‘A Christmas Story’: narrated at American Centre

Directed by Bob Clark based on short stories and semi-fictional anecdotes of author and raconteur Jean Shepherd the movie 'The Christmas Story' will be screened at American Centre at 6 .00pm on December 18.

The film relates the tale of Ralphie Parker (played by 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 length to get it despite the numerous adult admonitions of "you'll shoot your eye out."

Over the course of the film, Ralphie hides a Red Ryder advertisement in his mother's magazine, fibs about the spotting of a dangerous animal in the neighborhood, blurts his desire outright, writes a theme on the subject, and asks an impatient Santa just as the department store closes.

Jean Shepherd has used material from his books In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash and Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories and has developed several subplots incorporated to the film. 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.

The film stared Darren McGavin as The Old Man (Mr. Parker), Melinda Dillon as Mrs. Parker - Ralphie's mom, Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker - the film's protagonist, a nine year old imaginative dreamer, Ian Petrella as Randy Parker - Ralphie's younger brother and Scott Schwartz as Flick - Ralphie's friend, who learns about tongues and cold metal the hard way.