The Cast of ‘A Christmas Story’: Where Are They Now?

usmagazine.com:

Fudge! Nearly 40 years after A Christmas Story premiered in theaters, the hit holiday classic returned to the small screen for a long-awaited sequel —and it was filled with familiar faces.The 1983 movie, which was based on late raconteur Jean Shepherd’s In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley), who spends most of his time dodging a bully (Zack Ward) and dreaming of his ideal Christmas gift — a Red Ryder air rifle.

Set in December 1940, Ralphie finds himself at odds with his tough father (Darren McGavin), comforted by his mother (Melinda Dillon) and struggling to make it to Christmas Day with his glasses intact.The sequel, A Christmas Story Christmas, premiered on HBO Max on November 17, 2022, and catches up with Ralphie (still portrayed by Billingsley) at a different stage in his life.

Now an adult with kids of his own, his goal is to give his children the ultimate Christmas celebration — experiencing both the joys and struggles of the holiday season along the way.“The movie’s very much about Ralphie going home, and in going home you sort of unpack memories, you unpack the past a little bit, it’s something we can all relate to,” Billingsley told Entertainment Tonight in November 2022. “So, there’s some sprinkles of Easter eggs throughout, but for sure, the balance was much more heavily weighted on creating a new story for Ralphie [now that] he’s a dad.

His life is not really in the place that he wants, and he goes home and has to deliver to his kids a Christmas like he had growing up.”The film also brings fans back to Hohman, Indiana, giving a glimpse of Higbee’s — the department store where Ralphie asked Santa Claus for his Red Ryder rifle — and the Parker family home.