126 Fun Facts About A Christmas Story

A Christmas Story, Jean Shepherd's tale of Ralphie and his Red Ryder BB gun, reached cinemas in November of which year?

Released by MGM/UA on November 18, 1983 to positive reviews, it has since become a holiday fixture.

Who directed the iconic film 'A Christmas Story'?

The film 'A Christmas Story' was directed by Bob Clark, who also co-wrote the screenplay.

Three of the short stories behind the film were first published in 1964–66 in which magazine?

Playboy ran the stories in 1964–66, among them 'Duel in the Snow, or Red Ryder Nails the Cleveland Street Kid', which the author later read aloud on his radio show.

What is the 'major award' that Ralphie's Old Man wins in a newspaper contest?

The Old Man wins a 'major award' in a newspaper contest, which turns out to be a table lamp in the shape of a woman's leg wearing a fishnet stocking.

What is the famous warning Ralphie consistently receives about his desired Christmas gift?

His mother, his teacher, and even a disgruntled department-store Santa all use the same line.

What escalated challenge finally gets Flick to stick his tongue to the frozen flagpole?

The dare escalates past the double dare to the triple dog dare, a breach of playground etiquette that leaves Flick no choice but to lick the frozen flagpole.

What type of animal are the neighbors' numerous, noisy dogs that constantly bother the Parker family?

They are hounds, the pack of smelly hound dogs from next door that torment the Old Man and finally devour the Christmas turkey; the narration counts 'at least 785' of them.

Where does the Parker family go for Christmas dinner after their own turkey is ruined?

The Old Man introduces Ralphie to what he calls 'Chinese Turkey'.

What brand of soap does Ralphie's mother wash his mouth out with?

Lifebuoy is the bar Mother jams in Ralphie's mouth after he blurts out 'the queen mother of dirty words'.

What embarrassing gift does Ralphie receive from his Aunt Clara?

Aunt Clara sends Ralphie a very memorable, though unwanted, gift: a handmade pink bunny pajama suit.

Which cable network launched the '24 Hours of A Christmas Story' marathon in 1997?

TNT began airing the film back-to-back for 24 hours on Christmas Eve in 1997; sister network TBS took over the marathon in 2004, and from 2014 both channels carried it.

When Ralphie finally decodes the radio show's secret message, it turns out to be a commercial for what?

The message decodes to 'Be sure to drink your Ovaltine', a 'crummy commercial' for the radio show's sponsor; Ralphie's pin is a real 1940 Speedomatic decoder.

What is the name of the department store where Ralphie and Randy visit Santa?

Higbee's, the department store on Cleveland's Public Square, agreed to host the Santa and window scenes after other stores turned the production down, which is why the exteriors were shot in Cleveland.

In 2012 the Library of Congress selected the movie for preservation in what?

The National Film Registry added A Christmas Story in December 2012 as culturally, historically or aesthetically significant; a month earlier A Christmas Story: The Musical had opened on Broadway.

What is the name of Ralphie's school teacher?

Miss Shields, played by Tedde Moore, is Ralphie's teacher; he hopes his Christmas theme will win her over to the Red Ryder cause.

What is the name of the adult narrator, who is also the author of the stories the film is based on?

The film is based on the short stories of author Jean Shepherd, who also provides the narration as the adult Ralphie Parker.

What does Ralphie do to Scut Farkus after finally snapping?

Ralphie punches him repeatedly while unleashing a stream of vulgar gibberish like the Old Man's; Mrs. Parker breaks it up and, to his relief, downplays it to the Old Man.

How does Mrs. Parker keep the Old Man from hearing the details of Ralphie's fight?

It earns her Ralphie's lasting respect, since he and Randy expected the Old Man to 'kill' him.

The fictional town of 'Hohman, Indiana' where the story is set is inspired by what real Indiana city?

Hammond, Indiana, the author's boyhood home, is the model for Hohman; the fictional name comes from Hohman Avenue, a main street in downtown Hammond.

Who has to come and free Flick's tongue from the flagpole?

Fans later tracked down the antique fire truck used in the scene.

What does the Old Man repeatedly battle in the basement throughout the film?

The Old Man is continually seen battling the unreliable household furnace, often resulting in colorful (though gibberish) outbursts of profanity.

The real Red Ryder BB gun was introduced in the spring of which year?

The Red Ryder BB gun was introduced in 1940, named for Fred Harman's comic-strip cowboy; the real gun never had a compass in the stock, so its maker built custom props for the film.

What is the full name of the BB gun Ralphie recites like a prayer?

His full wish, recited by heart: an 'Official Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model Air Rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time'.

What happens to Ralphie's glasses after he first tries out his BB gun?

