A Christmas Story and Hammond History

The holiday classic, A Christmas Story, was written by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown and Bob Clark and was based on Shepherd's 1966 book, In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash. The book is a compilation of short stories based on Shepherd's experiences growing up in Hammond, Indiana. A number of the short stories appeared in Playboy magazine and originated from his unscripted radio broadcasts in the 1950's, 60's and 70's.

Shepherd narrated the entire movie and also had a cameo in the Department Store scene. The movie was set in the fictional town of Hohman, Indiana which was a disguise for Shepherd's hometown: Hammond. Hohman is one of Hammond's busiest downtown streets.