METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER Presents A Film

CHARLES GRODIN KIERAN CULKIN and MARY STEENBURGEN IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY

CHRISTIAN CULKIN ALMANCINI TROY EVANS ROY BROCKSMITH GLENN SHADIX DICK O'NEILL WAYNE GRACE TEDDEMOORE WHIT HERTFORD GEOFFREY WIGDOR DAVID ZAHORSKY DARWYNSWALVE FRANK COLLISON MARILYN PITZER ROBERT DICKMAN IDA LEE WILLIAM PRESTON JOHN VOLDSTAD SCOTT THOMSON and as "Ralph as an Adult" Casting by Associate Producer MARCILffiOFF GARYGOCH Music Composed by Costume Designer PAULZAZA BETTY PECHA MADDEN Editor Production Designer STAN COLE HARRY POITLE Director of Photography Executive Producer STEPHEN M. KATZ JEAN SHEPHERD Based on the novels "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash" and "Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories and Other Disasters" by JEAN SHEPHERD Screenplay by JEAN SHEPHERD & LEIGH BROWN and BOB CLARK Pro,duced by RENE DUPONT Directed by BOB CLARK THE CAST

The Old Man ...... CHARLES GRODIN Ralphie ...... KIERAN CULKIN Mom ...... MARY STEENBURGEN Randy Parker ...... CHRISTIAN CULKIN Zudoc ...... AL MANCINI Gertz ...... TROY EVANS Assessor ...... ROY BROCKSMITH Leopold Doppler ...... GLENN SHADIX Pulaski ...... DICK O'NEILL Emil Bumpus ...... WAYNE GRACE Miss Shields ...... TEDDE MOORE Lug Ditka ...... WHIT HERTFORD Flick ...... - ...... GEOFFREY WIGDOR Schwartz ...... DAVID ZAHORSKY Big Dickie Bumpus ...... DARWYN SWALVE Ma Bumpus ...... MARILYN PITZER Grandma Bumpus ...... IDA LEE Ace Bumpus ...... JOHN VOLDSTAD Floyd Bumpus ...... FRANK COLLISON Clovis Bumpus ...... ROBERT DICKMAN Grandpa Bumpus...... WILLIAM PRESTON Delbert Bumpus ...... SCOTT THOMPSON Cassie Bumpus ...... ANNE SAYRE Gypsy Woman ...... ANTONIA RAY Scut Farkus ...... CHRIS OWEN Grover Dill ...... T.J. MCINTURFF Mrs. Kissel...... : ...... ANNIE KITRAL Mr. Won Lung ...... JACK ONG Traffic Cop ...... ANTHONY KIENER Auctioneer ...... LARRY RAMEY Neighbor #1 ...... BERNARD CANEPARI Neighbor #2 ...... ANNE FINNERTY Neighbor #3 ...... KEN WEST . Neighbor #4 ...... DOROTHY SILVER Fisherman ...... MICHAEL MOTT Man on Lake ...... DOUG HUFNAGLE Marble Kid ...... ARIEL CLARK Cinema Usher ...... JONATHAN GOCH Little Girl ...... CASSIE FICHTER Narrator ...... JEAN SHEPHERD and BARKLEY the dog

Stunt Coordinator ...... ERIK CORD

Stunts ...... STEPHAN CHOINIERE WYATT KNIGHT

I THE FILMMAKERS

Director ...... BOB CLARK Producer ...... •...... RENE DUPONT Screenplay by...... JEAN SHEPHERD & LEIGH BROWN and BOB CLARK Based on the novels "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash" and "Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden · Memories and Other Disasters" by ...... JEAN SHEPHERD Executive Producer ...... JEAN SHEPHERD Director of Photography ...... STEPHEN M. KATZ Production Designer ...... HARRY POTTLE Editor...... STAN COLE Costume Designer ...... BETTY PECHA MADDEN Music Composed by ...... Associate Producer ...... GARY GOCH Casting by...... MARCI LIROFF Unit Production Manager ...... : ...... JOHN ZANE First Assistant Director ...... KEN GOCH Second Assistant Director ...... ·...... PHILIPPE DUPONT Art Director...... JOHN MYHRE Set Decorator...... SARA ANDREWS Script Supervisor ...... · ..... SANDRA COLE Assistant Art Director ...... : ...... COLIN D. IRWIN Camera Operator...... LOUIS BARLIA First Assistant Camera ...... STEVEN BARNES Second Assistant Camera ...... BILL FINGER Loaders ...... LARRY NOLAN BOWEBB Steadicam Operator...... RICK RAPHAEL Still Photographers ...... BRUCE BIRMELIN JIM BRIDGES Production Coordinator ...... SABRINA S. SUTHERLAND Production Secretary ...... NAOMI HOLLANDER Accountant ...... MARILYN TASSO Assistant Accountant ...... JOENE ACORD Accounts Assistant...... JIM POLACZNSKI Location Managers ...... ALAN FORBES LOUIS DiFELICE Location Assistant ...... ARTIS I. GAINES 2nd Second Assistant Director ...... DAVID K. RIEBEL Assistant Editors ...... MARY PRITCHARD · P~ffiru~ Lightworks Assistant ...... PAM RAYMER Supervising Sound Editor...... ~...... MARK BECK Sound Effects Assistants ...... DAN SIEGAL COLIN SIMPSON Dialogue Editors ...... JA~ICE IERULLI SCOTT McCRORIE Re-Recording Mixers ...... JOHN GARB FRANK MORRONE