When Ralphie shoots at a metal target, the BB ricochets and knocks off his glasses, which he then accidentally steps on and breaks.

What is the name of Scut Farkus's sidekick?

Farkus and Dill torment Ralphie, his brother, and his friends until Ralphie finally snaps.

What radio program does Ralphie listen to to get his secret decoder ring?

Ralphie earns a decoder pin as a loyal listener to the Little Orphan Annie radio show.

Ralphie suspects the Old Man's cloud of profanity is still hanging over which body of water?

The narrator says the Old Man's tapestry of obscenity 'as far as we know is still hanging in space over Lake Michigan'; the swearing itself is heard only as gibberish.

The Parker house exteriors were shot in which neighborhood on Cleveland's West Side?

The house stands in Tremont, on Cleveland's near West Side; a fan bought it on eBay in 2004 and restored it as a museum.

The dogs that devour the Parkers' Christmas turkey belong to which neighbors?

The Bumpuses, the hillbilly family next door, keep the pack of dogs that harasses the Old Man all year and finally storms the kitchen to devour the Christmas turkey.

Which 1994 sequel brought back only one on-screen actor from the original in the same role?

My Summer Story (1994) recast every part except Tedde Moore's teacher, with Kieran Culkin taking over as Ralphie.

What is the name of the actor who played Ralphie Parker?

Peter Billingsley, a child actor with dozens of commercials behind him, played Ralphie; he went on to produce, including the 2022 sequel.

After his prized lamp is broken beyond repair, what does the Old Man do with it?

The tug-of-war over the lamp is dubbed the 'Battle of the Lamp'.

What is the name of Ralphie's friend who dares Flick to stick his tongue to the pole?

Schwartz issues the dare; later Ralphie blames Schwartz for teaching him the word, and Schwartz's mother can be heard wailing on him over the phone.

The actress playing Mrs. Parker was cast on the basis of a similar role in which film?

The actress won the part after the director saw her as a harried mother in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), a role that earned her an Oscar nomination.

What is the 'cover story' Ralphie invents after breaking his glasses?

Ralphie makes up a story about an icicle falling from the garage roof and hitting his eye, which fools his mother.

Which songwriting duo wrote the score for 'A Christmas Story: The Musical'?

Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, later of Dear Evan Hansen, wrote the score; the show opened on Broadway in November 2012 and earned three Tony nominations, including Best Musical.

The film's screenplay is based primarily on which collection of short stories?

The film is primarily based on Jean Shepherd's 1966 book 'In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash,' with elements from another of his works.

Which actor played The Old Man, Ralphie's father?

Darren McGavin played the Old Man and later reunited with the director in Turk 182! (1985) and From the Hip (1987).

A calendar glimpsed in one scene shows December of which year?

No year is ever stated outright; the decoder pin bears the following year's date.

According to the DVD commentary, which star was considered for the role of the Old Man?

Jack Nicholson was interested in the Old Man, the director says on the DVD commentary, but his fee was far beyond the budget; the director adds he was glad to end up with the actor he got.

Ralphie's school is named after which U.S. president?

Warren G. Harding Elementary School is where Ralphie's class meets; the author's own grade school in Indiana bore the same name.

What is the name of the actress who played Ralphie's Mother?

She was cast on the strength of a similar mother role in a Spielberg film.

The film's adult-narrator style was later used by which TV series?

The Wonder Years (1988–93) adopted the film's device of a grown man narrating his boyhood, with Daniel Stern as the unseen adult Kevin Arnold.

In what Canadian city were some of the exterior scenes and soundstage interiors filmed?

The 'only I didn't say fudge' scene was shot at the foot of Cherry Street with lake freighters wintering in the port behind it.

What is the brand of the famous Red Ryder BB gun?

The highly coveted BB gun is a Daisy Red Ryder, a specific model that has become synonymous with the film.

The 2022 sequel 'A Christmas Story Christmas' was released on which streaming service?

HBO Max premiered A Christmas Story Christmas on November 17, 2022, with the original Ralphie back as a grown man; it treats the two earlier sequels as though they never happened.

How many consecutive airings make up the annual '24 Hours of A Christmas Story' marathon?

It runs from the evening of Christmas Eve to the evening of Christmas Day.

The boy cast as Ralphie was already known for co-hosting which TV series?

Real People, NBC's reality-variety series, had the future Ralphie among its child co-hosts; the director had him in mind for the part from the start.

What does Ralphie accidentally do while helping his father change a tire?

Asked where he learned the word, he blames a friend rather than the Old Man, who is the real source.

A Christmas Story won two 1984 Genie Awards — the top film prizes of which country?

