Repeating the same jokes as in the original is an insult to the audience. When Flick got his tongue stuck to the frozen pole, it was due to a "triple dog dare." Per schoolyard code, he couldn't back down from a triple dog dare. It was matter of having to defend his honor, otherwise he'd look like a coward. But in the sequel, by sticking his tongue in that suction tube, the joke is ruined. It's no longer about charmingly stupid things that kids do. Instead, the nonsensical implication is that Flick sticks his tongue on/into things because that's just what he does.
Gay Vladka Putina it’s like there was no soul to the movie and just a shell of the original. It was like the wanted to make a sequel, but they got confused with a reboot and it gave birth to this mess. None of the charm is there it seems so off putting. Very little seemed genuine. I am so surprised something like this was ever made. Not to speak in hyperbole but I am pretty sure someone could have shot the movie on a smartphone and it would have at least looked better. 😳
that's why thematic sequels and 'spiritual successors' are always better. have a DIFFERENT dare or a different situation where someone is socially pressured. that's how you write.
@@KairuHakubi yeah i have the same opinion. I think people being inspired by something can make for some really cool things being made but branching yourself from the original can help give something more freedom to do things differently. Like a joke or a plot point that wouldn't make sense in the original movie much but is still very funny/good. it would have been cool to see them try that- or just rely on references a whole lot less, maybe one or two tops and a couple hidden ones in the sets that fans can enjoy but give the movie some room to stand up on its own.
@@GwyndolinOwO another video from this same guy that I watched after this, he put it perfectly, how we need more spiritual sequels like that movie that is 'a marx bros movie but not called one' instead of what we usually get, the inverse, 'in-name-only' adaptations. It makes me think about how anime changed the landscape, and how poorly a lot of us understood exactly what made it so special and why we liked it because we were just kids.. and I think that's part of it, they have a lot of "different franchise, same themes" stuff, whether it's the same creator doing new works that feel familiar to his old ones, or different ones being inspired by each other and ending up with similar tropes in a way we flat-out don't do over here.
My favorite bit of Fridge Brilliance...there are anachronisms in the movie (music/cars that wouldn't have been around in 1940) or things that seem exaggerated (just where would Higbee's store that HUMONGOUS mountain in the off-season?). But then you realize...we're seeing this from the perspective of a grown man looking back on his childhood, and don't we all mix up details of our childhood memories? Or exaggerate other details?
A Christmas story was itself a remake of a TV movie also by gene Shepard entitled the phantom of the open hearth. They were based on events from genes collection Wanda hickys night of golden memories.
I remember a few years ago my grandmother wanted to watch A Christmas Story 2 because she had it on her DVR. Thankfully the power went out and it deleted off her DVR. God was watching over us that day. We ended up watching the original instead. I should also point out the original is her favorite Christmas movie.
There are sequels then there is this third rate American pie lite made for tv way too long snl skit. The problem is that wb ruined a fantastic opportunity. Why would they turn out such a turd and essentially kill a franchise. It is a wonder what sort of geniuses greenlit such a lazy idea. They must have truly hated the original movie to produce such schlock. This in no way meant toward those who starred in this movie, but the writer, director, producer, and studio by producing this and acting like “yep this is a winner”. Maybe a group will get together to put together a true sequel at some point with original material.
"Ghostbusters" was the first film I saw more than once in a theater during its initial run - it was a huge thing for me, absolutely transformative. "Ghostbusters II" taught me to stay away from sequels (or at least choose them carefully).
If anything it made me die a little more inside than I already had realizing this existed. The fact that somebody sanctioned this is disturbing to say the least. It's clearly what happens when something becomes popular enough but not popular enough to you know spend a decent amount of money.
@Hentavese they weren't so much sequels as much as continuations of similar characters based in the same world but with direct influence by the original author. I mean he came back and did the narration and everything. This new one though is a souless cash grap pure and simple.
Mr. Parker was frugal because of the time period. The guy had lived through the Great Depression, and therefore learned to save, save, save as much as possible. That was real recurring fear for people in that time period.
Not just the great depression, WW2 brought on a slew of rationing for civilians. Hell they even made pennies out of steel in 1943 so they could use the copper for war efforts. Rationing posters from the time are wild, there are posters that say "Rationing means a fair share for all of us" depicting without and with rations. The without shows a wealthy woman with a huge bundle of groceries and a man and woman with nothing, and then with rationing everyone has a few items and are smiling. Amazing the almost iron curtain nature depiction of how rationing is fair for everyone, people today "hate communism" and yet we adopted rationing and the rational of the rationing as patriotism at the time.
I don’t know if this analogy will make sense but the aesthetic of the movie and the cheap lookalike actors remind me of those porn parody films that are purposely made to look like a joke.
@@dannycarrington1601It would be titled "Not A Christmas Story". The adult film industry has become so lazy with their parody titles they wouldn't even bother to come up with the obvious "An XXX-mas Story"! (I'm knowledgeable on the subject from being the editor/narrator of "A Star Is Porn: The Carnalogical History of the Sinema", a bibliodocumentary that sold out screenings in Austin and San Francisco).
@@mr.funnyman9765 A little confused by your reference. To my knowledge there has never been a porn parody based on a religious-themed movie -- but between suggestive words re: Christ's cinematic "Temptation" and "Passion" I'm kinda surprised some horny producer hasn't been "divinely perspired" to bring us great dirty works like 'XXX-odus', 'Bend Her" or 'The 10" O'manmeat'...
You know, there WERE several of Shepherd's stories that dealt with Ralphie as a teen/young adult. My favorite appeared in In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash like the bulk of the ACS plotlines, and was about fourteen-year-old Ralphie (described as a high school sophomore...did they start high school younger back then?) getting talked into a blind date by his friend Schwartz, who claimed that his girlfriend's dad felt better with another couple along on their dates. So Ralphie makes the gesture in the name of friendship...and finds out that his date is a knockout. He's quite pleased, but the girl won't respond to any of his attempts at conversation. It suddenly hits poor Ralphie that HE is the blind date--that Schwartz was just blowing smoke with that story about his girlfriend's dad and that he'd arranged all this to give Ralphie a break, but that the girl considered this a dud. He suddenly sees himself as she must see him...overweight, dorky, and ridiculous. Now why couldn't they have incorporated some of THESE stories into ACS2? (And, for that matter? Shep also wrote a story about Ralphie driving a car for the first time...and putting a scratch on it, only to have it passed off as a mistake by a parking attendant.)
