The short stories on which the classic 1983 film A Christmas Story is based were written by humorist Jean Shepherd, who also provided its voice-over narration. Starring Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, and Darren McGavin, the story line is basically about a boy trying to convince his parents and Santa that he deserves a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.
Shepherd, a popular radio comedian in the 1950s, is the voice behind…
“Oh, life is like that. Sometimes, at the height of our revelries, when our joy is at its zenith, when all is most right with the world, the most unthinkable disasters descend upon us.”
“I had heard that word at least ten times a day from my old man. He worked in profanity the way other artists might work in oils or clay. It was his true medium; a master.”
“It was all over - I was dead. What would it be? The guillotine? Hanging? The chair? The rack? The Chinese water torture? The human sacrifice? Hmmph. Mere child’s play compared to what surely awaited me.”
