A Christmas Story celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
For folks in Ohio who were around at the time (1983), it was a big deal. Parts of the film were shot in Cleveland, at three main locations: The Higbee’s and Halle’s department stores, and a house in the Tremont district.
Since that time, both Higbee’s and Halle’s have gone the way of many downtown department stores; they were sold off and closed. But I found some beautiful pictures at clevelandmemory.org, and they brought back some fond recollections of when my mother used to take Mavis and me to Gimbel’s, Sears, Montgomery Ward and Marshall Field’s in Milwaukee and Chicago when we were kids in the 60s.
Those stores had the best display windows, didn’t they, crusties? Check out these great photos (click to enlarge):
The guy who bought the actual Christmas Story house has turned it into a tourist attraction, complete with a museum and gift shop. You can see it here. They just had a big reunion last weekend.
You can even buy the famous Leg Lamp:
I can’t believe it’s been 25 years already. I still think of all the kids in that movie as if they were still kids…
Here’s Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) today:
Nice!
Fink out.
PS – This is hilarious. A reenactment of A Christmas Story in 30 seconds, performed by bunnies.
PPS – A two-hour delay today. I must say it’s nice, but 5th grade choir really needs the rehearsal. Nuts.
Hey-hey-hey, 2 hour delay! Ha! Do you remember Goldblatt’s? Wasn’t it you that got lost and Santa found you? Ahh…good times..good times.
Mavis
HAA – I am SO telling that story this week!! Have a great day, Mavis — I’m off to the showers and to get the MFR up the driveway (hopefully).
A bet on my Titans this weekend?
HA
That’s a bet I’d take if I were you, TRO!
Wow. This movie is older than me! I was actually just in downtown Cleveland this past Sunday and walked on public square. Higbee’s corner window is done up A Christmas Story style. It’s quite elaborate. The building is actually used as an office, as I tried to sneak in and found myself amongst cubicles. Now, thanks to your weblink, I know where to take my sister when she comes to visit over break. Oh, and the Browns are awful. Rumor has it both Cowher and Shottenheimer are interested in coming back to coach. Hooray, another rebuilding year in ’09…
Here’s the ‘Christmas Story’ tradition at our house: Every year my wife turns it on during the inevitable marathon. and every year I say, “never seen it” and every year she asks, like we’ve never done this routine, “what? you’ve never seen it?” and I say “no, never” and she says “Oh my God it’s a classic, with the BB gun and the radio flyer and the bully and the-” and I tune out.
Like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, I’m predicting 100% chance that this will happen again in 2008.
Ah-ha, Michael — you mean THIS GUY??
BOOO!
Fink…why is u up at 4:30 in duh mornin??
Girl…sleep is the elusive butterfly I just can’t seem to catch. But hey, who needs sleep? You can sleep when you die.