Some men are Baptists, others Catholics. My father was an Oldsmobile man--- Jean Shepherd
July 26, 2022
Every morning I get an email from Garrison Keillor who manages Writers Almanac, a daily chronicle of well-known literary figures and events. I learn so much every day from this short post. I recommend subscribing - it's free, though donations are welcome:
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Today I was reminded of one of my favorites as a teenager, Jean Shepherd. You know him from the great movie, Christmas Story -- that's him narrating - I listened to that voice on my transister radio in bed every night. His stories were mesmerizing. I went with some friends to see him in person at the
Village Voice Car Rallye July 26, 1959, a fun event which he narrated.
Here's Keillor's short description --
It's the birthday of humorist Jean Shepherd, born in Chicago, Illinois (1921). He's remembered for the autobiographical stories he told on the radio about a boy named Ralph Parker growing up in Hohman, Indiana. One of his stories was made into the movie A Christmas Story (1983), which he narrated. It's about a boy who wants a BB gun for Christmas, even though every adult in his life says that he'll shoot his eye out.
The stories Shepherd told on-air were always improvised, but he later wrote them down and published them in collections like In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash (1967) and Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories and Other Disasters (1972).
Jean Shepherd said: "Some men are Baptists, others Catholics. My father was an Oldsmobile man."
I too loved listening to Shepard in the dark at night.
ReplyDeleteMy parents loved him! I did, too. Kept my first transistor radio under the pillow each night...
ReplyDelete