Talking A Christmas Story

Yano Anaya (00:00.21)
Hello, A Christmas Story family, and welcome to our very first episode of Talking A Christmas Story. I'm Yano Anaya, but you might remember me better as that not -so -terrifying little bully, Grover Dill. Today, we are diving deep into the heart of what makes A Christmas Story a timeless classic, sharing unforgettable moments from our recent 40th anniversary event, and of course, connecting with you, our cherished fans. So...

Grab your pink bunny suits, get cuddled up, and let's get started on this nostalgic journey together. In December of 2023, we witnessed something truly magical in Hammond, Indiana.

crew and fans gathered together for the 40th anniversary of A Christmas Story, proving that the spirit of this film is more alive than ever. For many of us, myself included, it was like stepping back in time, yet finding everything wonderfully unchanged. It's this unique connection we all share with Ralphie, his dreams, and his mishaps that keeps this film not just relevant, but beloved across generations.

One of the most beautiful aspects of a Christmas story is its ability to touch hearts in ways we could never have imagined. Take for instance, the story shared by Nick Sausley, a top contributor in our community. Nick grew up as an orphan, finding in our movie a vision of family life that was both comforting and inspiring. This year, Nick's Christmas might look a little different as he'll be working, but he plans to end his day with a Chinese dinner and a re -watch.

of our film. It's stories like Nick's that remind us of the profound impact our little movie has had. And you want to talk about stories. Oh, let's get some coffee in for this one. You got some time? Got a little time. Tell you some cool stories. Ha ha ha! Just a little pattern interrupt here. Making sure you guys are paying attention. Listen, we have a lot of stories to tell. I mean, so many that this will never end. But anyways,

Yano Anaya (02:09.378)
Besides the fact this is not about me. This is not about the stories of endless storytelling about a Christmas story and all of our experiences Today is about Ian Petrella. So let's get busy. Hey, it's me again. I know this is kind of crazy right different location different outfits but This is why you want to subscribe and you want to hit that bell notification?

So that every single time we've got a new episode or if we've got some information to share with you That you don't miss out because we do have a lot of stories to be sharing and again share it and let's get subscribed and let's hit that Bell notification so that you don't miss out I've been fortunate enough to collect a

A treasure trove of behind the scenes anecdotes over the years. Did you know that the infamous tongue -sticking scene was actually filmed in reverse? Or that the snow and hominid was mostly soap flakes and firefighting foam? These little tidbits offer a glimpse into the creativity and the ingenuity that went into making A Christmas Story. Later in the show, we'll be chatting with Ian Petrella, the incredible talent behind Randy, Ralphie's little brother.

Ian's got some fantastic stories to share about filming, his take on the movie's legacy, and what it's like being part of something that's cherished by so many people worldwide. And before we wrap up today, I got a little teaser for y 'all. There's been a buzz about a mysterious figure from the past, someone who played a pivotal role in the creation of A Christmas Story, stepping into the spotlight soon. Who could this be? Well...

You'll have to stay tuned and keep an eye out for clues in our community discussions. And now it's time to introduce Ian Petrella. Hey everybody, I have Ian Petrella on our very first podcast, Talking a Christmas Story. What's up, Ian? How's it going? Doing great, man. Thanks for joining us. Appreciate you. Good to see you again. Right on.

Yano Anaya (04:20.43)
So Ian, again, thank you for joining us. And I've got some questions for you to kind of just give the fans your personal experience of our big 40th anniversary celebration last year. So just come off the heart and let's talk to the fans and kind of bring some nostalgia to them and have them feel the love. Okay. What do you want to know first? Well, so how was your travel? How was the hotels? How was the food?

Were you sick? Were you not sick? Like just kind of dig into the little things that people don't know. But also talk about your experiences of like Cleveland, right? The home of a Christmas story house. And then talk about Indiana, like your experience with meeting all of the different people that came through those areas. Well, I guess we can start with, first off, the hotels were very nice. So not one complaint about.

any of the hotels, starting from Jersey to Cleveland to Pittsburgh to even Indiana. So, enjoyed every single hotel. I just like traveling, so it doesn't really matter. The food, some restaurants were good, some were bad. That's just how it is.

