document_title: Harry Potter (film series)

question_text: when did the first movie of harry potter come out

question_tokens: when did the first movie of harry potter come out

text: Harry Potter (film series)

text: Origins

text: Late in 1997, film producer David Heyman's London offices received a copy of the first book in what would become Rowling's series of seven Harry Potter novels. The book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was relegated to a low-priority bookshelf, where it was discovered by a secretary who read it and gave it to Heyman with a positive review. Consequently, Heyman, who had originally disliked "the rubbish title", read the book himself. Highly impressed by Rowling's work, he began the process that led to one of the most successful cinematic franchises of all time.[11]

text: Heyman's enthusiasm led to Rowling's 1999 sale of the film rights for the first four Harry Potter books to Warner Bros. for a reported £1 million (US$2,000,000).[12] A demand Rowling made was that the principal cast be kept strictly British, allowing nevertheless for the inclusion of many Irish actors, such as Richard Harris as Dumbledore, and for casting of French and Eastern European actors in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire where characters from the book are specified as such.[13] Rowling was hesitant to sell the rights because she "didn't want to give them control over the rest of the story" by selling the rights to the characters, which would have enabled Warner Bros. to make non-author-written sequels.[14]

text: Although Steven Spielberg initially negotiated to direct the first film, he declined the offer.[15] Spielberg wanted the adaptation to be an animated film, with American actor Haley Joel Osment providing Harry Potter's voice.[16][not in citation given] Spielberg contended that, in his opinion, there was every expectation of profit in making the film. He claims that making money would have been like "shooting ducks in a barrel. It's just a slam dunk. It's just like withdrawing a billion dollars and putting it into your personal bank accounts. There's no challenge".[17] In the "Rubbish" Bin section of her website, Rowling maintains that she had no role in choosing directors for the films, writing "Anyone who thinks I could (or would) have 'veto-ed' him [Spielberg] needs their Quick-Quotes Quill serviced."[18]

text: After Spielberg left, conversations began with other directors, including Chris Columbus, Jonathan Demme, Terry Gilliam, Mike Newell, Alan Parker, Wolfgang Petersen, Rob Reiner, Tim Robbins, Brad Silberling, and Peter Weir.[19] Petersen and Reiner both pulled out of the running in March 2000.[20] It was then narrowed down to Columbus, Gilliam, Parker, and Silberling.[21] Rowling's first choice was Terry Gilliam.[22] However, on 28 March 2000 Columbus was appointed as director of the film, with Warner Bros. citing his work on other family films such as Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire as influences for their decision.[23]

text: Harry Potter is the kind of timeless literary achievement that comes around once in a lifetime. Since the books have generated such a passionate following across the world, it was important to us to find a director that has an affinity for both children and magic. I can't think of anyone more ideally suited for this job than Chris [Columbus].

text: Steve Kloves was selected to write the screenplay for the first film. He described adapting the book as "tough" since it did not "lend itself to adaptation as well as the next two books". Kloves was sent a "raft" of synopses of books proposed as film adaptations, with Harry Potter being the only one that jumped out at him. He went out and bought the book, becoming an instant fan. When speaking to Warner Bros. he stated that the film had to be British and true to the characters.[24] David Heyman was confirmed to produce the film.[23] Rowling received a large amount of creative control for the film, an arrangement that Columbus did not mind.[25]

text: Warner Bros. had initially planned to release the first film over the 4 July 2001 weekend, making for such a short production window that several of the originally proposed directors had withdrawn themselves from contention. Eventually, due to time constraints, the date was put back to 16 November 2001.[26]

text: Casting the roles of Harry, Ron, and Hermione

text: In 2000, after a seven-month search, lead actor Daniel Radcliffe was discovered by producer David Heyman and writer Steve Kloves seated just behind them in a theatre. In Heyman's own words, "There sitting behind me was this boy with these big blue eyes. It was Dan Radcliffe. I remember my first impressions: He was curious and funny and so energetic. There was real generosity too, and sweetness. But at the same time he was really voracious and with hunger for knowledge of whatever kind."[11]

text: Radcliffe had already established himself as an actor in the 1999 BBC television production of David Copperfield in which he played the title role's childhood years. Heyman persuaded Radcliffe's parents to allow him to audition for the part of Harry Potter, which involved Radcliffe being filmed.[11] (This screen test footage was released via the first set of Ultimate Editions in 2009.)[27] Rowling was enthusiastic after viewing Radcliffe's filmed test, saying she didn't think there was a better choice for the part of Harry Potter.[11][28]

text: Also in 2000, the then unknown British actors Emma Watson and Rupert Grint were selected from thousands of auditioning children to play the roles of Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, respectively. Their only previous acting experience was in school plays. Grint was eleven years old and Watson ten at the time they were cast.[29]

text: Los Angeles Times writer Geoff Boucher, who conducted the above-mentioned interview with Heyman, added that the casting of the three major roles "is especially impressive in hindsight. The trio's selection was arguably one of the best show-business decisions over the past decade... they have shown admirable grace and steadiness in the face of teen superstardom."[11][28]

text: Production

text: Filming of the series began at Leavesden Studios, Hertfordshire, England, in September 2000 and ended in December 2010, with post-production on the final film lasting until summer 2011.[6] Leavesden Studios was the main base for filming Harry Potter, and it opened to the public as a studio tour in 2012 (renamed as Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden).[30]

text:
Motion Picture
Director
Writer
Producer(s) [n 1]
Composer
Novel by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Chris Columbus
Steve Kloves
David Heyman
John Williams
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Alfonso Cuarón
Chris Columbus, David Heyman & Mark Radcliffe
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Mike Newell
David Heyman
Patrick Doyle
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
David Yates
Michael Goldenberg
David Heyman & David Barron
Nicholas Hooper
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Steve Kloves
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1
David Heyman, David Barron & J. K. Rowling
Alexandre Desplat
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

text: David Heyman produced all the films in the series with his production company Heyday Films, while David Barron joined the series as an executive producer on Chamber of Secrets and Goblet of Fire. Barron was later appointed producer on the last four films. Chris Columbus was an executive producer on the first two films alongside Mark Radcliffe and Michael Barnathan, but he became a producer on the third film alongside Heyman and Radcliffe. Other executive producers include Tanya Seghatchian and Lionel Wigram. J. K. Rowling, author of the series, was asked to become a producer on Goblet of Fire but declined. She subsequently accepted the role on the two-part Deathly Hallows.[31]

text: Heyday Films and Columbus' company 1492 Pictures collaborated with Duncan Henderson Productions in 2001, Miracle Productions in 2002, and P of A Productions in 2004. Even though Prisoner of Azkaban was the final film produced by 1492 Pictures, Heyday Films continued with the franchise and collaborated with Patalex IV Productions in 2005. The sixth film in the series, Half-Blood Prince, was the most expensive film to produce as of 2009[update].

text: Warner Bros. split the seventh and final novel in the series, Deathly Hallows, into two cinematic parts. The two parts were filmed back-to-back from early 2009 to summer 2010, with the completion of reshoots taking place on 21 December 2010; this marked the end of filming Harry Potter. Heyman stated that Deathly Hallows was "shot as one film" but released in two feature-length parts.[32]

text: Tim Burke, the visual effects supervisor of the series, said of the production on Harry Potter, "It was this huge family; I think there were over 700 people working at Leavesden, an industry in itself." David Heyman said, "When the first film opened, no way did I think we'd make eight films. That didn't seem feasible until after we'd done the fourth." Nisha Parti, the production consultant on the first film, said that Heyman "made the first film very much the way he felt the studio Warner Bros. wanted to make it." After the film's success, Heyman was given "more freedom".[33]

text: One of the aims of the filmmakers from the beginning of production was to develop the maturity of the films. Chris Columbus stated, "We realised that these movies would get progressively darker. Again, we didn't know how dark but we realised that as the kids get older, the movies get a little edgier and darker."[34] This transpired with the succeeding three directors who would work on the series in the following years, with the films beginning to deal with issues such as death, betrayal, prejudice, and political corruption as the series developed narratively and thematically.[5][35]

text: Directors

text: After Chris Columbus had finished working on Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he was hired to direct the second film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The production started within a week after the release of the first film. Columbus was set to direct all entries in the series,[36] but he did not want to return for the third film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, claiming he was "burned out".[37] He moved to the position of producer, while Alfonso Cuarón was approached for the role of director. He was initially nervous about directing the instalment since he had not read any of the books or seen the films. After reading the series, he changed his mind and signed on to direct since he had immediately connected to the story.[38]

text: Because Cuarón decided not to direct the fourth instalment, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, a new director had to be selected.[39] Mike Newell was chosen to direct the film, but he declined to direct the next film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which was given to David Yates, who also directed Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, becoming the only director to helm more than one film since Chris Columbus.

