Mickey Mouse in "A Christmas Story" question?

[jsilvers]

the pre-Eisner company it was 30 years ago when it only had three parks

Four. Disneyland (1955), Magic Kingdom (1971), Epcot (1982), and Tokyo Disneyland (1983, seven months before ACS opened in theaters).

 

[Lou Holtz]

You know what they say...

When you're in a hole, stop digging.

Robo, your behavior is arrogant and condescending. If you can't respond with an actual argument like an adult, don't respond at all.

 

[MyNameisStitch]

I've seen the Christmas movie "A Christmas Story" probably hundreds of times,you know the movie, they play it for 24 hours on Christmas,"you"ll shoot your eye out kid".Well after seeing it so many times I saw something while watching it today that even though I've noticed before I never really thought too much of or asked myself why.In the Christmas parade scene when Mickey Mouse comes out he seems to be ganged up on by the Wizard of Oz characters,it's kinda strange and I'm stumped as to why.Does anyone who's seen this scene understand why?

Back to the OP's question, My best guess is that they pushed Mickey aside because ACS is set close to the time The Wizard of Oz had been released and those characters were the big thing at the time. Thats my theory on the animosity toward Mickey. Kind of similar to Stitch at the Disney Parks pushing aside other characters because he was the big thing at the time. And on a side note, I am one of the ones that was OK all the Stitch hoopla

 

[MyNameisStitch]

Just as an aside that has nothing to do with the main question in this thread...

A Christmas Story was written by Jean Shepherd.

Mr. Sheperd was a long-time radio personality (starting in 1948 and beyond) who was famous for telling stories of his youth (similar to Garrison Keillor's stories of "Lake Wogebon" heard on NPR's Prairie Home Companion these days.)

Jean Shepherd's distinctive radio voice is also an integral part of A Christmas Story, as it is he who is heard throughout the film as the narrator.

One of the last major creations to which Mr. Shepherd contributed before his death (1999) is still running at WDW.
Mr. Shepherd's wonderful expressive voice is heard as the narrator and also voice of the main on-stage "father" characters in WDW's current version of "Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress" at the Magic Kingdom.

So, there is a (long after the movie was made, BTW) "Disney connection" with A Christmas Story, but one that has nothing to do with any scene with a Mickey character in the film.

Just thought it would be interesting for those here who didn't know the CoP info.

Wow! I have seen CoP and A Christmas Story a million times and never realized that was Jean Shepherd! But now that I think about it I can hear his voice on both! Thanks for sharing!

 

[CLR4321]

Mr. Shepherd's wonderful expressive voice is heard as the narrator and also voice of the main on-stage "father" characters in WDW's current version of "Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress" at the Magic Kingdom.

I have never noticed Mickey in the parade. I guess just one of those things that blends in with the movie. Now that you mention the narrator being the CoP father's voice....now I know why that voice in CoP was so familiar! I have only been on CoP twice but have seen A Christmas Story quite possibly 25-30 times! That is an interesting piece of info!

 

[muffyn]

Ok here is the story directly from the Director's mouth.

They put the Disney characters in and then asked for permission, they showed the movie to Disney and Disney was "sweet to them" and let it stay or they would have had to cut the scene. Disney also realized it was good promotion. All Bob Clark's comments.

He also commented that the Characters stayed in character and was not too far out of line.

So I guess you could call this Product Placement.

Also Jean Shepherd himself is seen in the scene as the man who tells them that the line to see Santa ends here, it begins there.

can I wave my hand & say "we" were there???

we were on the side of the street with the crowd when they filmed that scene. the parade scene took over 4 hours to film in 18 degree weather sometime after 10 pm .... ( it was a long cold night). they would run the parade people,, then start again to film from another angle. ( & a LOT of doing nothing)
the 'fight' happened right in front of us. very interesting night.. although I would have loved to have met the other actors who were being filmed on the corner that evening,, but at least the next day when we were with Peter billingsley for 6 hours, that was way cool..