Comments: No one listens, You're next, Crisis man, Siphoning gas, Electric rabbit, NY is mine, Flash your headlights, Outlaw ice skater
Ground Sniffer Date: 02-14-61
10.3 MB
45:07 min
Early Shepherd Date: 02-21-61
10.5 MB
45:54 min
Civil War Centennial Pitch Date: 02-22-61
9.3 MB
40:39 min
Comments: Dream Sequences - Getting up at 3 or 4 in the morning and dragging yourself to the bathroom for a drink of water. Easing back into the sack, there is a rustling sound out on the street. Looking out, there is a long dark mass of people moving to the end of the block, climbing down a manhole. They're wearing bathing suits and bathing caps, carrying weekend travel cases. 15 minutes later you're in your bathing suit and following them down the manhole. You are awakened by the phone. The editor of Life wants to do an 8 page picture story on you. You hang up, the phone rings again, the New York Times wants to do a Sunday supplement, the phone rings again, Charles Collinwood, a three part program. Finally the phone rings with a call from Jack (Kennedy) at the White House. Off the phone again and there's this gigantic watermelon - at long last you've tapped it.
What everybody secretly wants - a monopoly. What every businessman really wants is to see - another businessman up against the wall. Games show what we secretly want.
A small booklet in his mind - "Keep Your Knees Loose", the education of a 20th century man.
All the talk about George Washington on the air today. National nothing but the truth day.
From out of the wastebasket, a tip sheet on how to make the radio station really sell. Use the upcoming Civil War Centennial as a theme. Dress up the salesmen and personalities. Offer Confederate money as premiums.
Getting into a cab a three in the morning on the streets of Manhatten. The cab driver is a "real chick". She's been a cabbie for seven months since taking some time off from being a stripper in Miami.
Playing the infield and all the balls are flys. Playing the outfield and there's nothing but groounders.
Finally, a letter from a 16 year old fan which Shep reads, concludes: "Shepherd, I'm digging your night show. You sound like a fish that's been flopping around on a pier in the sun and some kind-hearted old Schrafts lady just threw you back in the sea." (See note 1)
Note: Shep had just started doing a night show again (Feb 13) after being on Saturday and Sunday afternoons only since Sept. 11, 1960.
Note 2: Best guess by the "Jean Shepherd Audio Archeologists" is that this show was done on Wednesday February 22, 1961 due to references to George Washington and the upcoming Civil War Centennial Celebration beginning April 12th.
One of Them Beats Date: 02-27-61
10.5 MB
46:02 min
Comments: Reading the obits, man dies and when they o pen the safe deposit box at the bank, he has 3,000 golf score cards from 3,000 different golf courses.
An ad for "guaranteed memorials".
His friend Frank kept a note book of all the restaurants he ever ate in. He would color code the entries if it was good or bad. He could recite any given date where he ate and what he ate.
Prexy's commercial - the native American food, hot dogs and hamburgers.
"When I was in collage there were 4,000 other hamburgers with me"
Go into the new Prexy's on Saturday and say quietly "Excelsior" and you will get a strawberry short cake with soft ice cream - on the house.
Native customs - tourists from India writing home about observations they make of New York natives.
Celebrity photos hanging on walls of establishments. "To Fred, the greatest barber in Manhatten - Steverino" (Steve Allen). A native Manhattan tradition.
The big Apple. What kind of an apple is Manhattan? A Macintosh, a Golden Delicious?
An odd thing, this business of time. Shep discusses the odd feeling of his recently changed time slot (Weekdays, 11:15pm to Midnight - He had been on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.)
"It was like returning to something that you haven't eaten for a long time but you vaguely remember that you liked and suddenly you're having it again and it tastes even better than you thought it tasted"
If he ever had a bar or grill he would line the wall with pictures of unknown people.
"Keep your knees loose and your fanny down"
One Man Radio Shows Date: 03-01-61
9.4 MB
41:17 min
Comments: The ability to strike a different type of note.
Interesting observations and trivia.
Working at a one man radio station for 12 hours a day, doing one man shows at WKLUCQ using names like H.G. Grubbage and Friendly Fred. Did the entire day's broadcast schedule using different names and voices.
He goes on to tell interesting news notes as "H.G. Grubbage"
The end of the world - in Philadelphia
The auction of a 6 foot statue "Babe" Ruth. Bids start at $100, but the only bid was for 25 cents. A 650lb 6-1/2 foot long wooden pig went for $310.
Note: Shep tell everyone to go into the new Prexy's and whisper Excelsior. The man behind the counter will make you a Strawberry Shortcake with soft ice cream on top - for free.
