Sundays with Shep

When Pope Paul VI became the first pontiff to visit the United States, New York City came to a standstill to welcome him. Shep was in the crowd, and he described the scene to his listeners in this program, which originally aired on October 4, 1965.

When Shep is pulled over in New York City, he has a hard time convincing the police his first name really is Jean. In this program from September 27, 1969, he tells his audience what he had to go through to prove he was who his driver's license said he was.

Jean Shepherd was a popular speaker on the college lecture circuit. During the 1970s, this job took him to some of the country's largest institutions of higher learning, as well as a few that not many people have heard of. In this program from September 20, 1972, Shep recalls a recent visit to a small college in Oklahoma.

New York's Madison Square Garden has hosted some of boxing's biggest bouts. But a fight Shep attended was different than all of the others that came before it. In this program from September 10, 1973, he describes the scene at a high-tech fight where one missed connection could lead to a riot.

Almost every family has an uncle they don't talk about. For Shep, it was his Uncle Carl. But when Carl made the news across Chicago, he quickly went from black sheep to a precious lamb. In this program from September 6, 1965, Shep tells his listeners what Carl did to make the headlines.

Shep didn't limit his reach to just his radio audience. From time to time, he would also host local and national television programs. This week, we go back to August 30, 1974, as he sits in to host "The Talkers" on New York's WPIX-TV.

Hollywood is attempting to adapt the entire Bible into a film. In this program from August 23, 1963, Shep has some ideas about which actors should take on some of the more important roles.

Animal stars are no longer exclusively heroic and lovable. In this program from June 28, 1972, Shep introduces his audience to Ben, the murderous rat with a starring role on the big screen. Is he doing enough off the screen to sustain long-term success?

During the height of the civil rights movement, entertainers were utilized to help spread the message to a broader audience. In this program from August 9, 1965, Shep talks about how this method can sometimes harm the people who have dedicated their professional lives to advancing the cause.

Shep thinks radio stations don't do enough creative promotions these days. In this program originally aired August 2, 1965, he recalls being sent to the local arena to do a program with famed animal tamer Clyde Beatty. In the middle of the lion's cage, as vicious animals streamed inside.

When movie producer Mike Todd wanted to throw himself a birthday party, it had to be a spectacle. The event in Madison Square Garden featured Elizabeth Taylor, a parade of elephants, and food fights in the crowd. In this program, originally aired July 26, 1973, Shep recalls being assigned to broadcast the event on the radio.

Shep gets taken for a ride by a woman with expensive tastes in alcohol. In this program from July 19, 1973, he recalls the shock of seeing his bar tab after finding out exactly what was in the liqueur that flowed freely throughout the bar during an unsuccessful romantic endeavor.

Television programs. Colleges and universities. Countries. Everything has a theme song. This week we go back to July 12, 1965, as Shep recalls his time in the Army Signal Corps and realizing there was no official song for his unit.

Grownups sometimes think they can just wing it when a child asks them a tough question. In this program from July 5, 1966, Shep remembers how he stumped The Old Man by asking why people called electricity "electricity".

Take a New Yorker out of the Big Apple, and they might think they've gone back in time. In this program from June 28, 1973, Shep shares some examples of his contemporary writing being mistaken for happenings of past decades.

When a woman in New Jersey suggested everyone put a brick in their toilet tanks to conserve water, it brought back bad memories for Shep. In this program, originally aired June 21, 1972, he recalls something he and Schwartz found in the back of the toilet at school.

Urban myths can be widespread or localized. Some of them take place within the family unit. In this program from June 10, 1964, Shep tells some of the tall tales his parents passed along to him as he got older.

When you think of historic places, you often picture rooms of national significance. But sometimes our personal history harkens back to rooms that might be inconsequential to others but important to us as individuals. In this program originally aired June 8, 1972, Shep recalls one such room in his life.

When a Lithuanian family moves into the neighborhood, some of their conservation habits cause others to hold their noses. In this program from May 31, 1963, Shep explains exactly what they were doing in the backyard and why it caused such a fuss.

Before the days of electronic communication, having a loud voice was beneficial. In this program from May 24, 1972, Shep describes the scene at the National Hollerin' Contest in North Carolina and demonstrates some of his own rebel yells.

Selectively using someone's words can turn even the world's kindest person into one who appears to be the epitome of evil. In this program from May 17, 1972, Shep explores why some political figures go underground close to an election to avoid having their words twisted by the opposition.

Did you know the dining hall at the University of Colorado is named after a notorious cannibal? In this program from May 10, 1972, Shep tells his listeners the story of Alferd Packer and recalls some of his own brushes with cannibalistic people in South America.