>Christmas Story (because there's a little bit of Ralphie in all of us)


A long time ago, in another galaxy, Jean Shepherd, this film's author, narrator and actual prototype for Ralphie- Shepherd grew up in Hammond, Indiana during the late 1940's- was an icon for the college set.
To my generation Shepherd's late-night radio show was must listening for a decade or so.
Flick, Schwartz, Daphne Bigelow and Scut Farcas were like family members.
My kids liked him too. They heard him non-stop on our car trips.
The movie is based on one of his radio shows- one of my favorites.
Shepherd died several years ago.
I don't think he ever got the recognition he deserved, but his movie seems to be moving into classic status.
He'd have loved to know that.
He was a wonderful story teller and chronciled that era as few have.

Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories - one of several books Shepherd wrote, is my favorite description of the agonies of teen dating rituals.

And - yes- somehow the parents of one of the kids in my neighbood found the money - things were tight then- to get him a Red Ryder bee-bee gun one Christmas- and we all got to shoot it - but no, we didn't shoot an eye out.