The Genies were Canada's national film awards; A Christmas Story, shot largely in Ontario, took the 1984 prizes for direction and original screenplay.

Where is Ralphie's final present hidden on Christmas morning?

Behind the desk: once the wrapping is cleared, the Old Man points Ralphie to one last package tucked there, the Red Ryder.

Where does the Old Man proudly display his major award?

In the front window, so the whole street can admire it; the narrator recalls its glow drawing passers-by to gawk.

Where does Ralphie lock himself away to decode the secret radio message?

The bathroom, where Ralphie works the decoder pin while Randy pounds on the door, begging to get in.

Roughly how many boys auditioned for the role of Ralphie before it was cast?

About 8,000 boys auditioned; the director feared the boy he had in mind was 'too obvious' a choice and saw the field anyway, Sean Astin and Wil Wheaton among them.

After their Christmas turkey is ruined, the Parkers dine at which Chinese restaurant?

The restaurant scene was shot at 744 Gerrard Street East in Toronto's East Chinatown, while the waiters mangle "Deck the Halls".

What is the title of the Christmas theme Ralphie writes for class?

'What I Want for Christmas' is the assigned theme; Ralphie fills his with the Red Ryder pitch and imagines his teacher rewarding it with an A+++++.

What is Mother doing when the Old Man's major award 'accidentally' breaks?

Watering a plant, she says; the Old Man suspects otherwise and tries in vain to glue his prize back together.

What grade does Ralphie's teacher give his Christmas theme about the air rifle?

The theme comes back marked C+ with a cutting postscript from the teacher, after Ralphie's daydream of an A+++++ and a classroom cheering him on.

How does Mrs. Parker finally get Randy to eat his dinner?

By playing "mommy's little piggie" she gets Randy to bury his face in his plate and snort through the meal, while the Old Man threatens to use a plumber's helper.

Which team does the Old Man jokingly refer to as the "Chicago Chipmunks"?

The Bears: grumbling about their chances against Green Bay that Sunday, the Old Man dismisses them as the 'Chicago Chipmunks'.

The Old Man's 'major award' arrives in a crate stamped with which word he mispronounces?

The crate is stamped FRAGILE, which the Old Man sounds out as 'fra-gee-lay' and declares 'must be Italian'.

What dinner does Randy refuse to eat at the Parker table?

'Meatloaf, smeatloaf, double-beatloaf, I hate meatloaf,' Randy chants, until Mother finds another way to get it into him.

The film's director appears in a cameo as which character?

The director plays Swede, the neighbor who gapes at the major award ('What is it?') and is told exactly that.

What Christmas present does Mother give the Old Man?

A bowling ball: the Old Man unwraps the heavy blue ball on Christmas morning with a delighted 'Ooh... a blue ball!'

Which carol do the restaurant waiters sing to the Parkers on Christmas Day?

'Deck the Halls', rendered as 'fa ra ra ra ra' by the waiters before the owner hustles them away from the table.

In Ralphie's self-pitying daydream, what has left him blind?

Soap poisoning: the blind, cane-tapping Ralphie of the daydream returns home to make his weeping parents regret the bar of soap.

What present does Randy unwrap on Christmas morning?

A toy zeppelin is Randy's big present, unwrapped in the Christmas-morning frenzy before the Old Man points Ralphie to one last package.

According to the narrator, what color are Scut Farkus's eyes?

'He had yellow eyes! So help me God, yellow eyes!' the narrator insists, introducing the bully who waits for the boys every afternoon.

Where does Randy famously hide when he thinks the Old Man is going to punish Ralphie?

Randy crawls into the cabinet under the kitchen sink, wailing 'Daddy's gonna kill Ralphie!', until Mother coaxes him out.

Randy is bundled so tightly into which garment that he wails he cannot put his arms down?

Bundled into his snowsuit by his mother, Randy wails 'I can't put my arms down!' and is told to put them down when he gets to school.

What household item played falling snow when Cleveland's warm winter left the crew none?

The winter of 1982-83 was one of the warmest of the century in the Snow Belt, so the crew also spread shredded vinyl and firefighter's foam over the neighborhood.

What does the adult narrator call the duck the family is served at their Christmas dinner out?

The narrator says that Christmas lived on in memory as the year they were 'introduced to Chinese turkey'; the roast duck arrives whole, head and all, until the owner lops it off with a cleaver.

Which actor played Flick, the boy who licks the flagpole?

Scott Schwartz played Flick, whose tongue freezes to the pole; he returned as Flick in the 2022 sequel.

The scene where Flick's tongue sticks to the flagpole was achieved using what special effect?