II Foley Artist ...... PHIL RODRIQUES Music Editor ...... DANNY FERNANDEZ Music Engineer...... ' ...... RON SEARLES Assistant Engineer ...... JOHN HULBUT Production Sound Recorder ...... DONALD SUMMER c.A.s. Boom Operator ...... KEVIN J. WARD Cable ...... DOUGLAS M. KELEJIAN KATE CRAIG Costumers ...... DEBORAH LATHAM RICHARD SCHOEN Key Make-up ...... , ...... BOB SCRffiNER Assistant Make-up ...... MAXI SPISAK Key Hair Stylist ...... DEBORAH ANN PIPER Assistant Hair Stylist ...... PAULETTE SCHOEN Property Masters ...... WALLY STOCK LIN BRIAN FONG Assistant Property Masters ...... GARY BRINK JEFF HAYNES Lead Person ...... VALERIE JO VAN NORTE Set Dressers ...... JULIE K. SMITH DAWN SERODY Construction Coodinators ...... JAMES A. GELARDEN GEOFFREY GRIMSMAN Construction Foremen ...... RONALD LEE HIATT JOEL P. BLANCHARD PETER J. BA TTISTELLI Set Artist ...... SHARLEEN BRIGHT Sign Writer ...... KELLEY COLLOPY Paint Foremen ...... PAUL CORMIER JAYNE BROWNING Muralist ...... ELMER MILO ROSSMAN Art Department Assistant ...... LYNETT GRABAU Chief Lighting Technician ...... CALVIN MAEHL Best Boy Electric ...... FELIX A. RIVERA Electricians ...... '...... DONALD J. SUTHERLAND RUSSELL WULFF STEVE THOMPSON Key Grip ...... KEITH A. TALLEY Best Boy Grip ...... VITO J. MIRABELLA Dolly Grip ...... MICHAEL PRICE Grips ...... MATTHEW E. JENNINGS DONALD E VERBA ERIC BARTSCH RYAN BARTSCH Visual Effects ...... WILLIAM CRUSE & COMPANY Visual Effects Coordinator ...... JOSHUA CULP Visual Effects Camera Operator ...... :..... ALLEN BLAISDELL Optical Effects Supervisor ...... DALE RUSSELL Matte & Digital Effects Supervisor ...... JESSE SILVER Special Effects Coordinator ...... GREG HULL 1VIechanical Effects ...... RICHARD GARDNER Motion Control Programmer...... MICHAEL KARP Front Projection~ ...... CINEVISION CORPORATION ATLANTA STEVE NEWTON

III Transportation Coordinator ...... JEFFREY RENFRO Transportation Captain ...... BOB BAILEY Unit Publicist ...... ANNE STRICK Assistant to Mr. Clark ...... WYATT KNIGHT Assistant to Mr. Dupont ...... IRENE JAREMA Assistant to Mr. Grodin ...... CLAY ALEXANDER DETTMER New York Casting ...... PAT McCORKLE DIANE SILVERST ADT Casting ...... BETTY McCORMICK AGGAS Casting Assistant...... SHAWN ROWE (LA) Extras Casting...... DAVID & LEE CASTING (Cleveland) FINCANNON & ASSOCIATES (Wilmington) Key Set PA ...... TIM FOSTER Production Assistants ...... DOUGLAS HUFNAGLE ROBERT H. TURLINGTON BRIAN VINCA BARBARA DOWNEY Catering ...... KEN & ARTS CATERING Craft Service ...... MIKE ZITELLO (Cleveland) REV A (Wilmington) Visual Consultant ...... THOMAS H. PAUL Dialogue Coach ...... ROBERT DICKMAN Dance Consultant ...... TERRI J. KENT Top Assistant ...... MICHAEL CLARK Marine Coordinator ...... JEFFREY JOHNSON Animals Supplied by ...... BIRDS & ANIMALS UNLIMITED Animal Trainers...... ROGER SCHUMACHER DOREE SITTERLY "Tops" Expert JUDITH SCHULZ SPINNING TOP MUSEUM Burlington, Wisconsin THE PRODUCERS WISH TO GIVE SPECIAL THANKS TO: The Ohio Film Commission The Mayor's Office of Cleveland Playhouse Square Center Cleveland, Ohio Sam and Charles Scaravelli and to The Citizens of Tremont

