A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983)🎄First Time Watching MOVIE REACTION

[@jenmurrayxo]

What was your childhood Christmas toy obsession? Mine was Holiday Barbie! Murray Christmas to all!🎄 CHRISTMAS Playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLQHhQlj8i5dr_-y1rBcRf8JdB98JlfbdR

[@pencilnecked1579]

The original NES that came with Super Mario/Duck Hunt and the Duck Hunt gun. Still have it packed away in my closet.

[@TravMaxAdventures]

Original Big Foot Power Wheels which was quickly replaced with a kickass Huffy bmx bike. 😂 Oh to be a kid again.

[@slimjimnyc270]

Hot Wheels...

[@christopherwall2121]

The Fisher-Price castle with like ten knights and two kings, a cannon, a catapult, and a moat and drawbridge! I was too young to desire the original Castle Greyskull, so that was the next-best thing

[@shadowvessel]

OG Transformers 🤤

[@Chapterhouse86]

"Randy laid there like a slug, it was his only defense." Best line of the film.

[@tweevers2]

I agree....followed up by "He looks like a pink nightmare"and"Wow a zepplin"

[@rmar67]

@@tweevers2”He looks like a deranged Easter Bunny.”

[@monsoon1234567890]

"From then on, things were different between me and my mother" always makes me tear up

[@likecrazyhorse]

The "little sidekick bully" is one of my clients at work. He's an awesome guy and has wonderful pets.

[@orbislame]

Really? That’s awesome. Please let him know I had nightmares about him as a kid. I mean that in the best possible way. But yeah he did haunt my childhood sleep for years.

[@nickcangemi]

Are you a vet or groomer?

[@TheGunslingerRoland]

So cool.

[@SeanP7195]

I was wondering what happened to him.

[@EvanG529]

talk about a small world!

[@quietman71]

Some trivia and some thoughts.... Bob Clark, the director, had recently made Porky's, a raunchy, juvenile teen sex comedy. Critics slammed it, but it made a lot of money. Its success gave Clark the freedome to make A Christmas Story. So, yes, it's a good thing that a movie like Porky's got made. Clark originally wanted Jack Nicholson to play the Dad. The studio wouldn't allow it: they had Nicholson under contract and they didn't want to waste him on such an "unimportant" movie. Nicholson himself says one of his great regrets was not lobbying harder to get the part, but it's univerally agreed that Darren McGavin NAILED it. I see new things every time I see this one, and there's a lot of subtle things that are easy to miss. You were right about the Dad. Look at him closely after Ralphie says THE WORD. He fighting to keep from laughing. You just know he's thinking, "Yep, this is what I get when I swear like a sailor around my kids." When Mom goes to water the plants, look at her face. She has a little smirk. Dad was right; she knocked over the lamp on purpose. After Ralphie beats the tar out of Scut Farkus and Mom downplays it to Dad, look at them. You can see the conversation take place silently, in about a half-second... Dad says, "I know there's more to it. Do I need to get involved?" And Mom says, "No, don't worry. I've got this." Dad immediately agrees. When it comes to the important stuff, they're in sync. The bearded man who tells Ralphie and Randy that the line begins way over there is the author, Jean Shepherd. Mom knew exactly what happened with the BB gun. That story about the icicle couldn't fool anyone. She figured, Ralphie has learned his gun safety lesson and suffered nothing more than a broken pair of glasses and a small scrape on his face, so she doesn't need to press. Mom and Dad really are good parents, despite all of their quirks. Melinda Dillon didn't know they were going to bring out the duck and chop its head off. Her scream and her laughing are real. 22 years ago, our local theater did a production of A Christmas Story. I played the department store Santa. It was one of the best productions I'd taken part in, and one of the most fun. Yesterday, I happened to run into the kid who played Randy; he's a lawyer now. We reminesced on how much fun it was on stage and goofing around backstage. Good times. I hope you have a WONDERFUL Christmas!!

[@brianm7185]

This was Bob Clark 2nd Christmas movie...the first was a horror movie

[@20thCenturyManTrad]

As a man who was once a boy, yes, those dreams of shooting robbers as a cowboy, were apart of childhood. Merry Christmas Jen!

[@browngilll]

Same!

