Sundays with Shep

The small screen was often a target of Shep's criticism. In this November 1, 1974 program, he takes aim at game show contestants who seem to have grown less sophisticated over the years.

In the days before Yelp, there was little recourse one had when receiving poor service. In this program from October 25, 1973, Shep describes his experience at an airport restaurant that likely would have elicited a one-star review.

Shep was a popular booking on college and lecture tours. His live performances sometimes took him to some of the greatest stages in the world. In this program from October 18, 1972, he recounts his performance the previous night at New York's Carnegie Hall and takes calls from people who were in the audience.

On a recent trip to Yankee Stadium, Shep noticed different types of fans in the stands. In this program from October 11, 1974, he describes them in comparison to his Old Man, a continually downtrodden White Sox fan.

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.