A Chicago Christmas-- Part 6: About Those Marshall Field's Windows

Founded in 1852 as a dry goods business, Marshall Field's introduced its cherished holiday windows in 1897 with an enthralling toy display, a concept dreamed up by the store's official visual display manager, Arthur Frasier.  (And, of course, that toy window in "A Christmas Story.")

During World War II, the Field's design team began theming the windws starting with Clement Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas," so that they would tell a story as visitors strolled down State Street, from window to window.

Today, Macy's (who bought Field's) continues the tradition of holiday windows at the State Street store.

And, of course, there are all the decorations in the store, the Walnut Room and the giant Christmas tree.

--CootWindow

'A Christmas Story's' Indiana Connection-- Part 7: WJOB

WJOB RADIO STATION

6405 Olcott Avenue, Hammond

In 2023, WJOB will celebrate a century of being on the air's birthday.  Jean Shepherd began his broadcast career there before heading to to Cleveland, Cincinnati, and ultimately, New York City at WOR to earn acclaim.

The 1,000 watt transmitter and 400-foot tower behind the studio built in 1956 make the WJOB station easy to spot.

The original station studios were in Downtown Hammond at 402 Fayette Street at the intersection of Hohman Avenue.  Later, the studio moved to 449 State Street, where the young radio hopeful, Shepherd, gained experience doing sports broadcasts before the station and tower finally settled at the Olcott Avenue location.

--CootBBGun

'A Christmas Story's' Indiana Connection-- Part 6: Downtown Hammond

DOWNTOWN HAMMOND

5206 Hohman Avenue

While Jean Shepherd changed the name of his hometown of Hammond to fictional "Hohman, Indiana," in his published works, it is easy to see how he dreamed up that name, given the name of Downtown Hammond's primary stretch of road is Hohman.

Now long gone, the Cam Lan restaurant once stood at 5256 Hohman Avenue, and is depicted in the film's final Christmas dinner scene.

Just a block away, also on Hohman, is where Goldblatt's Department Store stood until 1993, the site of the wishful young Shepherd's now infamous moment giving his gift wish list to the grumpy Santa while sitting on his lap.

Though the store no longer exists, you can still see Goldblatt's iconic clock focal point in the lobby of the Hammond Public Library, just a few blocks away at 564 State Street in Hammond.

You'll Still Put Your Eye Out Kid!  --Cooter

'A Christmas Story's' Indiana Connection-- Part 5: Warren G. Harding Elementary and Miss Shields

WARREN G. HARDING ELEMENTARY

3211 165th Street, Hammond.

The original wood-framed school building constructed in 1927 where Jean Shepherd attended from 1928-1933 was demolished in 1948 to make way for a new school, and even that building was torn down to make way for a more modern elementary school which opened in 2006.

This new school still bears the name the name of the 29th president, and, of course, there's a flagpole out in the schoolyard.

During a March 10, 1982, guest appearance on the late-night talk show of fellow famous Hoosier David Letterman, Shepherd said his elementary school "was named after the worst president in history."

HOME OF SHEPHERD'S ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER MISS SHIELDS

51 Lawndale Street, Hammond.

Shepherd made many references to his teacher growing up, Miss Ruth Shields, in his books and broadcasts, and she plays a key character in "A Christmas Story."

--CootPutYourEyeOut.

'A Christmas Story's' Northwest Indiana Connection-- Part 4: About Flick and Schwart's Houses

SHEPHERD'S PAL SCHWARTZ'S CHILDHOOD HOUSE

6810 Arizona Avenue, Hammond.  

While Ralphie's long-suffering friend in the story is named Scott Schwartz, the real life counterpart from Jean Shepherd's youth was Paul Schwartz, who lives just a few blocks away.

In the movie, Schwartz is taunted by bullies and, though innocent, is punished by his mother after he  is blamed for teaching Ralphie the "big one" of swear words.

SHEPHERD'S OTHER PAL FLICK'S CHILDHOOD HOME

3024 Cleveland Street, Hammond.  

Classmate Jack Flickinger lived just down the street from Shepherd and is forever associated with accepting the triple-dog dare to stick his tongue on a frozen flagpole in the schoolyard.  Jack's father owned a local tavern in Hammond called  Flick's Tap.

--CootTripleDogDare

'A Christmas Story's' Indiana Connection-- Part 3: His House

"While over the years, Shepherd earned a reputation for criticizing Hammond and his hometown roots, he still always remembered his connection to northwest Indiana," said Nick Mantis, who is negotiating with networks about the first airing rights to his documentary "Shep."

"Shepherd was once quoted as saying that when you really loved something enough, then you can joke about it as a form of appreciation.

In the next several posts the old haunts of Jean Shepherd which served as inspirations for the movie will be listed.

