CLEVELAND (AP) — Even after three decades, the triple-dog dare doesn't get old.
The film "A Christmas Story" opened 30 years ago to mixed reviews but has shown its staying power as a holiday family favorite. Cleveland, where parts of the movie were filmed and hard-luck Ralphie dreamed big, is celebrating the anniversary with iconic leg lamps, holiday store windows like the ones that drew Ralphie's wide-eyed stares, and stage and musical versions of "A Christmas Story."
"It becomes part of your fabric for your whole life," said Kevin Moore, managing director of the Cleveland Play House, where the stage version of the story has become a holiday staple.
In the film, starring Darren McGavin as the father, 9-year-old Ralphie was transfixed by the brightly decorated storefront windows. And he dreamed of getting an air rifle as a Christmas gift, despite warnings that he might shoot his eye out.