purchase for between $35-40 today. That original model isn’t quite the same as the one in the movie, as it lacks the compass and sundial described in the story and movie. Special versions had to be made just for the movie.
If your A Christmas Story drinking game is to take a swig or have a shot every time Ralphie says he wants the Red Ryder BB Gun, be prepared! He says it 28 times throughout the course of the movie. That's approximately once every three minutes and 20 seconds.
Although Ralphie and his family lived in Hammond, Indiana, much of the movie was actually shot in Cleveland, Ohio (due in part to the Higbee’s store there) to capture the 1940s Midwestern feel.The house featured in the movie is located in Cleveland. It was sold on eBay in 2004 for $150,000, purchased by a collector and restored to its cinematic glory. It is now open to the public for tours year round, seven days a week (except major holidays). Directly across the street is the official A Christmas Story House Museum, which features original props, costumes and memorabilia from the film, as well as hundreds of rare behind-the-scenes photos. Among the props and costumes are the toys from the Higbee’s window, Randy’s snowsuit, the chalkboard from Miss Shields’ classroom and the family car. Of course there is also a museum gift shop where you can purchase your own decoder pin, Major Award Leg Lamp, Lifebuoy soap, and other movie memorabilia. There’s even an annual 5K/10K Run from the house that takes you to various set locations and where runners are invited to wear their own bunny suits or other character costumes, and an annual charity auction that allows one lucky winner the one-in-a-lifetime experience to spend two days and nights at A Christmas Story House and one night in downtown Cleveland to relive their favorite movie moments and take home their own Major Award Leg Lamp.
"Now it was serious. A double dog dare."
Perhaps the most iconic scene from the movie is the triple-dog-dare that leads to Flick’s tongue being stuck to the flagpole. For that scene, a hidden suction tube was used to safely create the illusion that his tongue had frozen to the metal. Since the movie has become a Christmas classic, not a winter must pass when that dare isn’t issued. On popular science v. myth TV series Mythbusters, they tested whether it’s actually possible for your tongue to get stuck on a piece of cold metal. It is. So, we’d say don’t this at home, but really we’ve got more palm trees around than flag poles and the only thing frozen that presents a danger is too many margaritas. Cheers and Merry Christmas to all. Here’s hoping this year brings you your own Christmas Story.
