Jean Shepherd

A Christmas story gathers together in one hilarious volume the gems of autobiographical humor that Jean Shepherd drew upon to create this enduring film. Here is young Ralphie Parker's shocking discovery that his decoder ring is really a device to promote Ovaltine; his mother and father's pitched battle over the fate of a lascivious leg lamp and, most crucially, Ralphie's unstoppable campaign to get Santa or anyone else to give him a Red Ryder carbine...

Jean Shepherd, author of "A Christmas Story", again demonstrates his broad knowledge, unusual turn of mind, and humor, in this series of programs. From monologues of tragedy in the world of children, the seemingly minor disappointment of not being chosen for a game or a team, to commentary on tall tales and Midwest humor, these shows will captivate everyone fascinated by the style of Jean Shepherd — from subtle to bombastic — and the

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In 1940s Indiana, nine-year-old Ralphie dreams of his ideal Christmas gift: a genuine Red Ryder 200-shot carbine action air rifle. But when gruff dad and doting mom regularly respond with "You'll shoot your eye out!" Ralphie mounts a full-scale Santa-begging campaign. He encounters a slew of calamities from snowsuit paralysis to the dreaded tongue-on-a-frozen-flagpole gambit.

Ralphie is a 9-year-old who wants only one thing for Christmas - an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model BB rifle with a compass in the stock. Between his parents, his teacher, and even Santa Claus all Ralphie hears is "No, you'll shoot your eye out." By this time, Ralphie has had enough of that. When Scut Farkus, the schoolyard bully and his sidekick Grover Dill start in on Ralphie while he's on his way home from school that day,...