Titles and Opticals by ...... FILM OPTICALS OF CANADA Negative Cutter ...... GARY BURRITT Color Timer ...... :...... RALPH TARR

Post-Production Sound Studios ZAZA SOUND PRODUCTIONS LIMITED

Laboratory- WRS MOTION PICTURE LAB , PA

IV Film supplied by FUJI

Camera Equipment supplied by JOE DUNTON & COMPANY Wilmington, NC

Archive Footage supplied by ARCHIVE FILMS , INC.

Lightworks Editing System provided by CHRISTY'S POST PRODUCTION CENTER

Filmed in part at CAROLCO STUDIOS, INC.·

Footage from Retry in Blunder/and courtesy of REPUBLIC PICTURES CORPORATION.

Opening Music from Music by Paul Zaza

"That Highborn Gal of Mine" Written by Peter Kirby Performed by Bashful Brother Oswald Courtesy of The Rounder Records Group

"Hut Sut Song" Written by Leo Killion, Ted McMichael & Jack Owens Performed by Sammy Kaye with the Kayedettes Courtesy of Hindsight Records by arrangement with Warner Special Products

"Just a Strand From A Yellow Curl" Written by Wiseman Mac Performed by The Blue Sky Boys Courtesy of The Rounder Records Group

"Fathers Have A Home Sweet Home" Traditional arranged by E. C. and Oma Bill Performed by E. C. and Orna Bill Courtesy of The Rounder Records Group

"Mairzy Doats" Written by Milton Drake,- Al Hoffman & Jerry Livingston Performed by The Pied Pipers Courtesy of Capitol Records under license from CEMA Special Markets

"Theme from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" Music by Ennio Morricone From The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, a United Artists Picture

v "My Resistance Is Low" W..ritten by Hoagy Carmichael Performed by Hoagy Carmichael Courtesy of MCA Records

[)(] SPECiRAl. R(COflOJNG DOLBY. STEREO DIGITAL VEAIFV THE A TRE FOAM.I\T

No. 32843 ~

MOTf~OI PIC fUl l AISQCilftt • 0, AIU AtCA ~0

© 1994 METRO-GOLDWYN-MA YER INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From

RATING: PG RUNNING TIME: 85 MINUTES

VI IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY

It's going to be a hot summer at the Parker house--and not just because of the temperature. Their outlandish new neighbors, the teeming Bumpus family, instigate a war with Dad (CHARLES GRODIN), who even enlists the family dog (BARKLEY) to single-handedly take on the Bumpus blood ~ound s. Young Ralphie (KIERAN

CULKIN) is engaged in a battle of his own with the neighborhood bully, although his is not a war of words or of fists, but rather a duel to the death with spinning killer tops.

Not to be left out of the fray, Mom (MARY STEENBURGEN)'become~ the first member of the family to spend time in the "pokey" when she leads the "great gravy boat rebellion. " Meanwhile, the whole town is on a mission to catch their portion of the unappetizing-sounding crappie fish, the only kind to survive in the town's polluted lake. It. is a summer of triumphs, defeats and, most frustrating of all, ties. Charles Grodin ("Beethoven," "Midnight Run"), Kieran Culkin ("Nowhere to

Run") and Academy Award winner Mary Steenburgen (", " "Back to the

Future III") star in this delightful family comedy. MGM' s top dog, Barkley, the lovable Jack Russell terrier who has won the hearts of moviegoers in "Clean Slate," is the film's canine co-star. Returning to the nostalgic world of the holiday favorite "A

Christmas Story," IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY takes another glimpse into the lives of the Parker family during one memorable summer.

Reuniting the creative team behind "A Christmas Story," IT RUNS IN THE

FAMILY is based on the novels of Jean Shepherd, who returns as "The Narrator."

The film was directed by Bob Clark and produced by Rene Dupont from a screenplay by Clark, Jean Shepherd and Leigh Brown.

1 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer_presents IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY, a Bob Clark film, starring Charles Grodin, Kieran Culkin and Mary Steenburgen. The film was produced by Rene Dupont and executive produced by Jean Shepherd. Bob Clark directed from a screenplay by Jean Shepherd & Leigh Brown and Bob Clark, based on the novels by Shepherd.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Just over a decade ago, movie audiences were first introduced to the Parker family in MGM's heartwarming family film "A Christmas Story." In the years that followed, the Parkers' unforgettable Christmas became a perennial holiday favorite of families everywhere, selling over 500,000 copies on videocassette and enjoyed by millions in annual television airings.