text: Chris Columbus said his vision of the first two films was of a "golden storybook, an old-fashioned look", while Alfonso Cuarón changed the visual tone of the series, desaturated the colour palette, and expanded the landscape around Hogwarts.[34][39] Mike Newell decided to direct the fourth film as a "paranoid thriller", while David Yates wanted to "bring a sense of jeopardy and character to the world".[40][41] Cuarón, Newell, and Yates have said that their challenge was striking a balance between making the films according to their individual vision, while working within a cinematic world already established by Columbus.[39][40][41]

text: David Heyman commented on the "generosity of the directors" by revealing that "Chris spent time with Alfonso, Alfonso spent time with Mike and Mike spent time with David, showing him an early cut of the film, talking through what it means to be a director and how they went about [making the films]."[42]

text: David Heyman also said, "I suppose Chris Columbus was the most conservative choice from the studio's point of view. But he expressed real passion."[33] Producer Tanya Seghatchian said they were "more adventurous" in choosing a director for the third film and went straight to Alfonso Cuarón.[33] Mike Newell became the first British director of the series when he was chosen for the fourth film; Newell was considered to direct the first film before he dropped out.[33] David Yates directed the final films after David Heyman thought him capable of handling the edgy, emotional, and political material of the later novels.[43]

text: All the directors have been supportive of each other. Chris Columbus praised the character development in the films, while Alfonso Cuarón admired the "quiet poetry" of David Yates' films.[34][39] Mike Newell noted that each director had a different heroism, and David Yates views the first four films "respectfully and enjoy[s] them."[40][41] Daniel Radcliffe said Yates "took the charm of the films that Chris made and the visual flair of everything that Alfonso did and the thoroughly British, bombastic nature of the film directed by Mike Newell" and added "his own sense" of realism.[44]

text: Scripts

text: Steve Kloves wrote the screenplays for all but the fifth film, which was penned by Michael Goldenberg. Kloves had direct assistance from J.K. Rowling, though she allowed him what he described as "tremendous elbow room". Rowling asked Kloves to remain faithful to the spirit of the books; thus, the plot and tone of each film and its corresponding book are virtually the same, albeit with some changes and omissions for purposes of cinematic style, time, and budget constraints. Michael Goldenberg also received input from Rowling during his adaptation of the fifth novel; Goldenberg was originally considered to adapt the first novel before the studio chose Kloves.[45]

text: In a 2010 interview, David Heyman briefly explained the book-to-film transition. He commented on Rowling's involvement in the series, stating that she understood that "books and films are different" and was "the best support" a producer could have. Rowling had overall approval on the scripts, which were viewed and discussed by the director and the producers. Heyman also said that Kloves was the "key voice" in the process of adapting the novels and that certain aspects from the books needed to have been excluded from the scripts due to the filmmakers' decision to keep the main focus on Harry's journey as a character, which would ultimately give the films a defined structure. Heyman mentioned that some fans "don't necessarily understand the adaptation process" and that the filmmakers would have loved to "have everything" from the books in the films but noted that it was not possible since they had "neither time nor cinematic structure" to do so. He finished by saying that adapting a novel to the screen is "a really considered process."[46]

text: Because the films were being made as the novels were being published, the filmmakers had no idea of the story's outcome until the release of the final novel in 2007. Kloves spoke of his relationship with Rowling when adapting the novels by saying, "The thing is about Jo, which is remarkable for someone who had no experience with the filmmaking process, was her intuition. We had a conversation the very first day I met her where she said, 'I know the movies can't be the books... because I know what's coming and it's impossible to fully dramatise on screen what I'm going to write. But I just ask you to be true to the characters; that's all I care about.'"[47] Kloves also said, "I don't know what compelled me to say this [to Rowling], but I said, 'I've just got to warn you my favourite character is not Harry. My favourite character is Hermione.' And I think for some weird reason, from that moment on, she sort of trusted me."[47]

text: Cast and crew

text: Aside from the three lead actors, other notable cast members include Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid, Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy, Alan Rickman as Severus Snape, and Dame Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall. Richard Harris, who played the role of Professor Albus Dumbledore, died on 25 October 2002 causing the role to be re-cast for the third instalment, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. David Heyman and director Alfonso Cuarón chose Michael Gambon to portray the character of Dumbledore, which he did for all succeeding films. Notable recurring cast members include Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick, Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort, Brendan Gleeson as Alastor Moody, Richard Griffiths as Vernon Dursley, Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy, Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, Fiona Shaw as Petunia Dursley, Timothy Spall as Peter Pettigrew, David Thewlis as Remus Lupin, Emma Thompson as Sybill Trelawney, Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley, and Julie Walters as Molly Weasley.

text: The series has seen many returning crew members from various departments, including Tim Burke, visual effects supervisor; Peter Doyle, digital film colourist; Nick Dudman, make-up and creature effects designer; David Holmes, stunt double; Amanda Knight, make-up artist; Stephenie McMillan, set designer; Greg Powell, stunt coordinator; Jany Temime, costume designer; and Fiona Weir, casting director.

text: Set design

text: The production designer for all eight films is Stuart Craig. Assisted by Stephenie McMillan, Craig has created iconic sets pieces including the Ministry of Magic, the Chamber of Secrets, Malfoy Manor, and the layout for the CGI Horcrux Cave. Because the novels were being published as the films were being made, Craig was required to rebuild some sets for future films and alter the design of Hogwarts.[50]

text: He said, "In the early days, every time you saw the exterior of Hogwarts, it was a physical miniature," which was made by craftsmen and occupied a large sound stage.[52][53] "We ended up with a profile of how Hogwarts looked, a skyline that actually I didn't design, and it wasn't always satisfactory, and as all the novels got written and movies got made there were new requirements [for buildings]. The [Astronomy Tower] definitely wasn't there originally, and so we were able to add that substantial piece. And in the last film, we needed an arena for the battle for Hogwarts – the big courtyard outside doubled in size, and if you look at the first movie it wasn't there at all. There were quite some liberties taken with the continuity of Hogwarts."[54] In the last film, Craig used a digital model instead of a miniature to "embrace the latest technology".[53]

text: On the method of creating the sets, Craig said he often started by sketching ideas onto a blank sheet of paper.[55] Stephanie McMillan also said that "each film always had plenty of new challenges," citing the changes in visual style between directors and cinematographers as an example, along with the developing story in the novels. Due to J.K. Rowling's descriptions of various settings in the novels, Craig noted his "responsibility was to place it together".[56]

text: Craig commented on his experience working in the studio environment: "I'm the production designer, but on a big movie like Harry Potter I may be responsible for 30 to 35 people; from the supervising art director, and a team of art directors and assistants, to draughtsmen and junior draughtsmen, and then on to model makers, sculptors and scenic artists." He said, "Ten years ago, all the Harry Potter drawings were done in pencil. I would take my roughs and plans and sections and give them to a professional architectural illustrator, who would create concept art using pencil and colour wash on watercolour paper." He said the process changed slightly throughout the years due to, what he called, the "digital revolution" of making films.[53]

text: When filming of the series was completed, some of Craig's sets had to be rebuilt or transported for them to be displayed at the Warner Bros. studio tour.[52]

text: Cinematography

text: Six directors of photography worked on the series: John Seale on the first film, Roger Pratt on the second and fourth, Michael Seresin on the third, Sławomir Idziak on the fifth, Bruno Delbonnel on the sixth, and Eduardo Serra on the seventh and eighth. Delbonnel was considered to return for both parts of Deathly Hallows, but he declined, stating that he was "scared of repeating" himself.[57] Delbonnel's cinematography in Half-Blood Prince gained the series its only Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography. As the series progressed, each cinematographer faced the challenge of shooting and lighting older sets (which had been around since the first few films) in unique and different ways.[58] Chris Columbus said the series' vivid colouring decreased as each film was made.[34][59]

text: Michael Seresin commented on the change of visual style from the first two films to Prisoner of Azkaban: "The lighting is moodier, with more shadowing and cross-lighting." Seresin and Alfonso Cuarón moved away from the strongly coloured and brightly lit cinematography of the first two films, with dimmer lighting and a more muted colour palette being utilised for the succeeding five films.[60] After comparing a range of digital cameras with 35 mm film, Bruno Delbonnel decided to shoot the sixth movie, Half-Blood Prince, on film rather than the increasingly popular digital format. This decision was kept for the two-part Deathly Hallows with Eduardo Serra, who said that he preferred to work with film because it was "more technically accurate and dependable".[61]

text: Because the majority of Deathly Hallows takes place in various settings away from Hogwarts, David Yates wanted to "shake things up" by using different photographic techniques such as using hand-held cameras and very wide camera lenses.[62] Eduardo Serra said, "Sometimes we are combining elements shot by the main unit, a second unit, and the visual effects unit. You have to know what is being captured – colours, contrast, et cetera – with mathematical precision." He noted that with Stuart Craig's "amazing sets and the story", the filmmakers could not "stray too far from the look of the previous Harry Potter films."[61][63]

text: Editing

text: Along with continuous changes in cinematographers, there have been five film editors to work in post-production on the series: Richard Francis-Bruce edited the first instalment, Peter Honess the second, Steven Weisberg the third, Mick Audsley the fourth, and Mark Day films five through eight.

text: Music

text: The Harry Potter series has had four composers. John Williams scored the first three films: Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, and Prisoner of Azkaban. However, the second entry was adapted and conducted by William Ross due to Williams's conflicting commitments. Williams also created Hedwig's Theme, which is used in every film in the series.

text: After Williams left the series to pursue other projects, Patrick Doyle scored the fourth entry, Goblet of Fire, which was directed by Mike Newell, with whom Doyle had worked previously. In 2006, Nicholas Hooper started work on the score to Order of the Phoenix by reuniting with director David Yates. Hooper also composed the soundtrack to Half-Blood Prince but decided not to return for the final films.

