JEAN SHEPHERD - THE PHANTOM OF THE OPEN HEARTH (1976)

Not only did the dvd come quickly but a gift was included! Very impressive!

This movie tells the coming of age story of a teen-age Ralphie and his friend going to the junior prom. Afraid to ask a pretty girl in his class, he then procrastinates, finally asking a brainy girl that just happens to like him. Then getting a tux, getting money and a corsage, driving, dancing, seeing his date beautifully dressed for the prom, all fertile ground for Jean Shepard's humorous insights.The angst and humor come through nicely, but it is definitely a low budget production. Note that there is some overlap with the classic A Christmas Story's Leg Lamp incident, but it is just a minor sub-plot in this production.

Giving this 5 stars only because it made my Dad very happy to see this again. Commercial quality version is not available. The picture quality for this video was not good. But with that said:Bought as a present for my Dad, he loves this movie. DVD from a VHS recording from TV, picture quality isn't good, but we expected that. It made me happy to watch this again with my Dad. Happiness = 5 stars.Note: Jean Shepherd also did Christmas Story (Ralphie with the BB gun). Same family but older (Ralphie as a teenager), with different actors. Family is less "nice" in this story, but still a classic - and yes, the lamp makes an appearance in this story too.

Watched with friends

I bought this at my husband's request. I enjoy parts of it, like the gravy boats and the whole prize lamp business. My husband loves the whole film. When it first arrived, he was recovering from heart valve replacement surgery, and he found himself unable to watch the film. He kept laughing too much, and his chest couldn't handle it. Now that he is recovering, he is watching this even as I type. It's very nice to find a way to make an invalid feel better. [smile]

While not as funny as "A Christmas Story," it's still awfull good and deserves a full-blown DVD and Blu-ray treatment. This particular copy is a little rought around the edges, like an old VCR tape before those got good. The cast is all good and the narration by Shepherd himself is exactly right.The copy was send promptly and even included a bonus.Big-time DVD publisher, are you listening?

A little fuzzy, but watchable, just as promised. A little fuzziness is worth putting up with in order to see this again.

I bought this as a gift for my dad and he loved it! By far his best Christmas gift if I may say so myself. It shipped super fast and great packaging