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Appalachian Theatre Announces TWO New Holiday Film Series: “A Christmas Story” on November 25 and 26 is First of Eight Screenings

BOONE, NC – Fresh off the community celebration of their 84th birthday, the Appalachian of the High Country is announcing two holiday film series whose screenings return the 1938 Art Deco venue to its original cinematic roots. With eight films from November 25 through December 22, it is the largest schedule of classic movies announced by the theatre since its reopening three years ago.

“A Christmas Story” on November 25 opens the Holiday Classic Film Series. It will be followed by “National Lampoon’s Christmas Holiday” on November 29, “Scrooged” on December 6, and “White Christmas” on December 22. These classic films were selected from hundreds of submissions by audience members and the general public in a survey conducted last summer.

In partnership with Allen Wealth Management, the App Theatre has programmed four movies for their Holiday Family Film Series with a separate matinee screening of “A Christmas Story” on November 26, “The Star” on December 10, “The Polar Express” on December 13, and “The Muppet Christmas Carol” on December 17.

Jonathan Allen, a member of the Board of Trustees, said, “Allen Wealth Management is proud to help the App Theatre accomplish their outreach goals by making these cherished holiday classics available at a very low cost to every member of our High Country community. My family and I look forward to seeing these films in the venue where they were originally screened decades ago.”

“A Christmas Story” is a 1983 comedy film directed by Bob Clark and based on Jean Shepherd’s semi-fictional anecdotes in his 1966 book “In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash,” with some elements from his 1971 book Wanda Hickey’s “Night of Golden Memories And Other Disasters.” It stars Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, and Peter Billingsley and is a seasonal classic in North America. It is often ranked as one of the best Christmas films ever produced.

The film is presented in a series of vignettes, with narration provided by the adult Ralphie Parker reminiscing on one particular Christmas when he was nine years old in Hammond, Indiana.

Ralphie wanted only one thing that Christmas: a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle. Ralphie’s desire is rejected by his mother, his teacher Miss Shields, and even a Santa Claus at Higbee’s department store, all giving him the same warning: “You’ll shoot your eye out.”

The film was released on November 18, 1983, and it received positive reviews from critics. Filmed partly in Canada, it earned two Canadian Genie Awards in 1984. In 2012, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Movie times vary from 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. on weekends to 7 p.m. screenings on weekdays. The exact start time for each film may be found on the venue’s website at www.apptheatre.org. Note that Films@TheApp are shown without trailers, so please arrive a few minutes before the scheduled start time to secure tickets and purchase concessions. The general admission ticket price is just $5 per person, but attendees under the age of 13 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

While the App Theatre’s online ticketing system is accessible 24/7, customers can avoid the online service fees by visiting the lobby box office between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. from Tuesday through Friday, or one hour prior to showtime for each film. For a complete performance schedule of all upcoming events, or to sign up for the theatre’s e-blast distribution list, visit the organization’s website at www.apptheatre.org