• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, December 14, 2017

A block party in Cleveland will be the place to be this coming Sunday night (December 17) when fans of “A Christmas Story” convene to watch Fox TV's live musical production of this beloved holiday classic on two giant outdoor screens.

Yes, this showing is outdoors, in Cleveland, in December. But that won't likely stop any of these fans from taking part because “A Christmas Story” is a made-in-Cleveland phenomenon and this block party will take place in front of the movie's iconic house.

Now a museum, the house is open for tours year-round, and -- believe it or not -- overnight stays. It is part of a two-building museum complex (if I am interpreting information from the house's web site correctly) that includes a museum across the street filled with movie props and memorabilia.

And of course there is a museum shop -- a real one at the museum and a virtual one online where you can buy a genuine, full-size “Christmas Story” leg lamp (45 inches tall, for $149) and a host of other commemorative items.

As far as I can tell, you cannot buy a Red Ryder BB gun on the site, although this was the prized Christmas gift at the center of the movie’s plot. In case you didn't know, the movie -- released in 1983 -- is based on short stories by the late Jean Shepherd.

The movie is a nostalgic reminiscence of a Christmas from the early 1940s (or late 1930s) in which a nine-year-old Indiana boy named Ralphie covets a Red Ryder BB gun and wishes to receive one on Christmas.

Although the story is set in Indiana, Cleveland was chosen for filming many of the movie's outdoor locations because of the character of various buildings found there, such as the house, for example.

The movie has become a perennial TV classic at Christmas time, most notably on Turner-owned TBS (and sometimes TNT), where it has been marathoned on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day for more than 20 years.

Fox's planned live production of the musical version of “A Christmas Story” is a new wrinkle in the annual celebration of this apparently timeless movie.

Fox's three-hour production -- officially titled “A Christmas Story Live!” and scheduled to air Sunday night (December 17) starting at 7 Eastern -- is based mainly on a musical version that opened on Broadway in 2012.

The Fox telecast will originate from a Warner Bros. Studio soundstage in Burbank. The cast includes Maya Rudolph, Chris Diamantopoulos and Jane Krakowski. Ralphie will be played by Andy Walken (who is no relation to Christopher Walken). Matthew Broderick is the narrator.

Fox's live musical steals some thunder away from NBC, which up until this year mounted a live musical in December every year since 2013 starting with “The Sound of Music” followed by 2014's “Peter Pan,” 2015’s “The Wiz” and last year's “Hairspray.” Fox produced a live version of “Grease” in January 2016.

As a holiday-season offering, a musical based on a movie that is as beloved as “A Christmas Story” seems like a surefire idea.

Less certain is NBC's plan to celebrate Easter next year with a live production of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” a charmless relic of the 1970s that is not beloved. NBC plans to air this show on Easter Sunday. One cast member has been announced: Alice Cooper will play King Herod.

Well, as Jerry Seinfeld used to say in his own show (also on NBC): Good luck with all that.

Photo above courtesy of OhioWins.com.http://ohiowins.com/