'A Christmas Story' Star Files Lawsuit

The ultimate Christmas bully, Scut Farkus, from Warner Bros.’ 1983 A Christmas Story, has filed a lawsuit against the National Entertainment Collectables Association for using a picture of his face without his consent.

In November of 2010, Zack Ward, the actor who played Scut Farkus, attended the annual Christmas Story fundrasier in Clevland, Ohio.  A fan approached Ward, showing him A Christmas Story board game with a picture of himself as Scut Farkus on the outside of the box. Ward also discovered there was a calendar too, which he also did not give permission for the use of his picture.

In the lawsuit against NECA, Ward explained to the judge, “I am sure the Court can imagine my feelings of humiliation and anger at the Defendants for having purposefully defrauded me.” Since the board game only grossed approximately $750,000 in sales, Ward will not be receiving the “one billion dollars” he apparently asked for in a sarcastic “Dr. Evil” voice.

Apparently Ward’s small roles in Transformers, CSI:NY and Drop Dead Diva aren’t paying the big bucks, which is why Ward is seeking millions in “emotional damages.”

Seriously, emotional damages for having your picture put on a kids board game that did not even generate a million dollars? I wish someone would put my picture on a box so I could sue and make an easy million or two.

What do you, the readers think? Do you agree with Ward for “feeling bullied” over this picture, or do you think it’s a ploy to make some extra money?

Anyway, A Christmas Story, fans don’t despair- Ward can’t sue TBS for their annual 24-hour broadcast of America’s favorite Christmas movie. Tune in to TBS starting at 8/7 c on Christmas Eve for the 24 hour marathon!

 

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top