Author hosts movie trivia game downtown Nov. 27
— As the holidays approach, TV viewers look forward to watching Christmas movies and specials to capture the spirit of the season. Author Joanna Wilson has a new book about one o
f America’s favorite holiday movie experiences: The Triple Dog Dare: Watching–& Surviving–the 24-Hour Marathon of “A Christmas Story,” released Oct. 15, by 1701 Press.
Every year since 1997, Turner Broadcasting has aired 24 hours of “A Christmas Story” from Christmas Eve through Christmas Day. The marathon has become a cultural phenomenon—many families tune in and watch the movie at least once—some watch several times. But no one watches all 24 hours, right?
Christmas TV writer Joanna Wilson trains her expertise on the 24-hour marathon of “A Christmas Story” to find out what really happens when you watch all 12 screenings of director Bob Clark’s classic Christmas movie, non-stop, commercials and all. Along the way, she discusses the traditions of Christmas on TV, the nuances of Bob Clark’s filmmaking, the ongoing appeal of the movie and its relation to the multilayered, literary storytelling of Jean Shepherd, the activities of binge-watching and hyper-viewing—and she experiences what may or may not be the first recorded case of soap poisoning.
Akron resident Joanna Wilson is the author of “Tis the Season TV: The Encyclopedia of Christmas-themed Episodes, Specials, and Made-for-TV Movies” (2010), “The Christmas TV Companion” (2009) and “Merry Musical Christmas, Vol. 1” (2012). She writes a regularly updated blog ab
out Christmas on TV, covering the popular to the rare, at www.ChristmasTVHistory.com.
In 2010, she appeared in two TV specials: “The Real Story of Christmas” on the History Channel, and the “TV Guide Network’s 25 Most Hilarious Holiday TV Moments.” In 2011, Wilson was invited to participate in the 40th Anniversary screening of the 1971 Christmas TV movie “The Homecoming: A Christmas Story,” which included members of the much-beloved TV series The Waltons. And, in 2012, she was quoted in The New York Times discussing the debut of the Christmas horror film “Silent Night.” Wilson is also the author of the local history and nostalgia book “The Story of Archie the Talking Snowman & Akron’s History of Christmas Attractions” (2015).
Wilson will be hosting “A Christmas Story” movie trivia game in front of the former O’Neil’s storefront Christmas window displays (200 S Main St, Akron, OH 44308, just south of Lock 3) on Sunday, Nov. 27 at 3 p.m. and again at 3:30 p.m.. The movie trivia game is in conjunction with two screenings of “A Christmas Story” at The Nightlight Cinema (30 N. High St. in downtown Akron) that afternoon. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/events/675207185970254/.
“Triple Dog Dare” may be purchased online at Amazon.com and through the publisher’s website at www.1701Press.com. Books may also be purchased at various local book signings, including the Nightlight Cinema screening of “A Christmas Story” on Nov. 27. For a complete list of local book signing events, visit www.1701press.com/events.
