Tonight, April 20, 2025, from 8 to 10 pm, in response to a listener request for more JEAN SHEPHERD in prime time, and in tribute to recently departed WOR engineer Herb Squire, we will hear my JEAN SHPHERD panel from the 2000 Friends of Old-Time Radio Convention, featuring Herb and Barry Farber. We also have a portion of Shep;'s broadcast on the very first Earth Day in 1970, and for 4-20, a little high school madness from JUDY AND JANE, all following our weekly episode of GUNSMOKE.

Tune in to WBAI-NY 99.5 FM at 8pm, or listen to the stream at wbai.org for THE GOLDEN AGE OF RADIO, produced by Max Schmid.

GUNSMOKE from CBS on May 26, 1957 #268 "Pal.” Commercials deleted. Spiny Murphy's dog has been poisoned and adopted by Chester. Poor Spiny doesn't stand a chance dealing with his rough wife, Moll. With William Conrad, Parley Baer, Howard McNear, Georgia Ellis, Jeanette Nolan, Ralph Moody, Stacy Harris, Ben Wright, produced and directed by Norman Macdonnell, written by Tom Hanley, editorial supervisor John Meston, SFX by Tom Hanley & Bill James, announcer George Walsh.

On Thursday, October 19th 2000, the 25th Friends of Old Time Radio Convention opened at the Newark Holiday Inn North, and continued through Sunday, the 22nd. The convention featured dealers from across the country, selling tapes, records, cd's, and other memorabilia of old time radio shows. In addition, there were live panels of discussion on an hourly schedule featuring old radio shows and stars such as Father Knows Best, Amos and Andy, Mel Blanc, Westerns, and Gale Storm. There were also re-creations performed daily including a Mystery Theater performed by fans who tried out for parts earlier in the day. The highlight of the recreations was performed Friday by the Gotham Players who did an episode of Escape - The Blue Wall, produced by Max Schmid.
Although Jean Shepherd's radio work may not be considered "old time radio", Max Schmid of WBAI 99.5FM New York, held a very successful panel on Shep with special guests Barry Farber and Herb Squire.
Barry is a former WOR personality (1962-1977) who shared an office with Shep and was heard immediately before or after Shep's show. He recounted many tales of his experiences with Shep from the first time he heard him, while driving up the NJ Turnpike, to being responsible for sending Shep to the Amazon to meet with headhunters. He added that Shep was his own worst enemy when it came to his limited success on radio by not doing the commercials and attending meetings.
Herb was an engineer at WOR from 1966 to 1980 and worked many times as Shep's engineer. He was also responsible for the WOR tribute to Shep on October 27, 1999. Some of the things he told us about was the WOR transmitter site Shep worked from in the fifties, his being fired, and how he worked with NO script. According to Herb, Shep only showed up with a letter or two and a couple of articles from time to time. Everything else came straight from his head.
Both men touched on the subject of the engineers that worked with Shep and how he complained about one creating a hostile atmosphere.
Although it was only supposed to be a forty-five minute panel, the audience was very responsive and had many questions to ask of Herb and Barry. Max was able to squeeze a few extra minutes into the discussion before the woman running the camera began shaking her fist, telling him to end it. I think Max could have filled a full 2 or 3 hour panel without any problem. He recorded the whole discussion and has aired it several times now.
All in all, it was a great panel, and I hope that there will be more to follow.
-Jim Clavin, curator of the JEAN SHEPERD website https://www.flicklives.com/

JEAN SHEPHERD from WOR-NY on Wed Aprl 22, 1970
"First Earth Day" (last 20 minutes only)

On this show Shep discusses this first 'Earth Day'
He compares man to other animals and their adaptability to their environment. He tells how the Koala Bear is not adaptable, it survives on eucalyptus trees only whereas man can adapt to different foods as others become hard to find. The cockroach, a subject Shep discusses quite often, is very adaptable. They can survive on wood, leather, leaves, and even cigar butts.
Some creatures are more fertile than others, multiplying at significant rates. The elephant barely reproduces to maintain its existence, where the cockroach multiplies at an incredible rate.
Man, like rats, become extremely paranoid when living in close quarters. Shep predicts that by the end of the century there will be an exodus out of the big cities. Man is a nest fowler. He fowls his nest and then moves on to another one. People will be moving to the vast open spaces out West.
By the end of the 21st century Shep believes that there will be more communities living on the waterways in river houseboats, or in the middle of Lake Superior in large cities.

JUDY AND JANE Audition from March 03, 1942. An audition sales presentation program. Jack Brinkley (announcer) and Irving Vendig (writer) introduce a scene from the program. Donald North suspects that marijuana is being sold at Honeycrest High School. The cops arrest the school janitor just as a sale is being made. The plot get very complicated at this point.

Our current Thank-You Gifts!
JEAN SHEPHERD 2023 – Flash Drive or Download $75
from the Dictaphone Collection
YUSA Volume 8 – Flash Drive or Download $75
70 2-Hour episodes from May 2018 to capacity!