A Christmas Story House Cleveland, OH
I’ve been watching A Christmas Story since it aired in 1983. Watching the movie is a holiday tradition in our household, and from what I can tell, I am far from alone. It’s since become a Christmastime classic; even the TBS network airs a 24 hour marathon starting on Christmas eve. There are a lot of folks who wouldn’t consider Christmas complete if they missed Ralphie in pursuit of the Red Ryder BB gun. Imagine unsuspecting fans’ delight when they find out that they can actually tour the house where A Christmas story was filmed!
The house is located in Cleveland,Ohio, in the west side neighborhood of Tremont. The establishment of the museum is a rather interesting story. The quick version is that Brian Jones, former navy man and a dedicated fan of the movie, in 2003 started successfully marketing replicas of the famous leg lamp from the film. Then, Jones’ wife discovered that the house used as the exterior set for the film (by then being used as a rental property) was up for sale on eBay. Jones knew he had to buy the building, acquired it for $150,000, and eventually hatched the idea for a museum dedicated to the movie. You can read the complete story at:
http://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com/
Today, the complex contains the house, restored back to its appearance in the film, a museum, and a gift shop. Here’s a great video clip from Positively Cleveland on the story.
Both the exterior and interior of the house replicate the movie set as closely as possible. So, once inside you are transported into the Parker’s home as portrayed in the movie, immersed in 1940’s trappings. A 1937 Oldsmobile sits in the garage, and a BB gun target is affixed to the nefarious metal sign on the rickety shed in back.
The museum portion contains costumes, behind-the-scenes footage, props, scripts, and details about various other locations used during filming (much of it inToronto). Cast visits to the site also happen occasionally. We were fortunate on the day we toured – Patty LaFonTaine, who played the part of the mean head elf at the top of the Santa slide in Higbee’s department store, made an appearance. She graciously spent time talking with visitors about her experiences and the filming in general, along with signing autographs.
The Christmas Story house is open year round, but as you might expect, during Christmas season it gets tons of visitors and is “at its Zenith”. The gift shop offers a wide variety of reproduction memorabilia, so it’s a great place to shop for gifts for fans on your list.
Yes, you can buy a leg lamp there!
A Christmas Story House
(216) 298-4919
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