You know, I can't remember which one was worse, but I'm not going to say, because I don't want to disparage any city or any restaurant or anything like that. Let's just chalk it up to, maybe it was a bad night and the kitchen was off. Who knows? But as far as, you know, just the 40th in general, you know, I didn't really know what to expect going in.

I knew it was going to be the 40th and it was going to be big, but it was probably one of the funnest times I've ever had doing any of these. I mean, this was this was everything that I wanted, you know, as far as not just for myself, but for everybody in the cast. You know, it was the one time that we just all came together as a group. You know, that was it. There were no, you know,

Yano Anaya (06:42.35)
no egos, it was just, let's have fun, we're here, we did it. I mean, we had Peter with us, we had everybody. And I don't know if it's something that we could always duplicate or replicate, but it doesn't matter because we did it this one time and it was really an amazing experience. And I'm so glad that we did it and I'm so glad how it turned out.

and not just for me but for everybody. We had a good time. It was just about getting together as a group and that's what it was. Yeah, we made some pretty good money. I will admit that. But aside from that, I think if we didn't, we had a good time. And that's all these should be is about.

You're really just having a good time. Absolutely. And you know, it resonates with me what you said so much because it has been actually this is the first time that we have all gotten together specifically with Peter there. And you know, what's amazing to me is that we have this this bond through a Christmas story where literally it's like we all know why we are there. And that's to support the fans and be there for the fans and give them, you know,

those experiences and those memories that they've been longing for just to meet Peter and meet us and hang out for a little while and talk and get pictures and autographs and it's very surreal for them and to be able to do that in a cohesive unit and get along and go out to dinner and have fun and laugh and hang out and take pictures and we know it's rare. I'm gonna tell you that right now. I think it's rare that we have this community, this family that we built for 40 years, 40 plus years now. So yeah.

that resonates with me too man. So talk to me about some really cool experiences you may have had with some fans, something that was maybe eye -opening or something different than what we've seen over the years. So I mean, as far as some of the cool experiences,

Yano Anaya (09:05.87)
I mean, I don't really have anything off the top of my head to say, because everything was just so different. There were certain people that I got to meet who, like my one friend, Rihanna, who I've been friends on Facebook for years. And I guess she was a fan.

film and then she finally came out to Pittsburgh. And you know, you got to meet this person for the very first time. You know, you talk to them over Facebook and everything. And I know, I know people are probably gonna get on my case like, Oh, I sent you a friend request. Why don't you is like, but I'm not accepting fans for Facebook. It's sorry. You know, if you weren't back then I just I can't right now. So just be patient. Maybe I'll

accept them in the future. But you know, that's that's all we do is now we just tell them to go to the VIP community because that's where we're going to interact with them now.

My right now is it's a personal page. It's not a fan page. So yeah but you know to you know to meet somebody like that and You know, they made me this Well, they actually brought you something Yeah, they made you want to yes. I got one. Yeah, that's amazing. I got what? This one of my dog or well, you know that was pretty

That was probably one of the most exciting experiences, you know, doing something like that. But I mean, other than that, you know, for me, because, you know, I haven't wanted to do these for a very long time. And I've sort of just kind of, you know, shied away and stayed away from them because, you know, in my mind, I was thinking it's like, dude, we're gonna have the 40th. That's

Yano Anaya (11:09.39)
gonna come up and you know I want you know if that's gonna be a big deal let's do it and this was the perfect time to do it because not only was it the 40th but we had Peter and we just got done doing the sequel yeah there was a whole reason for us to go out and do this as far as this year it's like yeah you know we could do some but you know know

probably not going to be as impacting as but you know hey it's you know as long as there's a city out there that says hey we'd love to have you you know

Let's talk and see what we can do. So it's not, it's not so much a straight no. It's a, it's more like a, what'd you have in mind? Exactly. Yeah. I mean, there needs to be a framework. We got to have a structure. We got to know what to expect on stuff for sure. Yeah. We, we, we're, we're, we're experts at this now. Right. I remember back, and this is that this is like around 2011, 2012.

when I was probably at my lowest in life as far as financially and this was my only grasp that I can hold on to. It was like, okay, I can do these signings and make some money to pay rent. And man, I did some shit hole places.

