A Christmas Story: Behind the Scenes of a Holiday Classic by Caseen Gaines

Author:Caseen Gaines [Gaines, Caseen]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: ECW Press
Published: 2013-10-01T04:00:00+00:00

The Grand Marshall for the parade that year was none other than international pop star Tom Jones, who previously had been acquainted with Tedde Moore. “I met Sir Tom Jones, as he is now known, for the first time when I was attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London,” she recalls. “It was 1965 and I was seventeen. He couldn’t have been much older, as he was just starting his career. A strapping young fellow, he was truly poured into his shiny powder blue suit. His trademark was wearing these very tight pants and I can assure you they were tight. So tight, in fact, that he couldn’t sit down and had to take his tea standing up at the bar.”

Although she was a casual observer of his career, Jones’ music didn’t really interest her. She never could have imagined that she would wind up meeting him again, standing side-by-side with him in the middle of Cleveland on a frigid morning in November. “You may not remember this, but we’ve met before,” she said before recalling the story for him in the middle of Cleveland’s main square.

“Sounds like that was a long time ago,” he said with a polite smile.

As incongruous as it may have seemed for the cast to be appearing in a parade headlined by Tom Jones, it actually made a lot of sense. Like the Super Bowl, the Grammy Awards, and the Times Square celebration on New Year’s Eve, A Christmas Story transcends age, race, and gender. It still brings people together from all walks of life around the globe.

On November 25, 2006, just over a month after the final renovations were made on the house, several cast members made the trek back to middle America to help celebrate the grand opening of the completely restored house. On a day cold enough to make your eyes tear, Yano Anaya, Ian Petrella, Scott Schwartz, Drew Hocevar, Patty Johnson, Tedde Moore, and Zack Ward greeted several thousand well-bundled fans who wanted to be among the first to catch a glimpse of the supporting cast from their favorite holiday film.

Yano Anaya arrived at the opening day ceremony with his son, who now bears a striking resemblance to Grover Dill. “People used to tell him all the time that he looked like that kid in A Christmas Story,” he says with a laugh. “Imagine their surprise when he told them ‘that kid’ was his dad!”

Darren McGavin in 1990 © Photofest

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