The house at 3159 W. 11th St. in Cleveland, which was featured in the 1983 film "A Christmas Story,"
is shown March 29. Brian Jones of San Diego, a former Navy man with a degree in aerospace engineering,
purchased the house on eBay.
House From “A Christmas Story” Bought by Fan
CLEVELAND (AP) - Brian Jones' purchase of a house in Cleveland has linked the California man's future to "A Christmas Story," the nostalgic holiday film he loves.
He wants to create a museum in the home where the film family lived and the main character, a boy named Ralphie, daydreamed of shooting bad guys with the BB gun he hoped his parents would buy him for Christmas.
"I'm getting overwhelmingly positive feedback," Jones, 29, of San Diego, said of owning the house. "People who are fans (of the film) think it's the greatest idea ever."
The former Navy man with a degree in aerospace engineering could not resist when his wife, who is serving on a Navy ship, informed him by e-mail that the house used in "A Christmas Story" was for sale on eBay. The starting bid for the four-bedroom house was $99,999.
He closed the deal for $150,000 and flew to Cleveland for the first time on Dec. 27, heading directly to the house.
Jones hopes to restore the home, built in 1895, from its current gray vinyl siding exterior to the deep yellow with green-trimmed windows that it had in the movie. Jones also said he would like the inside of the house to resemble how it appeared in the movie. In addition, he plans to open an onsite gift store selling items linked to the movie, including Ovaltine, Little Orphan Annie decoder rings and leg lamps like the one Ralphie's father proudly displayed in the front window of his family's house.
"Everyone loved the leg," Jones said. "My mom said someone could make good money selling them."
Two years ago, Jones started the Web site http://www.redriderleglamps.com and he has sold about 3,000 of the 45-inch-tall lamps of a woman's leg in a fishnet-stocking and high-heel shoe.
“A Christmas Story,” based on the writing of Jean Shepherd, who died in 1999, centers on the childhood of Ralphie - a bespectacled boy growing up in the 1940s - and his quest to get a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.
Filmed in 1983, the movie features lots of snowy Cleveland, including a trip to the now-defunct downtown Higbee's department store where Ralphie visits a malevolent Santa.
The movie is a Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. property and the National Entertainment Collectibles Association, in Clark, N.J., holds a license for marketing products from the film, including leg lamps.
Jones wasn't sure if he would run into any issues over rights to do business based on the movie's popularity.
NEC A did not respond to a message requesting comment. Warner Bros. had no comment.