They actually used this plotline in another of Shepherd's made for TV movies, Great American Fourth of July. It's probably about as hard to find as Ollie Hopnoodle's, but I love it and it's totally worth tracking down if you're a fan of his.
The sad thing was not even the best actors could have saved the material they were working with. This is crap to put it very lightly. I'll bet the people that wrote this used aliases or fake names or something. I wouldn't want my name anywhere near this steaming pile of unnecessary sequel.
@@tfarr8138 Considering how often the people behind these type of movies tend to lie their ass off to get people involved they might have overhyped or made it seem better than it was. Though I would assume everyone going into this would be aware it was a straight to video release and Stern is the biggest name attached to this turd. I'd say this movie didn't work out for anyone who was in it including but especially him.
I think one of the reasons why "A Christmas Story" does so well on TV is its episodic nature; you can have it on in the background while you are trimming the tree, wrapping presents or baking cookies, stop and enjoy a scene and then get back to what you were doing. Having Ralphie expect his parents to buy him a car for Christmas is absolutely ridiculous. They're a working class family in the midst of the Great Depression.
No, I'm talking about the great depression. The economy didn't really recover until the war ended, the average American didn't leave depression era frugalness until the late forties early fifties
Isn't it funny how the people most eager to correct others online are sometimes the most ignorant of all? Maybe being less intelligent makes them feel it's necessary to try to discredit others. But their overall ignorance always shines through.
11:20 In fairness that wasn't a set, they actually filmed it in the Higbees department store in Downtown Cleveland. It looked real because it WAS real.
They had Daniel Stern, voice of the Wonder Years, and yet they find a shabby Shep imitator to use instead. Tells me every i need to know about the decision making of this production
2:07- "Christmas Story da T-shoit, Christmas Story da lunchbox, Christmas Story da breakfast cereal (marshmallows of leg lamps and bars of soap), Christmas Story da flamethrower... you'll burn ya eye out."
Even with it being over saturated, I never grow tired of the original. I remember watching it over and over Christmas Eve night until it was time to open presents because I couldn’t sleep.
A lot of these kind of deserve to be forgotten but this one especially really should be just buried deep and never brought back. It's an insult not just to the original movie but to the creator as well. I'm just thankful that it failed so hard it not only shut down that WB straight to dumpster division but also hopefully completely derailed any further plans during this into a franchise. It should have been one and done. The other TV movies I can give a pass to. But this was so aggressively distastefully terrible I feel like forgetting it is the best thing everybody can do.
I assume we're talking about that terrible one that was basically Randy Quaid on an island or something you know before Randy Quaid went broke turned into some kind of conspiracy hobo who occasionally shows up somewhere to demonstrate how cuckoo he is these days.
When I found out about it I really did die a little inside. I wasn't a super fan of the first one or anything but I did enjoy it (until you know it was run into the ground) But knowing this existed really was a sad statement of how bad things had gotten. Seeing the other films this straight to DVD division farted out proves to me it was a cash grab pure and simple.
I did not click on this video expecting to learn that there are a bunch of other actual movies featuring the same characters from the same writer. About to marathon this guys whole imdb page. Edit: There's even other holiday ones! "The great american 4th of july" and "the star crossed romance of Josephene Cosnowski" are great Indiana slice-of-life shows to watch on Independence Day and Thanksgiving respectively. I feel bad for Josephene though, ol' Ralph fumbled the bag.
I feel the one with the adult Ralph coming home after the old man passed away was pretty decent. I dont think it will become a holiday tradition to watch it every year but it was fine.
I think Darren Mcgavin is the underappreciated MVP of the first movie. Due to heavy repetition most of the clips from the first movie here didn't do much for me, but I LOL at McGavin's delivery at about 12:25.
One of my favorite Darren McGavin roles that you might like: "Blood & Concrete" starring Billy Zane, Jennifer Beals and James LeGros. It's a weird one but well worth watching - and McGavin plays this old cop who makes Shepherd's Old Man look like the sugarplum fairy. Pure grouchiness!
@2:09 That’s my hometown! I live there! That’s Chickasha, Oklahoma! I remember coming home from work one day and seeing them putting it up. I even took a photo of them pulling it up with wire. It was like a inflated balloon.
Shepherd did a few other Ralphie films as well, all of which were made-for-tv movies: -The Phantom of the Open Hearth (1976) -The Great American 4th of July and Other Disasters (1982) -The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski (1985)
11:23 There were no Shopping Malls (as we know them) in the late 40s/early 50s, the first in the US would be built in the mid-50s near Minneapolis. The scene is set in a stand-alone Department Store.
@@nickmanzo8459 Yeah, and have Cranston go Walter White on the furnace, so that has to be the subplot: he's trying to save money to buy a new furnace, which Ralphie would later get for him instead of another damn leg lamp.
@@gator9339 just because actors work well together in one project doesn't mean that they will in another. That's basically just making fan fiction at that point. I adore both actors. But if they were in this it would just make you think of breaking bad. Which would pull you out of the movie.
Glad you mentioned Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss and My Summer Story/It Runs In The Family. (The latter even started off with the last shot of A Christmas Story.) At least they've got more credence as sequels...they are based on Shep's writings and feature his narration. In fact, My Summer Story incorporates a story I wish had made it into ACS...the Great Orpheum Gravy Boat Riot.
@dave4248 I'm with you on Lost World. It's boring, slow, and pretty forgettable. And takes too long to get going. Save for the bloody waterfall scene, cliff scene, and ending rampage in San Diego. Sure, the 3rd film is flawed too, but at least it's faster and memeorable.
As a Playboy magazine subscriber (back-in-the-day), I had read the original "A Christmas Story" therein. I so identified with the incessant maintenance of coal-fired furnaces & the delight of owning a BB gun. (Mine was a Daisy Eagle, not the Red Ryder, but still a marvel for a pre-pubescent lad.) Far and away, ACS is my favorite bit of holiday nostalgia.
