The Phantom of the Open Hearth

Last updated

The Phantom of the Open Hearth
The Phantom of the Open Hearth logo.jpg
Official film logo
Directed by
Written by Jean Shepherd
Produced byDavid R. Loxton
Starring
CinematographyPeter Hoving
Edited byDick Bartlett
Music by
  • Paul Taubman
  • Joseph Raposo
Production
companies
  • New Television Workshop
  • WGBH Boston
  • WNET Channel 13 New York
Distributed by Public Broadcasting System (PBS)
Release date
  • December 23, 1976 (1976-12-23)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Phantom of the Open Hearth is an American made-for-television family-comedy film, directed by Fred Barzyk and David R. Loxton, with a script written by Jean Shepherd. Produced by Loxton, the film is the first screen adaptation to feature Shepherd's character Ralphie Parker, and is notable for influencing studio interest in A Christmas Story years later. Based on Shepherd's book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash and similar to all the other Parker Family films, the film depicts fictionalized events from his real-life childhood.

Contents

Synopsis

A middle-aged Ralph Parker introduces the film, before the events of the film's flashback to the past. Set during 1950s America, high school-aged Ralph prepares for the upcoming junior-promenade dance. Every day at school he tries to overcome his shyness and ask his crush, a popular classmate named Daphne Bigelow, to the event. At home, Ralph finds himself at odds with his father and his over-involved mother. His parents are busy with their own interests: Mr. Parker looks forward to the arrival of a tasteless lamp shipment he won in a bowling contest (a story later adapted in A Christmas Story ), while Mrs. Parker often attends "dish night" at the local movie theater to acquire a collection of dinner dishes (a story that reappears in My Summer Story ). Though Ralph decides to ask his geeky neighbor Wanda Hickey to the dance, he continues to wish he could win the affections of Daphne. Later with his friends and their dates, Ralph drinks alcohol excessively. The group finds themselves sick and vomiting in the bathroom stall, during the eventful night of junior prom. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Cast

Release

The Phantom of the Open Hearth was released on December 23, 1976, during an episode of PBS's anthological television series Visions . [7] [1]

Reception

Upon release the film was met with mostly positive reception, with praise directed at the sentimental value and nostalgic look at the history, the cast's performance, as well as Shepherd's skills in storytelling. Criticism stated that the plot took itself perhaps a little too seriously. [7] Retrospective reviews give the television film mixed reviews. [4]

Sequels

The film was followed by a number of sequels, spawning a franchise of films, an adaptation for stage, and a television broadcast adaptation of that play. The film's first follow-up to be released was The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters in 1982. [1]

Unaired television series adaptation

The film was reshot and intended to serve as the pilot episode for an ongoing series with a prospective release in 1978. Though the finished product never aired, production was completed. The production was directed by John Rich, with a script by Jean Shepherd, cinematography by Roland 'Ozzie' Smith, and editing from Dick Bartlett. Filmed with a working title the same as the 1976 film, the cast included John Shepherd, Richard Venture, Barbara Bolton, and Jean Shepherd as young Ralph "Ralphie" Parker, Mr. Parker, Mrs. Parker, and Ralph Parker/the Narrator, respectively. The series included the original introduction of the famous "Oh, fudge (but I didn't say 'fudge')!" line which was later introduced in A Christmas Story. [8] [9] [10] [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Shepherd</span> American writer and radio host (1921–1999)

Jean Parker "Shep" Shepherd Jr. was an American storyteller, humorist, radio and TV personality, writer, and actor. With a career that spanned decades, Shepherd is known for the film A Christmas Story (1983), which he narrated and co-scripted, based on his own semiautobiographical stories.

<i>A Christmas Story</i> 1983 film by Bob Clark

A Christmas Story is a 1983 Christmas comedy film directed by Bob Clark and based on Jean Shepherd's semi-fictional anecdotes in his 1966 book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, with some elements from his 1971 book Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories and Other Disasters. It stars Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, and Peter Billingsley, and follows a young boy and his family's misadventures during Christmastime in the 1940s. It is the third installment in the Parker Family Saga.