[@JusBidniss]

I love how the mom turned off the leg lamp as they were leaving 'to save electricity', then the camera pulls back to show the house and every other light in the place was on! 🤣

[@Dillpicks95]

I love the moment when Ralphie gets his BB gun and seeing how happy his dad was when he opens it is so heartwarming.

[@JohnBham]

I'm 61 and to this day- nearly 40 years after this came out- I still have a teacher crush on Miss Shields. And the Leg Lamp? I have a small version on my desk :D

[@kenfreeman8888]

The last scene with the parents snuggling on the couch and the kids drifting off to dreamland gives me such good feelings of Christmas warmth. Merry Christmas Jen. Merry Christmas everyone. ❤❤❤❤

[@smadaf]

I think that's my favorite bit, along with the lull after most but not quite all of the presents are opened.

[@lynnturman8157]

Jean Shepherd is who wrote & narrated this movie. He had his own radio show in the 50s & 60s & was one of the great humorists of the 20th Century. For me, the greatest thing about this movie (which I've seen hundreds of times) is his wonderful narration full of colorful language & amazing metaphors. "Randy lay there like a slug. It was his only defense." "My old man wove a tapestry of obscenities' into the air that as far as we know, is still hanging over Lake Michigan." "Now I had heard that word from my old man at least 10 times a day. He worked in profanity the way other artists worked in oils or clays. It was his true medium. A master." "My old man could replace a fuse faster than a jackrabbit on a date." "Holy Smokes! It's the Little Orphan Annie Show! Only one thing in the world could drag me away from electric sex gleaming in the window!" For anybody interested, a lot of his radio shows from back in the day are on you tube.

[@Ksamp313]

He also used the radio show to get a book on the New York Times bestseller list that didn't exist. Look up the "I, Libertine" hoax

[@RossM3838]

I listened to Jean Shepard every night. I heard that polka by Edmund Strauss and then jeabs voice “I’m a kid see” and all was right with the world.

[@eddawg79]

If you're ever in Cleveland the house used in this movie was turned into a museum in honor of this classic. Merry Christmas everyone, hope you all have an amazing day.

[@lordwalker71]

I saw a video a year or two ago that the new owner was angry that people kept showing up at the house to take pictures

[@Kevonutube303]

Since then its been sold, the new owner embraces all smiles it brings to everyone. Currently, a museum, to honor this wonderful movie. I live near cleveland.....they did a really nice job. MERRY CHRISTMAS JEN!

[@FresnoCA93727]

Old Man is my favorite character. The older I get the more I can relate to him.

[@Jennifer-rp2sh]

29:37 "Do not add any more plugs to that!" When I was a kid in the 1970s, the outlet by my grandparents' front room window looked just like the one in that scene! 😂

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

I believe this movie has stood the test of time for its simplicity and its honest portrayal of how an actual nine year old perceives the world.

[@patron40silver]

After all these years and watching this movie countless times I still say "Frageelè, it must be Italian", "You'll poke your eye out", "oooohhhh ffffuuuddggggge" and "I triple dog dare ya", whenever the opportunity arises.

[@Dillpicks95]

Merry Christmas Jen. Your reactions are the best gift anyone can ask for 🎄

[@RalphSchmitt-zy3hv]

Merry Christmas Jen! Thanks for watching my favorite Christmas movie.

[@artman2oo3]

27:37 Fun fact. That weird kid was just some rando who was at the store, not scripted to be there. He was so weird and his interaction was so amusing that they kept him in.

[@dwarfchron801]

I love this movie so much! It always cracks me up how when the Dad tells the mom that Ralphie said the F word, she screams almost like she found out he murdered somebody lol. Merry Xmas!!!

[@jackmessick2869]

The Wizard of Oz came out in 1939, so it's probably 1939 or 1940. Which makes Ralphie my mother's age. She also had a Little Orphan Annie decoder pin. She could only recall one message she decoded, something about the villain of the story being "on the same train." This was her favorite Christmas film. The mother here was also Barry's mother in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." Melinda Dillon. She just passed away in 2023. The writer was also the narrator, Jean Shepard (he also had the bit part, telling Ralphie where the line ends and begins at the department store). He had a radio program in the late 1950s into the 1960s where he would read his funny essays.

