Quote:

thedoctor said:I've been a big fan of [a Christmas Story] since I first saw it back around '84 or so. I don't let the overabundance of airings that it's enjoyed over the past decade get to me; but I began to realize that it knocked out the movie which had dominated our TV sets for decades as the #1 Holiday movie, It's a Wonderful Life.



There's a legal reason for that.

Up until about ten years ago, the broadcast rights to "It's a Wonderful Life" had somehow lapsed. This meant that every TV station in America could air it without paying royalties to the studio. As a result, every TV station in made it a holiday staple because it was cheap and starred a well-known actor (Jimmy Stewart), not because it was well-loved (in fact, it was a bomb when first released).

It was those repeated airings that imparted "classic" status on it, as more and more people realized that, hey, it's a DAMN GOOD MOVIE.

Then, about ten years ago, Ted Turner reasserted the broadcast rights and, as a result, it only airs a few times on "his" stations. I believe that is, in part, because Turner agrees that it's a classic and should be a special occasion. (But I could be wrong on that last part).