10. "In God We Trust...All Others Pay Cash"
It all started when Jean Shepherd released his novel of that very same title which contained several stories of his childhood. Shepherd, known best as a radio personality before he became a writer, crafted the story of a younger version of himself longing for the ultimate Christmas Toy. This volume would not only inspire A Christmas Carol, but another story in that same book would inspire the (one true) sequel, A Summer Story (aka "It Runs In The Family). Both would have Shepherd's trademarked warm and folksy vocals narrating the proceedings, and in the picture above you'll see his cameo in A Christmas Story as the father who shows Ralphie that the line ends here, but begins over there... (It should also be noted that the photo of Shepherd on the right hand side looks an awful lot like Peter Billingsly, young Ralphie himself, this very day.)