Random Behind-The-Scenes Stories From Making Of ‘A Christmas Story’ (14 items)

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  (#4) Screenwriter/Narrator Shepherd Hated The Idea That His Stories Were ‘Nostalgic’

  Many fans of the film love it for its seemingly nostalgic look at American life at the turn of the consumerist boom in the late 1930s and 1940s. Writer Shepherd, however, doesn't enjoy this outlook on his story. In fact, he relates nostalgia to a "sickness." The New York Post quoted the late writer as saying:

  I think nostalgia is one of the great sicknesses of America. What my work says is: If you think it’s bad now, you should have seen it then. You’ll notice that nothing works out for the kid. He gets hit with the [BB], the furnace blows up, the dogs go wild, and the family winds up having to go to a Chinese restaurant for Christmas.
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  (#12) Billingsley Still Has The Pink Bunny Suit

  Ralphie wasn't a fan of the pink bunny suit, but actor Billingsley's mom was. In 2011, the actor spoke to the Chicago Sun Times and revealed that his mother is the reason he still has the pink bunny suit:

  I was a kid so I didn't really think about keeping any of the stuff. But my mom did keep some things for me with the thought that it would be fun to have when I was an adult. So thanks to her I have the bunny suit, the [Red Ryder], a slate board, and the cowboy outfit. They're all on display in a special Christmas window at Macy's.
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  (#8) Billingsley Was The First To Try Out For Ralphie, But The Director Auditioned 8,000 More Actors

  According to Vanity Fair, Billingsley was the first child to audition for the role of Ralphie. Prior to the film, Billingsley was already a sought-after child commercial actor. Director Clark enjoyed Bilingsley's audition, but he felt that immediately casting him was too obvious of a choice. Billingsley's mother, Gail, said that "they [auditioned actors] in California, and in a couple of other countries" before Clark finally admitted that he wanted Billingsley for the part. 

  "He walked in, and he had us from the beginning," Clark told Gail.
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  (#7) A Flash Gordon Dream Sequence Was Cut From The Film

  Part of A Christmas Story's charm is getting to see Ralphie's innocuous fantasies, like how he envisioned his teacher giving him the best grade in the class for his theme on the Red Ryder. There were several other dream and fantasy scenes that were written or shot but didn't make the final cut.

  One of these scenes, a dream in which Ralphie saves Flash Gordon from the evil Ming, ended up on the cutting room floor due to time restrictions; the studio wanted to keep the film at 90 minutes so it could play every two hours in theaters. 
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  (#2) Director Bob Clark And Narrator/Writer Shepherd Have Cameos In The Film

  Director Bob Clark makes a brief but memorable cameo in A Christmas Story. After the Old Man has set up all the Christmas lights and is admiring his work (along with his fancy new leg lamp), his neighbor comes out to admire the view. Swede, AKA Clark, is a bit of a doofus, but a lovable one. 

  Writer/narrator Shepherd makes a blink-and-you-miss-it appearance as well. When Ralphie is impatiently making his way through the store to meet Santa, Shepherd yells at him for cutting the line.
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  (#13) Two Unsuccessful Sequels Were Made

  A Christmas Story wasn't a mega-success right off the bat, but its late-found popularity had MGM ready to make sequels. My Summer Story (1994) was another collaboration between director Clark and writer Shepherd, but it did not feature the original cast, save for teacher Miss Shields (Tedde Moore). Kieran Culkin took on the role of Ralphie, and the movie follows the summertime antics of him and his friends. It wasn't as popular as the first installment, and even Shepherd admitted that the film was "a real turkey."

  In 1988, a direct-to-TV movie called Ollie Hopnoodle’s Haven of Bliss, which followed 14-year-old Ralphie as he tries to get his first summer job, came out. It was equally unsuccessful. In 2012, another straight-to-TV sequel, A Christmas Story 2, came out, but neither Clark nor Shepherd were involved.

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