Long before he was the director of the most beloved Christmas movie of modern times, Bob Clark was a student and football player at Hillsdale College.
It was at Hillsdale where he developed a love of theater and honed his craft as a writer, and 20 years after leaving the campus, he directed “A Christmas Story,” the tale of Ralphie, the little boy who only wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.
Clark’s story is being told in a new documentary by filmmaking students at Hillsdale College, called “A Bob Clark Story: The Man Behind America’s Christmas Classic.”
The film premieres at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, at Plaster Auditorium on the campus of Hillsdale College. The public is invited. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.
“Everybody loves ‘A Christmas Story,’ but very few people know the story of the man who brought it all to life,” said Buddy Moorehouse, who teaches the documentary filmmaking program at Hillsdale College. “Bob Clark was a national treasure, and this documentary is the first time that his story has been fully told.”
Moorehouse said that if you love “A Christmas Story,” you’re going to love “A Bob Clark Story.”
“What’s really amazing is that nobody at Hillsdale College seems to know that he went to school here,” Moorehouse said. “He not only played football here, but this is where he developed his love of acting, and where he really thrived as a writer. Thanks to this documentary, everyone is going to learn his amazing life story.”
Moorehouse said that the filmmakers have discovered facts and tidbits about his days at Hillsdale College that have never been reported before.
“Bob went to school here from 1960 to 1963, right before his filmmaking career began, and this college really had a profound influence on his life,” he said.
Clark had one of the most diverse careers of any director in history. He directed the first “slasher” movie, a film called “Black Christmas,” and then really made his mark in Hollywood as the director of the raunchy teen comedy, “Porky’s.”
What cemented his place in America’s hearts, though, was 1983’s “A Christmas Story,” which he directed, produced and co-wrote. Clark died tragically in 2007 when he and his son were hit and killed by a drunk driver.
“A Bob Clark Story” is written, directed, and produced by the students in his documentary filmmaking class: Adriana Azarian, Quinn Delamater, Savana Greb, Christina Lewis, Sami Mandel, Lonán Mooney, Grace Novak, and Jamie Parsons.
Moorehouse said the students went to incredible lengths to research and tell the story.
“The house where they shot the original movie – Ralphie’s house – is in Cleveland, and my students got to spend the night in that house,” Moorehouse said. “They got to see the leg lamp in the window and they got to see the backyard where Ralphie gunned down Black Bart and his gang.”
And the question you all have: Did they interview Ralphie?
“Oh, yeah, we were able to interview Ralphie,” Moorehouse said. “One of my students flew out and interviewed Peter Billingsley (the actor who brought Ralphie to life), and his reflections and remembrances about Bob Clark are priceless.”
The documentary features interviews with other actors from “A Christmas Story,” including Ian Petrella (who played little brother Randy), along with Clark’s longtime personal assistant, a former teammate at Hillsdale College and others.
“This documentary will appeal to everyone, but especially the people who love watching Ralphie’s story every Christmas,” Moorehouse said. “It might even win a major award!”
If you’re unable to attend the premiere, “A Bob Clark Story: The Man Behind America’s Christmas Classic” will be available for viewing on YouTube later this spring.
