Earlier this week, I had a chance to speak with Zack Ward and Scott Schwartz, two stars from the yuletide classic, "A Christmas Story."
Today, Comic Book Resources is reporting on a movie "urban legend" from that film I have heard whispers of in the past, but was never quite sure of its validity.
During the film, the protagonist Ralphie has several flights of fancy and/or daydream sequences where owning a Red Ryder BB gun would come in rather handy. One such sequence was supposed to have Ralphie fighting alongside 30s comic book and radio serial icon, Flash Gordon. The scene was supposed to take place right after Ralphie imagines his teacher loving his BB gun composition. We were then intended to see Ralphie going home and reading a bunch of comic books, including "The Further Adventures of Flash Gordon on the Planet Mongo." The film would then cut to a fantasy sequence in which Flash Gordon (played by Paul Hubbard) is captured by Ming the Merciless (Colin Fox), who taunts him with a threat to use his Turbo-Xenon Space Balloon, with its deadly Z-Gamma Rays, to destroy Earth. Ralphie shows up and rescues Flash and then uses his Red Ryder air rifle to gun down the balloon and save the Earth.
That leads to the following exchange:
"Flash: It's the end of Ming the Merciless. You have done it, Ralph. You have saved all Earthlings. You have saved our planet.
"Ralphie: It was noting, Flash. After all, I had my trusty Red Ryder range-model BB gun, and nothing can stand up to this baby.
"Flash: Ralphie, all Earthlings will be forever in your debt.
"Ralphie: I know. Here, I'll untie yo.
"Flash: You know, Ralph, sometimes I'd like to meet that Red Ryder. He and I are in the same business, fighting Evil everywhere and standing for Truth and Justice."
And, as CBR reports, this scene was filmed and later cut for unknown reasons...most probably because the film already had enough dream-like sequences. The "A Christmas Story House and Museum" confirms all this and provided the script information and the photo of Flash and Ralphie that's above.
Maybe one day we'll get to see this deleted scene as a DVD/Blu-ray extra. Hey, a boy can dream...just like Ralphie Parker.