text: In January 2010, Alexandre Desplat was confirmed to compose the score for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.[64] The film's orchestration started in the summer with Conrad Pope, the orchestrator on the first three Harry Potter films, collaborating with Desplat. Pope commented that the music "reminds one of the old days."[65] Desplat returned to score Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in 2011.[66]

text: Director David Yates stated that he wanted John Williams to return to the series for the final installment, but their schedules did not align due to the urgent demand for a rough cut of the film.[67] The final recording sessions of Harry Potter took place on 27 May 2011 at Abbey Road Studios with the London Symphony Orchestra, orchestrator Conrad Pope, and composer Alexandre Desplat.[68]

text: Doyle, Hooper, and Desplat introduced their own personal themes to their respective soundtracks, while keeping a few of John Williams's themes.

text: Visual effects

text: There have been many visual effects companies to work on the Harry Potter series. Some of these include Rising Sun Pictures, Double Negative, Cinesite, Framestore, and Industrial Light & Magic. The latter three have worked on all the films in the series, while Double Negative and Rising Sun Pictures began their commitments with Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire, respectively. Framestore contributed by developing many memorable creatures and sequences to the series.[69] Cinesite was involved in producing both miniature and digital effects for the films.[70] Producer David Barron said that "Harry Potter created the UK effects industry as we know it. On the first film, all the complicated visual effects were done on the [US] west coast. But on the second, we took a leap of faith and gave much of what would normally be given to Californian vendors to UK ones. They came up trumps." Tim Burke, the visual effects supervisor, said many studios "are bringing their work to UK effects companies. Every facility is fully booked, and that wasn't the case before Harry Potter. That's really significant."[33]

text: Final filming

text: On 12 June 2010, filming of the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Deathly Hallows – Part 2 was completed with actor Warwick Davis stating on his Twitter account, "The end of an Era – today is officially the last day of principal photography on 'Harry Potter' – ever. I feel honoured to be here as the director shouts cut for the very last time. Farewell Harry & Hogwarts, it's been magic!".[71] However, reshoots of the epilogue scene were confirmed to begin in the winter of 2010. The filming was completed on 21 December 2010, marking the official closure of filming the Harry Potter franchise.[72] Exactly four years earlier on that day, author J. K. Rowling's official website revealed the title of the final novel in the series – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.[73]

text: Films

text: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)

text: Harry Potter is an orphaned boy brought up by his unkind Muggle (non-magical) aunt and uncle. At the age of eleven, half-giant Rubeus Hagrid informs him that he is actually a wizard and that his parents were murdered by an evil wizard named Lord Voldemort. Voldemort also attempted to kill one-year-old Harry on the same night, but his killing curse mysteriously rebounded and reduced him to a weak and helpless form. Harry became extremely famous in the Wizarding World as a result. Harry begins his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and learns about magic. During the year, Harry and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger become entangled in the mystery of the Philosopher's Stone which is being kept within the school.

text: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

text: Harry, Ron, and Hermione return to Hogwarts for their second year, which proves to be more challenging than the last. The Chamber of Secrets has been opened, leaving students and ghosts petrified by an unleashed monster. Harry must face up to claims that he is the heir of Salazar Slytherin (founder of the Chamber), learn that he can speak Parseltongue, and also discover the properties of a mysterious diary, only to find himself trapped within the Chamber of Secrets itself.

text: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

text: Harry Potter's third year sees the boy wizard, along with his friends, attending Hogwarts School once again. Professor R. J. Lupin joins the staff as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, while convicted murderer Sirius Black escapes from Azkaban Prison. The Ministry of Magic entrusts the Dementors of Azkaban to guard Hogwarts from Black. Harry learns more about his past and his connection with the escaped prisoner.

text: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

text: During Harry's fourth year, Hogwarts plays host to a legendary event: the Triwizard Tournament. Three European schools participate in the tournament, with three 'champions' representing each school in the deadly tasks. The Goblet of Fire chooses Fleur Delacour, Viktor Krum, and Cedric Diggory to compete against each other. However, curiously, Harry's name is also produced from the Goblet thus making him a fourth champion, which results in a terrifying encounter with a reborn Lord Voldemort.

text: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

text: Harry's fifth year begins with him being attacked by Dementors in Little Whinging. Later, he finds out that the Ministry of Magic is in denial of Lord Voldemort's return. Harry is also beset by disturbing and realistic nightmares, while Professor Umbridge, a representative of Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge, is the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Harry becomes aware that Voldemort is after a prophecy which reveals: "neither can live while the other survives". The rebellion involving the students of Hogwarts, secret organisation Order of the Phoenix, the Ministry of Magic, and the Death Eaters begins.

text: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

text: In Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts, Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters are increasing their terror upon the Wizarding and Muggle worlds. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore persuades his old friend Horace Slughorn to return to Hogwarts as a professor as there is a vacancy to fill. There is a more important reason, however, for Slughorn's return. While in a Potions lesson, Harry takes possession of a strangely annotated school textbook, inscribed 'This is the property of the Half-Blood Prince'. Draco Malfoy struggles to carry out a deed presented to him by Voldemort. Meanwhile, Dumbledore and Harry secretly work together to discover the method on how to destroy the Dark Lord once and for all.

text: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010)

text: After unexpected events at the end of the previous year, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are entrusted with a quest to find and destroy Lord Voldemort's secret to immortality – the Horcruxes. It is supposed to be their final year at Hogwarts, but the collapse of the Ministry of Magic and Voldemort's rise to power prevents them from attending. The trio undergo a long journey with many obstacles in their path including Death Eaters, Snatchers, the mysterious Deathly Hallows, and Harry's connection with the Dark Lord's mind becoming ever stronger.

text: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011)

text: After destroying one Horcrux and discovering the significance of the three Deathly Hallows, Harry, Ron and Hermione continue to seek the other Horcruxes in an attempt to destroy Voldemort, who has now obtained the powerful Elder Wand. The Dark Lord discovers Harry's hunt for Horcruxes and launches an attack on Hogwarts School, where the trio return for one last stand against the dark forces that threaten the Wizarding and Muggle worlds.

text: Release

text: The rights for the first four novels in the series were sold to Warner Bros. for £1,000,000 by J.K. Rowling. After the release of the fourth book in July 2000, the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was released on 16 November 2001. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $90 million in the United States alone, which set a record opening worldwide. The succeeding three motion picture adaptations followed suit in financial success, while garnering positive reviews from fans and critics. The fifth film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was released by Warner Bros. on 11 July 2007 in English-speaking countries, except for the UK and Ireland, which released the movie on 12 July.[74] The sixth, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was released on 15 July 2009 to critical acclaim and finished its theatrical run ranked as the number two grossing film of 2009 on the worldwide charts.

text: The final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was split into two cinematic parts: Part 1 was released on 19 November 2010, and Part 2, the conclusion to both the final film and the series, was released on 15 July 2011.[75] Part 1 was originally scheduled to be released in 3D and 2D,[76] but due to a delay in the 3D conversion process, Warner Bros. released the film only in 2D and IMAX cinemas. However, Part 2 was released in 2D and 3D cinemas as originally planned.[77]

text: The television broadcast rights for the series in the United States are currently held by Disney–ABC Domestic Television, which typically airs the films on the Freeform network. Disney's contract is expected to end in June 2018, after which, NBCUniversal will take control of the rights, after their deal with Warner Bros. was made in August 2016.[78] The film series has accrued nearly 1.3 billion viewings since their television debut—the highest-watched franchise in television broadcast history.[79]

text: Reception

text: Critical response

text: All the films have been a success financially and critically, making the franchise one of the major Hollywood "tent-poles" akin to James Bond, Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Pirates of the Caribbean. The series is noted by audiences for growing visually darker and more mature as each film was released.[34][80][81][82][83] However, opinions of the films generally divide book fans, with some preferring the more faithful approach of the first two films and others preferring the more stylised character-driven approach of the later films.

text: Some also feel the series has a "disjointed" feel due to the changes in directors, as well as Michael Gambon's interpretation of Albus Dumbledore differing from that of Richard Harris. Author J. K. Rowling has been constantly supportive of the films,[84][85][86] and evaluated Deathly Hallows as her favourite one in the series. She wrote on her website of the changes in the book-to-film transition, "It is simply impossible to incorporate every one of my storylines into a film that has to be kept under four hours long. Obviously films have restrictions – novels do not have constraints of time and budget; I can create dazzling effects relying on nothing but the interaction of my own and my readers' imaginations".[87]

text: Critical and public response

text:
Motion Picture
Rotten Tomatoes
Metacritic
CinemaScore

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
80% (193 reviews)[88]
64 (35 reviews)[89]
A[90]

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
82% (232 reviews)[91]
63 (35 reviews)[92]
A+[90]

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
91% (253 reviews)[93]
82 (40 reviews)[94]
A[90]

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
88% (248 reviews)[95]
81 (38 reviews)[96]
A[90]

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
78% (245 reviews)[97]
71 (37 reviews)[98]
A−[90]