The director of that first film, ~ob Clark, immediately began planning a sequel that would again be based on the writings of popular Jean Shepherd. "It's always a labor of love with Shepherd's work," he states. "He has an innate ability to find universal themes, but his genius is in his skewed, almost demonic view of childhood--quite mad, but nonetheless affectionate. There remained an abundance of excellent material for a sequel...though this really isn't a sequel; it's rather stories from the same source woven together. "

The film marks a reunion of the talent behind "A Christmas Story," with Rene

Dupont producing and Jean Shepherd and his wife Leigh Brown collaborating with

Clark on the screenplay to recreate the delightfully nostalgic world of the Parkers.

2 "We tried to reproduce the atmosphere ... the way the people and the town were,"

Shepherd says. "But it's not a specific family history, so there were, of course, many changes."

The most apparent change would come in the cast. Though 10 years of real time had elapsed, the filmmakers were rejoining the Parkers in the summer following

"A Christmas Story. 11

A new family was assembled, beginning with The Old Man, played to irascible perfection by Charles Grodin. "Truly, there was only one choice in my mind for the part, 11 reveals Clark, "and it was Charles Grodin. Fortunately, he loved the script and we got him."

"He's a fun character," Grodin smiles. "To be honest, he's a blow-hard, and I don't often get the opportunity to blow that hard ... so it's a chance for me to be myself."

Grodin, who had just wrapped a film with Mary Steenburgen, suggested her for the role of his on-screen wife. Clark recalls responding, "Oh my God, of course! We all knew instantly that Mary was the perfect actress for the part."

Steenburgen, who grew up in a small town in Arkansas, says the script evoked a lot of memories. "It captured the feeling of a small town, where you knew the same people your entire life. It had a real sense of continuity to it."

Cast as brothers Ralphie and Randy Parker are real-life brothers Kieran and

Christian Culkin. "It made it a lot easier, because we do have to act like brothers in the movie," concedes Kieran, adding with a laugh, "always fighting."

The director offers, "I worried at first, because Kieran is very endearing and sweet and extremely protective of Christian, while Ralphie and Randy are battlers. But after a while, you see that--like all brothers--Kieran and Christian have their battles too. 11

3 In addition to co-writing the film, Jean Shepherd provided another link to the first installment, as he once again is heard as the voice of Ralphie as an adult.

The cast also included four-legged actors, with the story calling for the very talented--albeit small--canine Barkley to be pitted against a team of 10 bloodhounds. "We had to find dogs that not only worked together well, but could ad-lib," dog trainer

Roger Schumacher says, managing to keep a straight face. "The filmmakers added new dog gags every day." To film the exteriors for IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY, the cast and crew travelled to the same Cleveland, Ohio location that had previously been seen as the Parkers' hometown. "We wanted to keep the same visual style as "A Christmas

Story," notes.producer Rene Dupont. To their delight, the filmmakers were able to secure the very same house to serve as the Parker residence, although their joy almost proved premature. In the ten years between the two films, the "Parker house" had passed through many hands and, in the words of production designer Harry Pottle, "had literally been trashed." The house looked more like the home of the hillbilly Bumpuses. While the formidable task of refurbishing the Parkers' house got underway, the home that would be that of the hillbilly Bumpuses was being composed--or rather decomposed--from the ground up on a nearby vacant lot. Their home is a deliberate disaster, a marvel of sagging porch, broken windows, rotting walls and roof, and a front yard that is littered with junkyard rejects. Pottle modelled his design on homes he had seen in the Smoky Mountains, and the crew had a great deal of fun constructing the

"breakaway" house. Cleveland also provided the group of five theatres, known collectively as

Playhouse Square, which served as the film's Orpheum Theatre. Built in the early

1920s, they capture the grand movie palace style of the days before the advent of television,

4 The 1940s atmosphere also extended to the streets where over 100 antique cars, dating from the 1920s to the 1940s, were gathered for use as background. Vintage models of Packards, Hudsons, Pierce Arrows, Studebakers, Model A and Model T

Fords, as well as Chevrolets, Buicks and Oldsmobiles and trucks of all types were driven by their real owners in IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY.

All in all, a tremendous amount of work went into peeling away five decades of progress, from street lights, to tel~vision antennas, to period wardrobe for every cast member and extra. Costume designer Betty Pecha Madden got help from an unexpected source when Mary Steenburgen lent an authentic touch to her own wardrobe. Helping to clean out her Aunt Lillian's attic, Steenburgen came upon two hats that turned out to be perfect. "I wear them both in the movie," she reveals.