[@blakerh]

The funny thing about the mom is that she has an 80s hairstyle in the movie. Nobody had hair like her in the 40s.

[@DaleKingProfile]

Basically there is something that contradicts picking any certain year, but generally in that time frame.

[@gmansard641]

If you look closely, for a brief moment you can see '1940' on the decoder pin. Several other things support that date. The first scene at the department store window has a few soldiers. The military draft had begun around October 1940. But Pearl Harbor is still a year away, so this is America's last peacetime Christmas for 5 years.

[@deedubya286]

We've had a leg lamp in our front window every Christmas for the last 10 years.

[@joeblankenship377]

After Ralphie says "oh fudge" there is a little moment where it looks like his old man is trying not to laugh.

[@molasorrosalom4846]

I mean, every father would have the same reaction. It's naive to think that kids aren't exposed to swear words. My daughter is ten, and I had people over for the Jake Paul vs Tyson fight. Tyson was cursing, but also dropped some N-bombs. I looked over at her, but luckily she was in her own world drawing.

[@harveylee51]

@@molasorrosalom4846 I Think given the era it's set in it would be considered less common and obviously more of a no no !! enjoying this Christmas classic with JEN and a cool community Merry Christmas !!🎄

[@molasorrosalom4846]

@@harveylee51 You joking??? I think this is the 40s or 50s, where a fight had rules, and wasn't frowned upon.

[@harveylee51]

@@molasorrosalom4846 Are you talking about fighting or swearing ? i 'm confused by your response , i was referring to the scene where Ralphie drops the F-bomb in front of his dad and then the mum finds out and punishes him .

[@molasorrosalom4846]

@@harveylee51 Well, I also find it unrealistic that the dad would rat him out to the mom like that. I mean, you saw the smirk on the dad's face, inside he thought it was hilarious.

[@marydodsonmt]

The tongue freezing to cold metal thing is real. A boy in my second-grade class stuck his tongue to a door handle during recess. Our teacher had to pour a mug of hot water over the handle and his tongue to set him free.

[@JMO_1976]

I hadn't seen this movie as a kid and got tricked into doing it. Except it was after school so no adults were around, and I didn't put the tip of my tongue on it, I put the taste buds on it, then pulled away leaving them on the railing. Nothing but food through a straw for a week.

[@emilywilhite5807]

Mythbusters did it too.

[@e.d.2096]

"OH No...Pulverized!" Someone who embraces their eyewear, this should have a special place in their heart ❤ Merry Christmas to all! And thank you again, Jen! May the new year be happy and safe! 😊

[@flynnoldman3542]

One of the best lines is "Don't want to waste electricity." Then the zoom out to see every other light in the house is on.

[@Dillpicks95]

“Randy lay there like a slug. It was his only defense.”

[@sammylane21]

The mom and dad sitting and watching the snow fall at the end is such a gorgeous shot blending perfectly with the Christmas music playing.

[@carlosspeicywiener7018]

Jen watching a Christmas story? Best gift ever.

[@TerryParr]

Growing up in an Asian family. We would always laughed at the Fa Ra Ra part 😂

[@blakerh]

That part always makes me laugh. 😂

[@robertritchie8829]

Merry Christmas Jen and everyone, hope the holidays are good to you all 🎄

[@Aero5000]

🎄🎄 Merry Christmas everyone! 🎄🎄

[@jjack-zm4sr]

That is exactly how all the wall sockets looked during Christmas back then. I remember as a kid. The houses were literally firetraps

[@handfuloftrains4781]

I'm glad you got the spirit of this film, Jen. A lot of younger reactors don't understand it. I had a Red Ryder as a boy, long before this film was made. It didn't have a compass in the stock, but it was a great rifle and I gunned down many a desperado (in the shape of pop bottles) from the roof of the doghouse.

[@robertlehnert4148]

Mom and Dad sucking back wine for Christmas breakfast.

[@LordVolkov]

That director Bob Clark is responsible for an early Christmas horror (Black Christmas 74) and one of the most wholesome holiday classics is wild.