Daniel Stern is also the voice of you Kevin Arnold on "The Wonder Years" which always reminded me of "A Christmas Story". Its like falling into a 20th Century American nostalgia wormhole!
*In the 80's, "It's a Wonderful Life" played all day on the networks* . It was the "go to" Christmas movie at the time, and all parents viewed that movie as the ultimate Christmas movie. To a kid at the time, anything in black and white was so old-fashioned. But, my dad insisted it was the best Christmas movie. (I only watched it once.) I saw "The Christmas Story" in the theater when it came out. We loved it. But, I have no doubt within the next few decades another movie will take its place. That's how it goes.
My wife and I just finished watching a Christmas Story Christmas. That’s how you do a sequel that honors the original. It was great, and carried all the same heart. Highly recommend.
Christmas Story Christmas was okay. It was nice they got most of the original cast back. Given the inability to get the original actors for the parents, they did what they could.
MGM was in receivership when they made that movie so it barely got released. I never saw it play in theaters where I lived, so I had to wait for the re-titled video.
Little known Jean Shepard adaption: American Playhouse: the Great American Fourth of July, with Matt Dillon as a teenage Ralphie. Produced in 1982, 2 years before A Christmas Story.
My mother reliuctently took me to the original movie in theaters, and it ended up being one of her favorite movies of all time. I also remember everyone at school talking about how funny it was, and I think both Siskel and Ebert like it. So I was surprised to find out years later that the movie had flopped.
while this is for the most part a cheap cash-in, I still contend that the main reason that Christmas Story is so beloved is due to the cast (which is pitch-perfect), especially Melinda Dillion and the great Darren McGavin. Proof: look no further than the actual sequel It Runs in the Family - same creative but different cast. the magic is simply not there.
I would absolutely love to see you do a video on Daniel Stern's career. I've always thought he was great and should have gotten more recognition after Home Alone.
"my summer story" is the only real sequel to "a christmas story". Bob Clark and Jean Shepard even returned. Same house, similar music but the same "coming of age" charm.
The original is like the original Star Wars trilogy, the Jean shepherd sequels are like the animated shows and the Mandalorian, a Christmas story 2 is like the sequel trilogy. Just a fair analogy for any Star Wars fans and fans of a Christmas story
I hope you review 8-Bit Christmas as the right way to pay homage to A Christmas Story. It's pretty much flown under the radar. I think it has the potential of becoming a cult classic.
There is another good Jean Shepherd story that made it to film (The Great American Fourth of July & Other Disasters) and it is online here: th-cam.com/video/zow7fro-WGE/w-d-xo.html
My family would watch the first film every year. We love the film. In more recent years, my mom and my brother would do the Santa race (dress as Santa, start the race at the house in the film if I remember correctly). Entering the race, you would get a medal (at least one year's medal had the leg lamp on it). My brother has had a few items with the leg lamp on it. Edit: I remember the scene in the Summer Story of the neighbor family thinking the Old Man was inviting over to party with his music. I had forgotten the film but I remembered that scene. Thank you for reminding me of that film.
For me, it stunk for 2 reasons: #1: Everyone is over-acting and it feels deliberately comedic where the first movie felt accidentally comedic, if that makes sense. Now #2: The first movie was a simple examination of americana during the 1940s, with all of the concerns and predicament revolving around the 1940s. It was a period piece, basically. The sequel just feels like someone from the 2000s trying to pretend to remember the 40s, but just admitting defeat and re-treading the exact same scenarios laid out in the first movie.
Since you feel this way about this sequel, you should look at 'A Christmas Story Live' (the musical version - which aired on TV - with Matthew Broderick narrating)...
I'm so thankful that phase TV was going through where things like The sound of music live or grease or whatever is in the past now. I remember hearing about a Christmas story with Matthew Broderick I believe it was on Fox couldn't tell you what year but it was within the last 5 years I'd say but otherwise I've completely forgotten everything else about it.
John doe - Watch the 'Nostalgia Critic' review of 'A Christmas Story Live' and you'll see just how awful it was...if you like the original, just stick with the original and avoid the other stuff....
@@MLJ7956 It's amazing how often that statement is true. It's not that sequels can't be good but I think this long after the original with a crappy budget and the original author dead it was guaranteed to be a total dud. As for the live version I'm sure it was an absolute dumpster fire. The fact it's been completely forgotten speaks volumes I think. Also Matthew Broderick has probably the worst track record post Ferris Bueller.
Thanks for mentioning the alternate sequels that other video content seems to ignore. I remember Grodin shining in the role, but none of the dads measure up to Darren McGavin. He was “a true master.”
Sequels, remakes & reboots......I can't think of too many that HAVEN'T ended up leaving me disappointed. That's IF I've even bothered to see them at all.
My brother used to despise A Christmas Story because his second grade teacher tried showing it to his class and he hated the younger brother. Finally watching again years later, and we loved it.
Also,an earlier pbs effort of Shep,"The phantom of the open hearth". Involves halloween...the best is DEFINITELY "The starcrossed romance of josephine cosnowski", which is a Thanksgiving Story... originally aired on pbs american playhouse..
Ironically enough, before I even heard of A Christmas story, I had seen one of its actual sequels. It was a made for TV movie called Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss that featured Jerry O'Connell portraying a teen Ralph in a film that gave summer vacation the same comedic treatment given to Christmas in the first film. It was honestly well done
I love that movie and consider it the true sequel to Christmas Story. Due to licensing issues it's never been released on anything passed VHS, but the whole thing's on TH-cam.
Wasn’t My Summer Story also a sequel? I swear I remember a scene in that where kids are obsessed with those toys that spin when you pull their rip cord (obviously I’m doing a bad job of remembering the name for the toy).
The Parker family were first introduced on PBS in 1976 in a feature called the Phantom of the Open Hearth narrated by Jean Shepherd. It features Ralph as a High School Junior going to his first prom and the introduction of the iconic leg lamp. There are a couple of others that came out before A Christmas Story. They are all on You Tube.
