‘Fragilé’ Review – Documentary Captures The Absurd And Brilliant Battle Of The Oklahoma Leg Lamp Statue

Arguably, next to the Christmas Tree, there is no more identifiable symbol of the holiday season than the infamous Leg Lamp from A Christmas Story. The iconic film, which has been a staple of the Christmas movie-viewing season, is part of pop culture. The lamp embodies the holiday’s commercialization and the film’s enduring presence in the minds of audiences worldwide. It is hilarious that an item from a movie that has nothing to do with Christmas is as associated with the holiday as Santa Claus, Rudolph, or even Jesus. So what happens when one man gets the idea to erect a 50-foot leg lamp statue as a tourist attraction? Well, it sparks a neighbor-versus-neighbor controversy in a scene right out of a movie.

A four-year battle, straight out of a movie, enveloped the small town of Chickasha, Oklahoma, over the soft glow of electric sex. The brainchild of Tim Elliott, a member of the town’s economic development council, wanted to build a 50-foot leg lamp, similar to the one in the perennial film. As part of a way to boost tourism and help the town’s economy, the impetus behind the lamp was to have an attraction that people from everywhere would come to see, similar to famous roadside attractions and tourist traps. Of course, in a small town, everything becomes a discussion, and sides are drawn immediately. For Chickasha, it became like a scene out of A Christmas Story; a real-life battle of the lamp!

The new documentary Fragilé from Reagan Elkins, an Oklahoma native, captures the absurd ingenuity and, at times, outcry over the construction of a 50-foot lamp. Being from a small town, the scenes on display here are textbook small-town political squabbles. It is neighbor versus neighbor over trivial matters that become magnified through gossip or latent frustration.

Comparatively, I’ve seen in small towns how the most mundane matters become front-page sensations. What begins in Chickasha is how many of these situations start: lighthearted actions to better the city—in Chickasha’s case, constructing a 50-foot leg lamp to boost tourism and town dollars. What begins as a simple gesture and a touch of fun ignites into small-town chaos. Small-town politics often mirrors national politics, but at times can be much more bitter and personal. In a small town, you’re dealing with people down the road, people you see in church or at the market. Everything becomes a high-stakes battle over who is right and who is wrong.

Generally, both sides have merit; those nuances are often lost in the squabbles and name-calling. In Fragilé, Elkins wisely maintains a neutral stance, interviewing people on both sides. Though like Elliott, there were those in favor of the lamp’s construction and those opposed to it. On the pro side, there is an economic element, almost tied to a piece of the town’s history. Conversely, some dispute it; those in favor of the lamp argue it is a tribute to a town resident named Noland James. James, a teacher, took credit for inspiring the production crew of A Christmas Story with a model of what would become the famous lamp in the film. Below is an excerpt from James’s obituary attesting to the lamp’s creation.

“The Art School required teachers to also produce their own art. Early in his career, Noland used an old mannequin that had been lying around the Art School to make a project: from the bottom half he made a leg lamp and from the torso he made a waste basket. They were on view in his fourth-floor office until he retired. A man seeking employment at the school became tantalized with the lamp and came by Noland’s office many times to look at it and ask about how it was put together—he nearly took it apart to see how it was made. A few years later, this same man was on the production team that produced the leg lamp from a hosiery leg for a 1983 movie. Noland always felt his lamp was the prototype for the one in the movie—A Christmas Story.” (From The Chickasha Express-Star, 7-30-2020, via VisitChickasha.com)

Now, some dispute the claim and the lamp’s association with the town’s history. However, this tangential connection was enough to give the project some mojo, and construction began. Of course, there is an opposing side to the lamp. For those, the complaints range from the tackiness of the lamp to the lack of organization in the town to the outright objectification. Scenes play out in city council meetings and on street corners.

The film takes us from the idea stage to the finessing of legal loopholes to avoid copyright infringement to the ultimate construction and completion. Ultimately, the matter is a question of personal taste. What cannot be denied are the facts. Since the lamp turned on in 2023, it has been visited 300,000 times. From 2022 to 2023, visitor spending increased by $7.7 million. Despite the hand-wringing and petty politics, one thing is clear: the lamp achieved its purpose.

Ultimately, film lets the viewer decide which side of the leg lamp controversy they come down on. Though it is difficult to deny that the opponents come off as proverbial Karens and Kevins. Outside of personal distaste, their arguments snapped like twigs, relying on quoting scripture and personal disgust. 

I concede my bias in these particular matters, having come from a small town. People love to complain and whip into a frenzy over the most inoffensive things. Fragilé documents that spirit incredibly well. While to some viewers the people may seem exaggerated or even cartoonish, I can attest that the people in this documentary are real and found in small towns across this country.

Consequently, Warner Bros has filed a cease-and-desist letter demanding the immediate tearing down of the lamp. This no doubt gives the naysayers a feather in their caps. Whether it happens, who knows? All this adds to the mystique and allure of this 50-foot statue in the heartland. As for the film, it deserves a major award. Elkins takes us into America’s heartland with a story that seems tailor-made for a screenwriter to put pen to paper. It is so wild and unbelievable that it would put Ralphie’s fantasies in A Christmas Story to shame. In many ways, through this film, we see America in miniature. Divison. Unity. Quirkiness. Outsized thinking. Outcry. Originality. In other words, pure Americana.

Fragilé will premiere on VOD on November 7, 2025, courtesy of Intellego Media.