"A Christmas Story" is one of the most popular Christmastime movies around, thanks in major part to the 24-hour marathon it enjoys on TBS on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. You all know the lines, "You'll shoot your eye out", "NADDAFINGA", and "A crummy commercial?". Yeah, that movie, about Ralph Parker's adventures as a kid during the Christmas season. What a lot of people, save for a few, don't know is that it was adapted from a series of short stories by late humorist and radio personality Jean Shepherd.
The stories first appeared in the collection "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash". In it, Ralph Parker is discussing his childhood from the view of his adulthood. However, I found a book version of "A Christmas Story" which is essentially the stories that make up the movie collected in one volume.
First, a clarification: to start off, I'm going to go summarize the stories while comparing the plots of both before an actual comparison and book review all rolled into one. And to make this clear, I'm approaching this from someone who's seen the movie first. That doesn't mean I'm not going to try and review the book on its own merits.
The first story, is of course, the story about the Red Ryder BB gun, which is the main plot of the movie. Titled "Duel In the Snow, or Red Ryder Nails the Cleveland Street Kid" his is the longest story in the the book so far, taking up approximately 42 pages, at least in the copy I have. It's far more condensed, which is presumably why the producers of the movie added all the subplots. In fact, the dialogue from the short story is minimal, but the moments are there. There's still the moment where Ralphie writes about how he wants a BB gun for his teacher and instead of getting a C+, he got a B. "You'll shoot your eye out" is still in here, but isn't repeated as much, and the encounter with Santa Claus is shortened.
It does however, go into lengths about how Ralphie tried to tell his parents by sneaking adds from a boys magazine into their books and newspapers. As for the climactic scene is also given in great detail, but I will not include it for the fear of giving away spoilers.
But there is a difference when it comes to the pink bunny suit: in the original story his dad likes the pajamas, while his mom doesn't, which is reversed in the movie. As for this one, it's easy to see why it's the main plot of the movie. Ralphie is single-minded in his determination to get that BB gun that he'll do whatever it takes.
But there is a difference when it comes to the pink bunny suit: in the original story his dad likes the pajamas, while his mom doesn't, which is reversed in the movie. As for this one, it's easy to see why it's the main plot of the movie. Ralphie is single-minded in his determination to get that BB gun that he'll do whatever it takes.
The second story in the book, "The Counterfeit Secret Circle Member Gets the Message or The Asp Strikes Again" is about how Ralphie gets the Ovaltine decoder ring. Now here's a part where knowing the book gives you an advantage while watching the movie. In the original short story, Ralphie mentions he does not drink Ovaltine and thus is confused whenever the secret decoder ring segment comes on "Little Orphan Annie".
However one day, he finds an Ovaltine can and sends in a piece to gain the ever-coveted decoder ring. Well, you should know what happens next. But knowing that Ralphie does not drink Ovaltine makes watching the part where he decries the commercial makes the scene make just a little more sense. It's not just that he felt jipped at hearing a commercial instead of some special prize, he feels it's a waste of his time.
Also, the third story, "My Old Man and the Lascivious Special Award that Heralded the Birth of Pop Art" also got distilled. Here, Ralph is looking over pop art in a New York art museum before remembering the Old Man's certain "Special Award".
The "Special Award" in this was won because the Old Man won a trivia contest sponsored by a candy company with the leg logo. Also here differently, the story is vastly different. Major Award actually lasts a couple months before the mom (allegedly) smashes it. There's no "FRA-GEE-LEY" and "NADDAFIGNA" in here, so you fans of the movie might be disappointed. Still, the tension between the Old Man and the mom is pretty palpable, which Ralphie goes into great detail about.
The fourth story is called "Grover Dill and the Tasmanian Devil." Ralphie is enjoying a summer day when he comes across Grover Dill. There is no Scut Farkus here. Well, in this, Ralphie comes across Grover and ends up snapping thanks to the jungle of boyhood, as Shepherd so ingeniously describes.
He compares himself to a Tasmanian Devil--something that does not show up in the movie--and when backed against the wall, thrashes out against Grover, unleashing those obscenities that are still hanging over Lake Michigan today. The primal nature of boyhood is described here, going into detail about how kids have to choose whether they're bullies or nameless victims punished by the bullies.
The fifth and final one is "The Grandstand Passion Play of Delbert and the Bumpus Hounds." This one is much longer, about as long as "Red Ryder". The Bumpuses, are, for lack of a better term, REDNECKS. Shepherd goes all out with the over-exaggerating prose, describing one Bumpus as being about 8 feet tall and weighing three hundred pounds and ripping his porch off the house! They own chickens, pigeons, goats and dogs--lots of dogs. And boy, do they talk like rednecks.
For me, since this is the one I'm least familiar with, this is the funniest of the stories in my view. My favorite is Ralphie's classmate, Delbert, who swears like a sailor, insults volleyball and beats the snot out of Grover Dill (on his first day!). One scene in the book appeared in the movie, but compared to the rest of it? It pales in comparison.Honestly, this is Jean Shepherd at his best in here.