Repeating the same jokes as in the original is an insult to the audience. When Flick got his tongue stuck to the frozen pole, it was due to a "triple dog dare." Per schoolyard code, he couldn't back down from a triple dog dare. It was matter of having to defend his honor, otherwise he'd look like a coward. But in the sequel, by sticking his tongue in that suction tube, the joke is ruined. It's no longer about charmingly stupid things that kids do. Instead, the nonsensical implication is that Flick sticks his tongue on/into things because that's just what he does.
Gay Vladka Putina it’s like there was no soul to the movie and just a shell of the original. It was like the wanted to make a sequel, but they got confused with a reboot and it gave birth to this mess. None of the charm is there it seems so off putting. Very little seemed genuine. I am so surprised something like this was ever made. Not to speak in hyperbole but I am pretty sure someone could have shot the movie on a smartphone and it would have at least looked better. 😳
that's why thematic sequels and 'spiritual successors' are always better. have a DIFFERENT dare or a different situation where someone is socially pressured. that's how you write.
@@KairuHakubi yeah i have the same opinion. I think people being inspired by something can make for some really cool things being made but branching yourself from the original can help give something more freedom to do things differently. Like a joke or a plot point that wouldn't make sense in the original movie much but is still very funny/good.
it would have been cool to see them try that- or just rely on references a whole lot less, maybe one or two tops and a couple hidden ones in the sets that fans can enjoy but give the movie some room to stand up on its own.
@@GwyndolinOwO another video from this same guy that I watched after this, he put it perfectly, how we need more spiritual sequels like that movie that is 'a marx bros movie but not called one' instead of what we usually get, the inverse, 'in-name-only' adaptations.
It makes me think about how anime changed the landscape, and how poorly a lot of us understood exactly what made it so special and why we liked it because we were just kids.. and I think that's part of it, they have a lot of "different franchise, same themes" stuff, whether it's the same creator doing new works that feel familiar to his old ones, or different ones being inspired by each other and ending up with similar tropes in a way we flat-out don't do over here.
@@KairuHakubi I wouldn't mind a modern take on Duck Soup.
I really like the movie and Groucho, but a lot of that stuff is extremely dated.
The true charm of the original lies in the fact that it is seen through the childhood memories of Ralphie. Jean Shepherd was a true genius.
My favorite bit of Fridge Brilliance...there are anachronisms in the movie (music/cars that wouldn't have been around in 1940) or things that seem exaggerated (just where would Higbee's store that HUMONGOUS mountain in the off-season?). But then you realize...we're seeing this from the perspective of a grown man looking back on his childhood, and don't we all mix up details of our childhood memories? Or exaggerate other details?
@@jenniferschillig3768 Another movie that works on that level, with far more serious material, is JO JO RABBIT.
@@suedenim Which I really GOTTA get around to watching. :-)
A Christmas story was itself a remake of a TV movie also by gene Shepard entitled the phantom of the open hearth. They were based on events from genes collection Wanda hickys night of golden memories.
A Christmas story is better but open hearth is well worth a look.
I remember a few years ago my grandmother wanted to watch A Christmas Story 2 because she had it on her DVR. Thankfully the power went out and it deleted off her DVR. God was watching over us that day. We ended up watching the original instead. I should also point out the original is her favorite Christmas movie.
Lucky
@@MASTEROFEVIL I take you had to watch it huh?
@@MrBird2007 Once
@@MASTEROFEVIL ouch I'm sorry
I would've played the lottery if I were you
Proof that not everything needs a freaking sequel.
Or a TV musical 😵🙄
I'd argue most things don't need a sequel
There are sequels then there is this third rate American pie lite made for tv way too long snl skit. The problem is that wb ruined a fantastic opportunity. Why would they turn out such a turd and essentially kill a franchise. It is a wonder what sort of geniuses greenlit such a lazy idea. They must have truly hated the original movie to produce such schlock. This in no way meant toward those who starred in this movie, but the writer, director, producer, and studio by producing this and acting like “yep this is a winner”. Maybe a group will get together to put together a true sequel at some point with original material.
@@Therisktaker3 When the sequel that had Disney's involvement was less of a cash grab, that's saying something.
"Ghostbusters" was the first film I saw more than once in a theater during its initial run - it was a huge thing for me, absolutely transformative. "Ghostbusters II" taught me to stay away from sequels (or at least choose them carefully).
I always thought that the "Official Sequel" tag on the trailer was to reassure audiences it wasn't a parody. Never a good sign.
If anything it made me die a little more inside than I already had realizing this existed. The fact that somebody sanctioned this is disturbing to say the least.
It's clearly what happens when something becomes popular enough but not popular enough to you know spend a decent amount of money.
I kind of saw it as the opposite tbh, it seems tongue in cheek
@Hentavese
they weren't so much sequels as much as continuations of similar characters based in the same world but with direct influence by the original author. I mean he came back and did the narration and everything.
This new one though is a souless cash grap pure and simple.
Mr. Parker was frugal because of the time period. The guy had lived through the Great Depression, and therefore learned to save, save, save as much as possible. That was real recurring fear for people in that time period.
People can really learn from this in the modern day.
@@nikoclesceri2267so profound
Not just the great depression, WW2 brought on a slew of rationing for civilians. Hell they even made pennies out of steel in 1943 so they could use the copper for war efforts. Rationing posters from the time are wild, there are posters that say "Rationing means a fair share for all of us" depicting without and with rations. The without shows a wealthy woman with a huge bundle of groceries and a man and woman with nothing, and then with rationing everyone has a few items and are smiling. Amazing the almost iron curtain nature depiction of how rationing is fair for everyone, people today "hate communism" and yet we adopted rationing and the rational of the rationing as patriotism at the time.
I don’t know if this analogy will make sense but the aesthetic of the movie and the cheap lookalike actors remind me of those porn parody films that are purposely made to look like a joke.
I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about ;D
@@dannycarrington1601It would be titled "Not A Christmas Story". The adult film industry has become so lazy with their parody titles they wouldn't even bother to come up with the obvious "An XXX-mas Story"! (I'm knowledgeable on the subject from being the editor/narrator of "A Star Is Porn: The Carnalogical History of the Sinema", a bibliodocumentary that sold out screenings in Austin and San Francisco).
