The Radio Shows of "A Christmas Story"

"Who's the little chatterbox? The one with pretty auburn locks?" Newspaper ad for the "Little Orphan Annie" radio program from the Evening Star [Washington, D. C.] November 11, 1936 

The holiday film classic "A Christmas Story" (1983) turns 35 this weekend. The popular comedy about little Ralphie's dream quest for a Red Ryder Carbine BB air rifle is a great reminder of a childhood when radio was the only electronic broadcast media in the home.

Three "Golden Age" radio programs popular with children are specifically referred to in the film: the western great The Lone Ranger, (the crossword puzzle clue); Red Ryder based on Fred Harmon's popular western comic strip (the theme music can be heard when Ralphie fantasizes about saving the day as the sheriff with his trusty rifle); and most clearly Ralphie's disappointment with the decoder prize from the Little Orphan Annie program.

A portion of "Betty and Buster Binks" an advertising comic page for Ovaltine, sponsor of the "Little Orphan Annie" radio program, from July 30, 1933. In the top left panel the kids talk about listening to "Annie" on the radio.

For years many people have wondered when exactly "A Christmas Story" takes place. Some sources say 1940, but based on old time radio history this is impossible.

In the scene where the father is trying to solve the crossword puzzle he reads aloud a clue about the name of the Lone Ranger's nephew's horse. The Lone Ranger's nephew Dan Reid never appeared on the program until December of 1942. Also the "Little Orphan Annie" radio program went off the air in April of 1942. So these were radio memories that could not have happened at the same Christmas time.

Merita Bakery was a regional sponsor of  "The Lone Ranger" radio series in the American southeast. This ad is from November 11, 1942, in the Wilmington Morning Star. 

Small tidbits like this can actually make "A Christmas Story" more fun and believable because it is the nature of human memory to not remember things perfectly. In a DVD commentary for the film director Bob Clark and author Jean Shepherd acknowledged that a specific date was not intended and it had an "amorphously late-'30s, early-'40s" setting.

Pointing out the accuracy of these dates is (to this author) just is a really fun excuse to talk about the radio shows that were a part of Ralphie's world.

The Christmas Story House. From Wikimedia Commons. 

This Month in Children's Media: February 2018, Part I

80 Years Ago - For this edition I am sticking with 1938.

February 17, 1938 - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer directed by Norman Taurog and starring the late child actor Tommy Kelly premieres. Considered one of the best versions of Mark Twains' classic, it is strangely out of print with no official American DVD or streaming release to date.

Two page ad for "The Lone Ranger" serial. From Motion Picture Daily February 03, 1938.
Image from the Media History Digital Library

February 12, 1938 - The popular matinee serial "The Lone Ranger" is made available to theaters. Based on the radio drama that had been on the air since 1933, it is often regarded as the best western serial. It is notable for creating the masked man's origin as a survivor of a massacre of Texas Rangers, thus making him the "Lone Ranger".

Original review from the Motion Picture Daily, Wednesday, January 26, 1938.

"The Lone Ranger"
(Republic)

With "The Lone Ranger" the exhibitor has a 15-episode serial that will probably be a prominent factor when an accounting of profits is taken. The film, based on the popular radio serial, has been produced with an eye to providing thrills. If the initial installment gives an idea of what is to come, bookers should be busy.

The basic story deals with terrorism in Texas at the close of the Civil War which is spread by a self-constituted dictator. The Lone Ranger, so named because he is the sole survivor of a troop of his fellows who have been ambushed, vows to wipe out the murderer and his ilk.

With the aid of Tonto, an Indian friend, and the victimized settlers, he sets out to bring a close to the dark state of affairs. He is ruthless in his determination. The character who plays the Lone Ranger has been robed in mystery. There are five men who seem to take the part. This angle is part of the attraction.

The picture uses fine outdoor set- tings. William Nobles has done a handsome job with the photography. The well chosen cast includes Lynn Roberts, Hal Taliaferro, Herman Brix, Lee Powell, Lane Chandler, George Letz, Chief Thundercloud, Sammy McKim, Stanley Andrews and Tom London. Silver Chief, a splendid Arab horse, is a striking photographic subject as the hero's mount. William Witney and John English have done well with the direction.

The first chapter runs 26 minutes, the remaining 14 run 18 minutes each.

"G."

Full page ad for Republic Pictures' The Lone Ranger serial. From the Motion Picture Herald, October 02, 1937.
Image downloaded from the Media History Digital Library

February 04, 1938 
Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is released nationwide, over two months after its December 1937 premiere in California. An ABC-TV or Disney Channel special would have been nice, but at least FREEFROM aired a commemorative marathon.

This Month in Children's Media: January 2018

A 1941 Newspaper advertisement for a regional sponsor of "The Lone Ranger" radio program.

85 Years Ago - The Lone Ranger radio series first airs in a broadcast on either January 30th or January 31st, 1933. The masked man and his eventually introduced faithful Indian companion Tonto, would become the most popular masked man in America via radio, a equally famous TV program, movie serials, feature films, comic strips, comic books and more. Perhaps his fame was not surpassed until the "Batmania" of 1966. 

100 Years Ago - "Tarzan of the Apes" starring Elmo Lincoln and Enid Markey,  the very first film with the famous jungle man premieres, January 27, 1918. While not completely seen as a "kids" character, the impact of Tarzan on juvenile films and literature can't be ignored (Bomba The Jungle Boy, George of the Jungle, Disney's Tarzan).

80 Years Ago - "Tarzan's Revenge" starring professional swimmers Glenn Morris and Eleanor Holm, may be one of the most family friendly of the Ape Man's adventures. The movie premiered January 7, 1938.