‘A Christmas Story’ out on DVD

What would a devotee of “A Christmas Story” (MGM) love to see under the tree more than a Red Ryder double-shot carbon-action BB gun? Try the just-released 20th-anniversary edition two-disc DVD of the holiday classic, selling for about $19.

Yes, it’s got the wildly popular tale of Ralphie and his quest for the holy grail of Christmas presents (in regular and widescreen). But it has so much more.

There’s a third version with commentary by director Bob Clark and Peter “Ralphie” Billingsley, “documentaries” on the coveted Red Ryder and infamous leg lamp, original readings by author Jean Shepherd of the various stories from which the movie was drawn, and interviews with cast.

There’s also plenty of insider tidbits, such as how Jack Nicholson was too expensive to cast as The Old Man. And the scene in which Flick is triple-dog-dared to stick his tongue to an icy metal pole? Turns out the pole had air rushing through it; a hole drilled mouth-high did a deceptively effective job of sucking in Flick’s tongue and holding it.