THATS IT!!
@@kenlieck7756 Pretty glorious title. How was your experience working for the antichrist?
@@mr.funnyman9765 A little confused by your reference. To my knowledge there has never been a porn parody based on a religious-themed movie -- but between suggestive words re: Christ's cinematic "Temptation" and "Passion" I'm kinda surprised some horny producer hasn't been "divinely perspired" to bring us great dirty works like 'XXX-odus', 'Bend Her" or 'The 10" O'manmeat'...
You know, there WERE several of Shepherd's stories that dealt with Ralphie as a teen/young adult. My favorite appeared in In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash like the bulk of the ACS plotlines, and was about fourteen-year-old Ralphie (described as a high school sophomore...did they start high school younger back then?) getting talked into a blind date by his friend Schwartz, who claimed that his girlfriend's dad felt better with another couple along on their dates. So Ralphie makes the gesture in the name of friendship...and finds out that his date is a knockout. He's quite pleased, but the girl won't respond to any of his attempts at conversation. It suddenly hits poor Ralphie that HE is the blind date--that Schwartz was just blowing smoke with that story about his girlfriend's dad and that he'd arranged all this to give Ralphie a break, but that the girl considered this a dud. He suddenly sees himself as she must see him...overweight, dorky, and ridiculous. Now why couldn't they have incorporated some of THESE stories into ACS2?
(And, for that matter? Shep also wrote a story about Ralphie driving a car for the first time...and putting a scratch on it, only to have it passed off as a mistake by a parking attendant.)
I love that story! Had to read it for my english university class, super fun read
They actually used this plotline in another of Shepherd's made for TV movies, Great American Fourth of July. It's probably about as hard to find as Ollie Hopnoodle's, but I love it and it's totally worth tracking down if you're a fan of his.
@@GrayLanternPPA it might be on youtube....can definitely find it on pirate streaming sites
The 'blind date' story was also done on TV as 'The Phantom of the Open Hearth' in the late 1970's.
I saw that on youtube
"...for starters the actors are doing their best"
Boy, we're beginning on a high note... "well, they tried..."
The sad thing was not even the best actors could have saved the material they were working with.
This is crap to put it very lightly.
I'll bet the people that wrote this used aliases or fake names or something. I wouldn't want my name anywhere near this steaming pile of unnecessary sequel.
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu Makes you wonder why Daniel Stern took the role. It's not like he was hurting for cash.
@@tfarr8138
Considering how often the people behind these type of movies tend to lie their ass off to get people involved they might have overhyped or made it seem better than it was.
Though I would assume everyone going into this would be aware it was a straight to video release and Stern is the biggest name attached to this turd. I'd say this movie didn't work out for anyone who was in it including but especially him.
@@tfarr8138 thank god stern knew what was up when home alone 4 came out
Fun fact: it was an endorsement from Jean Shepherd on his radio show that helped beloved filmmaker John Cassavetes fund his first movie !
I love origin / connection stories like that.
I used to listed to Shepherd's radio show in the 1970s and had 2 of his books. Truly an original.
That’s amazing! I’ll have to give Shadows another look
I think one of the reasons why "A Christmas Story" does so well on TV is its episodic nature; you can have it on in the background while you are trimming the tree, wrapping presents or baking cookies, stop and enjoy a scene and then get back to what you were doing.
Having Ralphie expect his parents to buy him a car for Christmas is absolutely ridiculous. They're a working class family in the midst of the Great Depression.
Idiotic premise considering the setting.
A Christmas Story is set in the 1940s
The Great Depression didn’t truly end until like 1945
@@nikoclesceri2267 No, that was WW2.
No, I'm talking about the great depression. The economy didn't really recover until the war ended, the average American didn't leave depression era frugalness until the late forties early fifties
Christmas Story 2 is like seeing a tik tok influencer trying to tell a rodney dangerfield joke
Rodney dangerfield is a legend. You must be a seth Rogen fan I take it .😂
@@bharmon1980 wow his joke flew directly over your head.
Isn't it funny how the people most eager to correct others online are sometimes the most ignorant of all? Maybe being less intelligent makes them feel it's necessary to try to discredit others. But their overall ignorance always shines through.
@@bharmon1980 go Back To School.
Flunk me? Flunk you!
11:20 In fairness that wasn't a set, they actually filmed it in the Higbees department store in Downtown Cleveland. It looked real because it WAS real.
A Christmas Story and Scrooged are the 2 Christmas movies I watch EVERY holiday season.
I like Scrooged, too. Especially Carol Kane as the sadistic Ghost of Christmas Present.
Scrooged is great except for the ghost of Christmas future... when I was a kid growing up in the 90’s that end scene scared the crap out of me....
add christmas vacation and thats basically all i watch.
Me too but I have to add Die Hard and Bad Santa for good measure
It’s A Wonderful Life for me :)
They had Daniel Stern, voice of the Wonder Years, and yet they find a shabby Shep imitator to use instead. Tells me every i need to know about the decision making of this production
2:07- "Christmas Story da T-shoit, Christmas Story da lunchbox, Christmas Story da breakfast cereal (marshmallows of leg lamps and bars of soap), Christmas Story da flamethrower... you'll burn ya eye out."
I think I have some Christmas Story earrings somewhere (which is odd since I know I didn't pay money for them and I certainly don't wear earrings)!
@@kenlieck7756 Are they... DANGLY ones?
@@ExplorerDS6789 Actually, if I recall, they *don't* look like this: i.ebayimg.com/images/g/sZMAAOSwWX1f87C9/s-l500.jpg
Where did this quote come from?
@@trupertofthelytes Paraphrasing Yogurt in Spaceballs.
Those lips will haunt my dreams
It's actually pretty impressive considering whatever terrible budget this thing had that said of course it's still horrifying.
It remembers me the alien from star wars that sings in the jabba the hut lair, and even more with the new ones with cgi.
Reminds me of Jar Jar sticking his tongue out.
It’s like the scream extractor from Monsters Inc
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu Remembers or Reminds?
Every time you cut away to the old man's shocked reaction with how terrible the sequel was I lost it. hahahaha. Great editing.
The silence is what gets me.