**********************************

SHEPHERD'S CHILDHOOD HOUSE

2907 Cleveland Street, Hammond.  A large privacy hedge nearly obscures that famous open porch and the living room window where Shepherd, as a boy, daydreamed of the adventures that awaited with his adult career in writing and broadcast.

While the families' last name in the movie is changed to Parker, it's still a nod to Shepherd, whose middle name is Parker.

--CootStory

'A Christmas Story's' Indiana Connection-- Part 2: 'Go to the End of the Line, Boys'

A number of key locations and the family homes of characters depicted in "A Chrustmas Story," as adapted from Jean Shepherd's 1966 published short story, "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash," are often-overlooked residential landmarks in Hammond's established neighborhoods.

"Shepherd loved the irony that the film was shot in Cleveland and he had grown up on Cleveland Street in Hammond," said Hammond filmmker Nick Mantis, who produced and directed the documentary "Shep," about Jean Shepherd found at www-.shepherddocumentary.com.

"Shepherd spent time on the film set, since he has a small cameo in the film as the grouchy man waiting in line with his children to see Santa at the department store.  It's Shep who points to Ralphie and Randy and tells them to go to the back of the line."

While Bob Clark, as the film's director, did not get his wish to film "A Christmas Story" in Hammond, he did win his battle with studio brass to hire Shepherd to lend his distinctive voice for the film's narration.

--Cooter

'A Christmas Story's' Indiana Connection-- Part 1

Well, 'tis the season of my favorite Christmas movie of all time, "A Christmas Story" and, gosh, TBS is even showing it a couple times tonight ahead of its 24-hour tradional marathon starting Christmas Eve.  I'll try to watch some of it in between all the college football conference chanpionship games.

From the December 24, 2020, Chicago Tribune "Indiana sites a reminder of 'A Christmas Story' " by Philip Potempa.

Cleveland, Ohio, enjoys a holiday claim-to-fame connection with "A Christmas Story," since the 1983 movie was filmed there on location.

However, northwest Indiana still has better bragging rights, since the teller of BB guns, bullies and parental soap-in-mouth punishment, Jean Shepherd, scribe and radio broadcaster, fashioned the story and memorable characters from his own youth on Cleveland Street in Hammond, Indiana.

Ther movie's late director Bob Clark acknowledged in interviews that it was his preference to shoot the film in Shepgerd's all-too-familiar northwest Indiana.  However, studio location scouts preferred the landscape of Cleveland, even though Shepherd's actual childhood home still stands at 2907 Cleveland Street in Hammond.

Remember What Might Happen To Your Eyesight With the Soap Treatment.   --CootStory

About 'It's a Wonderful Life'-- Part 2: Becoming a Classic

When it was first released in 1946, as I said earlier, the movie was not intended to be a Christmas movie.  And, it initially flopped at the box office.  The film's copyright was not renewed.

So, in the 1970s, "It's a Wonderful Life" was free for broadcasters to air repeatedly.  And they did and did and did and did.  So much so, that it either became a classic for some or made others, like my wife, gag.  Fortunately, for some reason, I didn't see it that much.

But, for those of us who are fans of it, we began to notice that this less-than-jolly-ho-ho-ho movie was a great one.  And, a Christmas tradition was begun.  I am surprised that we don't have a cable station offering a 24-hour array like TNT and TBS  do for "A Christmas Story."

NBC currently owns the rights to the film and broadcasts it on Christmas Eve every year (and several other times beforehand).  In 2016, Variety reported that the network's  42nd Christmas Eve showing had  4.5 million viewers.

NBC will again rebroadcast the movie this Thursday from 7 to 10 CST.

--DaCootLife

About 'It's a Wonderful Life'-- Part 1: My Top Four Christmas Favs

From the December 19, 2020, CTV News "How the Second World War shaped 'It's a Wonderful Life' by Rachael Scott.

This is my third favorite Christmas movie, even though when it was made, it was not slated as a Christmas movie.  (My top four Christmas movies:

1.  "A Christmas Story"

2.  "Christmas Vacation"

3.  "It's a Wonderful Life"

4.  "Miracle on 34th Street"

I have seen all but the 1st and 4th ones, but hope to see the 4th this week and know that I will see the 1st several times between Christmas Eve and Christmas night for some reason.

--Cooter

Fox Lake-Grant Township Hist. Soc. Meeting Today: Old Time Radio

The General Meeting will take place today at the Grant Hall Museum at 411 Washington Street, Ingleside, Illinois, at 9:30 a.m..

The agenda today includes election of officers followed by a recreation of an old radio program by the Radio Players of Lake County.  If  you wonder how they used to make the old radio programs like Ralphie listened to ("Little Orphan Annie") on "A Christmas Story" you will see it done live.