Okay, now that that's done, I'll give my thoughts on this book. At first, I wasn't laughing as much, mainly because I saw the movie so many times that I'll admit, I kept expecting the movie lines instead of the book. It's my fault, really. But, I did enjoy the parts of the book that differed from the movie, especially the parts like the decoder ring, where it went into more depth. And of course, I did identify with Ralphie's plight in "Red Ryder", because that's how kids are around Christmas. I wanted things so badly that I'd go to Santa Claus.
That's the reason the movie, and by extension, the book, work so well. This isn't some schlocky look at childhood, it's a humorous, accurate look at childhood. It's from the point of view of a man looking back at his childhood, so the descriptions are very exaggerated.
Still, I'm not going to say which is better. In some cases, the book is superior, in some cases the movie is superior, but it's mainly a subjective response (Except when it's not). But getting back to comparing the book to the movie, I think they sort of balance each other out. I already mentioned the parts about the decoder ring that doesn't show up in the movie. Well, the famous scene where the kid gets his tongue stuck to the pole doesn't show up, either.
But still, I enjoyed this book. I read through it very quickly, and I can honestly say that Mr. Shepherd did his job here, that he entertained me. It's a good read, even during the summer. Yes, I was laughing by the end and yes, it is worth your time. Jean Shepherd is one of America's best humorists, and this is part of the reason why. For whatever reason--you love the movie and want to see the original, or you like the original already--give it a read. You will not be disappointed.
However one day, he finds an Ovaltine can and sends in a piece to gain the ever-coveted decoder ring. Well, you should know what happens next. But knowing that Ralphie does not drink Ovaltine makes watching the part where he decries the commercial makes the scene make just a little more sense. It's not just that he felt jipped at hearing a commercial instead of some special prize, he feels it's a waste of his time.
Also, the third story, "My Old Man and the Lascivious Special Award that Heralded the Birth of Pop Art" also got distilled. Here, Ralph is looking over pop art in a New York art museum before remembering the Old Man's certain "Special Award".
The "Special Award" in this was won because the Old Man won a trivia contest sponsored by a candy company with the leg logo. Also here differently, the story is vastly different. Major Award actually lasts a couple months before the mom (allegedly) smashes it. There's no "FRA-GEE-LEY" and "NADDAFIGNA" in here, so you fans of the movie might be disappointed. Still, the tension between the Old Man and the mom is pretty palpable, which Ralphie goes into great detail about.
The fourth story is called "Grover Dill and the Tasmanian Devil." Ralphie is enjoying a summer day when he comes across Grover Dill. There is no Scut Farkus here. Well, in this, Ralphie comes across Grover and ends up snapping thanks to the jungle of boyhood, as Shepherd so ingeniously describes.
He compares himself to a Tasmanian Devil--something that does not show up in the movie--and when backed against the wall, thrashes out against Grover, unleashing those obscenities that are still hanging over Lake Michigan today. The primal nature of boyhood is described here, going into detail about how kids have to choose whether they're bullies or nameless victims punished by the bullies.
The fifth and final one is "The Grandstand Passion Play of Delbert and the Bumpus Hounds." This one is much longer, about as long as "Red Ryder". The Bumpuses, are, for lack of a better term, REDNECKS. Shepherd goes all out with the over-exaggerating prose, describing one Bumpus as being about 8 feet tall and weighing three hundred pounds and ripping his porch off the house! They own chickens, pigeons, goats and dogs--lots of dogs. And boy, do they talk like rednecks.
For me, since this is the one I'm least familiar with, this is the funniest of the stories in my view. My favorite is Ralphie's classmate, Delbert, who swears like a sailor, insults volleyball and beats the snot out of Grover Dill (on his first day!). One scene in the book appeared in the movie, but compared to the rest of it? It pales in comparison.Honestly, this is Jean Shepherd at his best in here.
Okay, now that that's done, I'll give my thoughts on this book. At first, I wasn't laughing as much, mainly because I saw the movie so many times that I'll admit, I kept expecting the movie lines instead of the book. It's my fault, really. But, I did enjoy the parts of the book that differed from the movie, especially the parts like the decoder ring, where it went into more depth. And of course, I did identify with Ralphie's plight in "Red Ryder", because that's how kids are around Christmas. I wanted things so badly that I'd go to Santa Claus.
That's the reason the movie, and by extension, the book, work so well. This isn't some schlocky look at childhood, it's a humorous, accurate look at childhood. It's from the point of view of a man looking back at his childhood, so the descriptions are very exaggerated.
Still, I'm not going to say which is better. In some cases, the book is superior, in some cases the movie is superior, but it's mainly a subjective response (Except when it's not). But getting back to comparing the book to the movie, I think they sort of balance each other out. I already mentioned the parts about the decoder ring that doesn't show up in the movie. Well, the famous scene where the kid gets his tongue stuck to the pole doesn't show up, either.
But still, I enjoyed this book. I read through it very quickly, and I can honestly say that Mr. Shepherd did his job here, that he entertained me. It's a good read, even during the summer. Yes, I was laughing by the end and yes, it is worth your time. Jean Shepherd is one of America's best humorists, and this is part of the reason why. For whatever reason--you love the movie and want to see the original, or you like the original already--give it a read. You will not be disappointed.
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