A Christmas Story House, West Cleveland, Ohio

We finished our tour with Gary crossing the Hope Memorial Bridge to the west side of Cleveland where he took us to the Tremont area of West Cleveland and the house featured in "A Christmas Story." The Hope Memorial Bridge is named after Bob Hope's father, who carved the images on the columns on each side of the bridge. The name was chosen in honor of William Henry "Harry" Hope, a local stonemason who helped build the "Guardians of Traffic" sculptures, and the father of comedian and former Cleveland resident Bob Hope. 

Hope Memorial Bridge

Close Up of carved statute

Every Christmas the movie "A Christmas Story" is shown, and it is one that I am not fond of. I don't know why, but it's never been a favorite of mine. Of course, Jim likes the movie. But we went to the gift shop but did not buy tickets to view the house and museum, so I just took a few pictures of the outside, and specific sections in the store. The house is located in West Cleveland on W. 11th Street.

1938 Oldsmobile Touring Sedan

Despite the fact that the movie was shot on a small budget, the producers sought to make the film historically accurate. To accomplish this, the use of a number of vintage cars were donated by local Cleveland car collectors. The 1938 Oldsmobile was a full-size car that sold for about $900 new, and was advertised as a car that featured a combination of power, economy and luxury at a reasonable price. Approximately 140,000 were built that year. The sedan used in the move appeared frequently. This car was portrayed as being troublesome, and the "Old Man" would complain that it would "freeze up in the middle of summer on the equator!" The most infamous scene in which this car was featured when Ralphie assisted his father in changing a flat tire and dropped the lug nuts. Ralphie blurted out, "Ohhhh Fuuuudge!" Only we all know, he didn't say "fudge." As a punishment, his mother washed his mouth out with Lifebuoy soap. 

1939 Ford Fire Truck

Hohman Volunteer Fire Department to the rescue! One of the most infamous scenes is when Flick gets dared to stick his tongue to the flagpole in the school yard. After the bell rings, his classmates leave him out in the cold and snow. Fortunately for Flick, his teacher Mrs. Shields calls the local fire department to come to the rescue. The fire truck on display here is not the original fire truck in the movie. The original truck is owned and operated by the Chippawa Volunteer Fire Fighters Association in Niagara Falls, Canada. 

Then and Now

The Famous Lamp