See You There.  --Cooter

"A Christmas Story" Inside Scoop on the Triple-Dare-Dare"-- Part 2

According to Scott Schwartz he did not injure his tongue on that really cold day.  It was very cold, but the prop department had slid a piece of plastic over the pole and had cut a little hole in it with a suction tube and a little motor like a vacuum cleaner.

This made his tongue seem to stick to the icy pole.

The scene was filmed on two days of intense cold with wind chills down to -20 to -25 degrees.

--DaCoot

"A Christmas Story":The Inside Scoop On the "Triple-Dog-Dare"-- Part 1

From the Dec. 12, 2015, Yahoo! Movies "That 'Christmas Story' Frozen Tongue Scene: The Inside Scoop on the Triple Dog dare" by Joal Ryan.

As I take a little break (or is it a brake) from chain-watching "A Christmas Story" on TNT (my favorite Christmas movie).

Scott Schwartz, now 47 and president of a child actor advisory group, was briefly on a #1 Box Office hit that quickly faded, but regained public awareness and popularity when it became a cable TV 24-hour marathon.

That movie, of course, "A Christmas Story"

He spent about six weeks working on the movie in 1983 and was 14 at the time and was a "pro" as he had already worked on "The Toy" the year before with Richard Pryor.

Schwartz was cast as Flick, best friend of Ralphie and says he gets calls from reporters every year around this time about his famous tongue-on-the-flagpole scene which showed school yard politics at their most intense (well, intense for back then).

And...  --Cooter

Deaths: Actors in "A Christmas Story," "Father Knows Best" and "The Brady Bunch"

LESLIE CARLSON (1933-May 3, 2014)  Was in movies and TV, but best-known for his role as the Christmas tree guy in "A Christmas Story" where he was credited as Les Carlson.  "Now, this here tree..."

BEVERLY LONG:  appeared in episodes of "Father Knows Best."

ANN B. DAVIS, 88  (1926- June 1, 2014)  In the NBC "Bob Cummings Show (1955-1959), but best known in role of Alice Nelson, the housekeeper, in "The Brady Bunch" (1969-1974).  Good Old Alice.  She kept that family together.

"A Christmas Story:" 30 Years Later-- Part 4

Of course, sevral years ago, TBS began showing the movie in a 24-hour marathon starting on Christmas Eve and going through Christmas. This has become "must-see" viewing for families across the country and me. I always try to watch it at least once straight through, then catch segments off and on. I do not get tired of it.

This anniversary of the movie, its 30th, will be marked beyond Cleveland with stage versions from Boston to California, including here in Chicago.

I'm not sure it is still there, but for many years, the first Indiana exit of I-80 at Hammond in Indiana going east from Illinois, had a whole recreation of it at the welcome center. This was taken from the windows of Macy's in New York City.

"A new bronze statue of the 'triple dog dare' tongue-grabbing scene is now on display in time for the holidays in Hammond, Indiana, the hometown of Jean Shepherd, whose stories inspired the 1983 movie." He has a cameo in the movie telling Ralphie and Randy that the line starts back there when they mistakenly get in line. Of course, we all that famous scene. The statue was dedicated in October and has been popular ever since.

However, beware. Nicki Mackowski of Hammond's tourist agency warns, "We're working on putting up signs as the cold weather gets here. You know 'Lick at your own risk' kind of thing."

Not to Mention the Germs You Can Get From Licking. --Cooter

"A Christmas Story": 30 Years Later-- Part 3

The Horseshoe Casino Cleveland this year decorated for the season to highlight the movie with leg lamps atop some of the slot machines.

And, then, there is "A Christmas Story House" in Cleveland, the one which was used for exterior scenes and, evidenly interior as well. Visitors can duck under the sink where Randy hid when he thought "Daddy's gonna kill Ralphie" and run out the back door where Ralphie ran through fake snow to try out the best Christmas gift he ever got. Entrepreneur Brian Jones has developed the house into an attraction.

The snow seen in the movie was actually mostly firefighting foam that had to be used because of an unusual snowless stretch in Cleveland during filming.

Jim Moralevitz, now 73, lives down the street from "A Christmas Story House" and got a cameo role delivering the crate containing the infamous leg lamp. Brian Jones gave him a leg lamp seven years ago and it's mounted in a 6-foot plexiglass box outside his home near the peak of his front roof. People sometimes mistake his house for "A Christmas Story House" and stop for a visit. He likes to boast that he has the most drive-bys.

I'm Thinking That He Was Not the Head Delivery Guy Who Talked With the "Old Man." --Cooter

"A Christmas Story" 30 Years Later-- Part 2: Got My Fix

Yesterday and Christmas Eve, I saw two complete shows and a whole bunch of segments. Thanks TBS for making this movie a holiday tradition for me.

