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16 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday November 26, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Road Trip for Ralphie was two years in the making Continued from page 13 "That led me to wonder about all the stuff that happened in Canada, what it would look like nowadays," said Schwartz. Ralphie's school was Victoria School in St. Catharines. It became a women's shelter and on the day Schwartz called it, he discovered it was to be gutted to accommodate the transition -- the very next day. He was invited to help take part, and in exchange, take whatever he could manage. He took his video camera and obtained the blackboard and door to Ralphie's classroom -- donating both to the Cleveland museum. Schwartz then began to track down more -- and again took his video camera. Thunder Thighs Costumes in Toronto is one of the largest costumers in Canada and where Schwartz and Smits sifted through the huge warehouse to unearth those used in the film. Schwartz said its owner was not convinced anyone would have more than a passing interest in the movie -- until the owner of the U.S. museum flew in to buy all the costumes. "I think she just thought we were a couple of wackos," he said, adding people get a charge out of seeing, say, the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz or in this case, the snowsuit worn by Ralphie's little brother Randy (in which he is so tightly wrapped he can't put his arms down and his exasperated mom retorts, "Well, just put them down when you get to school.") Schwartz said the Chop Suey Palace -- where Ralphie's family has Chinese turkey after the hounds from their hillbilly neighbours make off with their turkey -- is a popular French restaurant in Toronto whose owner was unaware of its appearance in the movie. "If you stand outside and look at it, you'd say, `Oh my God, it's the Chop Suey Palace,'" said Schwartz, adding, "It (the DVD) was just a crazy idea that blossomed into something of its own." He attended the first convention when the blackboard was added to the museum and saw what an impact the movie has made on Americans. It's similar to Star Trek where people attend the convention dressed as their favourite character. Fanatic fans are known as Ralphies. This weekend's convention will feature actors from the film including Canadians Tedde Moore (Miss Shields), Zack Ward (Scut Farkus) and Dwayne McLean (Black Bart). "There are literally thousands of people obsessed with the film," said Schwartz. Digging up information about it was not easy however. Schwartz said he contacted the film's location manager, however, time and the low budget nature of the film did not make it stand out, even to those involved. Most of the information about the Toronto filming was dug up through Toronto City Hall archives of filming permits. Schwartz and Smits chose to recreate the tongue frozen to the flagpole scene for the cover of their DVD. Smits said that apart from the scene in which the lamp gets "broken," one of her favourites is when Ralphie's little brother hides in a kitchen cupboard and his mom gives him a glass of milk to drink while inside. "Whether you're a kid in the '40s, '50s or '90s, everybody finds something true to their own childhood," said Schwartz. Adults tend to buy what they want, but for kids, Schwartz said, Christmas Day is like winning the lottery. "There's something special about when the old man comes through and says, `Hey, go look behind that desk,'" said Schwartz of the Christmas morning scene when a forlorn Ralphie, who believes he didn't get his Red Ryder BB gun, is told to go find a present that is still hidden. Though Road Trip for Ralphie took two years to complete as regular life kept intruding, it premieres this weekend and will be available for just under $20 on the online business Schwartz is now operating. The U.S. museum, which has not shipped to Canada, has Schwartz heading its Canadian leg -- from Christmas decorations to calendars and his DVD (www.AChristmasStoryHou se.ca). Most popular is the leg lamp -- the "major award" Ralphie's father receives for doing a newspaper puzzle, a "prize" the old man reveres, the kids are intrigued by and Ralphie's mom detests. It finally meets its demise as Ralphie's mom waters a plant. "The most popular item is the leg lamp, the major award. Everybody seems to want to buy one for their dad," said Schwartz.