WALTER SCOTT’S


CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: VALERIE MACON/AFP/GETTY IMAGES; NEW LINE/EVERETT; EVERETT


What souvenirs did he keep from A


Christmas Story? Go to Parade.com/ralphie to find out.


IN THE BEGINNING


How has Ralphie changed over the years? In many ways, he’s very similar. He has a wife, children, but he’s still very much a dreamer and still pretty relentless. If the answer’s no, he keeps pushing. He knows what he wants, [and] he’s trying to figure out his way to get it.


Are you able to tease anything about the story? The movie takes place in Chicago in the ’70s. Ralphie gets a call to go home to Hohman, where he grew up, back to the house to put on a Christmas for his children like the one he had when he was a kid. In some ways, it’s a midlife coming-of-age for him, in a good way. There’s another gauntlet that he has


WALTER SCOTT ASKS... PETER BILLINGSLEY


In A Christmas Story Christmas (Nov. 17 on HBO Max), Billingsley, 51, reunites with the role and setting of A Christmas Story, the 1983 family comedy that became a holiday classic. As the now- grown Ralphie Parker, he returns to Cleve- land Street in Illinois to give his kids a magi- cal Christmas like the one he remembers, and to reconnect with childhood friends Schwartz (R.D. Robb) and Flick (Scott Schwartz), his younger brother, Randy (Ian Petrella), and the bully Scut Farkus (Zack Ward).


2 | NOVEMBER 13, 2022


to move through, similar to the original in his pursuit of the BB gun. It’s fun be- cause we’re still in a period piece, so we’re able to take advantage of it. It’s set in the ’70s, but similar to the origi- nal, which was not really stated as the early ’40s, it still sort of feels timeless. This is very much the same thing. And I can tell you this, which was


fantastic: We had the opportunity to re-create the entire street where the original house was. So, we built 11 structures, including Ralphie’s house, the neighboring houses, ones across the street and down the street. So you’re transported back very much to the feel of the original movie. There was a lot of attention paid to detail, to re-creating the interior of the house that maybe would be slightly updated but feels very familiar.


Is there anything from


the 1983 movie that still makes you laugh? I’ve always had a fondness for Darren McGavin’s portrayal of the old man [Ralphie’s father] and his relation- ship with Ralphie. He’s the one charac- ter in the movie that Ralphie never asks for the [Red Ryder BB gun], and he’s


Before he was Ralphie, Peter Billing- sley was in plenty of 1970s commer- cials for such brands as Geritol, Sig- nal mouthwash and Hershey’s Syrup. He says the Geritol commercial is one of his earliest memories. “I think I was 2 and a half, just before 3.” He remembers that the commercial business back then was fun for a youngster. “Yes, I played Little League and other things, but it was an opportunity to have a different kind of experience. That was always the thing my parents said: ‘If this ever stops being fun, we’ll just stop. If you’re enjoying it, we can find a way to support it, but if it’s not, we’ll just stop.’ It always felt exciting and fun, and it felt challenging and was some- thing that I really enjoyed doing.”


NOT THAT ELF


That’s Billingsley in another holiday favorite, playing an elf su- pervisor (called Ming Ming) in Ellf ! He didn’t take a credit for the role, but when eagle- eyed fans finally spotted him, it was an internet sensation.


ing) in ta en on


the one who actually gives it to him. There’s something about that father- son relationship that I love.


Why do you think people cherish the movie so much? One thing I’ve heard fans say over and over again: “That’s my family.” They’ll tell me that it feels very real. It’s not the bubblegum ver- sion that’s all perfect, nor is it dark. There’s just a reality to it that I think is relatable, from the parents and the practicalities of life to the hopes and dreams of kids, to the struggles of just getting to school in the cold.


Other than Christmas, what’s your favorite holiday? Thanksgiving. I think there’s a lot of the same elements. Just behind that is the Fourth of July. I just love the coming together and the grat- itude and being with loved ones and the chance for reflection.


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