''A Christmas Story Live!'' is an American
television special
A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of en ...
that was originally broadcast by
Fox
Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush").
Twelve species ...
on December 17, 2017. It was a live, televised musical remake of the 1983 film ''
A Christmas Story
''A Christmas Story'' is a 1983 Christmas comedy film directed by Bob Clark and based on the 1966 book '' In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash'' by Jean Shepherd, with some elements from his 1971 book ''Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories ...
'', 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
Scott Ellis (born April 19, 1957) is an American stage director, actor, and television director.
Life and career
Ellis graduated from Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (now at DePaul University) in Chicago. and Alex Rudzinski, and starred
Matthew Broderick
Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is an American actor. He starred in ''WarGames'' (1983) as a teen government hacker, and ''Ladyhawke (film), Ladyhawke'' (1985), a medieval fantasy alongside Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer. He play ...
,
Andy Walken,
Maya Rudolph
Maya Khabira Rudolph (born July 27, 1972) is an American actress and comedian. In 2000, she became a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). During her tenure on the show, she appeared in supporting roles in ...
,
Chris Diamantopoulos
Christopher Diamantopoulos ( (''Khristóforos Diamantópoulos''); born May 9, 1975) is a Canadian actor. He played Russ Hanneman in the HBO series ''Silicon Valley'' and starred in the film ''The Three Stooges'' as Moe Howard, and the TV series ...
, and
Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski (; ; born October 11, 1968) is an American actress and singer. She starred as Jenna Maroney in the NBC satirical comedy series ''30 Rock'' (2006–2013, 2020), for which she received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Out ...
.
Premise
''A Christmas Story Live!'' is based on "the short stories of humorist
Jean Shepherd
Jean Parker "Shep" Shepherd Jr. (July 26, 1921 – October 16, 1999) was an American storytelling, storyteller, humorist, radio and TV personality, writer, and actor. With a career that spanned decades, Shepherd is known for the film ''A Christm ...
and is set in 1940's Indiana. It follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker and his unrelenting desire to get his hands on a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas".
Cast and characters
The Parker Family
*
Andy Walken as Ralphie Parker
**
Matthew Broderick
Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is an American actor. He starred in ''WarGames'' (1983) as a teen government hacker, and ''Ladyhawke (film), Ladyhawke'' (1985), a medieval fantasy alongside Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer. He play ...
as Ralphie as an Adult
*
Maya Rudolph
Maya Khabira Rudolph (born July 27, 1972) is an American actress and comedian. In 2000, she became a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). During her tenure on the show, she appeared in supporting roles in ...
as Mother
*
Chris Diamantopoulos
Christopher Diamantopoulos ( (''Khristóforos Diamantópoulos''); born May 9, 1975) is a Canadian actor. He played Russ Hanneman in the HBO series ''Silicon Valley'' and starred in the film ''The Three Stooges'' as Moe Howard, and the TV series ...
as The Old Man
* Tyler Wladis as Randy Parker
School characters
*
Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski (; ; born October 11, 1968) is an American actress and singer. She starred as Jenna Maroney in the NBC satirical comedy series ''30 Rock'' (2006–2013, 2020), for which she received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Out ...
as Miss Shields
* Sammy Ramirez as Schwartz
* JJ Batteast as Flick
* Sacha Carlson as Scut Farkus
* Elie Samouhi as Grover Dill
* Abigail Dylan Harrison as Louise
* Artyon Celestine as Richie
* Allie Kiesel as Mary Beth
* Hayley Shukiar as Esther Jane
Other
*
Ana Gasteyer
Ana Kristina Gasteyer (; born May 4, 1967) is an American actress, comedian and singer. She was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1996 to 2002. She has since starred in such sitcoms as ABC's ''Suburgatory ...
as Mrs. Schwartz
*
Ken Jeong
Kendrick Kang-Joh Jeong ( ; ; born July 13, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and physician. He rose to prominence for playing Leslie Chow in ''The Hangover'' film series (2009–2013) and Ben Chang in the NBC sitcom ''Community'' ...
as Tree Salesman/Restaurant Owner
*
David Alan Grier
David Alan Grier (born June 30, 1956) is an American actor and comedian. Known for his roles on stage and screen, Grier gained popularity playing multiple roles in the American sketch comedy television series '' In Living Color'' (1990–1994) ...
as Mall Santa
*
Fred Armisen
Fereydun Robert Armisen (born December 4, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, musician, and writer. With his comedy partner Carrie Brownstein, he co-created and co-starred in the IFC sketch comedy series '' Portlandia''. He also co-created ...
