Christmas story errors

[anotherguyTN]

If the movie was set any later than 1940 it seems like there would be references to World War II, and it looks like the years after WWII would be too far away, and there would be some post war references. That makes me lean toward thinking the movie was very late 30's or 1940, but no later. According to Wikipedia Jean Shepherd was born in 1921 and the story wasn't actually based on his life. If it had been the time should have been about 10 years earlier.

 

[Irishfl]

The movie was filmed in Cleveland in July, all the snow is fake and the house on Cleveland st is one of its top visitor sites. Movie was described as bieng in Holman, Indiana (looks like Gary, Indiana to me)

Movie was actually filmed from January 14th, 1983 till March 24, 1983

 

[LKellerIII]

If the movie was set any later than 1940 it seems like there would be references to World War II, and it looks like the years after WWII would be too far away, and there would be some post war references. That makes me lean toward thinking the movie was very late 30's or 1940, but no later. According to Wikipedia Jean Shepherd was born in 1921 and the story wasn't actually based on his life. If it had been the time should have been about 10 years earlier.

The US didn't enter World War II until after Pearl Harbor - December 11, 1941 - so the story could have been set in 1940 or 41. To me, it always seemed to be the late 30s.

 

[anotherguyTN]

Movie was actually filmed from January 14th, 1983 till March 24, 1983

That actually makes more sense to me. Although some of the snow could be fake there is enough steam coming off the kids breaths in outdoor scenes that it had to be cold.

The US didn't enter World War II until after Pearl Harbor - December 11, 1941 - so the story could have been set in 1940 or 41. To me, it always seemed to be the late 30s.

Even with that, if it had been in 1941, US involvement in the war would have just started and there would have probably been a reference to it.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

There is a house about two miles from here in Southeastern Michigan that is playing "A Christmas Story" in their picture window on a big screen high defininition TV. The sound is available on 89.5 FM. They also have the leg lamp in another window.

Is this unique or is it some kind of kit with the DVD, leg lamp, and FM transmitter?

 

[BRNout]

Guess I should have gone with most of the cultural references instead of the actual information I read at one of the movie's sites.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085334/plotsummary

It is almost 2012; I work with people who still use the term "groovy" and "far out".

Sometimes, I think that people read what they want to from a post as long as it supports their point of view!

By "cultural references" i meant movies and radio programs (and music) of 1939.

 

[borderblaster]

The Wikipedia article quotes one of the producers as saying the film takes place "late 30s or early 40s". Why would there need to be a mention of World War II in the story about a child's wish for a BB gun?

 

[LKellerIII]

Movie was actually filmed from January 14th, 1983 till March 24, 1983

That actually makes more sense to me. Although some of the snow could be fake there is enough steam coming off the kids breaths in outdoor scenes that it had to be cold.

The US didn't enter World War II until after Pearl Harbor - December 11, 1941 - so the story could have been set in 1940 or 41. To me, it always seemed to be the late 30s.

Even with that, if it had been in 1941, US involvement in the war would have just started and there would have probably been a reference to it.

The attack on Pearl Harbor was during the last few weeks of 1941. Though it seems inconceivable to anybody born after World War II, there were many Americans who believed that entering the war was a mistake, and the US should stay out of it. There were also factions who thought we should stay out of it, and then ally ourselves with the nation that seemed then to be the likely victor - Germany. The fact is - there were many American corporations who did business with Nazi Germany until we entered the war.

Some even believe Franklin Roosevelt knew about Pearl Harbor in advance, and let it happen, so Americans would be outraged, and he would then be able to declare war. IMO - that's typical conspiracy theory bulls**it - like the people who think Bush let 9/11 happen as an excuse to go to war in Afghanistan.

But I digress...pardon the amateur history lesson - the point is that it's plausible for a typical working class American family (like the one in A Christmas Story) to have lead their lives in 1941 without mentioning the war, or even thinking much about world affairs, including the war raging in Europe and Asia. We all know people like that - and think how much easier it was to ignore the news in those days before TV and the internet.

Now if it was early 1942 or later, the movie would only be plausible with some mention of the war effort, collecting scrap metal, buying bonds, rationing of gasoline and some food items, etc.

 

[chrish]

I seems highly unlikely that if the movie was supposed to be in a period after 12-07-41 that there would me no indication whatsoever of any war or recruting
activity in evidence, best indication of 1939 to 1940 is the Wizard of OZ characters in the parade and entertaining in Higgbe's Department store. Also after the US declared war on Germany in addition to Japan most Americans of the day were very loyal citizens and a Zepplin toy model would suddenly seem inappropriate

 

[bpatrick]

Ralphie's favorite show is "Little Orphan Annie," which left
the air in 1942. Also, at least twice the radio is playing "The
Hut Sut Song," which came out in 1941. So I'd have to set
the date in '41; someone else mentioned "The Wizard Of Oz"
(released in 1939) and we also see Snow White (1937). There
are a few people in uniform looking through the window at
Higbee's department store, but that does not mean that Pearl
Harbor had already happened; it could have been a few weeks
prior (remember, this is the Chicago area and snow would not
be unthinkable in November).