A hidden suction tube did the trick: the flagpole was plastic with a small hole, and a concealed vacuum hose gently held the young actor's tongue in place.

Ralphie's BB gun rescues which pulp hero in a daydream cut from the film?

Flash Gordon: in the deleted daydream Ralphie saves him from Ming the Merciless; Paul Hubbard and Colin Fox remain in the credits as Flash and Ming, though the footage has never surfaced.

What kind of hat does bully Scut Farkus wear?

Scut Farkus wears a coonskin cap, raccoon tail and all, as he and his toady ambush the boys on the way home from school.

In the Old Man's prize contest, what is the name of the Lone Ranger's nephew's horse?

Victor: Mother supplies the name offhand ('Everybody knows that'), to the Old Man's astonishment, while he puzzles over the newspaper contest that brings him his major award.

In A Christmas Story's department-store scene, what does Santa use to shove Ralphie back down the exit slide?

Ralphie freezes on Santa's lap, scrambles back up the slide to correct himself, and gets Santa's boot in the face for his trouble.

Which outlaw leads the gang Ralphie drives off in his backyard daydream?

Black Bart and his gang storm the Parker yard in Ralphie's daydream, only to be picked off by a chaps-wearing Ralphie with his Red Ryder.

The narrator says the Old Man worked in profanity as other artists work in what?

'He worked in profanity the way other artists might work in oils or clay,' the narrator says; 'it was his true medium, a master.'

What did the boy playing Ralphie accidentally chew on while filming the bandit daydream?

The chewing tobacco in the bandit daydream was real; the boy got dizzy and sick, and the prop was swapped for raisins for the rest of the shoot.

What was A Christmas Story's production budget?

The budget was about $3.3 million; the film earned roughly $20 million in its initial release and was treated as a modest sleeper before television made it a perennial.

Besides the 1966 collection, which of the author's books contributed elements to the film?

Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories and Other Disasters (1971) supplied the neighbors' dogs, whose raid on an Easter ham in the book became the turkey theft on screen.

Which actor played Ralphie's friend Schwartz?

R.D. Robb played Schwartz; he returned to the role as a grown man in the 2022 sequel.

Why was the author eventually barred from the set?

He kept coaching the actors, giving the children line readings behind the director's back, until the director had him kept away from the set.

Which real-life couple appears as the people who send Ralphie and Randy to the back of the Santa line?

Jean Shepherd and Leigh Brown, husband-and-wife co-writers of the screenplay, are the couple in the Santa line; Shepherd delivers 'The line ends here! It begins there.'

Characters from which film parade past the department-store Santa line?

The Wizard of Oz: the Tin Man and the Scarecrow work the crowd while the boys wait for Santa.

How old does the Old Man say he was when he had his own BB gun?

'I had one when I was eight years old,' the Old Man says, having bought the Red Ryder behind Mother's back.

Zack Ward, who played Scut Farkus, said he ranked higher than which villain in a Christmas villains list?

Ward said he had actually been bullied himself in elementary school.

What does the Old Man roar has happened in the basement as black smoke pours up?

'It's a clinker!' the Old Man roars, a clinker being a lump of fused ash that clogs a coal-burning heater.

How many cities did the director reportedly scout before choosing Cleveland?

About twenty cities were scouted; Cleveland won because a downtown department store there was the only one willing to host the filming.

Higbee's executive Bruce Campbell agreed to the filming on what condition?

The store kept the film's Santa slide and used it for years afterward.

Why was the parade outside Higbee's filmed at 3 a.m.?

The Erieview Tower and BP Tower under construction would have spoiled the period look.

In which Ontario city were the school scenes filmed?

St. Catharines: the classroom scenes were shot at Victoria Public School there, in Ontario's Niagara region, far from the Cleveland exteriors.

Why were the compass and sundial placed on the opposite side of Ralphie's BB gun stock?

No real Red Ryder ever had those features; they came from Daisy's Buck Jones model.

What is the make of the Old Man's treasured car?

A 1937 Oldsmobile; as the narrator puts it, 'Some men are Baptists, others Catholics; my father was an Oldsmobile man.'

Which magazine cover does Ralphie hide the Red Ryder ad inside?

The December 1937 issue is one of the film's few datable props.

Which critic added A Christmas Story to his 'Great Movies' list after initially giving it three stars?

Roger Ebert gave it three stars on release in 1983 and added it to his 'Great Movies' collection in 2000.

Which network rejected the film for broadcast as 'too dark'?

It never aired on a major network and went into syndication in 1986–87.

On which superstation did the film premiere on December 16, 1987?

Turner has held the broadcast rights ever since.

What does the Old Man accuse Mother of being toward his major award?