"They helped me to feel more of a connection to the period than a 'costume' would have." IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY's interiors were filmed at Carolco Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina. The fishing sequences were accomplished at a lake near the town of Bergaw, North Carolina in an area known as the Blueberry Hill

Campground.

While in Wilmington, two members of the crew decided to take the name of the film at face value. Editor Stan Cole and script supervisor Sandra Marley were married on the lake location set near Wilmington, North Carolina, with the entire cast and crew in attendance and several members of the company also getting into the act. Bob Clark gave the bride away, Mary Steenburgen was her Matron of Honor, and Kieran and Christian Culkin shared duty as ring bearers.

One of the story's main conflicts arises out of Ralphie' s quest to find a champion spinning top, with which to defeat the neighborhood bully. The filmmakers were fortunate to find Judith Schulz's Spinning Top Exploratory Museum in

Burlington, Wisconsin, in addition to Judith herself who served as the film's top

5 consultant. She also coached the younger cast members who had to appear to be top­ spmmng aces.

The tops were made in three scales: the largest, for close-ups; medium, which the children could handle most easily; and normal scale for long shots. The most ambitious sequence follows two battling tops seeming to take on a life of their own as they literally go down the drain, spinning all the while.

To get the shot, the production team had a large pit dug into which they built a false drain. "The city of Cleveland was very great about letting us dig up the street," comments Dupont. Using a snorkel camera with a camera lens mounted on an arm,

Clark and cinematographer Steven M. Katz captured the tops' "point of view" as the boys peered down into the drain to learn the victor.

To everyone's amazement, even the computer-age generation on the set and in the surrounding community abandoned their video games in favor of this simpler pastime. "I love tops now," enthuses Kieran Culkin. "If I start spinning them, I just keep going and going. It's really cool!"

Tops became the local obsession, with everyone trying their hand. Well, almost everyone.

"I'm hopeless at it," confesses Mary Steenburgen, laughing.

Charles Grodin also acquiesced with typical humor. "I can't spin tops; I can't fish ... You know, my only qualification for being here is that I'm a longtime fan of

Jean Shepherd."

In fact, the only adult on the set who could challenge his younger colleagues was Bob Clark. "It's a knack," he ·says. "I picked it up again in a few tosses." The director then adds with a smile,· "Or maybe they just let me win.

"I think IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY is evocative of the same spirit found in 'A

Christmas Story,"' Clark concludes. "Summer, like Christmas, is a special time. We all have memories of those eternal summers of our youth."

6 ABOUT THE CAST

CHARLES GRODIN (The Old Man) has enjoyed a. successful and extremely multi-faceted career, encompassing work as an acclaimed actor, director, producer, author, screenwriter and playwright.

A favorite of movie audiences, Grodin starred in the comedy blockbuster

"Beethoven," in which he squared off with a beguiling St. Bernard. He more recently reprised his role in the hit sequel "Beethoven's 2nd." He has also had memorable starring roles in such diverse films as "The Heartbreak Kid," "Midnight Run,"

"Heaven Can Wait," "Real Life," "Seems Like Old Times," "It's My Turn" and

"Heart and Souls." His additional credits include "Rosemary's Baby," "Catch-22," "11

Harrowhouse," "Thieves," "King Kong," "," "Movers and

Shakers," which was adapted from his own play, and "Clifford, 11 also starring IT

RUNS IN THE FAMILY castmate Mary Steenburgen.

Grodin has also made an impressive mark on the small screen, starring in such

telefilms as "The Grass is Always. Greener Over the Septic Tank" and "Just Me and

You," the mini-series "Fresno" and the special "Love, Sex and Marriage, 11 which he

also wrote. He also starred in the ACE-nominated cable shows "Grown-ups" and

"Charley's Aunt."

Behind the camera, Grodin directed the Em my-winning "Acts of Love and

Other Comedies" and produced and directed the Emmy-nominated special "Paradise." . . He also won an Em my for Best Writing for "The Special" and wrote and

directed "The Simon and Garfunkel Special."

On stage, Grodin was honored with an Outer Critics Circle Award for his work

in the Broadway production of "Same Time, Next Year," and has also been seen on

Broadway in "Tchin Tchin" and "Absence of a Cello." In addition, he won numerous

7 accolades for his one-man show, "An Evening With Charles Grodin" and his off­

Broadway musical satire "Hooray! It's a Glorious Day ... And All That. II His extensive repertoire includes work both on stage and backstage in such plays as "Lovers and

Other Strangers" (director); "Unexpected Guests" and the long-running "Thieves"

(producer and director); "11 Harrow house" (co-writer and star); "Movers and Shakers"

(co-producer, writer and star); and "Price of Fame" (writer and star).

