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By MICHAEL SCHUMAN / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The lamp in the shape of a woman’s leg, or gam (to stay within 1940s lingo), is tackier than the pinkest of pink flamingos. It stands where it should: in the living-room window. Across the room from the Parker family Christmas tree is a partially unwrapped Red Ryder BB gun.

The scene captures the flavor and time of the holiday-season movie classic A Christmas Story , Jean Shepherd’s autobiographical tale of 10-year-old Ralphie Parker, his quest for a BB gun for Christmas and the adventures that transpired around him and his little world.

The living room, the lamp, the tree, the BB gun and more are inside A Christmas Story House and Museum in the Pembroke section of Cleveland. It’s the actual house used for exteriors in the movie, made in 1983.

Who can forget the scenes where Ralphie’s father, a.k.a. “the old man,” chased the neighbor’s mutts as he entered his home? That scene was shot here. Remember Black Bart and his gang climbing the backyard fence in Ralphie’s fantasy sequence? That was filmed in the backyard. Ralphie’s kid brother, Randy, falling in the snow while escaping neighborhood punks? That happened on this street, West 11th Street in the real world, as opposed to the reel world.

Forget the fact that the interior scenes were filmed in and around Toronto. The movie producers wanted to replicate Shepherd’s boyhood steel-town neighborhood of Hammond, Ind. They found it here in Cleveland. The house’s interior is today decorated to look as much as possible like Ralphie’s home in the movie, right down to the school composition book next to his familiar glasses on the desk in his bedroom. You see the page where he printed in crude letters, “What I want for Christmas is a Red Ryder BB gun with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time. I think everybody should have a Red Ryder BB gun.”

To which his teacher wrote the same admonition his parents gave him: “You’ll shoot your eye out,” and gave him a C-plus for his efforts.

Michael Schuman is a writer in New Hampshire.

When you go Details

The house is at 3159 W. 11th St. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Holiday hours are longer. House-museum tickets are $8 for adults; $7, seniors; $6, ages 7-12; free, 6 and younger. Tours run every half hour starting at 10:15 a.m. (12:15 p.m. Sunday). The museum and gift shop are across the street from the house.

I just ordered your Leg lamp cookie cutter and the whole set!  I LOVE it.  Thanks so much.  Wanted to send you a picture of the finished product.  Thanks for having such a great store!

Gina Woelfel

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by Julie Washington, The Plain Dealer

Many Hollywood actors keep their fans at arm’s length. Not Ian Petrella, who played little brother Randy Parker in the classic movie “A Christmas Story.” Petrella, 36, has been living in A Christmas Story House in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood since June, and plans to stay through the holidays, shaking hands, sharing stories and admiring the leg lamp in the front window.

He and other actors from the movie will be special guests at the “A Christmas Story”Convention held at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel and A Christmas Story House and Museum Friday through Sunday, Nov. 28.
“Helping to keep this movie alive is why I came back,” Petrella said.

Many Hollywood actors keep their fans at arm’s length. Not Ian Petrella, who played little brother Randy Parker in the classic movie “A Christmas Story.” Petrella, 36, has been living in A Christmas Story House in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood since June, and plans to stay through the holidays, shaking hands, sharing stories and admiring the leg lamp in the front window.

He and other actors from the movie will be special guests at the “A Christmas Story”Convention held at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel and A Christmas Story House and Museum Friday through Sunday, Nov. 28.
“Helping to keep this movie alive is why I came back,” Petrella said.

I got this tattooed on my calve in the spring, and have been waiting for Christmas to roll around ever since. The best part is that my sister designed this, and did the work on me. It was awesome because we are both big fans of the movie, and she was just as excited to tattoo it as I was to get it. This is MY major award.     — MacKeigan

Leg Lamp Dress and Crate Costumes are available in our gift shop along with Ralphie bunny suits.

Click here to buy one of these great Halloween or Christmas Party costumes!

Click here to buy one of these great Halloween or Christmas Party costumes!

