22/12/2023
Every year Jean Shepherd's wonderful "A Christmas Story" is a traditional TV icon of the season. But long before it achieved that status Jean, Ralphie, The Old Man, Flick and all the rest of the cast of characters from the mid-40's in Hammond, Indiana saved me one night on my radio show. I was pretty new to radio (the station was WIFI, 92.5 FM in Philadelphia), it was late December and I was doing a five-nights-a-week talk show (8-to-10 PM) from "The Harvest House Restaurant" in the King of Prussia PA Plaza.
It was Christmas eve and my two scheduled guests failed to show up. It was cold, snowy, the restaurant was practically empty. I contacted the engineer (Craig Baker) back at the station and told him to get ready to fill the two hours with music, that I had no guests, hence no show. He said "you'd better call Buzz" (the station manager) and so I did. Buzz, my mentor in this business, said "The show has to go on, you'll have to wing it". And so I did.
In my brief case was the latest copy of "Pl***oy" magazine and in that magazine was Shepherd's classic story about a little boy who wanted a Red Ryder BeBe gun for Christmas. "You'll shoot your eye out" was pretty much the reply he got from his parents, his teacher and just about everyone else.
I had two hours to kill and all I had a long magazine story about a little boy, his family and friends and Christmas. The solution was clear, that was it. I would read the story to my audience. And I did.
To add to the effect, the woman who played the organ at the restaurant (her name was Ginny) got in to the act and began to lightly play Christmas music in the back ground. There was snow on the ground. The scene was set and it went off without a hitch.
A few years later I met Mr. Shepherd at a pool party in New Hope. His wife (Lois Nettleton) was appearing in a play at Bucks County Playhouse. Sitting around the pool, at the home of my friend Penny Larsen, I told him the story. and how his prose had saved me. He laughed and said "You probably violated every copyright law in the book and I love it. It was inspired radio. Good for you" Excellsior!"
And so it was. I had his blessings albeit a couple of years late.
So I every year on WTBS (when the movie runs for 24 hours on Christmas Eve) I make sure to catch it and enjoy, once again, my involvement with Ralphie and his Red Ryder rifle.
This Christmas, just like Ralphie's family, we will celebrate the holiday with a family dinner out - at a local Chinese restaurant.
As Ralphie would have said "Merry Christmas to All..and to all a good night".