Pardon the language, but just places are just like oh man, why am I here? What am I doing? And You know, that's that's the thing it's like you just want to make sure that You know it and the other thing is, you know when you do these You know when you meet the fans you want to be excited to meet them yes, I

Yano Anaya (13:12.948)
You don't want to be in a bad bad place So and if you're gonna if I'm gonna I'm gonna have a person is like if I'm in a bad mood I'd rather just not go and I don't want people to remember that I don't want people's experience of meeting the cast members or me of Yeah, he was in a bad mood and believe me. I worked at the I worked at the Christmas store. I asked for a year

So, there's quite a few, you know, reviews that I was not in a good mood and I was very

Which I always say, you know what, I'm not arrogant. I've never been arrogant. You know, what the hell did you say to me that caused me to have that attitude? So, you know, it's like, but at the same time, it's like, that's not what you want. You know, don't, you know, I'm also not a type of person where I can like fake a good mood. I'm pretty genuine. It's like, I'm either happy or I'm not. And if I'm not, I'm not.

It's like, you know, what was that suicidal tendency song? Institution or suicidal tendency said the quote was, you know, when I feel like shit, I feel like shit. I mean, that's true authenticity, man. You know what I mean? It's like, you know, genuine. Yeah. But.

You know, the point I'm trying to make is that when you meet people and you're doing these things, you just don't want to be in a bad mood. You want to be in a good mood. Yeah. And you know, I can 100 % agree with that because it's really not about us. You know what I mean? It's really about them and their experience. And you hit the nail on the head. It's like, you know, we have evolved over the years. Like we have been doing this now for close to what, 19, 20 years.

Yano Anaya (15:16.304)
now when it comes to events and going to different cities and and you know, the thing is is that When we are in a good place, of course that that shows up and I think that you specifically have like You have grown tremendously over the last two or three years specifically since you've done your Christmas story Christmas like I I can tell you personally that you know, I we because we're close you me Zach and Scotty like we are family we talk a lot

lot over the course of every year. And to see you in a more positive space now is amazing. It truly is because it's reflective.

in conversation is reflective in your energy and you know, fans, a lot of them may have compassion about our situations, but really, personally, it's about like what you just said, is being in the mood where we can show up and be there for them in their experience so that they can enjoy the experience of meeting this character called Randy or Grover Dill that they were amazed with and that didn't turn out to be an obnoxious, you know, butt head. It turned out to

be a great experience for them, which they carry that for the rest of their life, right? Like, knowing that we touch everybody's heart every single time, it impresses into their memory. And so we can carry that positive memory on.

That's what we do as a Christmas Story cast, right? Well, the one thing I've always said about our Christmas Story fans, it would separate them from, say, I'm going to throw out a movie, say Star Wars. OK, you got Star Wars, you got Christmas Story. OK, both are, I mean, Star Wars is way more popular. Let's, you know.

Yano Anaya (17:11.778)
the the the the the the the the the the the the

Yano Anaya (17:25.528)
When you look at Star Wars and the fans of Star Wars, they look up to those people like Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, even Princess Leia. They look up to them like as heroes. Like, you know what, I got this problem in my life and I think I'm going to handle it like Han Solo.

I'm on solo idea and I'm gonna use that to carry on with life. Where Christmas story fans is different because they don't look up to us as heroes. They don't look up to us and sit there and go, I'm gonna handle it like Ralphie. I'm gonna take the Ralphie route. No, they look at us because they relate to our characters. They look at us and go, I've been Ralphie.

Or I had that, that's my dad, that's my mom, that's my little brother, that was my bully in school, or I was that bully in school. And so when they meet us, it's not that they look up to us, but they feel a closeness to us. And so you have to understand that. And that took a while for me to even understand that.

Because when you're doing something like a convention or a signing and you see people, you know, and that's how this business is, is you think it's like, oh, I'm a big star. These people love me. Not necessarily. That's not necessarily the case. It doesn't matter if you're in a movie. Just because you're in a movie doesn't mean people love you automatically. It just means they, with Christmas Story fans, they relate to the character that you were.

