Before embarking on this delightful nostalgia trip (and may we suggest a double feature binge to properly indulge in the Christmas spirit, Americana-style), let’s take a moment to revisit some of the key scenes from the epic original, released in 1983!
Based on Jean Shepherd’s collection of short stories “In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, “A Christmas Story has worked its way into American pop culture history over the past 40 years.
From licking the frozen pole to the leg lamp (“Fra-JEE-lay! Must be Italian!”) to Ralphie’s Red Ryder BB Gun, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t recognize at least one of the now-iconic scenes from the movie — even if they’ve never seen the whole thing.
Besides, if you haven’t seen the whole thing, just flip on the TV around Christmas time. Chances are someone’s showing it.
From licking the frozen pole to the leg lamp ("Fra-JEE-lay! Must be Italian!") to Ralphie's Red Ryder BB Gun, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't recognize at least one of the now-iconic scenes from the movie - even if they've never seen the whole thing.
Scenes from “A Christmas Story” – the 1983 holiday classic
“There are starving people in China.”
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Gazing through the department store window
More scenes from the Christmas classic
“I TRIPLE-dog-dare ya!”
With Santa: “And what’s your name, little boy?”
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Ralphie with Santa: “How about a nice football?”
Peter Billingsley as Ralphie
The infamous leg lamp
“Holy smokes. Do… do you know what this is? This is… a lamp!”
Ralphie in the bunny suit
“He looks like a deranged Easter Bunny… he looks like a pink nightmare!”
A Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle!
“You’ll shoot your eye out!”
He explains how the movie became a holiday classic, and talks about his longtime friendship with Vince Vaughn.
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One Response
My roommate in college went to see “A Christmas Story” in the theater when it first came out, and couldn’t stop talking about it. He said it was one of the funniest movies he had ever seen. Unfortunately it didn’t stay in the theaters long, so I had to wait to see it until it was released on VHS (and I didn’t see it again until TBS began showing it heavily in the early 2000s). It’s been one of my favorite movies ever since…
Additionally, I would urge anyone to read Jean Shepherd’s works, especially “In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash.” For fans of witty, inventive writing, his books don’t disappoint. Although many of his books are out of print, they are still available online.