Here is an early home made version of the leg lamp costume:

I was really excited about putting this Halloween costume together! I was lucky and found the lamp shade at Salvation Army for only $6. I just had to add that wonderful fringe. People loved it!  “Fragile” really tied everything together!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A CHRISTMAS STORY HOUSE & MUSEUM HOSTS
A CHRISTMAS STORY CONVENTION IN CLEVELAND

“A Christmas Story” Convention to take place Nov. 26-27

CLEVELAND – Nov 1, 2010 – A Christmas Story House & Museum presents “A Christmas Story” Convention on Nov. 26-27 (Thanksgiving weekend) in Cleveland. The event features a reunion of actors from the movie and numerous other events related to the movie.

“A Christmas Story” Convention will bring “A Christmas Story” fans (known as Ralphies) to Cleveland where many exterior scenes of the movie were filmed. Cleveland is also the location of A Christmas Story House, the home featured in the film that was restored to its original movie appearance and opened to visitors Thanksgiving weekend four years ago. In addition to the Parker family home, guests can tour the museum to see original movie props and costumes, including Randy’s “I-can’t-get-my-arms-down” snowsuit, and visit the gift shop to take home their own major award (a leg lamp) and other movie-related items.

The majority of convention events will take place at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel. Other activities, like taking your best shot at the BB gun range (weather permitting) and rides on the original fire truck from the movie (weather permitting), will occur at A Christmas Story House. The celebration and convention coincides with Winterfest, an annual festival that kicks off the holiday season in Cleveland.

Highlights of this year’s convention include:
· Appearances by seven of the original cast members, including Ian Petrella (Randy), Scott Schwartz (Flick), Tedde Moore (Miss Shields), Zack Ward (Scut Farkus), Yano Anaya (Grover Dill), Patty Johnson (Head Elf) and Drew Hocevar (Male Elf)
· An after party cocktail reception with the cast members
· A live commentary as the movie plays about the production of A Christmas Story by actor Ian Petrella (Randy)
· The feature of a documentary: “The Untold ‘Christmas Story’” about the making of the movie and the phenomenon it has become
· Character look-a-like parade were fans dress up as their favorite “A Christmas Story” character to win a “Major Award” prize
· Rides in the original fire truck used in the movie from Flick’s famous tongue-on-the-flagpole scene with proceeds benefiting the Chippawa Volunteer Fire Department of Niagara Falls, Ontario, which owns and maintains the fire truck

“A Christmas Story” premiered around Thanksgiving of 1983. It starred the late Darren McGavin as The Old Man and Peter Billingsley as Ralphie who famously pleaded for a Red Ryder BB gun, although everyone assured him he would only shoot his eye out. The film became a holiday favorite years after its theatrical release and is celebrated annually on cable with a daylong marathon.

For more information on “A Christmas Story” Convention,” including a schedule of events, hotel packages and convention tickets, visit www.AChristmasStoryHouse.com.

A Christmas Story House & Museum is located just five minutes from downtown Cleveland at 3159 W. 11th St. in the Tremont neighborhood. It is open year-round on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. From Nov. 24 through Dec. 31, the house is also open Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tours of the house run every 30 minutes. Regular admission tickets are $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, $6 for children (ages 7 to 12) and free for children ages 6 and under. For more information or for directions, visit www.AChristmasStoryHouse.com or call 216-298-4919.

# # #

CONTACT:
Angela Dickerson
216-255-6651
adickerson@achristmasstoryhouse.com

Leg Lamp Dress and Crate Costumes are available in our gift shop along with Ralphie bunny suits.

Click here to buy one of these great Halloween or Christmas Party costumes!

Click here to buy one of these great Halloween or Christmas Party costumes!

Here is an early home made version of the leg lamp costume:

It was great.  I just walked around and said I’m a major award!

Nicole Mysliwiec

Leg Lamp Dress and Crate Costumes are available in our gift shop along with Ralphie bunny suits.

Click here to buy one of these great Halloween or Christmas Party costumes!

Click here to buy one of these great Halloween or Christmas Party costumes!

Here is an early home made version of the leg lamp costume:

I’m sure you get tons of these each Halloween, but I can’t help but brag. I bought the bunny costume from your website shop, and it was worth every penny. My wife had to be more creative, using an actual lamp shade, and actual lights to create her costume.

Landon