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
84% (269 reviews)[99]
78 (36 reviews)[100]
A−[90]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1
78% (265 reviews)[101]
65 (42 reviews)[102]
A[90]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
96% (315 reviews)[103]
87 (41 reviews)[104]
A[90]

text: Accolades

text: At the 64th British Academy Film Awards in February 2011, J. K. Rowling, David Heyman, David Barron, David Yates, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson collected the Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema for the series.[105][106]

text: In addition, the American Film Institute recognised the entire series with a Special Award at the American Film Institute Awards in 2011. Special awards "are given to outstanding achievements in the moving image that do not fit into AFI's criteria for the other honorees." [107] In its press release, the Institute referred to the films as "a landmark series; eight films that earned the trust of a generation who wished for the beloved books of J.K. Rowling to come to life on the silver screen. The collective wizardry of an epic ensemble gave us the gift of growing older with Harry, Ron and Hermione as the magic of Hogwarts sprung from the films and into the hearts and minds of Muggles around the world." [107]

text: Harry Potter was also recognised by the BAFTA Los Angeles Britannia Awards, with David Yates winning the Britannia Award for Artistic Excellence in Directing for his four Harry Potter films.[108][109]

text:
Motion Picture
Academy Award nomination
Academy Award nominee
Academy Award ceremony

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Best Art Direction
Best Costume Design
Best Original Score
Stuart Craig and Stephenie McMillan
Judianna Makovsky
John Williams
74th Academy Awards

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Best Original Score
Best Visual Effects
John Williams
Roger Guyett, Tim Burke, John Richardson and Bill George
77th Academy Awards

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Best Art Direction
Stuart Craig and Stephenie McMillan
78th Academy Awards

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Best Cinematography
Bruno Delbonnel
82nd Academy Awards

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1
Best Art Direction
Best Visual Effects
Stuart Craig and Stephenie McMillan
Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi
83rd Academy Awards

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Best Art Direction
Best Makeup
Best Visual Effects
Stuart Craig and Stephenie McMillan
Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin
Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson
84th Academy Awards

text: Six of the eight films were nominated for a total of 12 Academy Awards.

text: Some critics, fans, and general audiences have expressed disappointment that the Harry Potter series did not win any Oscars for its achievements. However, others have pointed out that certain films in the series had uneven reviews, in contrast to the three films of The Lord of the Rings, for example, which were all critically acclaimed. This has been partially attributed to the Harry Potter franchise going through several directors with their own styles in contrast to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which was filmed in one massive undertaking by the same director, writer, and producer.[110][111]

text: Although not successful at the Oscars, the Harry Potter series has gained success in many other award ceremonies, including the annual Saturn Awards and Art Directors Guild Awards. The series has also gained a total of 24 nominations at the British Academy Film Awards presented at the annual BAFTAs, winning several, and 5 nominations at the Grammy Awards.

text: Philosopher's Stone achieved seven BAFTA Award nominations, including Best British Film and Best Supporting Actor for Robbie Coltrane.[112] The film was also nominated for eight Saturn Awards and won for its costumes design.[113] It was also nominated at the Art Directors Guild Awards for its production design[114] and received the Broadcast Film Critics Award for Best Live Action Family Film along with gaining two other nominations.[115]

text: Chamber of Secrets won the award for Best Live Action Family Film in the Phoenix Film Critics Society. It was nominated for seven Saturn Awards, including Best Director and Best Fantasy Film. The film was nominated for four BAFTA Awards and a Grammy Award for John Williams's score. Prisoner of Azkaban won an Audience Award, as well as Best Feature Film, at the BAFTA Awards. The film also won a BMI Film Music award along with being nominated at the Grammy Awards, Visual Effect Society Awards, and the Amanda Awards. Goblet of Fire won a BAFTA award for Best Production Design as well as being nominated at the Saturn Awards, Critic's Choice Awards, and the Visual Effects Society Awards.

text: Order of the Phoenix picked up three awards at the inaugural ITV National Movie Awards.[116] At the Empire Awards, David Yates won Best Director.[117] Composer Nicholas Hooper received a nomination for a World Soundtrack Discovery Award.[118] The film was nominated at the BAFTA Awards, but did not win for Best Production Design or Best Special Visual Effects.[119] Half-Blood Prince was nominated for BAFTA Awards in Production Design and Visual Effects,[120] and it was in the longlists for several other categories, including Best Supporting Actor for Alan Rickman.[121] Amongst other nominations and wins, the film also achieved Best Family Movie at the National Movie Awards as well as Best Live Action Family Film at the Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards, along with being nominated for Best Motion Picture at the Satellite Awards.

text: Deathly Hallows – Part 1 gained two nominations at the BAFTA Awards for Best Make-Up and Hair and Best Visual Effects, along with receiving nominations for the same categories at the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards. Eduardo Serra's cinematography and Stuart Craig's production design were also nominated in various award ceremonies, and David Yates attained his second win at the Empire Awards, this time for Best Fantasy Film. He also obtained another Best Director nomination at the annual Saturn Awards, which also saw the film gain a Best Fantasy Film nomination.[122][123] Deathly Hallows – Part 2 was released to critical acclaim, gaining a mix of audience awards. Part 2 of Deathly Hallows was also recognised at the Saturn Awards as well as the BAFTA Awards, where the film achieved a win for Best Special Visual Effects.[124]

text: Box office performance

text: As of 2017[update], the Harry Potter film series is the 2nd highest-grossing film franchise of all time, with the eight films released grossing over $7.7 billion worldwide. Without adjusting for inflation, this is higher than the first 22 James Bond films and the six films in the Star Wars franchise.[125] Chris Columbus's Philosopher's Stone became the highest-grossing Harry Potter film worldwide upon completing its theatrical run in 2002, but it was eventually topped by David Yates's Deathly Hallows – Part 2, while Alfonso Cuarón's Prisoner of Azkaban grossed the least.[126][127][128][129]

text: Six films in the Harry Potter franchise — Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Parts 1 & 2 — have to date grossed around $216 million in IMAX theaters worldwide.[130]

text:
Motion picture
Release date
Box office gross
Budget
Ref(s)

United Kingdom
USA & Canada
(approx. ticket sales)
Other countries
Worldwide

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
16 November 2001 (2001-11-16)
£66,096,060
$317,575,550
(55,976,200)
$657,179,821
$974,755,371
$125 million
[131][132][132][133][134]

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
14 November 2002 (2002-11-14)
£54,780,731
$261,988,482
(44,978,900)
$616,991,152
$878,979,634
$100 million
[133][134][135][136]

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
31 May 2004 (2004-05-31)
£45,615,949
$249,541,069
(40,183,700)
$547,147,480
$796,688,549
$130 million
[133][134][137]

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
18 November 2005 (2005-11-18)
£48,328,854
$290,013,036
(45,188,100)
$606,898,042
$896,911,078
$150 million
[133][134][138][139]

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
11 July 2007 (2007-07-11)
£49,136,969
$292,004,738
(42,442,500)
$647,881,191
$939,885,929
$150 million
[133][134][140][141]

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
15 July 2009 (2009-07-15)
£50,713,404
$301,959,197
(40,261,200)
$632,457,290
$934,416,487
$250 million
[133][134][142][143]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1
19 November 2010 (2010-11-19)
£52,364,075
$295,983,305
(37,503,700)
$664,300,000
$960,283,305
Less than $250 million (official)
[133][134][144][145][146]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
15 July 2011 (2011-07-15)
£73,094,187
$381,011,219
(48,046,800)
$960,500,000
$1,341,511,219
[134][146][147]

Total
£440,269,736
$7009239007659600000♠2,390,076,596
$7009533335497600000♠5,333,354,976
$7009772343157200000♠7,723,431,572
$1.155 billion
[148]

text: All-time rankings

text:
Motion picture
Rank
Ref(s)

All-time
(worldwide)
All-time
(United States)
All-time
(United Kingdom)
Yearly
(United States)
Yearly
(worldwide)
Opening day
(all-time)
Opening weekend
(all-time)

Philosopher's Stone
#29
#54
#9
#1
#1
#66
#55
[131]

Chamber of Secrets
#46
#90
#17
#4
#2
#81
#60
[133][135][136]

Prisoner of Azkaban
#62
#106
#33
#6
#2
#47
#49
[133]

Goblet of Fire
#42
#77
#28
#3
#1
#41
#40
[133][138][139]

Order of the Phoenix
#38
#73
#25
#5
#2
#34
#77
[133][140][141]

Half-Blood Prince
#39
#65
#24
#3
#2
#24
#75
[133][142][143]

Deathly Hallows – Part 1
#34
#68
#18
#5
#3
#22
#25
[133][144][145]

Deathly Hallows – Part 2
#8
#27
#7
#1
#1
#3
#8
[147][149]

text: Legacy and influence

text:
"Harry Potter was in the vanguard of a new approach to big-budget film-making. Most modern blockbuster franchises have two things in common: they are based on known properties such as books and comics, and they are steered by respected but little-known directors."