They relate to something. And so you have to kind of put that in your head. It's like, okay, you understand. Sometimes it can get annoying because they think like, oh, I know you do the scene and you're like, yeah, no.

Yano Anaya (19:26.946)
So, but you know, and that's what you got to appreciate about this, you know, being part of this is that you have people that, no, nobody worships me. You know, I'll speak for myself on this, but nobody worships me and looks up to me. They just relate to that character and they just want to meet the guy who played that character. And...

Tell me a story. That's it. And that's what you know, that is something you have to appreciate that and go, okay, you know, you tell me your story. What you know, what reminds you, you know, of something and everything. So it's a whole different hill of beans that we're dealing with and say, you know, Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker.

So people can look at Mark Hamill and go you know at that time when you're on Degabaugh and you faced Darth Vader And it turned out to be you that reminds me so much of when I was at work and dealing with my boss But you got me through it where someone says you know what I had annoying little ass brother just like you know I can say the same thing because I'll never forget the very first time as a matter of fact. I was actually

Remember when we went to the visitor center in Hammond, Indiana back in like 2011 or 2014 or something like that? Yeah. For the first time we went, that was the first time that somebody walked up to me and said, I hated you. Like I really hated you because you were that kid that.

always followed me home from school. And I was like, this is an emotionally charged conversation right here. And thank you for expressing that. I did my job very well, but that was the character in the movie. That's not actually who I am. So thank you.

Yano Anaya (21:29.058)
for showing that love that, you know, I represented somebody that really resonated with you. And I'm sorry it was a bad experience that it brought it out of you, but I'm here to give you a hug and let you know that you're loved, right? It's like, it's that conversation. The of it is that we have to also let people know is like, we're not those characters. Yeah. So I understand that you, you know, it's like, who was, who was, I can't remember his name, but he played Walter

in Ghostbusters and he was the part of the EPA and he was the one that like I'm shutting down Dickless you know in Ghostbusters and he said you walk you know through the streets and people like you know hey dude like he's just acting dude acting you know that you know why don't you just appreciate the fact that he played a good asshole thank him for that instead of

you know, yelling at him. So I mean, that's, you know, that's the flip side to everything. So that's what everybody thinks. But you also have to understand we just played a part. It's just a character. It's not us, not us in the real world. You know what I Right. Exactly. That's how that's how all of us are going to get along on this planet. So.

That's awesome. That's awesome. Well, thank you for sharing all that. That's amazing. And for all of you fans who are actually watching this, if you would love to hit subscribe and that bell button to get more notifications so you guys continue to watch these future podcasts, I would do that. And so I do have, so what we did prior to this is we shot out.

some questions to the fans and we've got a lot of responses, right? So all of you fans that are watching this now specifically if you because we're going to be doing a sneak peek with with Zach Ward in the future as well. So if you want to go up into the community and start to post your questions that we can organize and start to break down. So for the next podcast, we can ask, you know, Scott Farkas some questions. So I've got some questions from some fans from the group that are dying to kind of get these answers from you. So.

Yano Anaya (23:41.718)
The first question that we got is from Emma and she's actually in Toronto. Hey Was that I said hey Emma. Yep Emma from Toronto. So She said Ian What was it like working in the snow in the scenes? Was it cold or was it all that movie magic?

Well, it was both. Because we shot in two different places. As you might know, Emma, we shot in Cleveland, Ohio. That's where the house was in Higbees B. And then we did shoot in Toronto. We shot a lot of scenes outside in Toronto. So we had the two different climates. Now, they were both cold. Let's just put it that way.