Even with it being over saturated, I never grow tired of the original. I remember watching it over and over Christmas Eve night until it was time to open presents because I couldn’t sleep.
This Failure is Remembered, Felt, & Dreaded
A lot of these kind of deserve to be forgotten but this one especially really should be just buried deep and never brought back. It's an insult not just to the original movie but to the creator as well. I'm just thankful that it failed so hard it not only shut down that WB straight to dumpster division but also hopefully completely derailed any further plans during this into a franchise. It should have been one and done. The other TV movies I can give a pass to. But this was so aggressively distastefully terrible I feel like forgetting it is the best thing everybody can do.
Well, you got to do Christmas Vacation 2 for next year now! :D
Hello, you.
I second that Jr.
it pains me to see them whore out the National Lampoons name like that just to make a quick buck.
I assume we're talking about that terrible one that was basically Randy Quaid on an island or something you know before Randy
Quaid went broke turned into some kind of conspiracy hobo who occasionally shows up somewhere to demonstrate how cuckoo he is these days.
Is that what he got to do?
Watching 24 hours of a Christmas story is my tradition. Every year I will watch the entire movie after stitching together clips over the 12 airings.
That's how you do it! I feel like the last 30 minutes of the movie, followed by the first 10 minutes of the next airing, are what I catch the most.
Just think back in 2012 this film was released right under our noses and none of us even noticed.
The fact it went straight to DVD shows they knew it was a POS
I honestly had no idea this existed, and now I am kind of sad that it does. Great episode, though. Always appreciate your work.
When I found out about it I really did die a little inside. I wasn't a super fan of the first one or anything but I did enjoy it (until you know it was run into the ground) But knowing this existed really was a sad statement of how bad things had gotten.
Seeing the other films this straight to DVD division farted out proves to me it was a cash grab pure and simple.
Daniel stern as the old man comes full circle. The wonder years was inspired by a Christmas story and he was the narrator on that show
I did not click on this video expecting to learn that there are a bunch of other actual movies featuring the same characters from the same writer. About to marathon this guys whole imdb page.
Edit: There's even other holiday ones! "The great american 4th of july" and "the star crossed romance of Josephene Cosnowski" are great Indiana slice-of-life shows to watch on Independence Day and Thanksgiving respectively. I feel bad for Josephene though, ol' Ralph fumbled the bag.
A Christmas Story was genius never replicated. Shepherd was the Norman Rockwell of film!
10:53
"These are landmarks in growing that everybody remembers."
Perfect editing.
The hard cut after 3:39 was absolutely perfect. Had me dying. Oh fudge!
One of the best things about the book was hearing the voice of the movies narrator as you read.
You're one of my favorite channels, I learn so much about things that aren't as well covered.
I feel the one with the adult Ralph coming home after the old man passed away was pretty decent. I dont think it will become a holiday tradition to watch it every year but it was fine.
I think Darren Mcgavin is the underappreciated MVP of the first movie. Due to heavy repetition most of the clips from the first movie here didn't do much for me, but I LOL at McGavin's delivery at about 12:25.
Can you imagine Jack Nicholson as the Father? Cause I heard that he wanted to play this part.
@@joeyrivaldo5239 I'm pretty much just picturing Jack Torrance as The Old Man, and now I kind of want to see that version of the movie.
@Neil Breen's Floating Ballsack Was great as Murphy Browns father.
I can not explain it but the Darren McGavin made the first film. I remember him as televisions "Mike Hammer".
One of my favorite Darren McGavin roles that you might like: "Blood & Concrete" starring Billy Zane, Jennifer Beals and James LeGros. It's a weird one but well worth watching - and McGavin plays this old cop who makes Shepherd's Old Man look like the sugarplum fairy. Pure grouchiness!
@2:09 That’s my hometown! I live there! That’s Chickasha, Oklahoma! I remember coming home from work one day and seeing them putting it up. I even took a photo of them pulling it up with wire. It was like a inflated balloon.
They recently updated the lamp with a permanent one. It looks much better now!
Shepherd did a few other Ralphie films as well, all of which were made-for-tv movies:
-The Phantom of the Open Hearth (1976)
-The Great American 4th of July and Other Disasters (1982)
-The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski (1985)
I actually think “Great American 4th of July” is the best Jean Shepard movie, sans the odd intro.
11:23 There were no Shopping Malls (as we know them) in the late 40s/early 50s, the first in the US would be built in the mid-50s near Minneapolis. The scene is set in a stand-alone Department Store.
Personally, I would've cast Bryan Cranston as the Old Man, and Daniel Stern could've been either the narrator or the mall Santa.
Already loads better.
@@nickmanzo8459 Yeah, and have Cranston go Walter White on the furnace, so that has to be the subplot: he's trying to save money to buy a new furnace, which Ralphie would later get for him instead of another damn leg lamp.
I would've cast Bryan Cranston as the Old Man and Aaron Paul as Ralphie
@@gator9339 just because actors work well together in one project doesn't mean that they will in another. That's basically just making fan fiction at that point. I adore both actors. But if they were in this it would just make you think of breaking bad. Which would pull you out of the movie.
Like this movie could afford Bryan Cranston
Jean Shepherd's narration is what makes the movie, the delivery and the genius behind them is a character all its own
Glad you mentioned Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss and My Summer Story/It Runs In The Family. (The latter even started off with the last shot of A Christmas Story.) At least they've got more credence as sequels...they are based on Shep's writings and feature his narration. In fact, My Summer Story incorporates a story I wish had made it into ACS...the Great Orpheum Gravy Boat Riot.
And they got Glenn Shadix to play Leopold Doppler, owner of the Orpheum theater.
Watching A Christmas Story every year is a family tradition of my mind and many other people. Its crazy
I remember seeing the sequel on an airplane thinking, "How the heck did I never hear about this."
This can’t be worse then Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddy’s Island Adventure
I don't know, I think that movie pushed Randy Quaid over the edge. I mean he's turned into some kind of conspiracy hobo these days.
@dave4248 I'm with you on Lost World.
It's boring, slow, and pretty forgettable. And takes too long to get going. Save for the bloody waterfall scene, cliff scene, and ending rampage in San Diego.
Sure, the 3rd film is flawed too, but at least it's faster and memeorable.
That film was hilariously bad.
Yes he does sound like a Young Adam West.
i knew i wasn't the only one who thought that
Especially Adam West from the Batman TV series, and I must say for a Adam West impression he does a good one
As a Playboy magazine subscriber (back-in-the-day), I had read the original "A Christmas Story" therein. I so identified with the incessant maintenance of coal-fired furnaces & the delight of owning a BB gun. (Mine was a Daisy Eagle, not the Red Ryder, but still a marvel for a pre-pubescent lad.) Far and away, ACS is my favorite bit of holiday nostalgia.
Yeah, isn't gas GREAT? Lol
It sure is better than any of the alternatives at actually powering and heating things
*The original is honestly one of the best things about Christmas. We litterally keep TNT locked the minute it comes on to the minute it stops*
Your content is like my ultimate comfort channel. So glad I subscribed to patreon.
Daniel Stern is also the voice of you Kevin Arnold on "The Wonder Years" which always reminded me of "A Christmas Story". Its like falling into a 20th Century American nostalgia wormhole!
I love that 1988 summer vacation flick, I grew up watching that and only rediscovered it a few years ago
I really could’ve done without the repeated showings of Flick’s tongue being sucked through the vacuum tube. Once was enough for me.
Yeah and being a boy why would his first thought be his tongue... to go in that SUCTION TUBE.... you know.... just saying....
@@geminisabah You're thinking of "An XXX-mas Story"!
That was a very Farrelly brothers gag
Because THAT'S what I want in a cheapo "Christmas Story" sequel: to see something i'd see in a Cronenberg movie. 🤢
Seriously love your channel, very nostalgic; gives life to movies a lot of us cherish or may not know of!
Everyone talks like the original was a flop in theaters. It made nearly $20 million on a $3 million dollar budget.
*In the 80's, "It's a Wonderful Life" played all day on the networks* . It was the "go to" Christmas movie at the time, and all parents viewed that movie as the ultimate Christmas movie. To a kid at the time, anything in black and white was so old-fashioned. But, my dad insisted it was the best Christmas movie. (I only watched it once.) I saw "The Christmas Story" in the theater when it came out. We loved it. But, I have no doubt within the next few decades another movie will take its place. That's how it goes.
My wife and I just finished watching a Christmas Story Christmas. That’s how you do a sequel that honors the original. It was great, and carried all the same heart. Highly recommend.
I hated it.
Christmas Story Christmas was okay. It was nice they got most of the original cast back. Given the inability to get the original actors for the parents, they did what they could.
i liked my summer story
i love listening to sheperd's wor radio broadcasts
that man could tell a great story
Kinda reminder that a worthy follow up, "A Christmas Story Christmas", exists and can be seen instead of this garbage.
That movie will always be a tradition to watch in my family on Christmas lol
Jerry O'Connell or as so many of us still refer to him 'The fat kid from Stand By Me'. I wonder if he still hears that.
A Christmas Story is a classic
My family still watches it every year during the 24 hour tv marathon.
Mom makes us all hot chocolate when we watch :3
if I remeber correctly wasn't "My Summer Story" actually originally titled "It Runs In The Family"?
Yes, it was.
MGM was in receivership when they made that movie so it barely got released. I never saw it play in theaters where I lived, so I had to wait for the re-titled video.
I'm glad you showed it like five times, cause that image of Flick's mouth and tongue in that tube will haunt me for the rest of my life...😶
Haven't seen all of A Christmas Story Christmas but I'm gonna call that film the true official sequel to A Christmas Story.
It's certainly a better movie than A Christmas Story 2 is but I still found it to be bland and disappointing.
A Christmas Story Christmas is the true sequel over part 2, I basically remove from my memory part 2.
Glad to be back to this channel, its one of my favorites. Hats off too you
Little known Jean Shepard adaption: American Playhouse: the Great American Fourth of July, with Matt Dillon as a teenage Ralphie. Produced in 1982, 2 years before A Christmas Story.
My mother reliuctently took me to the original movie in theaters, and it ended up being one of her favorite movies of all time. I also remember everyone at school talking about how funny it was, and I think both Siskel and Ebert like it. So I was surprised to find out years later that the movie had flopped.
while this is for the most part a cheap cash-in, I still contend that the main reason that Christmas Story is so beloved is due to the cast (which is pitch-perfect), especially Melinda Dillion and the great Darren McGavin. Proof: look no further than the actual sequel It Runs in the Family - same creative but different cast. the magic is simply not there.
I remember watching this movie all day Christmas Eve and Christmas. It’ll always be my favorite Christmas movie
Every Christmas I watch the first movie with a glass of eggnog. ☺️
If you really like Daniel Stern where’s the video on BUSHWACKED ?!?!?!
"Bushwacked" is definitely underrated. Some other gems of his are "Otis" and my favorite, "Very Bad Things".
“That’s the WACKIEST thing i-ever hoird!”
Dude you nailed it! The narrator sounds just like Adam West!
I'm still waiting for "Die Hard Story" Ralphie vs Hans Gruber!
This movie was the reason my family got together during Christmas and we all sat on the couch and were happy eating loving being a family.
You said the magic words: 'Adam West.' If Adam West had a role in the movie--hell, if he actually WAS the narrator--it'd be better.
The guy who wrote it was the narrator. Jean Shepherd.
two good men are dead
My favorite Christmas movie of all time. I even got my tongue stuck on a pole, thanks to this film. I would watch the marathon every single day.
I would absolutely love to see you do a video on Daniel Stern's career. I've always thought he was great and should have gotten more recognition after Home Alone.
I watch Christmas Story every Christmas, they show it for 48 hours on TBS. Had no idea until now that there was a Christmas Story 2
"my summer story" is the only real sequel to "a christmas story".
Bob Clark and Jean Shepard even returned.
Same house, similar music but the same "coming of age" charm.
in the first movie, my grandpa is the clown during the parade that gets a few seconds of screen time lollll
The original is like the original Star Wars trilogy, the Jean shepherd sequels are like the animated shows and the Mandalorian, a Christmas story 2 is like the sequel trilogy. Just a fair analogy for any Star Wars fans and fans of a Christmas story
Michael Linkovski you are giving this too much credit this movie is like the Star Wars Christmas special.
