By O.M. Wakefield To many, Jean Shepherd was a radio genius, magnificent storyteller and more. He has often been referred to as “a Mark Twain for our time“. At the same time, he was a unique and unusual individual who meant different things to different people. However, most will universally agree that Jean Shepherd was a Great American Humorist. Shepherd was born in Chicago on July 26, 1921 and divided his youth between Chicago's south side and Hammond, Indiana. In the years when Dwight D. Eisenhower was the United States President, Shepherd was the radical voice of pop culture in the best sense of the word. But in the purest sense Jean Shepherd was a humorist, in the classic comic tradition taken from the adages that “truth is often found in humor” and also that “pain is often found in truth“. Jean Shepherd was a very popular cult radio and cabaret personality in New York during the 1950’s and 1960’s. One thing that makes Shepherd’s appeal so universal is the fact that his stories ring true and nostalgic for listener whether or not they lived in the era he usually wrote and spoke about. A renowned PBS and talk radio personality, Shepherd was responsible for creating many nostalgic humorous pieces of Americana storytelling, which later led to his being compared to the likes of Garrison Keilor. Earlier, from 1950-1954, Jean Shepherd was a radio DJ on WSAI Radio and also appeared on a nightly comedy show, "Rear Bumpers," on WLW, in Cincinnati. Jean Shepherd’s most notable and well known achievement was perhaps the creation of the indefatigable Ralphie Parker and his quest for a BB gun in the holiday classic “A Christmas Story“. In the transition from the “Leave It To Beaver 1950s” to the brave new world of the volatile Sixties, Jean Shepherd was an influential guide into a realm of rebellion, non-conformity, art, music and humor. Well known books by Shepherd include “In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash” and “Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories”. But most will remember him best for his wonderful stories narrated in his own voice via the magic of talk radio. When it comes to Jean Shepherd radio show stories there is a great legacy left behind and hundreds of hours of entertainment available. Whether you are an established self proclaimed fan of Jean Shepherd or not, these old radio stories are a “must listen” for anyone who loves humor, great stories, and the history of humor. Luckily, due to the resurgence of interest in nostalgic radio shows hundreds of great Jean Shepherd episodes are readily available online. The best source for these (that I have found) is Bookzap, www.bookzap.com. There you can find over seven hundred episodes of Jean Shepherd radio shows on both CD and DVD disks with crystalline clear sound quality. I highly recommend that you check Bookzap out! Of course Mark Twain and Garrison Keilor will always get their due respect as two of America’s greatest story tellers ever, while Jean Shepherd rarely gets a mention. But consider this, Jean Shepherd was probably the greatest kazoo player of the past 50 years, and an ardent defender of its use. Who else can say that? O. M. Wakefield is active in the Old Time Radio Community as a Collector and Reviewer. He advises folks to visit Bookzap's Giant OTR Collections and Radio Treasury OTR Online Catalogs for wonderful values and information regarding the Old Time Radio Show possibilities.
O.M. Wakefield, Old Time Radio Show, OTR Website Reviewer recommendations.<ahref="http://www.bookzap.com"> Bookzap's Giant Collections </a> and <a href="http:www.radiotreasury.com">Giant OTR Catalogs</a>
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