Everything was cold. January, February, cold. In Toronto, cold. That's all there is to it. Cold. So, but in Cleveland, we didn't have snow. So there was no snow in Cleveland. So all the snow that you see in Cleveland was fake. It was either sand or it was fire foam or it was potato flakes or plastic shavings. But once we got the Toronto,

that's where everything was real snow. And for me, being from California, now people think, you know, Californians don't know what snow is. We do because it's up in the mountains. We just have to drive to it. So I'm here in Sacramento right now and I look outside and the mountains are still covered in snow. It's pretty awesome. So it was, I mean, it was exciting, you know, at least because you walk out of your hotel, there's snow.

so you wanna go on playing it and everything. But yeah, it was cold, but I had that big snowsuit so I didn't have to worry about it. Oh, and that leads into the next question from Luke in Dallas. He asks, how did you feel when you were wrapped up like a snowsuit mummy? Could you actually move?

Yano Anaya (25:54.962)
Yes, you could move. His name's Luke, right? Yes, Luke. Yes, Luke. You could actually move. That's called acting. So you could actually move around and do whatever you wanted. But like I said, you know, because there were times it was very, very cold. I was probably one of the warmest kids on the set because you had that big, yeah, you had that big suit on.

And I mean, let's face it, this is a movie production. If you're that cold and you go, I'm cold, they just rush you to your trailer with the heat and the hot cocoa. It's not that bad. It's not that bad. Yeah. So, all right. So next question I got is from Stephanie. One more. One more for Luke. Yeah.

So a lot of people, when they getting back to the relation part of being a lot of people do come up to me and they look at, you know, the Randy character with the super talking, they say, that was my childhood. And I say, oh, trailer with hot cocos. That's pretty awesome. They're like, no, we just. I was wrapped up and it was freezing outside. We didn't suffer.

Alright, so next question I got is from Sarah and she's actually in Cleveland. Hey. She asks, yeah, Sarah, what's up Sarah? Do you still eat like Randy in the movie sometimes? Just for fun?

Well, considering the fact I never did, um, no, and not even for, not even really for fun. So, um, I don't. Um, I probably never will. I've had people do it for me. I had one person at the Christmas story house and they came up to me, because obviously the Christmas story house, they have the kitchen.

Yano Anaya (28:05.294)
And there was this one woman, she showed up and she was probably in about her, you know, I'd say mid thirties. And she came in and she had a little egg glue cooler with her and she said, I have a favor. And I go, OK, what's your favor? Opens up the egg glue and she pulls out a plate of mashed potatoes. She puts it on the table inside the Christmas store house. Oh, no. And I first thought, what?

Nope. I don't care. I don't care how much money is in your pocket. You know, this is humiliating. I'm not doing it. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, I don't want you to do it. I don't want you to watch me do it. And go home. Okay, I don't know if that's a weirder, but go ahead. So she did it and her friend videotaped it.

And I sat there watched her she pulled out the bib put the bib on It's did the whole scene right in front of me in the story house so

I was, I mean, I was, you know, I thought it was definitely entertaining. I felt, you know, I felt, you know, moved by it at least, you know, this person was willing to react to the scene. So I didn't find it like weird or insulting. I just, I thought it was just hilarious, you know, that this person would actually do this. And through the whole time I made it feel very,

comfortable while doing it. I didn't insult her or make her feel, you know, because she's definitely making an ass out of herself, but I felt it was my job to at least justify, yes, what you're doing is good. What you're doing is good. Yeah, I mean, that had to have been like one of her like,

Yano Anaya (30:03.95)
deepest things that she really wanted to do in front of you. Like that would be some deep seated tires to make that happen. You know, a lot of times people just think, I don't know what they're thinking.

But no, she did that and you know what? I wasn't gonna spoil her moment. Yeah, exactly. Because it wasn't any sweat off of my back. I didn't have to do it. I've had people who threw money in my face say, come on, do it, do it, do it. And I just throw the money right back at them. And it's like, no, I'm not gonna do it. I'm gonna do it because I wanna do it. That's the number one thing. If I wanna do it, I'll do it. If I don't wanna do it,

I want to do it. You have the movie. All right. Next question. I got us Derek in San Francisco. What's up, Derek? So what's your fondest memory from the sets of A Christmas Story? Ooh. Wow, Derek.

There's so many. In fact, I'd even say you're in San Francisco. We're only an hour away. You might just hang out for lunch and I'll just tell you everything. You probably would enjoy that.

