Details for A Christmas Story

A Christmas Story Front Cover Actor Back Cover Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker; Melinda Dillon as Mrs. Parker; Darren McGavin as Mr. Parker; Ian Petrella as Randy Parker; Scott Schwartz as Flick; R.D. Robb as Schwartz; Tedde Moore as Miss Shields; Yano Anaya as Grover Dill; Zack Ward as Scut Farkus; Jeff Gillen as Santa Claus Movie Details Genre Holiday Director Bob Clark (III); Bob Clark Running Time 1 hr 34 mins Plot A Christmas Story is on its way to becoming an annual holiday classic, one to keep on the shelf with It's a Wonderful Life, the puppet-animated Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and A Charlie Brown Christmas. It may have been directed by Bob Clark (responsible for the Porky's pictures), but it's based on the childhood memoirs of humorist Jean Shepherd (from his hilarious book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash). And it is Shepherd's wry, deadly accurate and gently nostalgic comic sensibility that shines through in this kid's-eye-view of an all-American Christmas in the 1940s. All little Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) wants under the tree on Christmas morning is a Daisy Brand Red-Ryder BB rifle. He not only wants it, he's consumed with an aching desire for it. Unfortunately, his mother (Melinda Dillon) repeatedly crushes his dreams with the familiar, harsh mantra: 'You'll put your eye out!' Among the movie's highlights are a surrealistic visit with little brother Randy to a department store Santa, and the childlike mixture of delight, pride, and awe with which Ralphie's dad (Darren McGavin) takes possession of a spectacularly gaudy prize he's won in a radio contest. McGavin should have won an award for his splendid comic work as a middle-aged-kid-turned-patriarch who alternates between grownup temper tantrums and unabashed juvenile joy. --Jim Emerson Product Details Format DVD Layers N/A Release Date 10 Subtitles English; French; Spanish Packaging Custom Case Audio Tracks ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Mono [CC]; FRENCH: Dolby Digital Mono Extra Features C