“You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!”
For the first time since the 1983 holiday hit was released, Ralphie Parker’s iconic Red Ryder BB gun will be on display at the Christmas Story House & Museum in Cleveland.
The “carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle with a compass in the stock” vintage gun is now a permanent addition to the museum.
“This has been the holy grail for us -- the actual BB gun used by Ralphie in the movie,” said Brian Jones, founder and owner of the A Christmas Story House. “We have had a commemorative replica on display, along with many original props, costumes and memorabilia from the film, but this is an item we’ve hoped to find for a long time.”
When a fan alerted the staff at A Christmas Story House & Museum that a vintage air rifle used in the film was for sale on a film collectibles Web site, Jones and his staff didn’t hesitate. They snapped up the prize for the $10,000 asking price.
The previous owner, Gary Meck, was the production asset manager for the film. According to information provided by Meck to the collectibles company, The Prop Master, six guns were made by Daisy for the production. After filming, one of the guns went to Peter Billingsley (who played Ralphie), one to the film archives, and the others to Meck and various members of the production team.
Although Daisy had been making the Red Ryder BB Gun since 1940, the version used in the film never existed as a Daisy production model. The current style at the time of the film did not have a sundial or compass, as described in the Jean Shepherd story that was the basis for the movie. So Daisy made this Christmas wish come true for little Ralphie by creating this unique model especially for the film.
“This original Red Ryder BB gun from the movie is a great addition to our collection,” said Jones. “We are excited that fans will now be able to see the real thing for the first time.”
The Christmas Story House & Museum is located in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood at 3159 W. 11th Street. It first opened to the public in 2006.
