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Fan Gives 'Christmas Story' House Another Shot at Fame
The Cleveland house, featured in the 1983 movie as the home of BB-gun-obsessed Ralphie Parker, was put up for sale on eBay.
(Photos By Scott Shaw -- The Plain Dealer Via Associated Press)
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"I tooled together 500 lamps in my 1,000-square-foot condo in San Diego and sold them all in the first year," Jones said.
And he's still making and selling them -- $129.99 for the 45-inch model, $159.99 for the 53-inch "deluxe full size" leg lamp.
When the house from the film was put up for sale on eBay in December 2004, it seemed like destiny to Jones.
"I said, 'Ooh, I gotta have that.' "
The auction price got up to $115,000. Jones, who shares Ralphie's unflinching enthusiasm, less than 20/20 eyesight and ability to speak at a breakneck pace, said he'd pay $150,000 if the owner stopped the bidding.
"It was mine. I sent him a deposit and flew out two days after Christmas just to make sure it wasn't a falling-down shack," Jones said.
He put in new windows and replaced the 111-year-old house's gray aluminum siding with mustard-yellow painted wood and green trim that perfectly matches Ralphie's house.
Although only a couple of interior shots were filmed there, Jones has re-created the '40s feel of Ralphie's home with a brown-and-white tile kitchen floor, a wide cast-iron sink in the kitchen, a claw-foot bathtub and, of course, a leg lamp in the window.
He also bought the house across the street -- Ralphie runs past it in the film's opening scene -- to serve as a museum and gift shop. Several original items from the film are on display, including the infamous snowsuit ("I can't put my arms down!") worn by Ralphie's brother, Randy.
The house is located in Cleveland's Tremont neighborhood, just a few minutes from downtown, where the exterior department store shots were filmed at the former Higbee's.
The cooperation of the department store is what brought the filmmakers to Cleveland for the film based on author Jean Shepherd's stories of his upbringing in Hammond, Ind.
The house is well known in the neighborhood, and neighbors like Marlene Childers have watched it change owners and go through ups and downs over the years. She's excited about Jones's tribute -- even if it means more cars and traffic.
"I love that story," she said.
Jones knows the feeling. And he says stepping onto Ralphie's old street makes him feel like he's in the movie.
Standing in front of the house holding a replica Red Ryder rifle, he discusses his future plans -- which could include a nearby bed and breakfast -- when, seemingly on a director's cue, a motorist passes, stops his car, rolls down the window and shouts, "You'll shoot your eye out, kid!"
