Jean Shepherd - County Fair

[@cmans79tr7]

19:18 - Shep graphically described the race-track sights, sounds, and smells coming from behind the high-board fence, which excited the old man so that he hunched over the steering wheel in anticipation... Then the verbal sound effects that Shep uttered, imitating the sound of the race car crashing, Shep's description of the witnesses posed, standing still as if time had stood still, and the driver getting out of the car like it was no big deal had me apoplectic, laughing. As an adjunct to his writing and storytelling skill, Shep also was a hilariously good sound-effect man😆 (Looking at my previous comments, seems it's been a year since I've listened to this. And deliciously, I've forgotten most of it, so this is almost like hearing it for the first time again😀... Thanks for posting, DG.)

[@shannonlinville6192]

Gene Shepherd is a master storyteller! And the WOR New York broadcasts. Are the best... Thanx Dapper Gent.

[@cmans79tr7]

13:57- I love how Shep described the difficulties of the job, and the various similarities and differences (arm motions, heights, demeanors) of the two cops directing traffic into the jam-packed, rutted parking lot.

[@Pittie21]

Shep used to enjoy the Hunterdon County Fair in Flemington, NJ.

[@cmans79tr7]

1:53 - I love that subtle groan after Shep fell " ...heavily over the coffee table..." You can tell he was reliving it.😂

[@cmans79tr7]

To help others enjoy Shep's prose even more for some who may not get some of the references in this story, I'd like to add further context to some parts of the passage of the story when the family was in the car on the way to the Fair. He mentions the car "shimmying" down the road. This could be taken figuratively, but having grown up riding in cars of that era I remember when my father hit a certain speed or went over a certain bump in the road, the front tires of the car would get unbalanced and cause the steering wheel and the whole car to literally shiver/shimmy (today some refer to it as the "death wobble" because this can cause loss of control if the car). Nowadays automotive engineers have largely designed away that dangerous tendency. The "Blue Serge suit" of the " beet-faced " man whose Buick engine overheated ahead of them, not only could be in reference to the color and weave of the man's suit, but since Shep is a music aficionado, he also is likely referencing the name of a Jazz Album "Blue Serge" from baritone saxophonist Norm Chaloff from 1956 (I googled "blue serge" for that reference. I knew serge was a textile reference but wanted more info so i looked it up). Shep also knows about car engine issues as well. He mentions being able to hear the policeman's voice over the Pontiac's "piston slap". This is actually a hilarious absurdity for people who know engines, and who have encountered totally worn-out engines whose cylinder clearances have gotten so large that the pistons literally and audibly slap the cylinder walls with a distinctive metallic slapping sound. Very, very few engines today get so worn out that they get to making this noise, so it is an indicator as to how mechanically worn out his old man's pride and joy was. The humor here is magnified, because usually the slapping sound is subtle, and not loud enough to affect conversation, but here obviously loud enough to affect hearing the policeman's voice. As for the people on the side of the road who were waving "someones" white shirt at the steam rising into the heavens from the overheated engine, I personally interpreted this as Shep adding absurdity to the situation, due to the futility of waving a shirt at an overheated engine, but i also remember biblical references of people sacrificially burning things as offerings to the gods, and the offering was good/accepted if the white smoke rose to the heavens, so this was not just a ride to a Fair, it was a religious Pilgrimage. 😄

[@MrRobster1234]

This was featured in the September 1969 issue of Playboy.

[@4000Wiggins]

Thanks for uploading this.

[@dappergent3570]

You are very welcome! Plan to upload more shows mid-month and stick to regular schedule starting this summer :)

[@The22on]

What 'major motion picture' was made from this short story? Is he talking about A Christmas Story or some other movie? It's wonderful to hear Shep's voice again. My brother and I used to fall asleep listening to him in Philadelphia from 11:15 to midnight. He's part of my childhood memories. Listening to this, I'm 10 years old again, lying in bed with the radio on and hoping for a glorious future. Now, that future is past. Where did the years go? Sigh.

[@Raycheetah]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Summer_Story Also titled "It Runs in the Family," and released in 1994 as a sequel to "A Christmas Story." Not as good as the classic, but still worth a watch if you're a fan of Shep's work. I think it may even be here on KZbin under one or the other title. =^[.]^=

[@kamdan2011]

Nate, the movie is called My Summer Story.

[@The22on]

@@kamdan2011 THANKS!

[@dappergent3570]

Kamdan beat me to it, the movie is alright if you ask me, not the best but not the worst. Glad I can transport you back to your childhood! I plan to upload some more shows mid/late this month and start uploading on a more frequent basis starting late spring/early summer

[@orionorion99]

@@dappergent3570 thanks it/s almost like i/m having a secnd child hood what era are you from and where

[@cmans79tr7]

Shep's father, simpering, to try to placate the angry cop: "...Bless my buttons!!!..."

[@walterweddle7644]

At 50:16, you've got cousin Caleb from Rushville Indiana. Wow, I'm not far from there. Caleb sure couldn't ring the bell but was from a nice little town.

[@orionorion99]

Yeah I can remember 10 years after this story took place going to jones beach NYC area on the Saw Mill Parkway and the traffic was so bbaad we just would park anad have a picnic on the Parkway grass .

[@Raycheetah]

Hard not to see and hear Darren McGavin when Shep talks about his Old Man. =^[.]^=

[@2011littleguy]

koala: @(o0o)@

[@christopherwall2121]

Unless it's the incident with the cop, then you can just as easily picture, what was it, Charles Grodin playing The Old Man in that movie?

[@AndrewLawsonjughead67]

Love this

[@mwatts-riley2688]

Absolutly exactly word for word, as it was in 1953. We lived in lansing, 7miles from hammond. Perfect. So so grateful. Where did you find these? Thank you again. m

[@dappergent3570]

I have a very large collection of Shep's shows that were originally purchased on vinyl and/or recorded on cassette

[@cmans79tr7]

43:23 - Ho! Thomas Jefferson, an' two ducks, and a couple a roses?!! Well, I gotta see *that!*

[@timfeleppa3156]

Thanks so much

[@dappergent3570]

Youre very welcome. Excelsior!

[@orionorion99]

at mm 15:00 min how shep avoids the wrath of the "bull" thats what they called cops instead of 'pigs"

[@lenzotrumpet]

Wonder is estrogen basically the idea for EstaJeans name.?

[@rudolphguarnacci197]

Shep sounds old here. I wonder when this was recorded.

[@jdos2]

Originally broadcast in 1971, according to the feed. Nothing like Shep reading his own stories! Excelsior!

[@christopherwall2121]

Like the 90's, I think, when _My Summer Story_ was upcoming.

[@charlespeterwatson9051]

Too bad the story got cut short before Shep could explain what snacking his lips led to.

[@Paul-or9vk]

He scrounged NY for a candy apple

[@Paul-or9vk]

A candy apple.