Because of the ice storm (here in Bucyrus) on the 4th, my birthday was postponed until today. I spent the day with my family at 3159 W. 11th Street in Cleveland. This is the address of the “A Christmas Story” house. From the outside, the house looks just as it did in the movie. It is really something to see. I must say though, I did find the inside a little disappointing. 30 minute guided tours are given and the first 20 minutes are spent standing in the same place listening to a tour guide talk about the movie. You are left with only 10 minutes to go through the house and take any pictures you may want and then you must be out before the next tour begins. Some of the furniture and other items brought into the house also seem too modern to fit into the house. The tour guide explained to us that because this movie was not expected to be very popular, almost everything, including the original leg lamp, was thrown away after the making of the movie. Anything that was left went home with the actors. There is a museum across the street dedicated to the movie and it is currently being renovated. I did enjoy seeing Randy’s snowsuit and Ralphie’s Red Ryder gun. Other than these two items, there really isn’t much in the museum right now due to the renovation. The gift shop was pretty cool. The typical tourist souvenirs are sold there (tshirts, mugs, magnets, etc…) along with replicas of props from the movie such as leg lamps and decoder pins. The original Ford driven by Ralphie’s father in the movie is also parked there. As a fan of the movie, the house is somewhere I have wanted to visit since it has opened. Although winter quarter at Ohio State is now over, I am still interested in my research topic of “Movies Made in Ohio” and I couldn’t help but consider the relevance of my experience to the research project I completed for my English 110 class. I felt the sense of pride and familiarity while visiting the house. I also learned that the reason Cleveland was chosen for this movie was because Higbee’s was nearby and was the only department store willing to participate in the making of this movie and because there is a steel factory right behind the house. If this movie had been filmed in a studio those things would have been difficult and costly to recreate. I really had a lot of fun today and I learned more about the movie as well. This year marks the 25th anniversary of A Christmas Story. Celebrate it with a trip to Cleveland!
Tags: A Christmas Story, Cleveland, English 110, Higbee's, Ohio State, Ralphie, Red Ryder
