Did the Mother break the Leg Lamp?

Did the Mother break the Leg Lamp? - Crop faceless toddler sitting on bed with colorful wooden building blocks while mother sitting with legs crossed doing remote work with laptop on knees on background

In the movie A Christmas Story, the Mother (name unspecified) is suspect in the breaking of the Leg Lamp, because she never liked it. She seems believable when she says it was an accident and she doesn't know how it happened. However, while The Old Man (name unspecified) is trying to repair it, in the background she seems giddy that it is broken, and when his attention is returned to her, she immediately goes solemn and concerned. Is there evidence somewhere, even in the Jean Shepherd books and stories the movie is based on, that prove or disprove the Mother intentionally broke the lamp?



Best Answer

I think it's intentionally left ambiguous whether it was an accident or it was done on purpose.

Even in the short story that this incident is based on, My old man and the lascivious special award that heralded the birth of pop art, it's never stated outright if breaking the lamp was intentional. Of course, in both the story and the movie the Mother is glad to see it go, and the Old Man accuses her of breaking it on purpose, but I don't think there's a definite answer.




Pictures about "Did the Mother break the Leg Lamp?"

Did the Mother break the Leg Lamp? - Unrecognizable woman holding baby by hands on knees in light bedroom
Did the Mother break the Leg Lamp? - Happy mother and children hugging at home
Did the Mother break the Leg Lamp? - Faceless athlete resting after intensive jogging



What happens to the leg lamp in A Christmas Story?

Only One Leg Lamp Survived The Filming Of A Christmas Story But sadly no one will ever own an original Leg Lamp. All of the original leg lamps were broken during filming or discarded afterward. Production designer Reuben Freed designed three-leg lamps for the film using a mold fabricated by Martin Malivoire.

Does the original leg lamp still exist?

Three leg lamps were made for the movie, but none of them exist today.



The Broken Lamp from A Christmas Story




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Images: Tatiana Syrikova, Anna Shvets, Ketut Subiyanto, Ketut Subiyanto