Jean Shepherd - 1921-1999

Jean Shepherd
1921-1999

Jean Shepherd, humorist, author and radio and television raconteur passed away on October 16 at Lee Memorial Hospital near his home in Sanibel Florida. He was 78 years old.

Shep's passing is a sad day for me and millions of other fans throughout the world. He had been ill for several years and hadn't performed a concert since 1996. Last December, several of us had the privilege of speaking to Shep on the Alan Colmes radio show. That was probably Shep's last public appearance.

However, our sadness is eased by the great legacy Jean Shepherd has left behind. His radio shows, movies, books and articles live on. We will remember him as one of the most original and talented story tellers of the 20th Century.

Jim Sadur, 10/17/99

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Jean Shepherd, a Raconteur of the Radio,
Is Dead at 78

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jean Shepherd, the prolific radio raconteur whose easy story-telling style earned comparisons to Mark Twain, died early Saturday at a Florida hospital. He was 78.

Shepherd, once described by media critic Marshall McLuhan as "the first radio novelist," died at 3:20 A.M. in Lee Memorial Hospital near his home in Sanibel Island, Fla., said his longtime friend and business adviser, Irwin Zwilling.

Shepherd spent 21 years on WOR-AM in New York City, attracting a large following along the Eastern seaboard. He worked without a script,
conjuring tales based on his Indiana upbringing, creating characters like his alter-ego, Ralph Parker, and his neighbors, the Bumpuses.

In a move that likely inspired the climactic scene in the movie "Network," Shepherd would tell his listeners to crank up the volume on their radios
and scream along with him. "Drop the tools, we've got you covered!" was one of his favorite shout-along phrases.

Shepherd, while best known for his radio work, also wrote for films, including the 1983 hit "A Christmas Story," a sardonic look at the holiday that he had hoped to call "Satan's Revenge."

Reviewing "A Christmas Story" in The New York Times, the critic Vincent Canby wrote, " Shepherd is a most engaging raconteur who transforms small stories of everyday life into tall tales of fantastic adventure."

Shepherd's writing appeared in a vast assortment of publications, from The Times to the National Lampoon. He wrote several books, including "In God We Trust," in 1966, and a 1971 story collection, "Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories and Other Disasters."

Shepherd did a pair of syndicated PBS television programs, "Jean Shepherd's America" and "Shepherd's Pie," and often sold out Carnegie Hall for his live shows.

He was born July 21, 1921, in Hammond, Ind. -- a town that later became "Hohman" in his tales. He began his radio career at age 16, doing weekly sportscasts for a local station.

Shepherd served in World War II in the United States Army Signal Corps, developing a healthy distaste for authority that later cropped up in his stories. He did radio shows in Cincinnati and Philadelphia before briefly moving into television.

His Philadelphia television program, "Rear Bumper," attracted the eye of Steve Allen, who recommended Shepherd as his replacement as host of the "Tonight" show.

When that did not work out, Shepherd began his career at WOR, performing in off-hour shifts for an audience that he dubbed the "Night People." The station's powerful signal attracted fans from Canada to Florida.

His books and television appearances cemented his place in pop culture, as did "A Christmas Story." The film was the top-grossing movie of the 1983 holiday season.

In recent years, Shepherd stayed out of the public eye, making infrequent radio appearances. His last radio date came on WFAN-AM in New York in September 1996, appearing on a show with Zwilling.

Though Shepherd left New York, he remained a New Yorker at heart -- the comedian often requested Manhattan visitors to bring New York bagels or a pastrami sandwich from the Carnegie Deli, Zwilling said. Shepherd's third wife, Leigh, died last year after 21 years of marriage. The couple had no children, Zwilling said.

Amateur Radio Relay League
WIAW QST

ZCZC AX07
QST de W1AW
Special Bulletin 7 ARLX007
>From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT October 18, 1999
To all radio amateurs

SB SPCL ARL ARLX007
ARLX007 Radio Legend Jean Shepherd, K2ORS, SK

Radio broadcasting legend Jean Shepherd, K2ORS, died October 16. He
was 78. News reports say Shepherd died in a hospital near his home
in Sanibel Island, Florida.

One of the original radio "talkers," Shepherd gained a loyal
following of overnight listeners during his more than two-decade
tenure at powerful WOR in New York during the 1950s, 60s and early
70s.

Shepherd remained active on HF SSB and occasionally on 2-meter FM. A
former ARRL member, he did some hamming from his boat in Florida in
recent years.

On the air, "Shep" worked without a script or reliance on telephone
callers spinning yarns--typically with a sardonic edge--often based
on his boyhood years in Hammond, Indiana, and his time in the Army
and occasionally mentioning ham radio. Among the characters he
created was alter ego Ralphie Parker, who appeared in his 1983 film
classic "A Christmas Story," which he wrote and narrated.

Shepherd also penned numerous articles and several books, including
In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash in 1966 and Wanda Hickey's
Night of Golden Memories in 1971. He also produced the TV programs
Jean Shepherd's America and Shepherds's Pie for PBS, as well as
several PBS American Playhouse productions, including The Phantom of
the Open Hearth and The Great American Fourth of July and Other
Disasters.

His third wife, Leigh, died last year, and he had no survivors.

"He captivated a generation with his stories," said vintage radio
buff John Dilks, K2TQN. "He is survived by Schwartz, Flick, Bruner
and all of the other wonderful characters he created."