I mean, fondest memory? I mean, I'm trying to think of one specific because obviously there's so many. But I think one of the fondest... I'll say this memory, but I just don't think it's always fair to tell the people this memory anymore because they're never going to see it.

Yano Anaya (31:50.406)
And that is, you know, one of the fantasy scenes that Ralphie had, you know, with the flash board. I got to go see the set. I got to go see all that. And it was just really cool to see this science fiction set for the first time in your life as a kid.

and how they build science fiction and like, you know, they have like the backdrop of stars and then you walk closer to it and it's just a black cloth with holes poked in it. And that's all it is. You know, there's no lights, there's no nothing. It's just, it's so practical. And to see all that and, you know, to see that big puppet and crawl inside of it and learn how it works. Um, I mean, that's one of my fondest memories, but unfortunately, you know, nobody's going to be able to

to see that scene. So I feel bad telling that scene, but yeah, Derek, that's one of the flauntist memories. Yeah, I mean, but still it's like those are the little things that people don't even know and having that to be able to be shared is amazing for most. I mean, it's really too bad. We're never going to get that scene because it was thrown away. Yeah. Yeah. All right, Derek, I hope that really helped you kind of understand what Ian's favorites part.

of his memories. Now next question I have is actually from Mia and Mia is in Orlando. What's up Mia? If you could take any prop from the movie home with you, what would it have been and why? Well I got to take prop home. I mean could take the Zeppelin home.

the

Yano Anaya (33:53.456)
and he had a bloodhound and I stopped and it was just you know the sweetest thing and you know he was really cool and it was someone that my dad knew and we were walking and I told him I was because you know you don't think you don't see a lot of his bloodhounds yeah you don't see a lot of people with bloodhounds.

It's very rare. So that was the first time I've seen the bloodhound in a very long, long time. All right. Next question is from Josh in New York. And I think this is one of those questions we talked about earlier that, you know, we have literally been answering this question for decades and there's still so many fans out there that don't know the answer to these questions. No, we don't.

Huh? So Josh in New York is going to ask you, did you and the cast keep in touch after filming the filming movie or filming the movie? I mean, I guess since we're talking right now, yes, but I'm just being sarcastic because he's from New York and I know he can take it. All right. Forget about it. No.

Actually, Peter and I, after we filmed, we did actually have some contact. You we did hang out a bit afterwards. Not very long, but we did. He'd come over to my house and we, you know, spend the night and hang out. Now, I was in Los Angeles and he was in Phoenix, Arizona, so I did have to fly out. And I would go up to his, you know, house in Phoenix.

and hang out. And then, you know, we do that for a couple times. You know, and a lot of times he would come out to LA for auditions. So when he was out there, you know, we'd get together and meet up. But he was really the only woman after that that I hooked up with or met up with. The only other person that I could say that I met up with right after A Christmas Story was you.

Yano Anaya (36:16.174)
and that was, I don't know if you remember this, but it was Chuck E. Cheese. Of course I remember that. Okay. Absolutely. Yep. Having my ninth birthday. It was so close to the house. That's why we went. Yeah. And there was, it was the stage and they had like one of those hamster mazes that you could crawl through. And we were crawling through it and we both kind of hit head on. And,

It was you and you were like, oh my God, it's Ian. That was it. And then the next time I saw you. That's all. I think you're just kind of running around and being kids and whatever. But yeah, that was the last time I saw you. And that was the last time I think I saw any of the cast members. Maybe aside from Peter, but I didn't see Scottie until later on.

And somebody like 2005 2006 like one of the first couple of those shows that we went to No, it was even before the shows before the shows. Okay. Yeah, it was before the shows and I remember So we were hanging out for a bit. Hey, he told me he said hey Zach's having a party because he was on a new this was after Titus and

and there were premieres in the show so he was having a whole party for the show. And so he's like, you wanna go to the party? I'm like, of course I wanna go to the party. I haven't seen this guy in years. So we show up at the party. Zach's there and Scotty walks up and of course they know each other because they've been friends for a while. And so they say hi. And then Zach sees me, doesn't really say much. Scotty goes,

Oh, this is Ian. And Zach goes, hey, what's up? How you doing, man? How you doing, buddy? You know, welcome to my party. And then goes back to talking to Scotty. And Scotty and I both kind of look at each other like, what's going on? And Zach goes, Zach, this is Ian. And Zach's like, yeah, okay. What's up, Zach? This is Ian, he did the movie with us, Randy.