<i>Ollie Hopnoodles Haven of Bliss</i> 1988 television film directed by Richard Bartlett

Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss is a 1988 American made-for-television comedy film written by Jean Shepherd and directed by Dick Bartlett, based on the 1968 short story by Shepherd. A satire of childhood recollections of annual family vacations, it follows the Parker family as they travel to a Michigan lakeside camp, the eponymous Haven. It was a co-production of The Disney Channel and PBS, and aired in that order, and was released on video.

<i>My Summer Story</i> 1994 film by Bob Clark

My Summer Story is a 1994 American comedy film directed by Bob Clark that serves as a sequel to his 1983 film A Christmas Story. Like the previous film, it is based on semi-autobiographical stories by Jean Shepherd, primarily from his book In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melinda Dillon</span> American actress (1939–2023)

Melinda Ruth Dillon was an American actress. She received a 1963 Tony Award nomination for her Broadway debut in the original production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles as Jillian Guiler in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and Teresa Perrone in Absence of Malice (1981). She is well known for her role as Mother Parker in the holiday classic A Christmas Story (1983). Her other film roles include Bound for Glory (1976), Slap Shot (1977), F.I.S.T. (1978), The Muppet Movie (1979), Harry and the Hendersons (1987), Captain America (1990), The Prince of Tides (1991), To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar, How to Make an American Quilt, Magnolia (1999), for which she was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award, and Reign Over Me (2007).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Hagerty</span> American actress

Julie Beth Hagerty is an American actress. She starred as Elaine Dickinson in the films Airplane! (1980) and Airplane II: The Sequel (1982). Her other film roles include A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982), Lost in America (1985), What About Bob? (1991), She’s the Man (2006), A Master Builder (2014), Instant Family (2018), Noelle, Marriage Story, and A Christmas Story Christmas (2022).

<i>In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash</i> 1966 novel by Jean Shepherd

In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash is a collection of short stories in a novelized form by American humorist Jean Shepherd first published in October 1966.

John William Shepherd is an American actor and producer who has starred in film and on television since the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Billingsley</span> American actor and filmmaker (born 1971)

Peter Billingsley, also known as Peter Michaelsen and Peter Billingsley-Michaelsen, is an American actor and filmmaker. He is best known for portraying Ralphie Parker in the 1983 movie A Christmas Story and its 2022 sequel A Christmas Story Christmas. He also played Jack Simmons in The Dirt Bike Kid, Billy in Death Valley, and Messy Marvin in a series of commercials for Hershey's Syrup in the 1980s. While an infant, he began acting in television commercials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Broderick</span> American actor

James Joseph Broderick III was an American actor. He is known for his role as Doug Lawrence in the television series Family, which ran from 1976 to 1980, and he played a pivotal role in the 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lois Nettleton</span> American actress (1927–2008)

Lois June Nettleton was an American film, stage, radio and television actress. She received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won two Daytime Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Christmas Story House</span> Attraction and museum in Cleveland, Ohio

A Christmas Story House is an attraction and museum in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. The 19th-century Victorian, which was used in the exterior and some interior scenes of Ralphie Parker's house in the 1983 film A Christmas Story, was purchased by a private developer in 2004 and has been restored and renovated to appear as it did in the film both inside and outside. The museum is part of a complex of four buildings devoted to the film and is open to the public year round.

<i>A Christmas Story 2</i> 2012 American film

A Christmas Story 2 is a 2012 American Christmas comedy film directed by Brian Levant and starring Daniel Stern and Braeden Lemasters. The film is a direct sequel to the 1983 film A Christmas Story and ignores the events of the 1994 film My Summer Story. The film, set six years after the original, follows fifteen-year-old Ralphie as he wishes for a 1939 Mercury Eight convertible for Christmas, but crashes the car before he even owns it. Now, Ralphie and his friends, Flick and Schwartz, must find a way to raise enough money to fix the car before Christmas.

<i>A Christmas Story: The Musical</i> American stage musical

A Christmas Story: The Musical is a stage musical version of the 1983 film A Christmas Story. The musical has music and lyrics written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and the book by Joseph Robinette. The musical takes place in the 1940s in Indiana and focuses on a child named Ralphie, who wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas.

Clay Kaytis is an American animator and film director, best known for directing the animated film The Angry Birds Movie (2016), the Christmas comedy film The Christmas Chronicles (2018), and the A Christmas Story sequel A Christmas Story Christmas (2022).