as Mall Elf
*
PrettyMuch
PRETTYMUCH were an American-Canadian pop and R&B boy band based in Los Angeles, California. The band consisted of Brandon Arreaga, Edwin Honoret, Austin Porter and Zion Kuwonu. They released five EPs and a debut album before disbanding in 2023. ...
as Hohman Indiana carolers
Musical numbers
Two songs were created exclusively for the live broadcast that were not present in the original Broadway production: "Count On Christmas" and "In the Market for a Miracle". In addition, three songs from the Broadway production were cut or reworked. "Overture" and "Parker Family Singalong" were both cut, while "Act One Finale" was reworked as "Ralphie's Nightmare". The song "Up on Santa's Lap" was included in the television broadcast but not included on the ''A Christmas Story Live!'' album.
;Opening number
* "Count On Christmas" –
Bebe Rexha
Bleta "Bebe" Rexha ( , ; born August 30, 1989) is an American singer and songwriter. She signed with Warner Records in 2013, and was credited with co-writing releases of other artists—such as Eminem's Grammy Award-winning single " The Monster" ...
;Act I
* "It All Comes Down to Christmas" – Ralphie, The Parkers and Ensemble
* "Red Ryder Carbine Action BB Gun" – Ralphies
* "The Genius on Cleveland Street" – The Old Man and Mother
* "When You're a Wimp" – Kids
* "Ralphie to the Rescue" – Ralphie, Miss Shields, The Parkers and Ensemble
* "What a Mother Does" – Mother
* "A Major Award" – The Old Man, Mother and Neighbors
* "Ralphie's Nightmare" – The Parkers
* "In the Market for a Miracle" – Mrs. Schwartz, Ralphie, Schwartz, Ensemble
;Act 2
* "Sticky Situation" – Kids, Ensemble
* "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out" – Miss Shields and Kids
* "When You're a Wimp (reprise)" – Kids
* "Just Like That" – Mother
* "At Higbee's" – Elves
* "Up on Santa's Lap" – Santa, Elves, Ralphie, Randy and Kids
* "Before the Old Man Comes Home" – Ralphie and Randy
* "Somewhere Hovering Over Indiana" – Ralphie, Randy and Kids
* "Red Rider (reprise #3)" – Ralphie and The Old Man
* "Ralphie to the Rescue (reprise)" – Ralphie and Ensemble
* "A Christmas Story" – The Parkers and Full Company
Production
The production was based on ''
A Christmas Story: The Musical'', which in turn was based on the
1983 film.
Marc Platt reprised his role as co-executive producer from the live television musical of ''
Grease: Live'' (2016), joined by
Adam Siegel
Adam Siegel (born March 9, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and graphic designer (he has provided artwork and design for several releases by L.A. groups) from Venice, California, United States. KISS, Bla ...
, and television director Alex Rudzinski and theatrical director
Scott Ellis
Scott Ellis (born April 19, 1957) is an American stage director, actor, and television director.
Life and career
Ellis graduated from Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (now at DePaul University) in Chicago. . It was broadcast from the
Warner Brothers Studios
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
in
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...
, primarily using outdoor sets. Ellis noted that emphasis on the "feeling of family" was an important aspect of the production, as "it's not just razzle-dazzle stuff and big musical numbers. Our challenge is to never lose sight of the family aspect. And I think — I hope — we've succeeded in that". Songwriting duo
Pasek & Paul, who wrote the songs for ''A Christmas Story: The Musical'', wrote three new songs for the production, including "In the Market for a Miracle" for Mrs. Schwartz, "Ralphie's Nightmare" for the Parker family, and the opening theme "Count on Christmas".
Pasek noted that the team had to try to maintain a balance between preserving the familiar and iconic aspects of the film, while also expanding upon it through its musical format. He explained that "there are certain moments where we want to stay true to what people remember and then there's other moments where we have permission to do what only musical theater can do and turn the dad's fantasy into a tap dancing number". Platt remarked that, when working on a project such as this, "you prepare for the unknown. That's what makes live TV exciting. There are certain things that happen that you can't anticipate".
Unlike previous years,
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
did not broadcast a live musical for the 2017 holiday season; while it did plan to produce a version of ''
Bye Bye Birdie
''Bye Bye Birdie'' is a stage musical with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams, based upon a book by Michael Stewart.
Originally titled ''Let's Go Steady'', ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is set in 1958. The play's book was influenced by El ...
'' executive-produced by and starring
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...
, it was delayed and eventually abandoned.
The broadcast ultimately competed against
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting
* Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
's annual presentation of the film ''
The Sound of Music
''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...
'', as well as NBC's ''
Sunday Night Football'' between the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
and
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
.