Grodin has also authored the books How I Get Through Life and the autobiographical It Would Be So Nice If You Weren't Here.

MARY STEENBURGEN (Mom) was honored with an Academy Award for

Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Jonathan Demme's "Melvin and

Howard," a comedy about a chance meeting with the late billionaire recluse Howard

Hughes. She more recently starre~ in two of the most honored films of last year:

"Philadelphia," the compelling and timely drama about AIDs, which reunited her with

Demme; and the offbeat sleeper hit "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?."

Steenburgen made an auspicious feature film debut, starring opposite Jack

Nicholson in the comedic Western "Goin' South." She then starred with Malcolm

McDowell in the fantasy thriller "Time After Time," in which she played a contemporary woman who falls for the time-travelling H. G. Wells and opts to return to the past to stay with him. She would later reverse the order of time travel, portraying a

19th-Century teacher who comes "Back to the Future" in the third installment of that mega-hit film franchise.

She has also earned acclaim for her work in such outstanding films as Milos

Forman's "Ragtime," Woody Allen's "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy," Martin

Ritt's "Cross Creek," in which she starred as Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marjorie

Kinnan Rawlings, and Ron Howard's "Parenthood." Her additional fi'lm

8 credits include "Romantic Comedy," "One Magic Christmas," "The Whales of

August," "End of the Line," "Dead of Winter," "Miss Firecracker," "The Butcher's

Wife" and "Clifford," also starring Charles Grodin. Steenburgen will next be seen starring in the film "Pontiac Moon."

On television, Steenburgen earned an Emmy Award nomination for her portrayal of Miep Gies in "The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank." She also won a

British Broadcasters Guild Award for her work in the BBC/Showtime adaptation of F.

Scott Fitzgerald's "Tender is the Night."

Born in Arkansas, Steenburgen moved to ~ew York where she began acting in the theatre. Though her career ultimate! y became primarily devoted to features, she returned to the stage to star in the London revival of Phillip Barry's "Holiday" and the

1993 Broadway presentation of George Bernard Shaw's "Candida."

KIERAN CULKIN (Ralphie Parker) recently gained the attention of both audiences and critics as the courageous young Mookie in the action thriller ."Nowhere to Run," in which he starred with Jean-Claude Van Dam me and Rosanna Arquette.

Born in , Kieran made his stage debut nearly a decade ago as one of the title characters in Laura Gardiner's "Bach Babies" at the Symphony Space.

That served as preparation for a long stint as The Light Opera of 's resident drummer boy/train bearer/midshipmite in the Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire.

At the age of seven, he made the transition from the stage to the screen with the role of Fuller McAllister, the little bed-wetting cousin in the blockbuster hit "Home

Alone." He later reprised that role in the sequel " 2: Lost in New York," and has also been seen in two additional hit comedies, "Only the Lonely," and "Father of the Bride," starring Steve Martin.

9 CHRISTIAN CULKIN (Randy Parker) joins the ranks of his three older brothers, making his acting debut in IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY.

A native New Yorker, Christian is one of seven children and lives with his family in Manhattan.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

BOB CLARK (Director/Co-Writer) has been an award-winning director, producer and writer for over two decades. Now, he has reunited with the team that created one of his most memorable films, "A Christmas Story," to co-write and direct

IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY.

Clark has been honored twice V{ith Canada's Genie Award for Best Director, the first for "," which he also produced, and again for "A Christmas

Story." For the latter, he also won a Genie for Best Screenplay and was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award.

In 1980, Clark directed to an Academy Award nomination in the powerful d:ama "Tribute," which also starred Robby Benson and the late Colleen

Dewhurst. The following year, he wrote, directed and produced "Porky's," a raucous coming-of-age comedy, which went on to achieve cult-favorite status.

He includes among his other directing credits such diverse films as "!," starring Timothy Hutton; "Rhinestone," which teamed Sylvester Stallone and Dolly

Parton; and "Breaking Point." In addition, he produced and directed "Death Dream," which went on to win the Berlin Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay, and the

10 thriller "Black Christmas." He also co-wrote and directed the comedy "Loose

Cannons," starring Gene Hackman and Dan Ackroyd, and directed, co-wrote and produced "From the Hip." Most recently, he directed the Turner Network Television presentation of Arthur Miller's "The American Clock."

RENE DUPONT (Producer) has collaborated several times with Bob Clark, most notably on the award-winning films "A Christmas Story" and "Murder by

Decree." In addition, Dupont and Clark have worked together on "Turk 182!," "Loose

Cannons" and "From the Hip."

Dupont has also worked with several other outstanding· directors, including

Charlie Chaplin, Stanley Kubrick, Joseph Losey, Robert Aldrich, Richard Brooks, John

Guillerman, Peter Hall and Peter Yates.

