‘Christmas Story’ house open for tours

Ralphie Parker and Brian Jones know what it’s like to want something.

For Ralphie, the object of desire was an official Red Ryder, carbine-action, 200-shot, range model air rifle. For Jones, the gotta-have-it item was Ralphie’s house -- the one in “A Christmas Story,” the quirky film that has found a niche alongside such holiday classics as “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Miracle on 34th Street.”

Jones has restored the three-story, wood-frame Cleveland house to its appearance in the movie and will open it for tours beginning today. His hope is that it will become a tourist stop alongside the city’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and other destinations.

“A Christmas Story” wasn’t a big hit when released in 1983, but repeat TV airings and, in recent years, a 24-hour run on TBS starting Christmas Eve have made its story of a boy’s quest to get a BB gun for Christmas as infectious as the bespectacled Ralphie’s eager grin.

Jones is unsure whether he’ll make enough money to cover his $500,000 investment, but he’s committed to the project. “I just want people to come and enjoy it as I have,” said Jones, a 30-year-old former Navy lieutenant from San Diego.