Spotlight On Niagara

A Christmas Story: The Best Xmas Movie Ever?

A CHRISTMAS STORY: The Best Christmas Movie Ever?  

Every successive generation gets nostalgic over the things that helped define the period. When it comes to Christmas classics, however, it’s tough to top the productions that Baby Boomers associate with the holiday season. From A Charlie Brown Christmas to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, Christmas cartoons helped educate millions of children about the meaning behind both Saviour and Santa. When it comes to movie classics, however, A Christmas Story is likely the biggest cult favourite of the Boomer era.

Based on the humorous writings of author Jean Shepherd, this beloved 1983 holiday film follows the wintry exploits of youngster Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley), who spends most of his time dodging a bully (Zack Ward) and dreaming of his ideal Christmas gift, a "Red Ryder air rifle." Frequently at odds with his cranky dad (Darren McGavin) but comforted by his doting mother (Melinda Dillon), Ralphie struggles to make it to Christmas Day with his glasses and his hopes intact.

While the movie was set in Cleveland, several of the movie’s most iconic scenes were shot in St. Catharines using the former Victoria School located on Niagara Street.

“I remember getting coffee for Darren McGavin, who seemed to be really enjoying his part in the movie,” said Sharon Dupuis, a St. Catharines resident at the time who worked as an assistant for the production company during the shooting of local scenes. “The whole crew loved Peter Billingsley, who was as charming in person as he is in the movie. It was a fun production to be a part of.”

The film was directed by Bob Clark with a script pieced together from Shepherd’s semi-fictional anecdotes from his 1966 book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash along with elements from his 1971 book Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories. Shepherd actually serves as the film’s adult narrator. And while it didn’t garner huge numbers at the box office (earning a modest $19.3 million) it has become a seasonal cult classic, and the movie’s most iconic image – the leg lamp award won by Mr. Parker – has become a sought after piece of movie nostalgia for collectors.

If you haven’t seen A Christmas Story, this is your opportunity to revel in the film’s warm and wonderful sentimentality. Have a Covid Christmas and get in the Christmas spirit, there are worse ways you can spend 93 minutes.