His additional film credits include "Collision Course," "Silver Dream Racer,"

"The Lady Vanishes," "The Uncanny," "Lord Jim," "The Blue Max," "Perfect

Friday," "Murphy's War" and "Shaft in America."

JEAN SHEPHERD (Co-writer/Narrator) co-wrote the screenplays for both "A

Christmas Story" and IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY, as well as creating the stories on which they are based . He also provides another link between the two films, as he again narrates the story as the voice of the adult Ralph Parker.

One of the leading of our time, Shepherd's multi-generational app~ has been proven in books and magazines, on radio and on the stages of college campuses across the country. In addition, he has sold out a remarkable four times with his singular style of sharing stories and observations.

He authored the books In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, Wanda Hickey's

Night of Golden Memories, The Ferrari in the Bedroom, and A Fistful of Fig Newtons.

11 He also wrote the anthology The America of and the screenplay "Phantom of the Open Hearth. " Shepherd also had a regular column in The Village Voice and has had numerous stories published in leading magazines, including Town and Country and Playboy. His many awards include several Playboy Awards for Best Story of the Year, and the Mark

Twain Award, which is presented by the Platform Speakers Association of America.

Raised in Hammond, Indiana, Shepherd began his career doing stand-up comedy in New York. He went on to have tremendously successful local television and radio shows, most notably on New York's WOR, for 12 years. He also worked as

11 11 an actor, appearing on Broadway in Destry, "The Voice of the Turtle, II "Tender

Trap" and "New Faces. II

LEIGH BROWN (Co-writer) is married to Jean Shepherd and has collaborated with him on several screenplays, including 11 A Christmas Story." Working with the same team on IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY, she was responsible for many of the hilarious moments featuring the outrageous Bumpus fam ily.

Brown also worked ~ith Shepherd on the screenp.lays "The Star-Crossed

Romance of Josephine Cosnowski," which won the Silver Medal for Best Screenplay at the New York Film Festival in 1983, "Phantom of the Open Hearth," "Great American

Fourth of July and Other Disasters" and "Ollie Hapnoodle's Haven of Bliss." In addition, she authored the novel The Show Gypsies.

STEPHEN M . KATZ (Cinematographer) has worked on a variety of feature

films I including "Watch ItI " "Who's Harry Crumb I " "18 Again I " "Sister ' su.terr~ ' " "And God Created Woman," '"night, Mother," "The Blues Brothers," "Kentucky Fried

Movie" and "Our Winning Season."

12 On television, he most recently worked with director Bob Clark on the Turner

Network Television presentation of Arthur Miller's "The American Clock." His additional credits include the network projects "Catch Me If You Can," "Deadly

Relations," "Coming Soon" and "The Alf Christmas Special," the 1992 season of

HBO's series "Dream On," and the USA Cable films "White Lie" and "Murder 101."

HARRY POTTLE (Production Designer) has previously collaborated with Bob Clark and/or Rene Dupont on several films, including "Loose Cannons," "Collision

Course," "Turk 182!" and "Murder by Decree." His additional credits include "The Big Sleep," "The 39 Steps" and "Stand Up Virgin Soldiers."

A native of England, Pottle attended art school outside London and , after graduating, landed a drafting job at Denham Studios. After serving in the Navy during

World War II, he held a series of jobs, eventually becoming chief draftsman at

Pinewood Studios. He worked hi s way up to desi gner and includes among his earliest credits the classic television series "The Avengers."

BETTY PECHA MADDEN (Costume Designer) recently designed the costumes for the Disney feature "Iron Will." She also worked on three prestigious projects for Turner Network Television: "The American Clock," directed by Bob Clark; "Cooperstown" and "The Water Engine."

Madden has worked with pop superstar Michael Jackson on his films "Captain

Eo" and "Moonwalker." She includes among her additional credits "Her Life as a

Man," "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," "Beastmaster I & II," "Vamp," "Open All

Night," "Triumph of a Man Called Horse," "Percy and Thunder," "Heart of Justice" and "Desire and Hell at Sunset Motel."

13 STAN COLE (Editor) first worked with Bob Clark on the film "Breaking

Point," and has since collaborated with the director on "Murder by J?ecree,"

"Porky's," "Porky's 2," "A Christmas Story," "Rhinestone," "Turk 182!," "From the

Hip," "Loose Cannons" and the recent cable film "The American Clock."

His additional film credits include "Phobia," "Collision Course" and "The

Kiss." Cole has also edited the television projects "Miracle on I-880," "I Still Dream of Jeannie" and episodes of "The Hitchhiker."

