He also wrote bestselling books, two of which inspired A Christmas Story he published columns in the Village Voice, Mad Magazine, and Playboy and he starred in two television series. He developed a cult following on late-night airwaves with his improvised stories about childhood in the Midwest, military service during World War II, and life as an infamous radio personality. While it's all but impossible to make it through December without encountering A Christmas Story, though, relatively few know about the man who’s behind the story: the unconventional '60s icon Jean Shepherd. The movie even casts a cultural shadow as long as Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, according to a recent Marist poll. Fans can buy official Christmas Story leg lamps, vintage Red Ryder BB guns, and adult-sized bunny-rabbit onesies inspired by Aunt Clara's "deranged Easter Bunny" pajamas. There's a Christmas Story museum in Cleveland, across the street from the house where the movie was filmed, stuffed with props, collectables, and other sorts of on-set ephemera. It was adapted into a seasonal musical in 2011, with productions that appear every winter up and down the East Coast. More than 48 million people watched a 24-hour Christmas Story marathon last year, which airs annually from Christmas Eve until the evening of Christmas Day. Today, it's difficult to imagine a holiday season in America without A Christmas Story.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |