When A Christmas Story was first released, it received little fanfare. The movie, which was loosely based on many of Jean Shepherd's short stories, only made $2 million in its opening weekend and was met with mixed reviews. However, years after the film's release, it began being played on TV during the holiday season. It was then that the movie developed a following.
In the years since its TV premiere, a cult following grew into universal acclaim. Now, the movie runs for 24 hours straight during Christmas day on multiple TV networks, iconic lines are quoted endlessly, and leg lamps can be seen in living room windows around the world. Here are the 10 most iconic moments from A Christmas Story.
The Dogs and The Turkey
This scene was based on one of Shepherd's stories about the hillbilly Bumpus family who moves in next door and raises hell in the neighborhood. One of the most notorious moments in the movie, as well as in Shepherd's story, is when a gang of the Bumpus' hounds ruin the Parker's Christmas feast by running in through the backdoor and attacking the freshly baked turkey.
The Chinese Dinner
After having their turkey destroyed, the Parker family heads to the only restaurant in town open on Christmas Day... the Chinese place.
While certain parts of the scene may seem racist under a modern lens, there's still something timeless and relatable about a blue-collar midwest family experiencing a different culture for the first time. One of the most memorable moments in the scene is when the mom screams at the sight of a Peking Duck.
Fighting the Bully
Easily one of the most memorable moments in the film is when Ralphie loses his mind and beats up the neighborhood bully, all while savagely screaming profanities. Audiences related to this scene because almost everyone remembers dealing with the school bully, and many have—whether they admit it or not—surely fantasized about going hog wild on them just as Ralphie did in the film. This scene was another that was directly taken from one of Shepherd's short stories.
Be Sure to Drink Your Ovaltine
One of the most hilarious vignettes in the film is Ralphie's obsession with the Little Orphan Annie radio program. At the end of each episode, kids are instructed to decode a secret message that can only be deciphered using a decoder that had to be purchased from Ovaltine.
After yearning for his very own decoder, Raphie finally receives one and partakes in unlocking the secret communication. However, upon reading back the message, he discovers it simply says, "BE SURE TO DRINK YOUR OVALTINE."
Oh, Fudge
Everyone, aside from perhaps the younger generation, probably remembers the first time they cussed around their father and the punishment that soon followed. In this famous scene, the Parker family car gets a flat while driving home after buying a Christmas tree.
Ralphie tries to help his dad, but he accidentally drops the wheel's bolts and says "Oooohhhh Fuuuuudddgggeee...." Except, "fudge" wasn't the word he actually said. The scene perfectly captured that moment when a child knows they're about to be punished and it feels like life is over.
I Triple Dog Dare You!
You know a movie has gone down in the history books when it actually inspires people to hurt themselves. Year after year, numerous people actually suffer injuries after sticking their tongues to frozen flagpoles in an attempt to emulate the classic scene.
In the movie, Ralphie and his friends dare one of the schoolboys to put his tongue on the frozen flagpole. The boy initially refuses, but, after being triple dog dared, he just couldn't refuse. To this day, paramedics are called to flagpoles around the country to rescue people who, presumably, were triple dog dared...
Those Awful Bunny Pajamas
When opening presents, Raliphie opens a gift from his Aunt Clara, who, as Ralphie puts it, "labored under the delusion that I was not only four years old, but also a girl." The gift is revealed to be a giant, bubblegum pink bunny onesie, complete with floppy-eared slippers.
It was another example of where A Christmas Story perfectly captured something that everyone has been through. Anyone who has ever celebrated Christmas has had at least one gift given to them that was totally and completely just wrong.
Ho! Ho! Ho!
This scene was taken from one of Shepherd's short stories that was allegedly based on his real life. In the movie, the Parker family heads to the town department store—in the story, they live in Indiana, but in the movie, the scene takes place in downtown Cleveland.
Ralphie and his brother visit the store Santa Claus and Ralphie is overcome with nerves because he's about to share his Christmas wish with Santa, which is for a Red Ryder BB Gun. Upon finally getting the courage to tell Santa his wish, Santa replies with "you'll shoot your eye out, kid!"
Shooting His Eye Out
Towards the end of the film, Ralphie finally gets his bb gun despite being constantly told that he'll shoot his eye out. However, after Ralphie sneaks out to his backyard early the next morning to play his prized possession, he immediately shoots himself in the eye.
This scene perfectly sums up the comedic style of the film as a whole. The movie plays with the moments in people's lives that are all too real and all too relatable. The film flawlessly mocks those moments people cry about as they happen, but then laugh at years later.
The Leg Lamp
The most recognizable symbol of the film is the notorious leg lamp, or, as Raplhie says, "the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window." Ralphie's father wins the lamp in the contest and proudly displays it in the home's front living room window, much to the dismay of Ralphie's mother.
These days, the leg lamp has become such a cultural phenomenon that it can be purchased as the full-sized lamp from the movie, as miniature desk lamps, and even as ornaments, stockings, bottle openers, salt and pepper shakers, and more.