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From Book to Film to Stage to TV - BWW Traces the Journey of A CHRISTMAS STORY!
By: Caryn Robbins Dec. 15, 2017
As we eagerly await the broadcast of A CHRISTMAS STORY LIVE!, airing this Sunday, December 17th at 7/6c on FOX, BWW takes a look back at the origins of this classic holiday tale, from book, to movie, to stage to television!
1966 - Jean Shepherd's IN GOD WE TRUST: ALL OTHERS PAY CAST
A CHRISTMAS STORY is based on American humorist Jean Shepherd's semi-fictional anecdotes in his 1966 book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash. The book was first published in October 1966. A best-seller at the time of its publication, it is considered Shepherd's most important published work. In addition to the 1983 film, portions of the work were adapted into the 1994 film, IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY. In God We Trust: All 
Others Pay Cash was the first book Shepherd wrote, and contained his most popular radio stories, which focused primarily on stories which depicted his childhood in Indiana.
Comprised of 31 chapters, the book is made up of stories told by the fictional character Ralph, who has returned to his home town of Hohman, Indiana as an adult and remembers or relates these stories to his friend, Flick, who runs the bar in which Ralph spends the day. Four of the short stories ("Duel in the Snow", "The Counterfeit Secret Circle Member Gets the Message", "My Old Man and the Lascivious Special Award That Heralded the Birth of Pop Art", and "Grover Dill and the Tasmanian Devil") were used as the basis for the 1983 movie A Christmas Story.
1983 - Classic Holiday Film A CHRISTMAS STORY
The 1983 Christmas comedy film A CHRISTMAS STORY was directed by Bob Clark, and based on Jean Shepherd's semi-fictional anecdotes in his 1966 book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, with some elements from his 1971 book Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories. Since 1997, a marathon of the film titled "24 Hours of A Christmas Story" has aired annually on TNT and/or TBS, comprising twelve consecutive airings of the film on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day each year.
The film earned director Clark two Genie Awards. In 2012, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Set in the fictionalized town of Hohman, Indiana, the film is presented in a series of vignettes, with narration provided by the adult Ralphie Parker (Jean Shepherd) reminiscing on one particular Christmas when he was nine years old. Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) wanted only one thing for that Christmas: a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle. Ralphie's desire is rejected by his mother, his teacher Miss Shields, and even a Santa Claus at Higbee's department store, all giving him the same warning: "You'll shoot your eye out." Other cast members included Melinda Dillon as Mrs. Parker Darren McGavin as Mr. Parker, Scott Schwartz as Flick, Zack Ward as Scut Farkus and Tedde Moore as Miss Shields.
Watch the film's official trailer below:
Below, watch the classic scene in which Flick is triple dog dared to put his tongue up to a flag pole:
Relive the moment Ralphie appears in Bunny Pajamas, a Christmas gift from Aunt Clara:
2012 - A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL Sleds Onto Broadway!
In 2009, a musical stage adaptation of A CHRISTMAS STORY premiered at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre. A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL featured music and lyrics written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and a book by Joseph Robinette. Like the 1983 film, the musical takes place in the 1940s in Indiana and focuses on a child named Ralphie, who wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas.
Following a run at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington and a 2011 national tour which ended at the Chicago Theatre, the show arrived for a short run at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in November of 2012. The Broadway musical was directed by John Rando with choreography by Warren Carlyle. The cast featured Dan Lauria as Jean Shepherd, John Bolton as The Old Man, Caroline O'Connor as Miss Shields, Erin Dilly as Mother, Zac Ballard as Randy, and with Johnny Rabe and Joe West both alternating as lead character Ralphie.
The production returned to New York for a limited engagement at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in 2013 with Dan Lauria, John Bolton, Erin Dilly and Caroline O'Conner reprising their roles. A seasonal national tour of the show has run yearly since 2014.
Watch highlights from the Broadway musical below:
Below, watch the company of Broadway's A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL perform on the 2013 Tony Awards:
2017 - A CHRISTMAS STORY Comes to Live Television!
FOX will present A CHRISTMAS STORY LIVE! this Sunday, December 17th at 7/6c! Maya Rudolph ("Saturday Night Live," "Bridesmaids"), Matthew Broderick ("How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying," "The Producers," "Manchester by the Sea"), Jane Krakowski ("Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," "30 Rock"), Chris Diamantopoulos("Good Girls Revolt," "Silicon Valley," "Episodes"), Ana Gasteyer ("Saturday Night Live"), Ken Jeong ("The Hangover," "Dr. Ken),David Alan Grier ("The Carmichael Show"), newcomer Andy Walken and PRETTYMUCH will star in the holiday special.
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who composed the original score to "A Christmas Story: The Musical," will compose several new songs for the LIVE television event.
Below, watch a promo for A CHRISTMAS STORY LIVE:
Re-live the infamous triple dog-dare scene:
Go behind-the-scenes of rehearsals for Sunday's night's live event:
The cast of A CHRISTMAS STORY LIVE talk rehearsals and more:
Tune in this Sunday, December 17th at 7:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT for A CHRISTMAS STORY LIVE! on FOX
A Christmas Story photo courtesy of Warner Bros
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