As you know, 9-year-old Ralphie really wanted that bb gun, despite the dire warnings of "You'll shoot your eye out!" Then, there was the gruff "Old Man," played by Darren McGavin, and his Indy 500 and "major award" leg lanp fixations. And that wonderful Mom who covered for him after the fight and his brother Randy getting his snow suit, not eating, Christmas present-mania and hiding under the sink when he thought his dad was going to kill Ralphie.

There are just so many neat scenes in the movie, where could you begin?

The article said that the house in Cleveland where the film family lived (and evidently used for many interior shots) is now a museum to the movie and Nov. 29th and 30th was going to highlight the film's 1983 release with appearances by original cast members and a bb gun range in the backyard (Just watch out for the icycles.) Would I have ever loved to have been there.

"The movie wasn't widely acclaimed when it debuted, with favorable reviews barely outnumbering bad mentions like the one that grumbled 'Bah, humbug' in the headline. But its quirky humor and love-in family message struck a chord with audiences."

A few years ago, I was able to see it on the big movie screen in Woodstock, Illinois, in the theater that had the scene in the movie "Groundhog Day." And, there was about half-and-half as far as audience was concerned in kids and "old kids" like me. I have never heard so much laughter at a movie.

More to Come. --Cooter

"A Christmas Story" 30 Years Later: Just Keeps Getting Better-- Part 1

From the Nov. 29, 2013, Wilmington (NC) Star-News ""Christmas Story" at 30: Now part of the family." AP.

I don't know about you, but I've already watched one whole show straight through on TBS (last night at the Route 12 Bar in Fox Lake, Illinois, on their 70-inch HDTV. Wow!!!). Liz has had it on all day in the family room so I've seen bits and pieces of it. "Even after three decades, the triple-dog dare doesn't get old."

"The film, 'A Christmas Story' opened 30 years ago to mixed reviews but has shown its staying power as a holiday family favorite. Cleveland, where parts of the movie were filmed and hard-luck Ralphie dreamed big, is celebrating the anniversary with iconic leg lamps, holiday store windows like the ones that drew Ralphie's wide-eyed stares, and stage and musical versions of 'A Christmas Story.'"

Hey, What About Brother Randy's Nose at the Window? --DaCoot

A Christmas Movie Rumble-- Part 4

Which is the best Christmas movie: "A Christmas Story" (CS) or "It's a Wonderful Life"(WL)?

Continuing with the Dec. 24th Chicago Tribune's article. My comments are after (MC).


CLIMAX

WL-- Building and Loan is saved, angel gets his wings, George's entire life is validated.

CS-- Ralphie gets a BB gun.

Winner: Wonderful Life

MC-- I agree. Also, the kids and Mary get their father and husband back. The old uncle and two other employees keep their jobs. Everybody now knows George. In Christmas Story the brother has his neat Zeppelin. Mom and Dad have that great restful final scene by the front window, which no longer has that major prize glaring forth soft sex.


FINALE

WL-- The happy crowd rallying around George, the children, the singing, but especially George's palpable joy truly convey "good will to men."

CS-- In a movie otherwise played for laughs, the Old Man's reaction as Ralphie opens the BB gun is genuinely touching. Otherwise, it's all material gain.

Winner: Wonderful Life

MC-- I always get a big old lump in my throat at WL's final scene. I don't know how it could possibly have more of an impact.


OVERALL WINNER

"It's a Wonderful Life." As Uncle Billy said, you just can't keep those Baileys down. Heehaw and merry Christmas.

MC-- Actually, you really can't compare these two meetings as they are two completely different genre as Troutbirder pointed out. But, anything about either of these movies is always fun to read.

Waiting for Next year. --Cooter

A Christmas Movie Rumble-- Part 3

Continuing with the comparison of my two favorite Christmas movies: "A Christmas Story" and "It's a Wonderful Life."


CHRISTMAS FOCUS

WL: Though the key, climatic scene takes place on Christmas Eve, three-fourths of the story has nothing to with Christmas.

CS: Take a cue from the title.

Winner: Christmas Story

MC-- If you want your Christmas experience, CS is it. But, there never be a more lump in your throat Christmas scene than WL's finale. That makes up for all the non-Christmas. I have to go with WL.



VILLAIN

WL-- Henry Potter, experienced bully with enough money to (almost) control a town.

CS-- Scut Farkus, callow bully who relies on fists, sidekicks and yellow eyes to terrorize school children.

Winner: Wonderful Life, though Farkus gets extra credit for his name.

MC-- Potter not only represents an individual villain, but these days Big Business. He hurts huge numbers of people while Scut Farkus' victims are limited. Definitely Potter wins it here.

Two More Essential Components Coming Tomorrow. --Cooter







OVERALL WINNER