@@Therisktaker3 touché
What about the prequels?
@@josephmonasky9495 Phantom of the Hearth. Cheesy, yet more important than people realized at first
A Christmas Story Christmas is worth watching.
I hope you review 8-Bit Christmas as the right way to pay homage to A Christmas Story. It's pretty much flown under the radar. I think it has the potential of becoming a cult classic.
I just learned of this movie's existence today while browsing for Christmas movies, and immediately searched for a Forgotten Failures episode about it
There is another good Jean Shepherd story that made it to film (The Great American Fourth of July & Other Disasters) and it is online here: th-cam.com/video/zow7fro-WGE/w-d-xo.html
Thank you! That was a classic along with Ollie’s and A Christmas Story, and deserves more accolades.
I never knew that any sequel existed in any form, let alone several. Great video, and great channel. Oh yeah, 7:02 LOL
As a huge fan of the first film, I'm ashamed to say that I never even heard of this sequel. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Do yourself a favor, and forget it just as quickly.
Regarding this film: you're not the one who should be ashamed.
My family would watch the first film every year. We love the film. In more recent years, my mom and my brother would do the Santa race (dress as Santa, start the race at the house in the film if I remember correctly). Entering the race, you would get a medal (at least one year's medal had the leg lamp on it). My brother has had a few items with the leg lamp on it.
Edit: I remember the scene in the Summer Story of the neighbor family thinking the Old Man was inviting over to party with his music. I had forgotten the film but I remembered that scene. Thank you for reminding me of that film.
You know something is bad when it's most known because it was on the Nostalgia Critic
Learning about something that is bad from something that is also bad.
I watch A Christmas Story 1&2 every year on demand during the holiday season.
For me, it stunk for 2 reasons: #1: Everyone is over-acting and it feels deliberately comedic where the first movie felt accidentally comedic, if that makes sense. Now #2: The first movie was a simple examination of americana during the 1940s, with all of the concerns and predicament revolving around the 1940s. It was a period piece, basically. The sequel just feels like someone from the 2000s trying to pretend to remember the 40s, but just admitting defeat and re-treading the exact same scenarios laid out in the first movie.
So, essentially the awful Psycho remake with Vince Vaughn. Using the EXACT same script, but little to none of the excellent Hermann music.
Thanks for taking on this thankless task, Joe. So I guess it's not so thankless. ;-) Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Since you feel this way about this sequel, you should look at 'A Christmas Story Live' (the musical version - which aired on TV - with Matthew Broderick narrating)...
I'm so thankful that phase TV was going through where things like The sound of music live or grease or whatever is in the past now.
I remember hearing about a Christmas story with Matthew Broderick I believe it was on Fox couldn't tell you what year but it was within the last 5 years I'd say but otherwise I've completely forgotten everything else about it.
John doe - Watch the 'Nostalgia Critic' review of 'A Christmas Story Live' and you'll see just how awful it was...if you like the original, just stick with the original and avoid the other stuff....
Here ya go... Nostalgia Critic review of 'A Christmas Story Live'....
th-cam.com/video/oxL6pzkZSv4/w-d-xo.html
@@MLJ7956
It's amazing how often that statement is true. It's not that sequels can't be good but I think this long after the original with a crappy budget and the original author dead it was guaranteed to be a total dud.
As for the live version I'm sure it was an absolute dumpster fire. The fact it's been completely forgotten speaks volumes I think. Also Matthew Broderick has probably the worst track record post Ferris Bueller.
6:12 we have Adam West at home...
a real sequel coming soon
Thanks for mentioning the alternate sequels that other video content seems to ignore. I remember Grodin shining in the role, but none of the dads measure up to Darren McGavin. He was “a true master.”
Sequels, remakes & reboots......I can't think of too many that HAVEN'T ended up leaving me disappointed. That's IF I've even bothered to see them at all.
Die Hard 2 was good; 3 was still OK. Let's not talk about 4, and let's pretend 5 doesn't exist...
@@ridikerous Why not 4? That was pretty good.
My brother used to despise A Christmas Story because his second grade teacher tried showing it to his class and he hated the younger brother. Finally watching again years later, and we loved it.
Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss was preceded by The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski.
I had to Google that to make sure they weren't just fake Troy McClure movies.
My Summer Story as well..another forgotten Parker Family film
@@IamReallySanta "My Summer Story" is also called "It Runs In Every Family," which might cause some confusion.
Also,an earlier pbs effort of Shep,"The phantom of the open hearth". Involves halloween...the best is DEFINITELY "The starcrossed romance of josephine cosnowski", which is a Thanksgiving Story... originally aired on pbs american playhouse..
Oppeldeldoc1 True. Terrible name. “A Summer Story” might have gotten some attention.
Ollie Hop Noodles is a fun old movie, great interpretation of how your first job feels. Btw love your channel, great work and happy holidays!
Ironically enough, before I even heard of A Christmas story, I had seen one of its actual sequels. It was a made for TV movie called Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss that featured Jerry O'Connell portraying a teen Ralph in a film that gave summer vacation the same comedic treatment given to Christmas in the first film. It was honestly well done
I love that movie and consider it the true sequel to Christmas Story. Due to licensing issues it's never been released on anything passed VHS, but the whole thing's on TH-cam.
Wasn’t My Summer Story also a sequel? I swear I remember a scene in that where kids are obsessed with those toys that spin when you pull their rip cord (obviously I’m doing a bad job of remembering the name for the toy).
@@Runningdeering That would be a top and yes Ralphie and his friends at school are hooked on them.
When this originally came out, I heard a rumbling sound. Eventually discovered it was Darren McGavin spinning in his grave.
I'd love to hear you'd thoughts about Christmas Vacations 2! 🤣
@CW yeah that's a classic! 😊
The Parker family were first introduced on PBS in 1976 in a feature called the Phantom of the Open Hearth narrated by Jean Shepherd. It features Ralph as a High School Junior going to his first prom and the introduction of the iconic leg lamp. There are a couple of others that came out before A Christmas Story. They are all on You Tube.