Jean Shepherd-- Excelsior, you fathead!

People today may know Jean Shepherd as the narrator and writer of the movie, A Christmas Story. Some may have even visited the house in Cleveland, Ohio used in the movie. However, people who lived in New York in the 1950s and 60s will remember Jean Shepherd best as a nightly late night raconteur on WOR radio.

On that show, Shep would tell stories that might later appear in one of his books. I remember hearing versions of a number of stories that later ended up as scenes in A Christmas Story. In those humorously bittersweet tales Shepherd would often poke fun at himself. He told stories about growing up in Indiana with his family and his friends Flick and Schwartz, but would also talk about his years in the army, and a brief stint working in a steel mill, along with making comments about politics and society. Other nights listeners would hear Shepherd reading the verse of Robert W. Service. Shep could make almost anything sound interesting and vaguely zany. I once heard him spend a show reading names of people who had written in to get a few seconds of fame by having Shep mention their names on radio. And then there was his kazoo playing...

If you missed Jean Shepherd the first time or perhaps are a loyal fan who would like to revisit these legendary broadcasts, visit Max Schmidt Presents for links to a handful of shows.