'You were always jealous...' he snaps after the shattering, and Mother's protests of an accident do not convince him.

Which PBS series aired the 1982 Parker-family film The Great American Fourth of July?

American Playhouse, PBS's drama anthology, aired it with Matt Dillon as Ralphie and the author narrating, a year before A Christmas Story reached cinemas.

Under what title did the 1994 sequel first reach theaters?

It Runs in the Family was the title for its brief 1994 theatrical run; the film was retitled for its home-video release and later television airings.

Who played the Old Man in the 1994 sequel?

Charles Grodin took over as the Old Man, opposite Mary Steenburgen as Mother and Kieran Culkin as Ralphie.

Where was A Christmas Story 2 (2012) filmed?

The direct-to-video sequel, directed by Brian Levant, was poorly reviewed.

A Christmas Story Christmas (2022) is set in which year?

Set in December 1973, it sends a grown Ralphie back to Hohman after the Old Man's death to give his own children a proper Christmas.

Where was A Christmas Story Christmas filmed?

Hungary and Bulgaria stood in for 1970s Indiana, with a replica of the Parker house built on set for the shoot.

Who plays Mrs. Parker in A Christmas Story Christmas?

Julie Hagerty, of Airplane!, took over as Mrs. Parker; the original actress had retired and died in January 2023, less than two months after the film's release.

Who bought the Cleveland house from the film on eBay in 2004, and for how much?

Brian Jones paid $150,000 for it on eBay in December 2004, funded by his business selling replicas of the film's famous prop, and opened it as a museum in 2006.

At what address is the A Christmas Story House in Cleveland?

3159 West 11th Street is the address; the restored house opened to visitors as a museum in November 2006.

The author's childhood home on Cleveland Street lay in which neighborhood of his hometown?

Hessville, the south-side neighborhood where the Shepherds lived on Cleveland Street; he graduated from high school there in 1939.

On which New York radio station did the author spin these stories for over two decades?

WOR carried the author's late-night monologues from 1955 to 1977, where the tales of Ralphie, the Old Man and Hohman were first told aloud.

Which influential 1974 slasher film did the director make?

Black Christmas (1974), his proto-slasher about a sorority house stalked by an unseen caller, came nearly a decade before this family classic; Porky's came in between.

Before playing Ralphie, Peter Billingsley was 'Messy Marvin' in a long run of commercials for which product?

Hershey's syrup was the product; Billingsley said that after 100 commercials you lose count.

What does Mother do with the bar of soap once Ralphie is sent to bed?

She tastes it herself, sticking the bar in her mouth out of curiosity and grimacing at the flavor.

Who played the department-store Santa?

Jeff Gillen, who had appeared in the director's earlier films, played the harried Santa whose elves keep the line moving.

What does a panicked Ralphie first tell Santa he wants?

A football: Ralphie freezes on Santa's lap and blurts out a football, then scrambles back up the slide to ask for the Red Ryder.

Where did A Christmas Story: The Musical premiere in December 2009?

Kansas City's Repertory Theatre staged the first version in December 2009 with a different score; the songwriting team was replaced before the show moved on to Seattle in 2010.

At which Broadway theatre did A Christmas Story: The Musical open in November 2012?

The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre hosted the limited holiday run, which opened on November 19, 2012.

Who played the adult Ralphie narrator in A Christmas Story: The Musical on Broadway?

Dan Lauria played the narrator, billed as the author himself; John Bolton was the Old Man.

Who narrated as adult Ralphie in Fox's 2017 A Christmas Story Live!?

Matthew Broderick played the grown Ralphie narrating on stage, with Maya Rudolph as Mother and Chris Diamantopoulos as the Old Man.

Which movie musical did Fox promote with a live commercial during A Christmas Story Live!?

The Greatest Showman, opening in cinemas that week, got a live performance of 'Come Alive' staged as a commercial in the middle of the broadcast.

Who directed the 2022 sequel A Christmas Story Christmas?

Clay Kaytis, director of Netflix's The Christmas Chronicles, took the job; Nick Schenk wrote the script.

In A Christmas Story Christmas, what is grown-up Ralphie's struggling profession?

A struggling novelist, Ralphie heads home after the death of the Old Man, determined to give his own children a magical Christmas.

In which city was the author behind A Christmas Story born in 1921?

Chicago, on July 26, 1921; the family soon moved across the state line into northwest Indiana, where he grew up.

How was the second sequel, A Christmas Story 2, released in 2012?

Straight to DVD and Blu-ray in October 2012 from Warner Home Video, with Daniel Stern as the Old Man and Braeden Lemasters as a teenage Ralphie.