A Christmas Story (1983)
All Ralphie wants is a Red Ryder BB gun. You'll shoot your eye out, kid.
In 1940s Indiana, nine-year-old Ralphie campaigns for the perfect Christmas gift against universal adult resistance, while his father wins a leg lamp, his brother gets stuffed into a snowsuit, and a tongue meets a frozen flagpole. Jean Shepherd narrates his own stories. TNT and TBS run it for 24 hours straight, and it earns every minute.
Bob Clark built the film from humorist Jean Shepherd's stories, and Shepherd himself narrates as the adult Ralphie looking back — that double point of view, a child's longing filtered through grown-up irony, is why it works on every age at once. It was a modest release in 1983, then cable television adopted it: the 24-hour Christmas marathon tradition turned a sleeper into an institution. The leg lamp, the frozen flagpole, and 'you'll shoot your eye out' are now American folk culture, and the Cleveland house from the film operates as a museum.
From the Film
The Facts
- Year
- 1983
- Director
- Bob Clark
- Runtime
- 93 minutes
- Genres
- Comedy, Family, Classic
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Peter Billingsley | Ralphie Parker |
| Darren McGavin | The Old Man |
| Melinda Dillon | Mrs. Parker |
| Jean Shepherd | Narrator / Adult Ralphie |
Good to know: Shown in an annual 24-hour marathon on TNT and TBS since 1997/2004, and selected for the National Film Registry in 2012.
Where to watch A Christmas Story
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More from the 1980s — or browse the full A–Z catalog.
