A Christmas Story (audio)

I don't know how many people actually know that the movie A Christmas Story is actually based on some short stories by Jean Shepherd (who narrates the movie).  Most of them are contained in his book In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash which I read long ago.  It's a funny book and Shepherd is a great writer who writes stories/rememberances of growing up in the Depression era and beyond. 

Someone had the good idea to put together all the stories that A Christmas Story is based on into one book (I listend to it and it is narrated by Dick Cavett).  These are charming timeless stories.  There are five stories total in this compilation: "Duel in the Snow, or Red Ryder nails the Cleveland Street Kid" about the Red Ryder BB Gun; "The Counterfeit Secret Circle Member Gets the Message, or The Asp Strikes Again" with the decoder ring; "My Old Man and the Lascivious Special Award that Heralded the Birth of Pop Art," the leg lamp; "Grover Dill and the Tasmanian Devil" about the bullies; and "The Grandstand Passion Play of Delbert and the Bumpus Hounds" the full story of the Bumpus dogs and the meal they stole (in the story it is the Easter ham).  Together these five make up the classic Christmas movie.

Dick Cavett does a great job with the narration bringing to live this stories and the audio verision also includes music and sound effects so the effect is very much like a radio play.  It's really very neat.  I love how the stories bring to life that era in American history and how these little moments in time stick with people.