 

[borderblaster]

Maybe there's no real reason to overthink it; it's just a cute movie about a kid at Christmas.

 

[gregg75]

Right.......considering they did this in the early 80's........they did a pretty good job of
recreating the past.

 

[bpatrick]

I have to admit you guys are right, and probably few people
care what year the movie takes place. But I guess it's the
history teacher in me that makes me enjoy the period details
in movies either set in, or filmed in, the '40s (after I watched
"A Christmas Story" I turned over and watched "Biloxi Blues"
on one of the Encore channels; it, too, takes place in the '40s,
specifically 1945).

I did notice one thing that doesn't detract from the movie but
reminds me of something my dad once told me: in the '50s, before
I was born, he and my mom would occasionally go out for Chinese
food, and he said that the most common items on the menu were
chop suey and chow mein. Although Ralphie and his family got Peking
duck, I noticed that the restaurant was called the Chop Suey Palace.
Makes me wonder how varied Chinese-restaurant menus were in the
'40s and '50s.

 

[cowboy72]

one bloop that i saw was in the kitchen .. the kitchen sink had nothing below it in one scene,, then later ralphs little brother was hiding uner the sink where 2 doors were placed.

 

[fybush]

I caught one yesterday that I had never noticed before: just before we see the BB gun in Higbee's window, there's a shot of a Salvation Army bell-ringer, and the sign next to the kettle has a 1980s "Sharing is Caring" slogan above the Salvation Army logo.

 

[LKellerIII]

I have to admit you guys are right, and probably few people
care what year the movie takes place. But I guess it's the
history teacher in me that makes me enjoy the period details
in movies either set in, or filmed in, the '40s (after I watched
"A Christmas Story" I turned over and watched "Biloxi Blues"
on one of the Encore channels; it, too, takes place in the '40s,
specifically 1945).

I did notice one thing that doesn't detract from the movie but
reminds me of something my dad once told me: in the '50s, before
I was born, he and my mom would occasionally go out for Chinese
food, and he said that the most common items on the menu were
chop suey and chow mein. Although Ralphie and his family got Peking
duck, I noticed that the restaurant was called the Chop Suey Palace.
Makes me wonder how varied Chinese-restaurant menus were in the
'40s and '50s.

I do have to wonder if Northern Indiana even had any Chinese restaurants in the late 30s or early 40s. It's fun playing with this subject, but Border Blaster is not off base either - this is a family Christmas film - some don't wish to over-think it, though I have a feeling that Jean Sheppard - if he were alive today, would have appreciated historical accuracy.

Sheppard used to do terrific short radio essays in the 1970s. In the SF Bay Area, they were carried on KSFO radio.

One other thing: as we were watching A Christmas Story yesterday, my son asked if Adam West (Batman on 60s TV) was the narrator. It hadn't occurred to me before how much Jean Sheppard sounded like Adam West, but there's definitely a similarity in their voices. For those who are younger, think of Quohog Mayor Adam West in Family Guy.

 

[chrish]

Sad that Chop Suey and others such as sub gum, chow mein have fallen out of favor, I still love these as side dishes the to any of the other great choices on the menu, as a side note it was common knowledge that Chinese food outside of Boston, LA, NYC, Chicago, Miami and Seattle and of course San Francisco was and abomination. Traveling in the 60's 70's and 80's seemed to confirm it. Horrible in Rochester, NY, Hartford and when I lived in Jacksonville it was frightening. Had to go down to Miami. Is this still true?

 

[fybush]

Not in Rochester, anyway. We have plenty of excellent Chinese restaurants these days. New waves of Chinese emigration to the US in the 1970s, 80s and 90s brought good Chinese food to even smaller communities; I'm sitting at my mother-in-law's place in Fort Wayne, Indiana right now with some very good leftovers in the fridge from the place around the corner.

 

[BRNout]

There was (and is) some truly excellent Chinese food in places such as New Hampshire and Utah. As far back as the 1980s, at least.

So, though such generalizations may have had some merit in 1940, they sure as heck don't any more. As the movie is set in NW Indiana, it's not unreasonable to think that some Chinese immigrants from nearby Chicago would have set up shop in town at the time. That part of the movie is, to me, quite plausible. The "Chop Suey" sign is quite accurate for the time as well.

Noticed something that I should have before: the "Little Orphan Annie" decoder ring had '1940' marked on it. Of course, the movie characters from the Wizard of Oz would have indicated 1939. That's probably about as close as we're going to get on this. But I wouldn't call it a "1940s" movie because that would imply either the WWII or post-war eras and this movie took place before then.

 

[FreddyE1977]

Right.......considering they did this in the early 80's........they did a pretty good job of
recreating the past.

Cleveland is in many ways similar to Pittsburgh, only flatter. And I know that in Pittsburgh
in the 1980's you could go to certain parts of town and find streets and houses that had
changed little since the 1940's, and hence would have required a minimal amount of prep.
(people around here, for example, were absolutely in love with Insulbrick for some reason).

Even today I can think of some neighborhoods where you could re-create the 1940's without
too much difficulty.