—The Economist[150]

text: The Harry Potter films and their success have been retrospectively considered to have had a significant impact on the film industry. They are cited as having helped redefine the Hollywood blockbuster in the 21st century by initiating a shift toward established media franchises forming the basis of successful films. In the wake of the final film's release, Claudia Puig of USA Today wrote that the films "inspired every major studio to try to capture [its] alchemic formula, spawning a range of copycats and wannabes" and "also have shown Hollywood how to make a glossy blockbuster with an eye toward keeping costs down."[151] A 2009 article from The Economist argued that the films were "in the vanguard" of adaptations of established properties being the modern film franchise model, citing The Lord of the Rings, Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Trilogy as examples of successful film series that followed Harry Potter's suit.[150] Furthermore, the practice of splitting the finale of a film series into two back-to-back films began with the success of Deathly Hallows, and it would soon be replicated by The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of the Five Armies, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Parts 1 and 2, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Parts 1 and 2, and Avengers: Infinity War and its untitled sequel.[152]

text: The films are also widely credited with singlehandedly signalling the popularity of films based on children's and young adult literature in the 2000s and 2010s, correlating with the book series' own literary influence. Costance Grady and Aja Romano, commenting on the whole Harry Potter franchise's legacy for Vox in light of its 20th anniversary, wrote that youth-targeted literature has since become "a go-to well of ideas for Hollywood," pointing to the successes of The Twilight Saga, The Hunger Games and The Divergent Series.[153]

text: The series has spawned a vast volume of fan fiction, with nearly 600 thousand inspired stories catalogued.[154] Youtube hosts many fan films, ranging from amateur productions to full length films.

text: Notes

text: Jump up ^ Not including executive producers.

tag: ol


document_title: A Christmas Story

question_text: who played the dad in a christmas story

question_tokens: who played the dad in a christmas story

root

text: A Christmas Story

text: Plot[edit]

text: Nine-year-old Ralphie Parker wants only one thing for Christmas: a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock and "this thing which tells time" (a sundial). Ralphie's desire is rejected by his mother, his teacher Miss Shields, and even a Santa Claus at Higbee's department store, all giving him the same warning: "You'll shoot your eye out, kid."

tag: p

text: Christmas morning arrives and Ralphie dives into his presents. Although he does receive some presents he enjoys, Ralphie ultimately is disappointed that he did not receive the one thing he wanted more than anything. After it appears all of the presents have been opened, Ralphie's father, who is referred to throughout the film as "The Old Man," directs Ralphie to look at one last present that he had hidden. Ralphie opens it to reveal the Red Ryder gun he wanted.

text: Ralphie takes the gun outside and fires it at a target perched on a metal sign in the backyard. However, the BB ricochets back at Ralphie and knocks his glasses off. While searching for them, thinking he has indeed shot his eye out, Ralphie accidentally steps on his glasses and breaks them. In order to cover for the fact that he accidentally broke his glasses, Ralphie tells his mother that a falling icicle was responsible for the accident. His mother, not having seen what actually happened, believes him.

text: The film ends with Ralphie lying in bed on Christmas night with his gun by his side. A voiceover by an adult Ralphie states that this was the best present he had ever received or would ever receive.

text: Subplots[edit]

text: Although Ralphie's BB gun desire is the main plot point of the film, there are several other stories contained in the film. Among them:

text:
Ralphie and Randy's father wins a "major award" in a contest, but does not know what it is until it is delivered to the Parker home. The prize is a lamp in the shape of a woman's leg wearing a fishnet stocking, which was derived from the logo for Nehi (pronounced "knee-high") pop, a popular soft drink of the period.[3] The Old Man is overjoyed by the lamp, but Mrs. Parker does not like it and a feud over it — referred to by adult Ralphie as "The Battle of the Lamp" — develops and results in the lamp's "accidental" destruction.[4]
The Old Man also fights a never-ending battle with the malfunctioning furnace in the Parker home. His frustrations cause him to swear quite often, including one profanity-laden rant that the adult Ralphie says "is still hanging in space over Lake Michigan."[5]
Still another source of frustration for The Old Man is the dogs that belong to the next door neighbors, the Bumpuses. The Bumpuses own "at least 785 smelly hound dogs" that harass The Old Man whenever he comes home from work. On Christmas Day, the dogs ruin the family's Christmas dinner by romping through their kitchen and eating their turkey. This results in the family having dinner at a Chinese restaurant instead.[6]
Ralphie and his friends Flick and Schwartz are tormented by the neighborhood bullies Scut Farkus and Grover Dill. Ralphie eventually snaps and beats up Farkus.[7]

tag: ul

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker

Jean Shepherd as adult Ralphie (voice)

Ian Petrella as Randy Parker
Melinda Dillon as Mrs. Parker
Darren McGavin as Mr. Parker (The Old Man)
Scott Schwartz as Flick
R. D. Robb as Schwartz
Zack Ward as Scut Farkus
Yano Anaya as Grover Dill
Tedde Moore as Miss Shields
Jeff Gillen as Santa Claus

text: In the DVD commentary, director Bob Clark mentions that Jack Nicholson was considered for the role of the Old Man; Clark expresses gratitude that he ended up with Darren McGavin instead, who later appeared in several other Clark films. He cast Melinda Dillon on the basis of her similar role in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Peter Billingsley was already a minor star from appearing in many commercials and co-hosting the TV series Real People; Clark initially wanted him for the role of Ralphie, but decided he was "too obvious" a choice and auditioned many other young actors before realizing that Billingsley was the right choice after all. Ian Petrella was cast immediately before filming began. Tedde Moore had previously appeared in Clark's film Murder by Decree and was the only onscreen character from A Christmas Story who was played by the same actor in the sequel, My Summer Story. Jeff Gillen was an old friend of Clark's who had been in one of his earliest films.[8]

text: The screenplay was written by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown, and Bob Clark. Several subplots are incorporated into the body of the film, based on other separate short stories by Shepherd. Shepherd provides the film's narration from the perspective of an adult Ralphie, a narrative style later used in the dramedy television series The Wonder Years. Shepherd, Brown and Clark all have cameo appearances in the film: Shepherd plays the man who directs Ralphie and Randy to the back of the Santa line at the department store; Brown – Shepherd's wife in real life – plays the woman in the Santa line with Shepherd; Clark plays Swede, the neighbor the Old Man talks to outside during the Leg Lamp scene.

text: Production[edit]

text: Origin[edit]

text: The screenplay for A Christmas Story is based on material from author Jean Shepherd's collection of short stories, In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash. Three of the semi-autobiographical short stories on which the film is based were originally published in Playboy magazine between 1964 and 1966.[9] Shepherd later read "Duel in the Snow, or Red Ryder nails the Cleveland Street Kid" and told the otherwise unpublished story "Flick's Tongue" on his WOR Radio talk show, as can be heard in one of the DVD extras.[10] Bob Clark states on the DVD commentary that he became interested in Shepherd's work when he heard "Flick's Tongue" on the radio in 1968. Additional source material for the film, according to Clark, came from unpublished anecdotes that Shepherd told live audiences "on the college circuit."[8]

text: Locations[edit]

text: The film is set in Hohman, Indiana, a fictionalized version of Shepherd's hometown of Hammond, named for Hohman Avenue, which runs through downtown Hammond.[11] Local references in the film include Warren G. Harding Elementary School and Cleveland Street (where Shepherd spent his childhood). Other local references include mention of a person "swallowing a yo-yo" in nearby Griffith,[12] the Old Man being one of the fiercest "furnace fighters in northern Indiana" and that his obscenities were "hanging in space over Lake Michigan," a mention of the Indianapolis 500, and the line to Santa Claus "stretching all the way to Terre Haute, Indiana." The Old Man is also revealed to be a fan of the Bears (whom he jokingly calls the "Chicago Chipmunks") and White Sox, consistent with living in northwest Indiana.

text: Director Bob Clark reportedly sent scouts to twenty cities before selecting Cleveland for exterior filming. Cleveland was chosen because of Higbee's Department Store in downtown Cleveland. (Since Higbee's was exclusive to northeast Ohio,[13] the department store referenced in Shepherd's book and the film is most likely Goldblatt's, located in downtown Hammond [with the Cam-Lan Chinese Restaurant three doors down on Sibley Ave].) Until they connected with Higbee's, location scouts had been unsuccessful in finding a department store that was willing to be part of the film. Higbee's vice president Bruce Campbell agreed to take part in the project on the condition he be allowed to edit the script for cursing. Ultimately, Higbee's was the stage for three scenes in the film:

text:
The opening scene in which Ralphie first spies the Red Ryder BB Gun in the store's Christmas window display. Higbee's was known for its elaborate, child-centered Christmas themes and decorations, with Santa as the centerpiece.
The parade scene, filmed just outside Higbee’s on Public Square at 3 AM. The parade was filmed at night because during the daytime the 1960s Erieview Tower and Federal Building were visible from the Public Square, as was the BP Tower, which was under construction at the time.
Ralphie and Randy’s visit to see Santa, which was filmed inside Higbee’s. The store kept the Santa slide that was made for the film and used it for several years after the film's release.

text: Higbee's became Dillard's in 1992 and closed for good in 2002.[14]

text: In addition to the scenes involving Higbee's, the exterior shots (and select interior shots where Ralphie lived, including the opening of the leg lamp) of the house and neighborhood, were filmed in the Tremont section of Cleveland's West Side. The house used as the Parker home in these scenes has been restored, reconfigured inside to match the soundstage interiors, and opened to the public as "A Christmas Story House". Appropriately, the fictional boyhood home of Ralphie Parker is on Cleveland Street, the name of the actual street where Shepherd grew up.

