History Creator / JeanShepherd

* ''[[Film/AChristmasStory A Christmas Story 2]]'' (2012)--He had nothing to do with the film, on account of [[AuthorExistenceFailure having died in 1999]], but obviously based on his characters and style.

Shepherd is noted as one of the writers of the film ''Film/AChristmasStory'', which is based on anecdotes primarily from his book "In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash." He also provided the voice of the narrator in that film.

!!"Keep your knees loose, and keep your Tropes well-oiled!":

He once played a prank in which he asked listeners of his late-night radio program to go to their local bookstore and request a nonexistent book by a nonexistent author: "I, Libertine" by Frederick R. Ewing. The prank was so successful that the book ended up on the New York Times bestseller list (which was then compiled based on feedback from bookstores) despite not actually existing. Publisher Ian Ballantine hired science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon to actually write it.

Jean Parker Shepherd Jr. (1921–1999) was an American humorist who had a long career working in various media.

* AuthorAvatar: While Shepherd presented his radio monologues as personal recollections, for the print versions he invented the character of Ralph Parker as a fictionalized stand-in.

Starting as an [[UsefulNotes/TwoWayRadio amateur radio operator]] in his teens, Shepherd spent thousands of hours on the airwaves, with stints in Cincinnati, Philadelphia and finally New York, where he hosted a nightly show for several decades on WOR, which with its 50,000 watt signal was heard throughout the Eastern US. He was also syndicated to other markets. While he started out as a typical DJ, he gradually devoted time to storytelling, until that became the focus of the show.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[CatchPhrase "Excelsior, you fathead!"]]]]

Shepherd specialized in irreverently humorous monologues about growing up in a middle class family in a small town in Indiana during TheGreatDepression, along with accounts of his young adulthood, including his time in the US Army Signal Corps during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, which mixed sophisticated reflections with broad comedy.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[CatchPhrase Excelsior, you fathead!]]]]

Jean Parker Shepherd, Jr (1921-1999) was an American humorist who had a long career working in various media.

!!'''{{Radio}}'''

!!'''{{Literature}}'''
Starting with regular short story contributions to ''{{Magazine/Playboy}}'', he went on to publish several books.

* ''Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories: And Other Disasters'' (1971)

!!'''UsefulNotes/{{Television}}'''

!!'''{{Film}}'''

Shepherd specialized in irreverently humorous monologues about growing up in a middle class family in a small town in Indiana during TheGreatDepression, along with accounts of his young adulthood, including his time in the US Army Signal Corps during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, which mixed sophisticated reflections with broad comedy.

The website [[http://www.flicklives.com Flick Lives]] is an exhaustive collection of info about Shepherd and his extensive, extremely eclectic career.

Not to be confused with CountryMusic singer Jean Shepard (who he called "The girl who sings through her nose" as opposed to his being "The guy who talks through his nose.")

!!'''{{Television}}'''

!!"Keep your knees loose, and keep your Tropes sharp!":

* ''The Phanton of the Open Hearth'' (1976)

A comparatively small part of Shepherd's career compared to his other work, but the ''Film/AChristmasStory'', which he co-wrote and narrated, is far and away his best-known work.

[[caption-width-right:350:Excelsior, you fathead!]]

* Filmography:

'''{{Radio}}''': Starting as an [[UsefulNotes/TwoWayRadio amateur radio operator]] in his teens, Shepherd spent thousands of hours on the airwaves, with stints in Cincinnati, Philadelphia and finally New York, where he hosted a nightly show for several decades on WOR, which with its 50,000 watt signal was heard throughout the Eastern US. He was also syndicated to other markets. While he started out as a typical DJ, he gradually devoted time to storytelling, until that became the focus of the show.

'''{{Literature}}''': Starting with regular short story contributions to ''{{Magazine/Playboy}}'', he went on to publish several books.
!! Selected Bibliography:

'''{{Television}}''': After a stint as a local TV host in TheFifties, he became a regular presence on {{Creator/PBS}} in TheSeventies and TheEighties, hosting the video essay series ''Jean Shepherd's America'' and presenting dramatized versions of his short stories.
!! Videography (films):

'''{{Film}}''': A comparatively brief part of Shepherd's career compared to his other work, but the ''Film/AChristmasStory'', which he co-wrote and narrated, is far and away his best-known work.
!! Filmography:

* LifeEmbellished: Exactly how truthful his stories are is an eternal debate among Shep fans. Shepherd himself freely admitted that he took liberties with the truth in order to make things more entertaining, but researchers have also dug up many specific details of people and places in his life that he included in his work. But he also very blatantly messed with the actual timeline of his life. One example is that Shepherd was actually in his late teens in the period when ''Film/AChristmasStory'' took place.

* FanNickname: Shep

Shepherd specialized in irreverently humorous monologues about growing up in a middle class family in a small town in Indiana during TheGreatDepression, along with accounts of his young adulthood, including his time in the US Army Signal Corps during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.

The website [[http://www.flicklives.com Flick Lives]] is an exhaustive collection of info about Shepherd and his extremely eclectic career.

* NoCommunitiesWereHarmed: Hohman, Indiana became the fictional version of Hammond, his hometown.

'''{{Film}}''': A comparatively brief part of Shepherd's career compared to his other work, but the ''Film/AChristmasStory'', which he co-wrote and narrated, is far and away his best-known work.