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Mary tolds smack about the dead again
Dec. 27th, 2006 01:04 pm[Poll #896064]
A friend of mine sent me this today, about how Cleveland has done a way better job of capitalizing on the Christmas Story craze than Hammond Indiana, Jean Shepherd's hometown, ever did. (I wanted to email this to the Chamber of Commerce but they have no address. Rockin!)
I'm basing this on an outsider's quick dive into the Local History Room one slow afternoon to answer a long reference question, but I'm guessing that people's eyes glaze over when you say "Jean Shepherd" and not "You'll shoot your eye out" is because he loathed his hometown. Despised it. He had a hard time saying nice things about it even when they chose to honor him. It's really the movie they like, not him. And when we pass the local community theater and see that Our Town's Passion Play has sold out yet again, Vali and I look at each other and smile, because we have a feeling that he really would rather have had an eye shot out rather than be remembered like this.
p.s. The part where Ralphie decodes "Drink More Ovaltine" didn't happen either. You know you're bitter when you're making up stuff to be cynical about. It's true-- I read it on the internets.
A friend of mine sent me this today, about how Cleveland has done a way better job of capitalizing on the Christmas Story craze than Hammond Indiana, Jean Shepherd's hometown, ever did. (I wanted to email this to the Chamber of Commerce but they have no address. Rockin!)
I'm basing this on an outsider's quick dive into the Local History Room one slow afternoon to answer a long reference question, but I'm guessing that people's eyes glaze over when you say "Jean Shepherd" and not "You'll shoot your eye out" is because he loathed his hometown. Despised it. He had a hard time saying nice things about it even when they chose to honor him. It's really the movie they like, not him. And when we pass the local community theater and see that Our Town's Passion Play has sold out yet again, Vali and I look at each other and smile, because we have a feeling that he really would rather have had an eye shot out rather than be remembered like this.
p.s. The part where Ralphie decodes "Drink More Ovaltine" didn't happen either. You know you're bitter when you're making up stuff to be cynical about. It's true-- I read it on the internets.
