'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.

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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

"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