<i>A Christmas Story Live!</i> 2017 live TV production inspired by the movie A Christmas Story

A Christmas Story Live! is an American television special that was originally broadcast by Fox on December 17, 2017. It was a live, televised musical remake of the 1983 film A Christmas Story, and incorporated the 2012 stage musical version A Christmas Story: The Musical. The live musical was executive produced by Marc Platt and Adam Siegel, directed by Scott Ellis and Alex Rudzinski, and starred Matthew Broderick, Andy Walken, Maya Rudolph, Chris Diamantopoulos, and Jane Krakowski.

<i>Parker Family Saga</i> American media franchise

The Parker Family Saga, is a collection of American family-comedies based upon the stories of author Jean Shepherd. The stories originated on Shepherd's radio programs and in his books before being adapted into a stage play, two theatrical films, four made-for-TV films, one straight-to-home video film, one unaired pilot episode for a planned television series, one musical adaptation, one live television adaptation of that musical and one made-for-streaming film.

<i>A Christmas Story Christmas</i> 2022 film by Clay Kaytis

A Christmas Story Christmas is a 2022 American Christmas comedy film directed by Clay Kaytis with a script he co-wrote with Nick Schenk, from an original story co-written by Schenk and Peter Billingsley. It is a legacy sequel to A Christmas Story (1983) and is the eighth installment in the Parker Family Saga franchise, while ignoring the events of My Summer Story (1994) and A Christmas Story 2 (2012). The film was produced by Billingsley and Vince Vaughn along with Cale Boyter, Jay Ashenfelter, Marc Toberoff and Irwin Zwilling. Billingsley reprises his role as Ralphie Parker alongside Ian Petrella, Scott Schwartz, R. D. Robb, Zack Ward, and Yano Anaya returning as Randy, Flick, Schwartz, Scut Farkus, and Grover Dill respectively. Erinn Hayes, River Drosche, and Julianna Layne play Ralphie's wife and kids, with Julie Hagerty as Mrs. Parker. In the film, after the Old Man dies, Ralphie takes his family to his childhood home, reuniting with his mother and old friends, while being tasked to deliver a memorable Christmas.

<i>The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters</i> 1982 American film

The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters is an American made-for-television family-comedy film, directed by Richard Bartlett, with a script written by Jean Shepherd. Produced by Olvia Tappan, the film is the second installment in the Ralph Parker franchise. Based on Shepherd's book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash and similar to all the other Parker Family films, the film depicts fictionalized events from his real-life childhood.

<i>The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski</i> 1985 American film

The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski is an American made-for-television family-comedy film, directed by Fred Barzyk, with a script written by Jean Shepherd. Produced by Olvia Tappan, the film is the fourth installment in the Ralph Parker franchise. Based on Shepherd's book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash and similar to all the other Parker Family films, the film depicts fictionalized events from his real-life childhood.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Channel Guide staff (December 19, 2012). ""A Christmas Story 2" isn't the only Ralphie sequel out there". Channel Guide Magazine. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  2. ↑ OnesMedia Films (January 30, 2020). "The Phantom of the Open Hearth (1976)". OnesMedia Films. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  3. ↑ TV Guide staff (2022). "The Phantom of the Open Hearth". TV Guide. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Letterboxd (December 23, 1976). "The Phantom of the Open Hearth". Letterboxd. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  5. ↑ Clavin, Jim (April 24, 2016). "The Phantom of the Open Hearth (1976)". Flicklives. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  6. ↑ Erickson, Hal. "The Phantom of the Open Hearth (1976)". All Movie. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 December 23, 1976 (December 23, 1976). "TV: Offbeat 'Visions' Nastalgia". The New York Times. Retrieved January 24, 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ FlixCatalog staff (January 23, 2022). "Where to watch The Phantom of the Open Hearth (1978) Tv show online". FlixCatalog. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  9. ↑ "The Phantom of the Open Hearth (1978) - Trivia". IMDb. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  10. ↑ DVD Locker (2021). "The Phantom of the Open Hearth (1978)". DVD Locker. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Phantom Of The Open Hearth". Flicklives. January 22, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.