[@ericrussell6238]

And Porky's

[@bloodyfishheads3316]

A Christmas gift from Jen. Thank you, Jen. 🎄

[@chrisinfiesto835]

“Meat loaf, double beat loaf....” 😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@Ian-xx1xb]

Merry Christmas to Jen's wonderful KZbin community have a fantastic day and don't forget to leave a like on this video as a thankyou not just for this video but for all the awesome content Jen's given us throughout the year 🔥🙌👌

[@Dillpicks95]

Merry Christmas Ian! 🎄🎁

[@Ian-xx1xb]

@Dillpicks95 and to you Dylan 🍷🥂🎄

[@kevinlewallen4778]

Murray Christmas to all!

[@accountablehog]

Can’t believe you haven’t seen this Jen! Merry Christmas - I hope you and your family have a great one. Merry Christmas to anyone else that’s reading this as well!

[@trinaq]

"You'll shoot your eye out, kid!" Such a classic Christmas film, I love that they had the original author, Jean Shepherd, as the narrator, telling his own story in such a compelling way.

[@jarrodnewman0514]

Did you know that was Jean Shepherd standing in line waiting to see Santa? "The line ends here. It begins back there!"

[@joshnorris6238]

Oh nice, I didn't know that.

[@cyatic]

Yup, dad was listening all along. That joy he gets when Ralphie starts to open his gift is priceless. There's a sequel that was released last year too, "A Christmas Story Christmas."

[@RichardEyring]

And a Murray Christmas to you to, Jen. You're the best reviewer ever.🎄🎄

[@TravMaxAdventures]

Merry Christmas! This movie is very nostalgic for me. Not because it plays all the time non stop, but for the reason that my dad would always sit and point out the continuity issues with the movie. He always tries to find things that are wrong. Such as the light switches. He claims they weren’t around during that time period. Happy Holidays to you again and since she hasn’t been on in a while, tell Tara I said the same.

[@j.c.ca.o.l7035]

This was one of my personal favorites. Thank You so much for all that you do, and have a wonderful Holiday to you and your family.

[@OldRod99]

The children actors in this movie are great. Ralphi's 4th wall break smile when he got away with his icicle story was perfect!

[@maestro80smusic93]

This movie was only made because of the success of the 80s film Porky's (same director) ... The guy who tells Ralphie where the line to see Santa starts and ends is Jean Shepherd who wrote the book and narrated the movie... If you look carefully at 31:32 when Ralphie goes upstairs to try on the bunny outfit and the mom is picking out a present for Randy, you can see the Old Man hiding the Red Ryder in the corner behind the tree...

[@zoppie]

The neighbor who comes up to the Old Man across the street is the director.

[@chasingbirds3073]

I saw this in theaters in 1983 when it was released. I've watched it every year since. Far and away my favorite Christmas movie.

[@rmar67]

Me too.

[@fedos]

$50,000 in 1940 is $1.1 million today.

[@gnericgnome4214]

50,000 in 1948 is 654k today.

[@fedos]

@gnericgnome4214 OK, but A Christmas Story is set in 1940.

[@gnericgnome4214]

@@fedos it has a 1948 model car in it.

[@jflebouef]

The first time I saw this movie, I thought it was written from my life. My obsession was the same Red Ryder BB gun in my childhood in the '70s, and my dad surprised me with it in the exact same way. An immediate classic and a seasonal staple for me. Lots of great memories come back every time I watch it.

[@kartikprasad4359]

You should see the actress who played the mom on “Slap Shot”. A different kind of movie. 😅

[@yuketage6708]

She's a fantastic gal!

[@MichaelCoffman-w6o]

Merry Christmas Jen Murray. The school I work at put this on as a Christmas musical last year. My father and uncles always had a good laugh about it. Always love your reactions. Hope your holiday was perfect.

[@hazi5961]

I grew up a few blocks away from where they filmed this (Tremont Neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio). The house they lived in is a museum of sorts for the movie and they offer tours, which is really cool.

[@WolfstarGaming1]

I love this movie. One of the fun facts I love seeing is how during the Chinese restaurant scene; Melinda Dilon (Mom) had not gotten the script for the scene so her reaction and scream at the duck's head being chopped off were completely genuine. It's one of those movies that age so well.

[@not_that_Jared]

Jen reacting to A Christmas Story feels like my very own major award! Fantastic job Jen!

