Chloe'sMom
I'm wonderful in my imperfection!
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2006
For those of us who Love the movie - here is a place to talk about the best Christmas movie ever! 
Here is some trivia courtesy of IMDB:
Here is some trivia courtesy of IMDB:
To find an American city resembling an Indiana town of the 1940s, director Bob Clark sent his location scouts to twenty cities before selecting Cleveland, Ohio, as the site for filming.
The people of Cleveland were incredibly cooperative during filming, donating antique vehicles from every corner of the city. These vintage vehicles helped to enhance the authenticity of the production design.
Ralph's school exteriors were filmed at Victoria School in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
Cameo: [Jean Shepherd] writer/narrator is the irate man waiting in the Santa line at the department store.
Singer/Songwriter Pepper McGowan was an extra during the mall scene.
Jean Shepherd's book "In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash", which the film is partly based on, is a collection of short stories that Jean Shepherd wrote for "Playboy" magazine during the 1960s.
The film's setting is a town in Indiana, but was actually filmed in Cleveland, Ohio. The street the "Parker's" live in is called "Cleveland Street".
The movie was based on a city in Indiana named Hammond. References were made throughout the film to support this claim. Examples: Harding school (on 165th St.) where Flick stuck his tongue to the flagpole, Goldblatt's department store, the mention of Griffith (a city that borders Hammond), Cleveland Ave and other streets that are located in Hammond. Although the movie was not filmed in Hammond the houses and look of the film is very authentic. Jean Shepherd (Writer) grew up in Hammond.
Parts of the movie, including the Christmas tree shopping scene, were filmed in Toronto, Ontario. One of Toronto's trademark red trolleys can be seen driving by the shot of the outside of the tree lot.
The St. Catharine's Museum owns some props used in the film, including two pairs of Ralphie's glasses including the pair that was smashed, and two scripts.
The Daisy Red Ryder 200-shot Carbine Action Air Rifle had to be created specially for the film, because it never actually existed.
Director Cameo: [Bob Clark] Swede, the dim-witted neighbor, who marvels at the Leg Lamp from outside.
Inspired the creation of "The Wonder Years" (1988).
The film was released just before Thanksgiving and became a surprise hit. By the time Christmas rolled around, the movie had already been pulled from most theaters because it had been "played out". After complaints were lodged at the theater owners and the studio, the film played on select screens until after the first of the year 1984.
According to Director Bob Clark, Jack Nicholson was given the script and was very much interested in the role of Mr. Parker, "The Old Man". However, Clark didn't learn of this until later and the studio didn't want to pay Nicholson's fee anyway, which would have doubled the budget. Regardless, Clark says that Darren McGavin was still the better choice and was born to play the role.
The "major award" was based on a real lamp: an illuminated Nehi logo.
The Radio Orphan Annie decoder pin that Ralphie receives is the 1940 "Speedomatic" model, indicating that the movie takes place in December, 1940. Different decoder badges were made each year from 1935-1940. By 1941, the decoders were made of paper.
The Department Store featured in the Santa scene is really Higbee's in Downtown Cleveland. There were no Higbee's in Hammond.
During the filming in downtown Cleveland, the antique automobile club members, whose cars were used, were given a route to follow on Public Square. They were instructed to continue circling the square until otherwise instructed. Road salt was a major concern for the car owners and the cars were pressure-washed after each day's filming and parked underground beneath the Terminal Tower.
When the character of Scut Farkas first appears, the "Wolf" music from 'Sergei Prokofiev' 's "Peter and the Wolf" plays in the background. The name "Farkas" is derived from the Hungarian word for "wolf."
The Parkers' Oldsmobile is a 1937 Model 6, four-door sedan with Indiana license plate "56 498.
Mrs. Parker's memory is correct. The Lone Ranger's nephew, Dan Reid, rode a horse named "Victor". He was the son of the Lone Ranger's horse, Silver.
While reading the newspaper at the kitchen table the "Old Man" angrily mentions that the "Sox traded Bullfrog". This is a reference to long time Chicago White Sox pitcher Bill Dietrich who's nickname was Bullfrog. He pitched during the 1930s and '40s. Dietrich was never traded from the Sox, he was released September 18, 1946.
Ralphie says that he wanted the "Red Ryder BB Gun" 28 times.
The piece that plays after Ralphie says "fudge", and after the lamp breaks for the second time, is the opening of "Hamlet" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
White Sox player Bill "Bullfrog" Dietrich is mentioned as being traded. He was traded to the White Sox in 1936 and from the White Sox in 1946. Since the family drives a 1937 Olds, it would imply it was the 1946 trade. This would be consistent with the soldiers present at Higbee's corner window in the movie opening since the war may have just ended. However, war era versions of the decoder badge were paper due to the shortage and Little Orphan Annie was off the air well before 1946.
Bob Clark's success with the teen-sex comedy Porky's (1982) allowed him the ability to make a movie he wanted to make. Without Porky's there would have been no Christmas Story.
For the scene in which Flick's tongue sticks to the flagpole, a hidden suction tube was used to safely create the illusion that his tongue had frozen to the metal.
An elaborate fantasy sequence - in which Ralphie joins Flash Gordon to fight Ming the Merciless - was filmed but dropped from the final cut.
In 2005, the original home used for the exterior shots of the family home was put up for auction on eBay and avid fan of the movie Brian Jones managed to purchase the home directly from the seller for $150,000.00 USD. Jones then spent the following year restoring the home to the way it looked on screen. The exterior of the home was completely restored and the interior was renovated to match the interior of the home shown in the movie. (Parts of the interior was actually filmed in a Toronto studio) On November 25th, 2006, the famous home finally opened its doors as a tourist attraction. Jones spent close to $500,000.00 USD in preparation for this grand opening. In addition, Jones also purchased the house next door and converted it to a gift shop and museum dedicated to the film and the house.
Director Bob Clark mentions in the commentary on the 2003 DVD that he worked with writer Jean Shepherd for nearly ten years on the concept of A Christmas Story before the film was made.
In the scene where Jean Shepherd (as the irate man in line) directs Ralphie to the back of the line, the woman standing behind Shepherd is his wife, Leigh Brown.
I 
this movie - I think I might have it memorized. 
I was shocked the first time I saw it without my Dad around.