Yano Anaya (38:42.466)
And Zach's like, oh my god. And that was the first time seeing Zach again. And then obviously seeing RD at the 20th anniversary and then you came along afterwards. It's amazing to see how the evolution of our

our relationships have intertwined back and forth just from this movie and that now it's like, here we are, you know what mean? Doing podcasts together and really building this Christmas story family. We got so much cool stuff going on. It's awesome. Right. Back in 2003, when I had gotten the call from the guy who put the 20th anniversary together said, you know, hey, do you want to come down and do the 20th anniversary? I almost didn't go. Really?

Because I was like, why? I was like, what is this? I don't understand. I asked him, I said, well, you know, who's going to be there? And he said, well, everybody's going to be there. And then, well, who's everybody? I was going to say everybody, who's everybody? And he started listing all the names of every, I'm like, oh, okay, well, now I need to get that. So it's a good thing I called him, you know, instead of sending that, you know,

emails like not interested said I Wanted to know because there was a curiosity But I mean that you know was kind of the start of you know all this had I

Now, okay, you might sit there and think, well, you know, oh, if I didn't show up, no, no, no, we're dealing with Scotty Schwartz. He would have found me eventually and I would be a part of this. There's no way he was going to be like.

Yano Anaya (40:37.024)
No, no, no, no, no, we're not gonna let them go. We're gonna all find them and we'll get them here. So Cool. All right. Well, um, thank you all fans for submitting all your questions We'll gather some more later for our next show our next podcast What i'd like to do is transition into actually getting to know ian pittrella a little more intimate conversation So ian, um, there are some questions that obviously a lot of fans would like to know

specifically I'd like to ask two, maybe three, because you can expand on this and kind of talk about, you know, what's going on in your life. And the first question is, you know, what have you been up to since A Christmas Story and or also A Christmas Story Christmas? And so tell us about like what you currently got going on, your current projects and let's just, you know, we can go from there. Well, let's see. What have I been doing since A Christmas Story? Well,

It's been 40 years. So into a podcast. That's a lot of information. It's a lot of trying a lot of failing. As far as what I'm doing nowadays. You know, as far as what I'm working on right now, yes, I'm doing something.

but I also have this superstition that you don't talk about what you're doing until you're ready to at least launch it. So if you're working on something, which I am, and it's a very big deal to me, but I can't really tell too much what it is. And the reason why I say that is not like, oh, it's a big secret, you're gonna be surprised.

Because if I tell you I'm doing this whole great thing and then it doesn't happen you're going to be very disappointed.

Yano Anaya (42:36.65)
I'd rather just say, yeah, I'm working and I don't know. So if it never happens, which I hope it doesn't, I want it to happen, but if it never happens, you'll never be disappointed because that has happened. And I've done these conventions and these signings and I've been working on stuff and people have said, what are you doing? And I'm like, I got this thing that I'm doing. And then a year later will come by and that same person will come by and go, what happened to that thing? And I went,

It didn't happen. So, you know, I am working on something. I just can't say exactly what it is. Well, we're all excited to hear about what that is when it comes to fruition. We all support you and love you with that. So, you know, if it comes to fruition, I hope that, you know, we. Yeah, I should just say I'm not doing anything. Because even that's now how we know.

That's another tease for people to go, oh, I wonder what it is. I should just shut my goddamn mouth and just say nothing. That's a better answer. Seriously. Right on. All right. So we've got one more question from a fan. And they wanted to know, are there any causes or charities that you're passionate about, any current involvements with anything to that nature?

