I remember back in college a few friends of mine were very, very interested in the movie “A Christmas Story” – they would, as I recall, keep an eye on the TV schedule and watch the movie as many times as possible around exams. See, back then, VCRs were a relative rarity, and there wasn’t a channel that played the movie continuously before Christmas.
I remember going over to visit Diane Stillman & Patty Krakle (sp) at all hours of the night during the build-up to exams, and they were either in the common area watching “A Christmas Story” or trying to get their studying done before the next time it was on. (I’m certain I’m exagerating, but not that much)
I never heard the movie before I went to college, but when I watched the movie on TV during the break, and I was suprised to know my dad not only knew the story, but he also knew the author Jean Sheperd from his childhood.
At the time, I thought my friends were a bit over-the-top about this movie, but now the obsession with this show has grown to silly proportions. The house used as the set during filming is now open as a tour/museum, with a gift shop across the street (and on-line), and there are on-line games to help occupy those few moments during the holiday when the movie isn’t on the air.
Maybe Diane & Patty were on to something, or maybe more people have gone over-the-top for this movie
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