text: However, Cleveland was only one of several locations used. The school scenes were shot at the Victoria School in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.[15] The Christmas tree-purchasing scene was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, as was the sound stage filming of interior shots of the Parker home.[16] The "...only I didn't say fudge" scene was filmed at the foot of Cherry Street in Toronto; several lake freighters are visible in the background spending the winter at Toronto's port, which lends authenticity to the time of year when the film was produced.

text: In 2008, two fans from Canada released a documentary that visits every location used in the film. Their film, Road Trip for Ralphie, was shot over two years and includes footage of the filmmakers saving Miss Shields' blackboard from the garbage bin on the day the old Victoria School was gutted for renovation, discovering the antique fire truck that saved Flick, locating all the original costumes from the film, and tracking down the real-life location of the film's Chop Suey Palace in Toronto.[17]

text: Red Ryder BB gun[edit]

text: The Red Ryder BB gun was available beginning in 1938 and remains available today, but never in the exact configuration mentioned in the film. The Daisy "Buck Jones" model did have a compass and a sundial in the stock, but these features were not included in the Red Ryder model.[18] The compass and sundial were placed on Ralphie's BB gun, but on the opposite side of the stock due to Peter Billingsley being left-handed.[19]

text: Dating the story[edit]

text: Director Bob Clark stated in the film's DVD commentary that he and author Shepherd wished for the film to be seen as "amorphously late-'30s, early-'40s".[20] A specific year is never mentioned in the film; however, numerous sources including The New York Times and CBS News have dated the film variously at 1940 to the early 1940s.[21][22][23][24]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text:
A Christmas Story

Soundtrack album by Various artists

Released
November 10, 2009

Recorded
1983

Genre
Instrumental, holiday

Label
Rhino Records

tag: table

text:
Professional ratings

Review scores

Source
Rating

Allmusic
[25]

text: Release and reception[edit]

text: Initially overlooked as a sleeper film,[26] A Christmas Story was released a week before Thanksgiving 1983 to moderate success, earning about $2 million in its first weekend.[27] Vincent Canby's mostly negative New York Times review[28] echoed the more common response.[citation needed] Roger Ebert suggested the film had only modest success because holiday-themed films were not popular at the time.[29] The film would go on to win two Genie Awards, for Bob Clark's screenplay and direction.[30]

text: By Christmas 1983 the film was no longer playing at most venues, but remained in about a hundred theaters until January 1984.[8] Gross earnings were just over $19.2 million.[27] In the years since, due to television airings and home video release, A Christmas Story has become widely popular and is now an annual Christmas special. The film was produced and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The rights to the film were acquired by Turner Entertainment Co. after Ted Turner's purchase of MGM's pre-1986 film library. Subsequently, Time Warner purchased Turner Entertainment, and currently holds rights to the film.

text: Over the years, the film's critical reputation has grown considerably and it is considered by some to be one of the best films of 1983.[31] Based on 52 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an overall approval rating from critics of 89%, with an average score of 8.5/10. The site's consensus reads: "Both warmly nostalgic and darkly humorous, A Christmas Story deserves its status as a holiday perennial."[32] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 77 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[33] In his movie guide, Leonard Maltin awarded the film a rare[citation needed] four-star rating, calling the film "Delightful" and "Truly funny for kids and grown-ups alike" with "Wonderful period flavor."[34]

text: On December 24, 2007, AOL ranked the film their #1 Christmas film of all time.[35] IGN ranked the film the top holiday-themed film of all time.[36] In 2012, a Marist Poll named the film the favorite holiday film in the U.S.[37]

text: American Film Institute lists

text:
AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs – Nominated[38]
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:

"You'll shoot your eye out." – Nominated[39]

AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – Nominated[40]

text: Broadcasting and home video release[edit]

text: Television[edit]

text: The film first aired on television on HBO in 1985, and quickly attracted a growing following. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the film began airing quietly on SuperStation WTBS and Superstation WGN.[41] In 1988, then-fledgling Fox aired the film the night after Thanksgiving.[41] In 1989–1990, TBS showed it Thanksgiving night, while in 1991–1992, they aired it the night after.[41]

text: 24 Hours of A Christmas Story[edit]

text: Turner Broadcasting has maintained ownership of the broadcast rights, and since the mid-1990s, aired the film increasingly on TBS, TNT, and TCM. By 1995, it was aired on those networks a combined six times on December 24–26,[41] and in 1996, it was aired eight times over those three days.[41]

text: Due to the increasing popularity of the film, in 1997, TNT began airing a 24-hour marathon dubbed "24 Hours of A Christmas Story," consisting of the film shown twelve consecutive times beginning at 7 or 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve and ending Christmas Day.[41] This was in addition to various other airings earlier in the month of December. In 2004, after TNT switched to a predominantly drama format, sister network TBS, under its comedy-based "Very Funny" moniker, took over the marathon. Clark stated that, in 2002, an estimated 38.4 million people tuned into the marathon at one point or another, nearly one sixth of the country.[8] TBS reported 45.4 million viewers in 2005,[42] and 45.5 million in 2006.[43] In 2007, new all-time ratings records were set,[44] with the highest single showing (8 p.m. Christmas Eve) drawing 4.4 million viewers.[44] Viewership increased again in 2008, with 8 p.m. Christmas Eve drawing 4.5 million viewers, and 10 p.m. drawing 4.3 million,[45] and 54.4 million total.[46] As of 2009, the film had been shown 250 times on the Turner family of networks.[46]

text: In 2007, the marathon continued, and the original tradition was revived. TNT also aired the film twice the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend (November 25). In 2009, the 24-hour marathon continued on TBS, for the 13th overall year, starting at 8 p.m. eastern on Christmas Eve.[47]

text: In 2009, the film aired on TBS during a 24-hour marathon on Christmas Eve. The first viewing at 8 p.m. Eastern on December 24 earned a 1.6 rating (18–49) and beat the major broadcast networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox).[48] In 2010, the marathon averaged 3 million viewers, up 2% from the previous year, ranking TBS as the top cable network for the 24-hour period. The 10 a.m. airing on December 25 was seen by 4.4 million viewers, and the 8 p.m. airing on December 24 was close behind with 4.3 million viewers.[49] The marathons in 2011[50] and 2012 [51] continued to see increases in ratings.

text: For the 2014 and 2015 editions of the marathon, Turner Broadcasting elected to simulcast it on both TNT and TBS, marking the first time since 2003 that TNT aired it as well as the first time the marathon is being carried by multiple stations; the two networks set their airings one hour apart (so that the TNT airings began while TBS was at the middle of the film).[52][53]

text: Subsequent and earlier works[edit]

text: A sequel involving Ralphie and his family, titled My Summer Story (originally released as It Runs in the Family), was made in 1994. With the exceptions of Tedde Moore as Ralphie's teacher (Miss Shields) and Jean Shepherd as the narrator (the voice of the adult Ralphie), it features an entirely different cast. A series of television films involving the Parker family, also from Shepherd stories, were made by PBS, including Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss (1988), The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski (1985), The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters (1982), and The Phantom of the Open Hearth (1976).

text: Another sequel, A Christmas Story 2, a direct sequel to the original film and ignores the references and events of My Summer Story. The film was released direct-to-video in 2012[54] and directed by Brian Levant. It was filmed in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada.[55]

text: Stage adaptations[edit]

text: In 2000, a stage play adaptation of A Christmas Story was written by Philip Grecian.[56]

text: In November 2012, A Christmas Story: The Musical, based on the film, opened on Broadway. Written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (music and lyrics) and Joseph Robinette (book), the musical opened to positive reviews.[57] The run ended December 30, 2012.[58] The musical was directed by John Rando with choreography by Warren Carlyle and featured Dan Lauria as Jean Shepherd.[59] The musical received Tony Award nominations for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (Robinette), and Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre.[60]

text: Home video releases[edit]

text: This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text:
Betamax (1985)
VHS (1984, 1985, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000)
LaserDisc (1985): pan and scan
LaserDisc (1993): deluxe letterbox edition
DVD (1997, reissued by Warner Home Video in 1999): fullscreen, includes original theatrical trailer
DVD (2003) 20th Anniversary 2-Disc Special Edition DVD (2003): Widescreen & Fullscreen; includes cast interviews, audio commentary, and featurettes.
HD DVD (2006)[61]
Blu-ray (2006)[62]
DVD (2008) Ultimate Collector's Edition: Metal tin case features the same 2003 two-disc special edition, but includes special memorabilia.[63]
Blu-ray (2008) Ultimate Collector's Edition: Metal tin which features the same 2006 Blu-ray disc, but also includes a strand of Leg Lamp Christmas lights.[64]
Blu-ray (2013) 30th Anniversary Edition: Steelbook with Blu-ray in 1080p (like the previous Blu-ray and HD-DVD) with a DTS-HD Master Audio mono track (whereas the previous releases had Dolby Digital mono), and more special features than the previous Blu-ray and HD-DVD.


document_title: Sonic Drive-In

question_text: where was the first sonic drive in located

text: Sonic Drive-In

text: Company profile[edit]

text: Although Sonic has operated since the early 1950s, Sonic Corp. incorporated in Delaware in 1990. It has its corporate headquarters in Oklahoma City; the headquarters building features a dine-in Sonic restaurant in an adjacent building. Its stock trades on NASDAQ with the symbol SONC.[3] Company restaurants are owned and operated by Sonic Restaurants, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary. Total 2011 revenues were around $546 million with net income of $19 million.[4]

text: Products[edit]

text: Sonic's menu consists of hamburgers and French fries, as well as onion rings, corn dogs, chili dogs and breakfast toaster sandwiches. Drink options include soft drinks, slushes, and milkshakes. Customers can combine various drinks and flavors to create thousands of possible drink combinations.[5][6] Ice cream desserts include sundaes and banana splits.