During the special, Fox also broadcast a live, 2-and-a-half-minute commercial for ''
The Greatest Showman
''The Greatest Showman'' is a 2017 American musical period drama film directed by Michael Gracey from a screenplay by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon, based on an original story by Bicks. The film stars Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, ...
'', a then-upcoming musical film that also featured songs written by Pasek and Paul. The spot, which was directed by
Michael Gracey
Michael Gracey is an Australian filmmaker. He is best known for directing the films ''The Greatest Showman'' and '' Better Man''.
Early life and career
Gracey grew up in Melbourne – in Carlton then Kew – then started working in visual effects ...
and
Beth McCarthy-Miller
Beth McCarthy-Miller (born September 3, 1963) is an American television director. Shows she has directed include ''Saturday Night Live'' and ''30 Rock''.
Early and personal life
McCarthy-Miller was born on September 3, 1963, in Elizabeth, Ne ...
, and also simulcast on
Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
, featured a performance of the number "Come Alive" with the film's stars
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October 1968) is an Australian and British actor, singer, and producer. Beginning in theatre and television, Jackman landed his breakthrough role as Wolverine in the ''X-Men'' film franchise and the Marvel Cinem ...
,
Zac Efron
Zachary David Alexander Efron (; born October 18, 1987) is an American actor. Efron began acting professionally in the early 2000s and rose to prominence as a teen idol for his leading role as Troy Bolton in the ''High School Musical'' film ...
,
Keala Settle
Keala Settle (born November 5, 1975) is an American actress and singer. Settle originated the role of Norma Valverde in '' Hands on a Hardbody'', which ran on Broadway in 2013, and was nominated for the Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Awar ...
, and
Zendaya
Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman ( ; born September 1, 1996) is an American actress and singer. List of awards and nominations received by Zendaya, Her accolades include two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Award. I ...
. The presentation was billed as the first live television commercial for a film.
Matthew Broderick, who served as the adult Ralphie, coincidentally had previous ties to the material, as his father
James Broderick
James Joseph Broderick III (March 7, 1927November 1, 1982) 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 ...
had played Ralphie's father The Old Man in two television films prior to ''A Christmas Story''.
Reception
Critical response
''A Christmas Story Live!'' received generally negative reviews, with the general audience reacting more harshly than professional critics. On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the production received a 43% rating based on 14 reviews. The show's three-hour length and musical numbers drew the most negative reactions, as Fox did not promote the program as a musical, and the lavish Broadway musical numbers were perceived to clash with the story's Midwestern setting. However, most of the individual actors' performances were positively received, as were the technical aspects of the special (such as scene and wardrobe changes).
The ''Los Angeles Times'' praised the performers: "...Matthew Broderick, who found his own, gentler way through Shepherd's pointy prose...Maya Rudolph was affecting as Ralphie's mother, Chris Diamantopoulos gruff if less than epic as his father, the Old Man...Andy Walken was a good visual match for the movie's Peter Billingsley,...The whole company of kids, in fact, was energetic and on their marks,... Schwartz's mother, previously an offended voice on the other end of a phone call, was here gloriously embodied by Ana Gasteyer, who brought in a Hanukkah theme..." but noted that "...the virtues that have made the movie a seasonal perennial were somewhat swallowed by the narrative digressions and showstopping gestures of the musical".
Ratings
The overnight
Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
were a 2.8 rating/5 share with 4.52 million viewers, as compared to the Fox network live telecast of ''Grease: Live'' in January 2016, which earned a 7.4 overnight and 12 million viewers.
Fox
reran ''A Christmas Story Live!'' in an edited two-hour time slot December 24, 2019. This telecast earned 1.11 million viewers, a 0.3 overnight rating and a 2 share. The rerun was also notable for going up against the original film in the first airing of its annual
marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...
on
TBS; the original drew more than twice the number of viewers.
Awards and nominations
See also
*
2017 in American television
In Television in the United States, American television in 2017, notable events included television show debuts, finales, and cancellations; channel launches, closures, and re-brandings; stations changing or adding their network affiliations; an ...
*
List of Christmas television specials
The following is a list of Christmas television specials and miniseries, as well as Christmas-themed episodes of regular television series.
Australia
Brazil
Canada Episodes
''6teen''
''The Beachcombers''
''Corner Gas''
''Degrassi''
...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christmas Story Live!, A
2010s American television specials
2017 in American television
2017 television films
2017 television specials
American live television shows
December 2017 in the United States
American English-language television shows
Films based on musicals based on films
Films based on multiple works
Films based on works by Jean Shepherd
Films set in Indiana
Fox television specials
American musical television films
Musical theatre television specials
American Christmas television specials
Christmas musicals
Parker Family Saga