He was loud, had a short fuse, and loved to curse, but Ralph Parker’s father (referred to as “The Old Man”) was, in some ways, the heart of the original film. On the outside, he appeared to loathe all the headaches that came with Christmas, but when the magical day finally arrived, he always delivered. If Christmas could warm The Old Man’s heart, it should be able to win over anybody.
Like the role he played, superb character actor Darren McGavin is irreplaceable. Sadly, he passed away in 2006, so instead of trying to recast him, they made the wise choice of having the character’s passing be the spark that sets the plot of “A Christmas Story Christmas” into motion. Without The Old Man around, is it even possible to have a good Christmas?
Despite all the stress he’s already under, a now adult Ralph Parker gives it his best shot. Almost everything goes wrong, but in the end, his family ends up having a perfect Christmas all their own. Of course, a major contributing factor to this is the fact that The Old Man buys everyone the perfect Christmas gift (just as he did in the original) before his passing. It’s a reminder that even if this movie isn’t the same as the original, the heart of that first movie is still there and its memory will last forever.