For detailed information on Jean Shepherd, visit
shepmain.htm or
http://www.spacelab.net/~bkaye/Shep.html.
NNNN
/EX

Radio Storyteller Shepherd Dies

By LARRY McSHANE
Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Jean Shepherd, the prolific radio raconteur whose easy storytelling style earned comparisons to fellow Midwesterner Mark Twain, died early Saturday. He was 78.

Shepherd, once described by media critic Marshall McLuhan as ``the first radio novelist,'' died in a hospital near his home in Sanibel Island, Fla., said his longtime friend and business adviser, Irwin Zwilling.

Shepherd spent 21 years on 50,000-watt WOR-AM in New York City, attracting a large, loyal following along the Eastern seaboard. He worked without a script, conjuring tales based on his Indiana upbringing, creating characters like his alter-ego, Ralph Parker, and his neighbors, the Bumpuses.

``If there was ever a voice to hypnotize ... it was Old Shep's; familiar but not condescending; sharing (it seemed) confidences with masculine camaraderie; constantly interrupting itself in a stream-of-consciousness more properly described as a torrent,'' read a 1971 profile of Shepherd in The New York Times.

In a move that likely inspired the climactic scene in the movie ``Network,'' Shepherd would tell his listeners to crank up the volume on their radios and scream along with him. ``Drop the tools, we've got you covered!'' was one of Shepherd's favorite shout-along phrases.

Shepherd, while best known for his radio work, excelled as a multimedia performer. His films included the 1983 classic ``A Christmas Story,'' a sardonic look at the holiday that he wrote and narrated. He had hoped to call it ``Satan's Revenge.''

His writing appeared in a vast assortment of publications, from the Times to National Lampoon. He wrote several books, including 1966's ``In God We Trust'' and the 1971 story collection, ``Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories and Other Disasters.''

Shepherd did a pair of syndicated PBS TV programs, ``Jean Shepherd's America'' and ``Shepherd's Pie,'' and often sold out Carnegie Hall for his live shows.

He was born July 21, 1921, in Hammond, Ind. — a town that later became ``Hohman'' in his tales. He began his radio career at age 16, doing weekly sportscasts for a local station.

Shepherd served in World War II in the Army Signal Corps, developing a distaste for authority that later cropped up in his stories. He did radio shows in Cincinnati and Philadelphia before briefly moving into TV.

His Philadelphia TV program, ``Rear Bumper,'' attracted the eye of original ``Tonight'' show host Steve Allen, who recommended Shepherd as his replacement on the NBC fixture.

When that didn't work out, Shepherd launched his career at WOR, performing in off-hour shifts for an audience that he
dubbed the ``Night People.'' The station's powerful signal attracted diehard Shepherd-philes from Canada to Florida.

In recent years, Shepherd stayed out of the public eye, making infrequent radio appearances. His last radio date came on WFAN-AM in New York in September 1996, appearing on a show co-hosted by Zwilling.

Shepherd's third wife, Leigh, died last year after 21 years of marriage. The couple had no children, and there were no survivors, Zwilling said.

Jean Shepherd, Beloved Raconteur has Died

Updated 1:41 PM ET October 16, 1999

NEW YORK (ENTERTAINMENT WIRE) - Jean Shepherd, the prolific author and radio and television personality whose storytelling has been compared with that of Mark Twain, died of natural causes on Saturday, October 16, 1999 at 3:20 AM, in Lee Memorial Hospital near his Sanobel Island, Florida home, his long time friend and business advisor Irwin Zwilling said. Marshall McLuan once called Shepherd "the first radio novelist."

Zwilling said "Jean was an avid Chicago White Sox fan, and hated the Yankees, but nonetheless was probably glued to the television this week. He had been working on a new film in recent years even as his health was failing. Shepherd had remained completely out of the public eye in recent years except for isolated live appearances on a WFAN radio show including one on September 1996 hosted by Zwilling and Ann Ligouri.

A memorial celebration of his works is being planned in New York.

His favorite activity was story telling. "Shep" created such memorable works as the movie Christmas Story (in 1983) which TV Guide called "one of the great Christmas classics of all time." It airs each year on TBS. He wrote a sequel, Summer Story. He authored books including The America of George Ade, The Ferrari in the Bedroom , In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, a Fistful of Fig Newtons, and Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories, and created a vast number of characters and stories. In addition, his television programs included the widely syndicated Jean Shepherd's America" PBS programs in the 1970's and were later continued on the PBS New Jersey Network as "Shepherd's Pie." He hosted nightly a 45-minute radio show on WOR in New York, from in the 1950's and 1960's, and a series of live Saturday night broadcasts from The Limelight, a Greenwich Village, New York nightclub.

He carried his talent for story telling to Carnegie Hall, which he sold out, and numerous one-man shows at corporate conventions, meetings, and college campuses. Among his favorites was a series of appearances each year at Princeton University in the 1970's and 1980's as well as on numerous other campuses.

Shepherd wrote for the most diverse selection of publications imaginable, including Mad Magazine and Lampoon, The New York Times, Playboy, Mademoiselle, Car and Driver, and Omni. In addition he was an early columnist for Village Voice in New York.

Born Jean Parker Shepherd on July 21, 1921, in Hammond, Indiana, he attended public schools, graduating from Hammond High School in 1939. During World War 11, he served in the Signal Corps. Shepherd attended Indiana University before launching his radio career as host of a show named "Rear Bumper." He began his career on stage in Chicago as a performer at the Goodman Theatre, and performed night club acts on Rush Street.

Shepherd's wife Leigh Brown died in June 1998 and the couple had no children. There are no survivors. Zwilling said.

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