GET A LEG UP!

What do the "soft glow of electric sex" and Christmas have in common? Plenty for anybody who'se ever seen Bob Clark's 1983 masterpiece A Christmas Story. The movie paints a nostalgic picture of 1940's Christmas in Indiana. And though it's basic strokes are pretty broad, anyone whose ever longed to find that special something under the tree can relate to the struggle nine year old Ralphie has to convince someone, anyone, that what he really wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder 200-shot carbine action air rifle BB gun with a compass in the stock.

 

But back to the electric sex, in one of the movies many hilarious set pieces Ralphie's dad, played to irascible perfection by Darren McGavin gets a telegram informing him he's won a Major Award. The sweepstakes addicted patris is sure he's going to finally prove to everyone that his mania is justified. When the huge wooden crate arrives dad hurriedly cracks it open wildly throwing excelsior around digging, digging until finally his major award is revealed to be…a leg lamp! This travesty of tasteful design is forty inches tall, and lights up from the inside glowing as if it were taken off of one of hell's showgirls. Adding the final breathless touch the leg lamp is “dressed” in a black fishnet stocking and topped with a black tasseled gold silk shade. Dad installs it so that its fiery comfort pulses through the front window of the house drawing neighbors, large numbers of male neighbors until, that is mom, or chance, destructively intervenes. The fate of the leg lamp remains a controversy to this day.

 

For any fan of A Christmas Story, and for lovers of kitsch the leg lamp is the collectable to own from the film outstripping even a Red Ryder 200-shot carbine action air rifle BB gun with a compass in the stock. This came as news to Joe Egeberg, owner of ONE LEG UP, a company which specializes in replicas of the A Christmas Story major award. Egeberg, who hadn't heard of the film originally created his own version of the lamp in the mid eighties, as a gag gift for a friend who owned a bagel shop. In fact, in order to make his first lamp he had to do a lot of…um… leg work. Mannequin parts weren't easy to find. But that gag gift, proudly displayed in the shop's front window, soon had lots of people inquiring where they could get one. By the early nineties Egeberg had a very successful small business on his hand. Once Egeberg did become aware of the lamp's A Christmas Story connection he started doing his replicas. When the business went online it exploded forcing him to rent space and hire a staff. A large percentage of his customers buy the leg lamp because of it's movie connection but he's also sold the lamp in large lots to various businesses who want to lighten up their waiting rooms and use the lamp for promotional purposes.

 

In talking to Egeberg you tell just how much fun this unexpected side note has become for him. He's had every reaction to the leg lamp one could expect. “Some kids react like Ralphie, which of course vaguely horrifies the moms. But those same moms buy leg lamps for the dads who say the leg lamp makes them feel just like kids.” I bet everybody takes a peek up into the shade. “Some people just look at it and shake their heads.” “Why, a leg lamp?” May seem like a fair question but to anyone who loves the odd and unusual the leg lamp embodies the spirit that has made America the world leader in basically useless really enjoyable gee-gaws. In other words, “If you can't understand the joy of a lamp made from a woman's leg then I can't explain it you.” Joe, you don't have to. You can get the leg lamp with a Major Award certificate of authenticity and a box or crate marked frageelay. The lamps are pricey but worth it and they make great lamps, I actually use the one Joe sent when I'm not doing events with it. But if you want your own daisy Red ranger whatever the heck that was you'll have to contact Daisy to see if they even make them.

 

When the package arrived from One Leg lamp I must admit I was pretty excited. By the time I got it unpacked and set up I couldn't resist calling in a couple of fellow office mates for the first lighting. Major Award indeed, I still feel the glow even now. Egeberg has several versions of the lamp and even does customization for a fee having shaded the lamps with everything from pink polka dots to company logos. He even has a remote control model, which he uses for charity events. One Leg Up has been involved in lots of charity events. Their latest one takes place on November 20 and you can learn more about it HERE.

 

If the simultaneous presence of the lamp at charity events and the Playboy magazine offices seems odd it just goes to show how wide the appeal of kitsch is and ho it can be adapted to various ends. There's nothing really prurient about the leg lamp at all. In fact the wondrous glow it generates comes out of that same spirit of Americana that has spawned miniature golf, roadside attractions and the rubber chicken. This writer thinks that he remembers the leg lamp having a pre-Christmas Story existence. Any readers out there who have a vintage leg lamp let us know. In the meantime we're happy to have the one Joe sent us and will be using it in various outreaches to help promote reading and spread Christmas cheer. Thanks Joe and everyone at One Leg Up. May you shine, shine, shine.