text: At a standard Sonic Drive-In, a customer drives into a covered drive-in stall, orders through an intercom speaker system, and has the food delivered by a carhop. Most drive-ins also have patio seating, and many have drive-thru lanes.

text: History[edit]

text: Following World War II, Sonic founder Troy N. Smith Sr. returned to his hometown of Seminole, Oklahoma, where he became employed as a milkman. He decided to work delivering bread because bread was not as heavy as milk. Soon afterwards, Smith purchased the Cottage Cafe, a little diner in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Before long, he sold it and opened a fast food restaurant, Troy's Pan Full of Chicken, on the edge of town. In 1953, Smith went in with a business partner to purchase a five-acre parcel of land that had a log house and a walk-up root beer stand, already named the Top Hat. The two men continued with the operation of the root beer stand and converted the log house into a steak restaurant. After realizing that the stand was averaging $700 a week in the sale of root beer, hamburgers, and hot dogs, Smith decided to focus on the more-profitable root beer stand. He also bought out his business partner.[7]

text: Originally, Top Hat customers would park their automobiles anywhere on the gravel parking lot and walk up to place their orders. However, on a trip to Louisiana, Smith saw a drive-in that used speakers for ordering. He suspected that he could increase his sales by controlling the parking and having the customers order from speakers at their cars, with carhops delivering the food to the cars. Smith borrowed several automobiles from a friend who owned a used-car lot to establish a layout for controlled parking. He also had some so-called "jukebox boys" come in and wire an intercom system in the parking lot. Sales immediately tripled. Charles Woodrow Pappe, an entrepreneur, chanced upon the Shawnee drive-in and was impressed. He and Smith negotiated the first franchise location in Woodward, Oklahoma, in 1956, based on nothing more than a handshake. By 1958, two more drive-ins were built, in Enid and Stillwater.[7]

text: Upon learning that the Top Hat name was already trademarked, Smith and Pappe changed the name to Sonic in 1959. The new name worked with their existing slogan, "Service with the Speed of Sound". After the name change, the first Sonic sign was installed at the Stillwater Top-Hat Drive-In; this was the first of three Sonics that would eventually exist in Stillwater. The original Sonic to carry the first sign was demolished and renovated in May 2015. Although Smith and Pappe were being asked to help open new franchise locations, no real royalty plan was in place. The pair decided to have their paper company charge an extra penny for each Sonic-label hamburger bag it sold. The proceeds would then be split between Smith and Pappe. The first franchise contracts under this plan were drawn up, but still no joint marketing plan, standardized menu, or detailed operating requirements were in place.[7]

text: 1960s and 1970s[edit]

text: Sonic's founders formed Sonic Supply as a supply and distribution division in the 1960s. Under Smith, longtime franchise holders Marvin Jirous and Matt Kinslow were hired to run the division. In 1973, Sonic Supply was restructured as a franchise company that was briefly named Sonic Systems of America, which provided franchisees with equipment, building plans, and basic operational instructions. As the company grew into a regionally known operation during the 1960s and 1970s, the drive-ins were mainly in small towns in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Missouri, and Arkansas. In 1967, the year Pappe died, there were 41 drive-ins. By 1972, this number had risen to 165, and by 1978, 1,000.

text: In 1968, Sonic introduced the Pickle-O's, fried pickle slices.[8]

text: In 1977, the company established the Sonic School for manager training. Franchisees operated most of the drive-ins and often made the store manager a business partner, even to this day.[9][10][11]

text: 1980s and 1990s[edit]

text: In 1983, the company's board of directors hired C. Stephen Lynn as president, and, in 1984, Lynn hired J. Clifford Hudson, an attorney, to head the legal department. Under Lynn, Sonic and its major franchisees began to encourage the development of local-advertising cooperatives which was developed with the leadership of Keith Sutterfield as Advertising Manager and later as V.P. of Marketing in which Sutterfield developed a field structure to work with the franchisees. New franchises began to expand the company into new areas and redevelop markets that had been unsuccessful in the past. These developments, combined with a major advertising campaign featuring singer and actor Frankie Avalon, led to significant growth and a new image that would make Sonic a nationally recognized name. In 1986, Lynn, with a group of investors, completed a $10-million leveraged buyout and took the company private. The next year, Sonic moved its offices to leased space at 120 Robert S. Kerr Avenue in downtown Oklahoma City and began to assume a higher profile in the community.[12]

text: In 1991, Sonic became a publicly traded company again. By 1994, the corporation had renegotiated the franchise agreements with its franchisees.[13] In 1995, Hudson became president and chief executive officer, and Sonic Industries became Sonic Corp.[14]

text: During the mid-1990s, Sonic opened 100–150 new restaurants a year. Beginning in 1998, Sonic began a retrofit program, called "Sonic 2000", to redesign and update all 1,750 stores in its chain to what was called a "retro-future" look.[11]

text: Hudson was named chairman of Sonic Corp. in January 2000.[14]

text: Celebrating its 50th birthday in 2003, Sonic briefly added the Birthday Cake Shake to the menu.[15][16][17] As a part of the anniversary celebration, Pickle-O's made another appearance as a recurring item.[8] Development milestones celebrated in the 2000s include the opening of the 3,000th Sonic Drive-In in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and the 3,500th Sonic Drive-In in the Chicago market (Algonquin, Illinois).[18] In October 2004, President Pattye Moore stepped down to spend more time with her family.[19] On June 28, 2005, helped by new menu items and increased advertising exposure, Sonic Corp. reported double-digit increases in net income and revenue in the third quarter that year.[20] On January 5, 2005, the company started to roll out card readers in the drive-in stalls at its 544 company-owned restaurants by the end of January that year.[21] In 2007, the company opened its first restaurants in the Northeastern U.S., in New Jersey.[22]

text: In 2009, Sonic partnered with DonorsChoose.org on a collaborative effort, Limeades for Learning, the chain's first systemwide cause marketing initiative. Public school teachers request needed supplies and materials and Sonic customers vote on how to allocate over $500,000 each autumn. In the first seven years of the program, Sonic and its franchisees donated more than $6 million and impacted learning for more than 349,000 students nationwide.[23][24]

text: In September 2009, Omar Janjua joined the company as president of its restaurant operating subsidiary, Sonic Restaurants, Inc. ("SRI")[25][26][27] and left in 2015.

text: Despite growth into new markets outside the brand's traditional footprint, the company was hit hard by the recession of 2008–2009. In 2009, the brand had multiple quarters of declines in same-store sales for the first time in recent memory.[clarification needed] Plans to bring Sonic to Alaska have not come to fruition.[28][29] On October 26, 2015, Sonic opened its first Rhode Island location in Smithfield, reporting to have received 500 orders on its opening day.[30] In the mid-2010s, the company began a refranchising effort and began to add to its numbers of stores again.[31]

text: In January 2010, Sonic announced that they would begin switching to cage-free eggs, gestation crate-free pork, and chickens killed using controlled-atmosphere stunning methods instead of traditional shackling and water-stunning.[32]

text: Sonic reformulated its popular soft-serve ice cream to meet the FDA guidelines that define what constitutes real ice cream and introduced Real Ice Cream on May 17, 2010.[33][34][35] Several new hot dog items were also introduced in June 2010 and February 2011.[36][37][38][39][40][41]

text: Craig Miller was hired as chief information officer for Sonic in January 2010.[42][43][44][45][46] In June 2010, Danielle Vona was hired as chief marketing officer.[47][48]

text: In late 2010, Sonic announced it was ending its 17-year relationship with advertising agency Barkley. A group of specialized agencies were selected to represent the company, and in early 2011, the San Francisco-based Goodby Silverstein & Partners was named as the new creative agency for the company.[49][50][51] In 2017 Sonic added seven new stores in Hawaii.[52]

text: Sonic Beach[edit]

text: In June 2011, the first location under the name Sonic Beach was opened in Homestead, Florida. A second location, opened in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in November 2011, lacks the usual drive-in stalls due to its beach-side location. Both locations also include outdoor seating and flatscreen televisions.[53] A third location was opened in Miami Gardens across from Hard Rock Stadium. The fourth location was opened January 2014 in Lauderhill.[54]

text: Along with the traditional menu items, Sonic Beach also offers several new items including popcorn shrimp, Philly cheesesteaks, and pulled pork sandwiches. Sonic Beach also serves beer and wine.[55]

text: Advertising[edit]

text: Sonic ran its first television advertisement in 1977.[56] During the early 1980s, actor Tom Bosley was featured in the company's commercials.[57] One of the company's most memorable advertising campaigns, which ran from 1987 to 1993, featured Frankie Avalon.[58] In May 1999, the company began a new campaign featuring the character Katie the Carhop.[59]

text: Sonic was also involved with NASCAR. The company contracted with Richard Childress Racing in late 2000 to be an associate sponsor for Dale Earnhardt, Sr. during the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. After Earnhardt was killed on the last lap of the Daytona 500, the company continued its sponsorship with his replacement driver Kevin Harvick, through the end of the 2003 season.[60]