[@joshuawells835]

The Christmas film so iconic, it's played on loop for a full 24 hours every year on Christmas Day.

[@RichardEyring]

The infamous leg lamp; a classic Christmas gift!😃

[@redemptusrenatus5336]

It's a major award!

[@blakerh]

Yeah, I have a small leg lamp I put out at Christmas.

[@notmyproblem88]

Melinda Dillon is in two great movies where someone is playing with their mashed potatoes, this one and Close Encounters of the Third Kind!

[@ezerish]

My parents did the "Hey whats that in the corner?" routine once with me. The best Christmas memories.

[@Ian-xx1xb]

Merry Christmas Jen 🍷 every single video from you is a gift and this one is perfect for Christmas day 🎄🎁 cheers Jen you're the best 🔥💙🔥💙

[@jayvee9456]

Great reaction to an all-time Christmas Classic that brings out childhood memories for many of us that grew up with this film in the 80's💯🎄

[@timhibbard4226]

One detail I love are the props in the scene where Ralphie shoots himself. He is shooting at a metal sign leaned slightly back that also has a slight bend/warp to it that faces him. So for me they very realistically set up a situation where this kid was clearly setting himself up for failure and pretty much no other outcome other than shooting himself was even possible.

[@robroberts1473]

I SHOT MY EYE OUT!!!! Merry Christmas! 🎄

[@wills.364]

Merry Christmas 🎄

[@Rocket_Man232]

🔔 "Jean Shepherd’s radio show, 'The Jean Shepherd Show', aired on 50,000 watt WOR radio from 1956 to 1977, five nights a week. He worked without scripts or reliance on telephone callers and his show was a staple of late-night radio during that period. "It’s worth noting that Jean Shepherd also performed live from the Limelight Café in New York City’s Greenwich Village on Saturday nights for several years, and he performed at various colleges and universities across the country, including Rutgers, Fairleigh Dickinson, and Princeton Universities."

[@matthew393]

And there are a couple of KZbin channels that replay the radio show. Search Jean Shepherd Show and DapperGent.

[@Rocket_Man232]

@@matthew393 Thanks for that! He was also broadcast on other radio stations such as NPR ones.

[@Nasty-Canasta]

I love Darren McGavin so much I this. He such a dad, and does a good job of cussing without really cussing

[@kevinlewallen4778]

At 03:05, "shoot your eye out" is an iconic irrational mom fear, right up there with "break your neck." Murray Christmas to all!

[@TheEvilemperor999]

This was a mandatory watch every thanksgiving for my family.

[@Britcarjunkie]

Merry Christmas to you too, Jen! Did you know that this film is still so popular, that to this day, you can actually buy a full-size, working, leg lamp?

[@3DJapan]

We used to buy a real tree every year but they got too expensive. Now we have a fake one that comes up from the basement every year.

[@MikeLaden]

Fun Fact: The actor who played Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) was one of the elves in Santa's Workshop in the movie Elf with Will Ferrel Merry Christmas Jen!!

[@RJHart1214]

Jen watching and reacting to A Christmas Story?! It's a Christmas/Festivus miracle! Wishing you a Merry Christmas, Jen! 🎅💓 Thank you for all your work through the year - Joyeux Noël/Happy Holidays to everyone else!

[@ks1701]

My favorite Christmas movie of all time. I look forward to the TBS 24 marathon of this movie every Xmas eve to Xmas day non stop.

[@stevenmclaughlin7073]

I love this as a kid. There was a sequel made that is little known about his summer vacation and then an updated movie called Christmas Story Story where Ralph is grown up with his own family and trying to make a christmas good for them you would probably like.

[@louispaulter8733]

BTW, “ Ralpie “ went on to become a famous movie producer, including I believe some “ Mission Impossible “ movies, I believe !!! 😃😉😎👍❗️

[@Kevin.King71]

The writer and narrator, Jean Shepherd, also makes a cameo in the film as the man in the department store who tells Ralphie about the end of the line. Also, the house has been turned into a museum you can visit.

[@TheDaringPastry1313]

Such a classic. In 1997, TBS ran the movie for 24 HRS from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day 8PM - 8PM and have done so every year since. It's on right now actually. I don't know how much of the rest of the movie, but the musical score around the bullies is directly from Peter and the Wolf which was a composition by Sergei Prokofiev.

