When it comes to a classic American Christmas, few films nail it quite as well as A Christmas Story. This 1983 film from director Bob Clark was based on the childhood memoir of writer Gene Shephard, who grew up in the Midwest during the 1930s and 40s.
Everything from the sets to the music, to the gags and laughs, feel like the classic Christmas so many other movies try to emulate. Although you might watch it on repeat during its 24-hour marathon every Christmas, there are probably still some behind the scenes stories you’ve never heard.
An American Christmas In Canada
The film’s setting is one of the most essential parts of the film. Time period-wise, it sits in this pseudo fantasy period, somewhere between the mid-30s and early 40s. But, the film is located in Hammond, Indiana, the hometown of Gene Shephard.
Sitting in for Hammond was actually Cleveland, Ohio, which played host to a majority of the scenes. You can still find the original home of Ralphie in Cleveland in fact. But, the rest of the film wasn’t shot in the U.S. at all, with the crew utilizing Toronto as a major home base.
Did You Hear What He Said?
Scott Farkas embodies all of our childhood fears of bullies. Watching Ralphie finally snap after being pushed too far is one of the more satisfying parts of the movie. Not only that but when he starts spitting out jibberish cursings like his old man.
To most audiences, these exclamations might sound like nothing more than on-the-fly ramblings, made up by a kid who is just trying to emulate his dad. In reality, though, every word of his insult monologue was scripted line for line.
Double Dog Dare
Many kids will blame this film for sore tongues. As many remember, Ralphie’s friend Schwartz dares Flick to stick his tongue to a flagpole. In fact, he doesn’t just dare him, he double dog dares him. The effect shows Flick’s tongue getting stuck to the frozen flagpole.
But just how did the team pull this off? Did Flick actually get his tongue stuck, or was he just holding it there? To achieve the effect, a hidden suction tube was used to look like Flick’s tongue had frozen to the metal of the pole.
Wesley Didn’t Crush It
The part of Ralphie was arguably the biggest casting decision of the entire film. The actor would need to be the main hero, and be approved by writer Gene Shephard to embody his younger self. As we all know, the team eventually cast Peter Billingsly in the role.
But, Billingsly wasn’t the only child actor to audition for the role of Ralphie. Many, many other kids tried out for the role, some of which might surprise you. Wil Wheaton, a future crew member of the Enterprise, was one of them.
A Time Of Giving
Though the film was set during the time of the greatest generation, the actual film was released during the early 80s. The film being the period piece it is meant that there were many more challenges to ensure authenticity on set.
Luckily, the communities of Cleveland assisted in making sure the film went off without a hitch. People donated antique vehicles, for example, to allow the film to fit firmly in its established time. The Cleveland antique automobile club was even filmed for the movie, circling the town square to give the illusion of a busy city hub.
Miss Shields Was Pregnant
One of the funnier roles was that of Miss Shields, Ralphie’s teacher. The way that she was interpreted through Ralphie’s imagination is so well done, mirroring the many extremes in which we all viewed our teachers when we were younger.
Something you might not have known or noticed though was that actress Tedde Moore, who played Miss Shields in the film, was actually pregnant during the entire shoot. Instead of recasting her, they worked around it with additional makeup and padding to even out her features.
It Was All A Dream
The main crux of the conflict lies in the fact that Ralphie wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas, but most of the adult figures in his life warn of the dangers of it. But, how couldn’t you want a BB Gun with a compass or “this thing which tells time”?
The rifle, both in the film and Jean Shepard’s book is not real. When writing, Shepard misremembered and accidentally combined the features of multiple toy BB guns he had wanted when he was a kid. The Daisy Rifle Company reached out after the film to correct the filmmakers of their mistake.
It’s Smiling At Me
The scene in the Chinese restaurant is certainly one of the more awkward moments in the film. The singing bit hasn’t aged well, seeing as jokes at the expense of someone’s accent seems a bit more hurtful today than it did in the 80s.
But, the moment Ralphie’s mom screams in shock at the dead duck still holds up. What makes the scene even better is that actress Melinda Dillon, Ralphie’s mom, had been given a false script. The reaction that you see on screen was not scripted, giving an authentic performance Bob Clark had wanted.
Savior Of The Universe And Christmas
For many, their favorite moments from this holiday classic come from Ralphie’s imagination. The kid cooks up some of the funniest scenarios in his head. In one minute he sees his teacher Miss Shields as a fainting maiden, only to imagine her as the wicked witch of the west the next. Or even better, when Ralphie imagines himself going blind from consuming too much soap.
There were many scenes like this, with Ralphie’s fantasies playing out on screen. There was one cut though that took it to a whole other level. In this deleted scene, Ralphie teams up with Flash Gordon himself to battle Ming the Merciless.
A Different “Old Man”
Ralphie’s dad, who isn’t referred to as anything more than “The Old Man”, embodies many grumpy but lovable suburban dads. Perhaps the biggest laughs of the film come from him and his reactions. His battle with the furnace, his love for the Leg Lamp, and his reaction to his son saying the F, dash, dash, dash word are ingrained in holiday pop culture.
But, actor Darren McGavin, who plays The Old Man, was almost passed by for a bigger name. Behind the back of Bob Clark, the studio attempted to enlist actor Jack Nicholson for the role, sending him a script and everything. But, eventually, he was passed by as his fee was too expensive, and Clark preferred McGavin.