PAUL ZAZA (Composer) is another of Bob Clark's longtime associates, having scored several of the director's most prominent projects, including "A Christmas

Story," "Porky's," "Porky's 2," "Turk 182!," "Murder by Decree," "Loose Cannons,"

"From the Hip" and, most recently, "The American Clock."

Zaza has also been responsible for the music in a number of diverse film and television projects and documentaries, both in the and in his native

Canada. His film credits include all four "Prom Night" films, "A Switch in Time, "

"My Bloody Valentine," "White Light," "The Club," "Stone Cold Dead," "Blindside,"

"Bullies," "Cold Sweat," "Meatballs III" and "No Contest."

For television, he wrote the music for the acclaimed mini-series "To Catch a

Killer" and "Ford: The Man and Machine. . " He also scored two "Spenser For Hire" telefilms, the T.V. movie "Murder by Night" and the recent series "Rin Tin Tin."

His prestigious documentary credits include "Caught in the Cross-Fire," "Out of

Control" and the three-hour C.B.C. special on the Persian Gulf War entitled "Acts of

War."

14 . (Left and right) KIERAN CULKIN stars as Ralph Parker in MGM's delightful family comedy IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY, a follow-up to the perennial holiday 1-1 favorite "A Christmas Story." Photo credit: Bruce Birmelin

~ 1994 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. All rights reserved. Permission granted for reproduction in neYJSpapers and periodicals only. Use of this photography in any olher manner including but not limited to publication in books, retrospe<:tives, biographies, or in connection with the advertising of posters or any other product or service. permitted only with the written permission of the copyright propie tor. (Left to right) CHARLES GRODIN, CHRISTIAN CULKIN, MARY STEENBURGEN and KIERAN CULKIN star as the Parker family in MGM's 1-2 heartwarming family comedy IT RUNS IN THE Photo credit: Bruce Birmelin FAMILY. e 1994 Metro-Goldwyn·Mayer Inc. All rights reserved. Permission granted for reproduction in newspapers and periodicals only. Use of this photography in any ot11er manner including but not limited to publication in books, retrospectives, biographies, or in connection with the advertising of posters or any other product or service. permitted only with the written permission of the copyright propietor. (Top - left to right) GEOFFREY WIGDOR, KIERAN CULKIN and DAVID ZAHORSKY. (bottom - left to right) DAVID ZAHORSKY, 1-3 KIERAN CULKIN and GEOFFREY WIGDOR Photo credit: Bruce Birmelin pursue their quest to find a "killer" top in MGM's delightful family film IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY. © 1994 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. All rights reserved. Permission granted for reproduction in newspapers and periodicals only. Use of this photography in any other manner including but not limited to publication in books, retrospectives, biographies, or in connection with the advertising of posters or any other product or service. permitted only with the written permission of the copyright propietor. (Top) CHARLES GRODIN stars as the head of the Parker family, affectionately referred to as The Old Man, (bottom) The Old Man (CHARLES GRODIN, far right) declares war on 1-4 the neighboring Bumpus family in MGM's Photo credit: Bruce Birmelin engaging family comedy IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY. @ 1994 Metro·Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. A11 rights reserved. Permission granted for reproduction in newspapers and periodicals only. Use of this photography in any other manner including but not limited to publication in books, retrospectives, biographies, or in connection with the advertising of posters or any other product or service, permilled only with the wrinen permission of the copyright propietor. ..

(Left) Rea l-life brothers KIERAN CULKIN and CHRISTIAN CULKIN, (center) 1-5 MARY STEENBURGEN, (right) and CHARLES GRODIN star as the Parker Photo credit: Bruce Birmelin family in MGM's delightful family comedy IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY.

~ 1994 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. All rights reserved. Permission granted for reproduction in newspapers and periodicals only. Use of this photography in any other manner including but not limited to publication in books. retrospectives, biographies, or in connection with the advertising of posters or any other product or service, permitted only with the written permission of the copyright propietor. MARY STEENBURGEN and CHARLES GRODIN star in MGM's heartwarming 1-6 family comedy IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY. Photo credit: Jim Bridges

@ 1994MetrcK>oldwyn-Mayer Inc. All rights reserved. Permission granted for reproduction in newspapers and periodicals only. Use of this photography in any other manner including but not limited to publication in books, retrospectives, biographies, or in connection with the advertising of posters or any other product or service, permitted only with the wriUen permission of the copyright propietor. Director BOB CLARK and star MARY STEENBURGEN on the set of MGM's 1-7 delightful family comedy IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY. Photo credit: Jim Bridges

® 1994 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc . All rights reserved. Permission granted for reproduction in newspapers and periodicals only. Use of this photography in any other manner including but not limited to publication in books, relrospectives, biographies, or in connection with the advertising of posters or any other product or service, permitted only with the written permission of the copyright propielor.