Shoeshines and Creative Obstructionism Date: 03-02-61
10.3 MB
44:50 min
Comments: The Shoeshine man - the key figure around which the underground network of local people revolve. He knows everyone, and what they're up to.
Creative obstructionism as a way of life.
Filling out the crossword puzzle in "Spicey Whoopie" magazine. The only crossword puzzle consisting entirely of four letter words.
During the Prexy's commercial Shep tell listeners "Whisper "Excelsior" and receive a free Strawberry Shortcake"
Note 1: The 1961 show had somewhat of the free-form nature of the late-night Shep I so much admire.�Eugene Bergmann
Note 2: Shep mentions going to Prexy's after the show on Saturday afternoon. This gives a date of at least 3/1961 before the saturday afternoon shows ended.
Saturday Show Date: 03-04-61
19.2 MB
1:23:47 min
Comments: Dime Store Day, Dance Marathon, Aptitude Tests
Early-False Spring Date: 03-12-61
9.8 MB
42:58 min
Story of Change Date: 04-14-61
7.3 MB
42:32 min
Comments: Side show barker, Types of peoplem, Turnpike coin taker, Indian music
Miss Bundy and the Projector Date: 04-18-61
8.3 MB
20:40 min
Comments: Gothic remnants in NY
Chrysler Bldg. gargoyles
Ms. Bundy and projector fiasco - Miss Bundy organized hikes and clean-up days. Mr Spencer was principal at the school. Miss Bundy was to operate projector to show a safety movie. When the movie is over and the lights go back on there is a 6 foot pile of film on the floor behind the projector. Shep is in the Army and gets paper from home and reads Miss Bundy has died at the age of 67.
An article in the Hammond Times on April 12, 1934 may have inspired the story. "Much interest was created by a movie machine which James Reel demonstrated for the 5A, 6B grades in Miss Robinettes room last Wednesday."
Sargasso Sea
Note:The article in the Hammond Times on April 12, 1934 may have inspired the story that Shep tells. Although he was already out of her class in 1934, it was not uncommon (at least when I went to school in the50s) when some sort of demonstration by a visitor would be done in school, they would sometimes do it from class to class and school to school over a period of days. Perhaps there was an incident where the film broke and began spewing onto the floor. Having been on a visual aids crew, that embarresment occurred quite frequently to me. He probably recalled this and then commenced to expand the story for use radio.
Pirate Radio Date: 04-19-61
20.2 MB
44:04 min
George Kaufman Date: 06-02-61
10.8 MB
47:01 min
Lawyer On Broadway Date: 06-30-61
16.7 MB
48:38 min
Comments: Lawyer on Broadway, Feeding big dogs, Safeway ad
Smell of Homes Date: 06-xx-61
7.5 MB
43:25 min
Comments: Smell of Homes, Indiana Dunes
Steel Mill Tornado Date: 06-xx-61
12.2 MB
1:10:59 min
Comments: Jean talks about demonstrators, from the US to potato farmers in France, shares some street scenes from Times Square, and talks about the tornado that hit the steel mill.
Hit on the Head Date: 08-17-61
7.2 MB
41:50 min
Square Eggs Date: 09-04-61
12.5 MB
43:34 min
Comments: It's All Part of Life - Square Eggs - Army Bangalor Story
Box to Hide In Date: 09-05-61
12.4 MB
43:22 min
Comments: "Is there a 'good time Charlie' with us tonight? Is this an expression used only in the middle west?"
Shep thanks the NY Times for the article about the show written about a week previously. "Whoever wrote it up didn't even sign his name."
We spend most of our lives searching for our identity.
Shep discusses phrases like "Good Time Charlies", "Big Butter and Egg Man" , "A Red Hot Cookie", "A Smooth Article", "Honkey Dorey", and "Hotsy Totsy"
He quickly jumps from topic to topic all pertaining to people and their mannerisms. He talks about conditioning rats to respond to reward as they learn a feeding pattern relating to a buzzer.
Building a philosophical box around yourself. When things get too involved man builds a box around him. This is why they move to the suburbs. They feel safety with the shutters and the lawn around. A man in Syracuse, New York commits suicide by sealing himself in a crate with only a flashlight.
He reads from James Thurber about the man and the box.
"And by the way. The box principle is also associated with extremism of many forms. The are many ways of building a a box to hide in. And in the end all you can say is... 'Maybe it'll all go away, maybe I'll be all right, maybe it'll get worse' ...It really is hard to say."
Note 1: Election primaries for NY Mayor is tomorrow Night.
Note 2: NY Times article is Radio-TV: Raconteur - Jean Shepherd Still in High Style on WOR, August 28, 1961
