When Bob Clark died a couple of years ago, it seemed all press concentrated on his previous film to this, Porkys, or his other Christmas movie, Black Christmas, but I think this survives the best and already in my top 5 Christmas films ever.

I heard so much about this film, my dad caught it one morning about ten years ago on TV (it hasn’t been shown again since) and I really liked the sound of it, a boy of about ten grows up in the late 30s / early 40s and dreams of getting a  Red Rider rifle for Christmas. He goes to school and does Triple Dog Dares in the films movies most memorable moment when one of his friend’s gets his tongue frozen to a lamp post!

So I continued to try and find this film, it was never on at Christmas and wasn’t available on DVD, old VHS copies where going for about £25 plus on e-bay, so just when I thought I was going to have to invest in a multi-regional DVD player, Warner Bros released the film in the UK. I was on the way to HMV to buy it the week it came out, but I popped into Tesco en route and there it was on the shelf for £3!!! I couldn’t believe it, so I got a copy for myself and one for my dad. It comes out every Christmas and my nephews love it too now.

It seems to me weird that a film that appeared in IMDB’s Top 250 is so unknown in the UK, go out and buy this film now!

DF Viewing 18/11/07 on DVD