I don't have any charities. There's often charities that I do think about joining up, but I think if I were to join a charity, you probably wouldn't know about it. I would just...

do the charity. I don't want to tell people like, oh, look at me, I'm doing a charity. It was probably something that, you know, not only just donating money, but something that I'd have to actually physically help out with. And I just haven't found one yet. I mean,

Yano Anaya (44:42.414)
Someday I might. You know, it's not out of the question. I do think about it. There is one possible charity that I would like to be a part of. I'm just not ready to do it yet. So when I am, I will. But I won't say what it is. Once again, just say nothing. Just say nothing.

You don't tell people what your ideas just say I don't know nothing. That's it. That's a good enough answer for everybody. So, all right. So we'll do one more question. I just feel like this one is probably something that could spark some interest in fans. So there was somebody that asked that if you have any new skill sets or hobbies that you've picked up recently that might surprise your fan base. No.

I can honestly say nothing and that's not me hiding anything. I can actually say nothing. Very cool. Awesome. All right. Well, Ian, is there anything else that you'd like to talk to the fans about or say anything to them personally before we wrap this up? I don't know, but you know, no, I mean.

Thank you to all the fans. The one thing I say is, you know, the way I see it is I'm not, you know, I've never seen myself as famous. I've never seen myself as a, really a celebrity, so to speak. I always considered myself a person who's in a famous movie.

And that's how I see it. And that's what's important with the movie. So if you're a fan of this movie, and you love this movie, do whatever you can to keep the movie alive. You know, show it to your family, pass it on to future generations. And that's the best you can do. You know, because we're, you know, we're just, you know, we're humans.

Yano Anaya (46:56.654)
and we're people and we live our everyday lives and eventually we're all going to, you know, go away in some way or another. But the movie is going to live on. And that's probably the most important thing that you can do. It's just do that. Love the movie, pass it on to future generations. If you are one of those people that you have traditions at home, that you do that...

help celebrate the movie or whatever, keep doing those because that's what's that's what's going to matter. So and we're happy to hear that that you do that and just keep doing them and that's better than I don't want to say it's better than residuals because we'd really love residuals off the 25 -hour marathon.

If the 24 hour marathon is part of your tradition, then please go ahead and keep watching. But yeah, we don't. We don't get money out of that. So happy. But keep moving. That's it. That's all you can do. Please. Thank you. I'll love it. Yonel loves it. The cast loves it. Bob would love it. Gene, you know, Bob and Gene are the, you know, the people that, you know, really made this movie what it is.

and helped it come about. So, you know, it's really just honoring them as opposed to, we're just the guys that are still alive, you know? And that's the thing, we're not all gonna be alive someday. I give myself 20 years tops. So, you know, think about it that way, you know? Think about it, 20 years. Give yourself 20 years, I'm not gonna be here. And,

you know, someone's gotta keep this movie alive. And that's gonna be you guys, not us, you. So you got a lot of responsibility on your shoulders right now, people.

Yano Anaya (48:58.35)
as keeping this movie alive. We can't do it. You know, we're mortals. But you have the power to make this movie immortal. So go ahead. Thank you. Thank you, Ian. Yes, I greatly, greatly appreciate your time. Love you very much for that. And as you heard it right from Ian's mouth is to keep the essence of A Christmas Story alive, keep the tradition going. You

guys all you fans out there are the guardians to this movie to keep the tradition going. Just like us there's no money in it so just get used to that fact. That's right just pass the word on and keep it in your family right. Alright you guys well it was a pleasure thank you very much we'll let Ian go we'll move on to the next.

Yano Anaya (49:58.23)
As we come to the end of today's heartwarming trip down memory lane I can't help but tease what's coming up next our next episode will feature none other than Zach Ward Who brought the fearsome scutfarkas to life? So if you've ever wondered about the man behind the yellow eyes and that coon skin cap

Now's your chance to get those questions ready. Head over to our community and submit what you're dying to know. Zack's stories is sure to be as riveting as his character was menacing. Thank you for joining me on this trip down memory lane. A Christmas story isn't just a movie. It is a shared experience, a piece of our collective history, and a reminder of the joys of childhood, family, and the holiday spirit.

I'm Yano Anaya, your guide through the world of a Christmas story. Remember to keep your hearts warm, your eyes peeled for those elusive clues until the next time. May your holidays be merry and not a single eye gets shot out.