The grumpiest celebrity I’ve ever interviewed? That would be my teenage idol, legendary radio raconteur Jean Shepherd — best remembered for writing the classic comedy “A Christmas Story,’’ celebrating the 30th anniversary of its release this month.
When I interviewed him just before the film (which he also narrated and was credited on as a producer) came out in 1983, he dodged questions on just how autobiographical the story (based on one of his short stories) was — only reluctantly admitting that he, like the film’s young hero, Ralphie, grew up in Hammond, Ind., an industrial city abutting Chicago, during the Great Depression.
Shepherd loathed the film’s generic, apple-pie title, which is totally at odds with his mordant, hyperbolic humor.
“I fought it all the way down the line,’’ Shepherd, who hated being called a humorist, told me. “It was based on a story called ‘Red Ryder Nails the Cleveland Street Kid’ and I could accept that was too long for a marquee. My original title was ‘Santa’s Revenge.’
“We argued over dozens of titles, then finally settled on ‘Boys’ Life,’ after the magazine. It turned out that Steven Spielberg owned it — it was the original title for ‘E.T.’ — and he refused to give it up. Finally by osmosis — and this is what causes Watergates — you settle on the one that nobody can get mad at but nobody likes.’’
Shepherd had already turned down several offers to film the story, including one from the Disney studio (“Can you imagine it with Dean Jones and a talking Volkswagen?’’) when he was approached by then-unknown Canadian movie director Bob Clark in 1973.
Shepherd was impressed by Clark’s stylish little slasher movie “Black Christmas,’’ but it took 10 years before MGM would back “A Christmas Story’’ — only after Clark helmed the highly successful teen-sex comedy “Porky’s.’’
While Clark injected some schmaltzy touches that are uncharacteristic of Shepherd’s work, the writer bristled at the suggestion that the film paints a fond portrait of life in 1939 Indiana.
“I think nostalgia is one of the great sicknesses of America,’’ Shepherd declared. “What my work says is: If you think it’s bad now, you should have seen it then. You’ll notice that nothing works out for the kid. He gets hit with the gun, the furnace blows up, the dogs go wild, and the family winds up having to go to a Chinese restaurant for Christmas.’’
“A Christmas Story’’ was a modest success in 1983, taking in $19.2 million at the US box office. The forgotten 1988 sequel, “A Summer Story,” was a flop, but their curmudgeonly creator lived long enough — he died in 1999 — to see “A Christmas Story” become a holiday perennial. It’s just out in a new 30th anniversary edition on Blu-ray — and, for the 17th year, will be shown in a 24-hour marathon, beginning at 8 p.m. Christmas Eve on TBS.