text: In 2004, the company became more widely known nationally by advertising in television markets hundreds of miles from its nearest franchise.[7] Improvisational actors T. J. Jagodowski and Peter Grosz became known to American television viewers from their "Two Guys" series of commercials. Similar series of ads for the company have featured other duos of improvisational performers, including Molly Erdman and Brian Huskey, Katie Rich and Sayjal Joshi, and Emily Wilson and Tim Baltz.[61] In 2010, national auditions were held and a new series of commercials began airing, some of which featured carhops from Wisconsin and Austin, Texas. In 2012 the "Two Guys" returned to the company's television ads.[62]

text: Slogans used by Sonic over the years include:

text:
"Service With the Speed of Sound" (1958)[7]
"Happy Eating" (1980s: on signs at many of the company's drive-ins)
"America's Drive-In" (1987)[7]
"Faster And Better than Ever" (1988–1990)
"No Place Hops like Sonic" (1990–1994)
"Summer's Funner" (1993)[63]
"Drive-In For A Change" (1995–1997)
"It's Sonic Good" (2003)[7]
"Sonic's Got It, Others Don't" (2007)[64]
"Even Sweeter After Dark" (2009)[65]
"This is How You Sonic" (2011-present)[66]
"Sonic Everywhere" (2016)
"You Guys Wanna Hang Out Sometime" (2016)


document_title: Brenda Walsh (character)

question_text: when do dylan and brenda get back together

text: Brenda Walsh (character)

text: Conception[edit]

text: Brenda and her brother, Brandon Walsh, were living in Minnesota until their father, Jim Walsh, was promoted and forced to travel to Beverly Hills in 1990. The series initially focused on their stories with A new cultural life shock and their relationship with their new friends in Beverly Hills, Kelly Taylor, Dylan McKay, Donna Martin, Andrea Zuckerman, David Silver and Steve Sanders.[4][5][6][7][8][9]

text: Season 1[edit]

text: The key development of her character came during a series of episodes involving a forbidden story with Brandon's solitary friend, Dylan McKay, who had long had the attention of Brenda's best friend, Kelly. Brenda and Dylan went out together for two years and their relationship quickly became serious. After a frantic dispute with her father, Dylan was consoled and shared a passionate kiss with Brenda. This scene has become one of the most mythical of the series. However, Brenda's father was immediately against this relationship, due to the bad reputation of Dylan's father.

text: After two months of relationship, Dylan wanted to have sex, but Brenda was not ready. During a trip to Palm Springs, Brenda went to meet Dylan in a hotel room, but sees him with another girl and jumped to the conclusion that they had made love. Brenda and Dylan argued but quickly reconciled. As a result, Dylan agreed to wait until Brenda was ready. It is during the year-end ball that Brenda will lose her virginity. Soon after, Brenda became worried about being pregnant. It turned out that it was a false alarm, but Brenda separated from Dylan by saying that she was not ready for regular sexual intercourse.

text: Season 2[edit]

text: Despite the breakup, Brenda was hurt by seeing Dylan go out with other girls. Brenda's feelings for Dylan eventually led the couple back together. Their relationship grew stronger when Brenda met Dylan's mother, Iris, with whom she tied up.

text: The couple faced another hurdle when Brenda wanted to publish an article about the alarm of her pregnancy but Dylan objected, arguing that it was very personal. Typical of their relationship, Brenda and Dylan were once again reconciled after another dispute. In addition, Brenda was the victim of an armed robbery at the Peach Pit. This scene shocked her a lot and led her to see a psychologist, Dylan helped her a lot when she began to have nightmares about this event. Things get more serious when Brenda spends a lot of time with Dylan without worrying about the limitations imposed by her parents. The latter invited her to a trip to Mexico and Brenda agrees, despite the formal prohibition of her father. The trip will be punctuated by a dispute and a passage at the customs where Brenda will realize that she does not have her passport and is therefore forced to phone her parents. When Brenda's parents are aware of her trip to Mexico with Dylan, the girl's father formally banned her from seeing him again. But she refuses to break and hides her relationship with Dylan.

text: Season 3[edit]

text: Early in the summer, Jim, who had recognized the futility of his quarrel with Dylan, offered another option: let Brenda go to Paris for a French immersion program in place of Kelly (who had dropped out of the program for Helping her mother with her younger sister) giving Jim, Brenda & Dylan, a necessary setback to the situation. In Paris, Brenda pretends to be a French guide with a cute young man from Wisconsin, Rick. However, a rapprochement is made between Kelly & Dylan on the other side of the ocean. Rick and Brenda come out briefly together after seeing each other in a video store. They split up after Brenda realized that he had more in common with her father than with her. The love triangle that followed Brenda's return quickly became a milestone in the series that helped increase her popularity and gave rise to the rumors of rivalry announced between Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth. The final confrontation between Brenda, Dylan and Kelly - in which he informs Brenda that he has chosen his best friend - was listed by Entertainment Weekly as one of the greatest moments of television.

text: Season 4[edit]

text: Brenda, still distressed by the fact that Dylan chose Kelly, began the fourth season in Minnesota, where she had decided to enter university. However, hearing about the break between Dylan and Kelly and realizing that she and her old friends from Minnesota have little in common, she decides to return to Beverly Hills and continue her studies at University of California. After her return, she met a rich young man named Stuart (whom Dylan knew of as a drug dealer in the past), and soon fell in love with him. The couple get engaged even in the first few weeks of their encounter and choose Las Vegas, forcing Dylan and his friends to come and try to stop them. They succeed by using reverse psychology, pretending that they are in favor of a marriage between the two young people. Brenda's life also took a few shots during the season. When Donna and Brenda find a puppy on the street, they learn that he escaped from an animal testing laboratory and are helpless when the puppy dies. Brenda then falls into a group of animal rights activists and participates with them in the ransacking of a number of laboratories until she is arrested (Donna decides at the last minute not to join the group). After her arrest, the only person in the group who supported her was Dylan; David Silver questioned her judgment, Andrea was angry that she had damaged laboratories that did not test animals and Kelly told her that Dylan was no longer her boyfriend and that Brenda could not go and look for help whenever she had a problem. It turned out that one of the activists was an FBI agent who offered Brenda a deal not to jail because she had not supported vandalism.

text: As a result, all Brenda's friends apologized for their behavior towards her. During the fourth season, Brenda is interested in the drama department but it also led to problems: she spoiled her first audition and then went to the director of the play to try again and convince him. She then got the role, but a student made a rumor saying that she had slept to have the role. Unfortunately, this student was the girlfriend of Steve Sanders and the latter believed the rumors, others refusing more or less to believe the denials of Brenda. Steve understood his mistake when the student asked him to attack Brenda to make her miss rehearsals. A little later, Steve's friend tried to commit suicide, but Brenda and Steve joined forces to save her and Steve was finally compensated by following Brenda's debut on stage. The director's praise led her to accept the latter at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London for a year. After Kelly and Dylan last broke up, Brenda finally learned that a relationship was possible between Kelly and Brandon and expressed her blessing. She later spent her last night with Dylan, telling her she would not be gone forever. The couple will reconcile briefly in the final scene of the fourth season, though (because of Shannen Doherty's departure) Brenda's character was removed from the script and she never returned to Beverly Hills.

text: Conflicts with Beverly Hills 90210 staff[edit]

text: Shannen Doherty was notorious for being late and being in conflict with staff.[10][11][12][13][14][2][15] Tiffani-Amber Thiessen replaced Brenda Walsh as a character called Valerie Malone.[16]

text: After the departure[edit]

text: Despite the fact that Brenda never appeared on the screen, she was nonetheless present during occasional discussions during the following six seasons of the series. The most significant among them is her reconciliation with Dylan, who was going to move in with her. It is assumed that they were together for most episodes of the seventh and eighth seasons of the series, as during an episode of season 8 where it is learned that Dylan's half-sister was saved from a life of prostitution and then left to live with Dylan and Brenda in London and Kelly and Brandon mentioned going to visit them for part of their honeymoon. Later, when Dylan returned in season 9, he told his friends that he and Brenda had separated two years earlier. However, it frees Dylan to resume his relationship with Kelly.

text: In Season 5, Dylan rages against Valerie, the Walsh cousin, blaming her for wanting to imitate Brenda and not having the guts to confront the Walsh parents, as Brenda was able to do before. She will also send an announcement to Dylan at the latter's wedding. Or, in the last episode of the series illustrating the marriage of Donna and David, it is alluded to a party that Brenda had organized when they were still in high school.

text: 14 years after her departure, Brenda is back in Beverly Hills. On the advice of Kelly to the new principal, Brenda, become actress, is led to direct the musical of the high school. She will have to deal with the drug problems of the high school girl who plays the lead role in the show and will help her get out of it, which will follow a mutual attachment of the latter. She will also spend a lot of time with Kelly although at times, they will recover some tensions due among others to Dylan. Kelly also learns later that Brenda has slept with Ryan, the high school English teacher, while Kelly has a lot of affection for him. But they will always be reconciled. We also learn that Brenda can not have children, who can count on the support of her friend Kelly. She will go to China and adopt a little girl.

text: Reception[edit]

text: The character had a mixed reception from fans and critics.[17][18][19][20]