A reunion 40 years in the making: 'A Christmas Story' cast comes home to Cleveland

Nearly 40 years since its release in 1983, cast members from "A Christmas Story" will come together again in Cleveland to celebrate what's become one of the most iconic Christmas films in American pop culture.

The reunion happens this weekend during the “Behind the Camera: ‘A Christmas Story’ Official 40th Anniversary” fundraiser to benefit the Greater Cleveland Film Commission at Cleveland Public Auditorium.

Peter Billingsley, who starred as Ralphie in the film, will be joined by his on-screen buddies Flick (Scott Schwartz) and Schwartz (R.D. Robb) and nemeses Scut Farkas (Zack Ward) and Grover Dill (Yano Anaya). It’s the first time they’ve all been together since filming took place in Cleveland in the winter of 1982-83.

The reunion will be hosted by “Today” co-host and weatherman Al Roker Friday evening.

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Billingsley said the reunion may have been slow in coming because the film wasn’t always the phenomenon it’s evolved into, with 24-hour showings on two cable networks (TNT and TBS) beginning every Christmas Eve.

He said he wasn’t aware of its popularity until a visit to a video store in Phoenix, where he was living at the time, 10 years after its release. He walked into the store and saw a cardboard standee of himself as Ralphie on display. He learned the store could not keep copies of the film on its shelves.

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Once the Turner network annual marathons began, it went to another level, Billingsley said. He and director Bob Clark participated in a reunion for the 20^th anniversary but did not consider it a significant event. It’s also not as if Billingsley didn’t pursue other interests in film and television in the interim, most recently producing a sequel “A Christmas Story Christmas,” but also still acting in and writing other projects.

So why a full reunion now, after another 20 years?

Billingsley recognizes what “A Christmas Story” has become.

“I think over time we waited, and then it’s like, alright, well, now it’s the 40th [anniversary]. We got to do something," he said. "And so, the only place that we sincerely wanted to do it was Cleveland. It's like, it just made the most sense. And so sometimes when these things come together, it's easy. The Greater Cleveland Film Commission made it simple.”

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Having the reunion in Cleveland made sense because the film features iconic scenery from the city, including Higbee’s department store on Public Square downtown (now repurposed into Jack Casino) and the Parker family home in the city’s Tremont neighborhood, which recently sold.

The movie has definitely left its mark on the area, but it’s also ingrained itself into national pop culture. It tapped into the innocence and desire that shaped how many children view Christmas in a unique way, all while warning kids that if they weren’t careful with a Red Ryder B.B. gun, they’d shoot their eye out. It made leg lamps that were “fra-gee-lay” memorable, and Chinese food for Christmas dinner acceptable.

“Well, it's really an incredible feeling for sure,” Billingsley said of that impact. “And it was interesting because the film was not a massive success when it first came out, and ... maybe that was a blessing in a way, I think for how we were all able to feel with it because you saw it slowly gain traction.”

That slow climb to cultural relevance might have been a good thing – at least for Billingsley.

“I was able to kind of distance myself from the movie because it had been years and then really start to appreciate it and to see it as a film,” he said.

The affection gives way to another reaction – amazement.

“Every time I think, 'Well, gosh, it's been 30 years, this is going to start waning,' it seems to pass to the next generation, and the excitement grows every Christmas when fans come up and say 'hi,'” he said. “So, it's been a great feeling, and the film's really, really a blessing in our lives.”

George M. Thomas dabbles in film and television for the Beacon Journal.

Details

What: “Behind the Camera: 'A Christmas Story' Official 40th Anniversary” featuring Peter Billingsley and many of the original cast members of “A Christmas Story.”

When: 1:30-7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Where: Cleveland Public Auditorium, 500 Lakeside Ave., Cleveland.

Cost: Tickets start at $20.

More information: clevelandfilm.com

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 'A Christmas Story' cast comes home to Cleveland 40 years after release