[@jeffthompson9622]

Thanks for sharing, Jen! In case you haven't already been told, Peter Billingsley(Ralphie) is the engineer that Obadiah yells at in "Iron Man" and is also in "Spider-Man, Far From Home."

[@rhwinner]

The guy who tells Ralphie to go to the back of the line is the author and narrator, Jean Shepherd. Shepherd hosted a very popular national radio show in the '70's.

[@teeheeteeheeish]

I met the female elf a few years back, she recited her line for us without us even asking! She was incredibly sweet

[@johnnyX-me5ec]

Merry Christmas to you Jen! And merry Christmas and a happy New year to all my fellow viewers. Look forward to more chill and wholesome entertainment from the channel in 2025 🫶

[@BubbaCoop]

21:13 Someone who co-taught a storytelling class with Jean Shepherd wrote that he confided that the lamp was a parable for a trophy wife, which Shepherd's own father left his family for.

[@caldwellkelley3084]

Merry Christmas Jen! To you and Yours! Be Well Lady!

[@jean-paulaudette9246]

16:02 I just love, after "Don't want to waste electricity..." we get a wide shot of the house showing every other light on.

[@p.mc.4449]

Merry Christmas, Miss Jen, from Waco, Texas! Thank you for all of your wonderful reactions.

[@Bob1014ify]

For a couple of Christmases in the 70"s we had one of those aluminum trees with the spinning spot light to change colors.

[@jonesey251]

Melinda Dillion (the actress playing "Mom") wasn't warned the duck would still have a head during the restaurant scene, and wasn't told it's was going to be decapitated in front them, so her half-horrified half-laughing reaction is genuine also, for the record the movie is set in December, 1940

[@bisseefamily9698]

You'll never pronounce "fragile" the same way again, I promise! 😆🥰 Love your reactions, Jen! Thanks so much.

[@davidmc1489]

Its not xmas til Clarence gets his wings and Ralphy shoots his eye out..😅

[@Britcarjunkie]

And Hans Gruber falls from Nakatomi Tower. 😁

[@davidmc1489]

@Britcarjunkie exactly.....yippee kiay mfer

[@darkforestcinema]

I have a plastic tree with fiber glass built into it. This film is broadcast all month long on tv during December. A Christmas Story Christmas is an excellent sequel, came out just a couple years ago, alot of returning faces. -Sage

[@BPGalvin]

❤❤❤❤ ya Jen a few years ago I did have a smaller version or a desk light of the lake lamp😂😂😂😂 just wanted to take a second and wish you a merry Christmas early. Enjoy the surprise recap. Have a good night. Catch you next time.❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@sonnercampbell1702]

Merry Christmas, Jen 🙂🎄 and a Happy New Year 🎉

[@harveylee51]

What a Christmas treat 😄 it definitely brings feelings of Nostalgia as i grew up with this movie all the actors just fit their parts to a tee Director Bob Clark also gave us horror classic Black Christmas clearly this man has issues with X-mas lol! A Murray Christmas treat indeed Merry Christmas Jen and to everyone in the thread here Blessings 🎄🙏 ❤💚

[@ButteredToast32]

Jen: "I wonder if the bullies ever learn a lesson." Me: *rubs hands together mischievously*

[@Minion_of_Cthulhu]

Great job Jen! I knew you'd love this one. It's easily my favorite reaction I've seen to this movie.

[@chrismcelligott5462]

This is my favorite Christmas movie. I was Ralphie's age when it came out. It always brings me back to thet time. Merry Murray Christmas Jen!

[@sammylane21]

"Notah fingah"!!. I love this movie. 😂🤣

[@johnmaynardable]

I was cast in the sitcom Titus in 2001. I got to meet Zack Ward, who was a regular on he show. Zack played Scot Farkus in this movie.

[@BouillaBased]

Jean Shepherd got the idea for the leg lamp from a Nehi soda ad. He also created one of the best titles for a short story, "My Old Man and the Lascivious Special Award That Heralded the Birth of Pop Art".

[@johnpittsii7524]

Hi Jen. Hope you are having an merry Christmas 🎅 🎄 ❤