The grumpiest celebrity I've ever interviewed? That would be my teenage idol, legendary radio raconteur Jean Shepherd - best remembered for writing the classic comedy "A Christmas Story," celebrating the 30th anniversary of its release this month.
When I interviewed him just before the film (which he also narrated and was credited on as a producer) came out in 1983, he dodged questions on just how autobiographical the story (based on one of his short stories) was - only reluctantly admitting that he, like the film's young hero, Ralphie, grew up in Hammond, Ind., an industrial city abutting Chicago, during the Great Depression.
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