User blog:ARTaylor/35 Years of A Christmas Story

Today marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of the premiere of A Christmas Story. Based on the semi-fiction book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, the film follows a boy named Ralphie as he navigates the season leading up to Christmas while trying to get that one toy he wants more than anything.

At the time it was released, the film was only a modest success with critics and at the box office. It was thought at the time Christmas-themed movies in general did not do well. However, once the movie hit the home markets it exploded in popularity and is now seen as one of the greatest holiday classics ever made. The film is usually played on a continuous marathon on Christmas Eve and Christmas. It led to several sequels one released direct-to-television, one released theatrically, and one that was direct-to-video but none were successful. It also led to a stage adaptation, musical Broadway show, and live remake which were most well received.

The film almost featured the talents of Colin Fox as Ming the Merciless, though his scenes were deleted. Spider-Man references the movie in The Spectacular Spider-Man episode "Reinforcement".