Sheplives

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The Old Man As A Pool Shark
Airdate: Monday - August 19, 1963

WOR Show
Original Airing

audio

First Spoken Line After Theme Ends

Yeah, it's a very exciting. . .

Show Description

[ Courtesy: Ed Suhaka - None ]   
  Offers the brass figlagee if someone can tell Shep who it was who said "I got so mad I wanted to throw my shoes over the first national bank building".

Shep asks "How many of you are looking for love"? Shep offers to give hints. Says that people think the rest of the world is sane and that America is out of its skull.

Talks about families. Says that there are different kinds of families.

Likes the idea that WOR bills itself as a family station. That American is "hung" on the term "love", it is a basic theme. Talks about cliches.

WOR is more like a Tennessee Williams family.

Suspects that what the slobs like today the avant-garde will not dig. Pool rooms are now billiards clubs, they have more classy spittoons. The avant-garde have just discovered the Western movie. The Village Voice was talking about a John Wayne movie. The Voice thought it was a new art form. The Hippies just discovered the Mets. They don't know that it is just bad baseball and not good against evil. Says his predictions came true. He said that the stag film will become an art form. That a movie house in the Village gave a whole night of stag films. They Just discovered it.

When he was a kid he remembers when in his neighborhood in the basement of the barbershop there was a "Social and Smoker". His mother would not let his father go to it. At 2 AM it was raided by the cops. Mr. Brunner was arrested too. Also Ray the barber was thrown in the jug. Now his father was cheering them on. Shep as a kid could not understand why people were arrested for watching movies, and why movies were in the basement of the barber shop. Brunner was finally seen sober after being released. The kids were curious and wanted to see the movie.

Shep says stag films are dull films, and now they are art. Wonders how far behind are the avant-garde. For years kids looked at comic books, and they admire pop art. Shep also talks about folk music. No "folk" would be welcome by the hippies.

Shep says that his father is a character in a James T Farrell novel. A character in a Studs Lonigan book. The author knew his father when they lived on the South side of Chicago. As a kid the Old Man was a pool shark and he never lost his skill.

The Old Man was an ace bowler. The family went bowling. The Old Man used to play pool at the alleys because he could not help himself at times.

Hot night in August, took family bowling in Chicago. In the back of the bowling ally were about 25 pool tables. As a kid he know nothing about that part of the alleys. The Old Man, Shep, kid brother, and Uncle Al went bowling. (Long digression about Mets and Sandy Koulfax , as a batter. Does not take them seriously).

They could hear clicking of pool balls in background of the alley noise. The Old Man kept looking at that part of the alleys. His father become a different person. Starts to play pool. His eyes became like tiny steel marbles. Plays with Uncle Al. The Old Man is bringing them into the game.

Starts to play pool with strangers. At 3 AM the Old Man gets into the house with three times his regular pay. Shep's Mother is shocked and bugged. Shep's father was not a gambler.

Brass Figlagee Award

"I will award the Brass Figlagee. . ."

• Offers the brass figlagee if someone can tell Shep who it was who said "I got so mad I wanted to throw my shoes over the first national bank building".

Commercials (All times approximate)

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Music (All times approximate)

Not Determined yet

Needs to be ID'd

Engineers, Staff, and Guests in Booth

Not Determined Yet

Instruments and Special Effects Played During the Show

Not Determined

Rating

None Yet

Related Plots / Story Lines and Other References Used

Time	Category	Date	Title	Comments
•	People		Shepherd, Jean P

Record: 186 / ID: 19630819W0186

Airdate History ' - Original' date is earliest known broadcast)

	Date	Title
	August 19, 1963 Recno: 186	The Old Man As A Pool Shark	Original Airing

More Ways To Hear or Buy It

Show	Replay Date
Mass Backwards	June 14, 2005

The Best Source for Quality Jean Shepherd Audio

Sorry, Not Available

General Info

Database Record Status

Database ID #:	19630819W0186	Sponsors up to date:	No
Record Created:		Sources up to date:	Yes
Last Update:	None	Station ID up to date:	No
Show Redated From: See Dating Notes		Engineers up to date:	No
Music up to date:	No	Instruments up to date:	No
Description up to date:	Yes

Known Recordees

Ed Suhaka

Notes

Dating Notes

Notes

Source: Jim Clavin

[Jim] Dating the show - Shep talks about a recent Met's game. He mentions Hunt's Home Run, Stallard vs Kofax, Kofax strikes out twice. Exception to what Shep said - Kofax struck out only once, not twice in an August 17th game where everything seems to match up. August 17th was a Saturday, but Shep was only on Mon-Fri in 1963. Monday the 19th would have been the next broadcast. Since he was speaking as if it was still fresh in his mind I don't think he would have mentioned it past Monday the 19th.

General Notes

No Notes Found

Technical Notes

Notes

Source: Jim Clavin
[Jim] Dating the show - Shep talks about a recent Met's game. He mentions Hunt's Home Run, Stallard vs Kofax, Kofax strikes out twice. Exception to what Shep said - Kofax struck out only once, not twice in an August 17th game where everything seems to match up. August 17th was a Saturday, but Shep was only on Mon-Fri in 1963. Monday the 19th would have been the next broadcast. Since he was speaking as if it was still fresh in his mind I don't think he would have mentioned it past Monday the 19th.
Comments: 0

Research Notes

No Notes Found

Max / Schmidco

Max's super secret page of shows never played and not on internet - maybe. . .

Max / Schmidco Notes
No Notes Found

Replays

Mass Backwards

Replay Date

June 14, 2005

WBAI Golden Age of Radio

NONE

Yesterday USA

NONE

Dustbin of History!

NONE

Max / Schmidco Notes
No Notes Found

Other

References:

Synd#:
Synd#:

Schmidco Sets - 0 found

Set Name	Show #	Media	File Name	Source
None Found

Shows Known via Recordings or Lists
(1950 to 1974 Sources 100% Complete - 1975-1977 in process)

4 Known copies from various Sources and Lists (Up to date)

	Recordee			¹ Shortened Theme: 55 seconds ² Audibly Dated: By recordee or other ³ Modified Theme: Theme added by Gary Hines ⁴ Syndicated Intro: Intro broadcast as part of Synd Shows
	This copy used for summary time references		Inventory File Name coding explained

Source Name

Information

Ed Suhaka

Running Time: 43:08

Inventory Name: 1963 08 19_W0186_070 The Old Man As A Pool Shark.mp3
Station: WOR

Comments: pulled from Mass Backwards recording

Gary Hines

Running Time: 43:09

Inventory Name: 1963 08 19_W0186_097_orig Old Man Pool Shark early edition.mp3
Source filename: 63-08-19_orig Old Man Pool Shark early edition.mp3
Source description: 8-19-63 gh Old Man Pool Shark early edition
Station: WOR

Comments: eBay purchase

Images

Mass Backwards

Running Time: 47:05

Available on Internet

Recordee:
70 - Ed Suhaka

Inventory Name: 1963 08 19_W0186_500_070_M2005-06-14 The Old Man As A Pool Shark.mp3
Station: WOR

Comments: Mass Backwards recording

Gary Hines

Running Time: 45:03

Inventory Name: 1963 08 19_W0186_097_mod Old Man Pool Shark early edition.mp3
Source filename: 63-08-19_mod Old Man Pool Shark early edition.mp3
Station: WOR

"Can you imagine 4,000 years passing, and you're not even a memory?
Think about it, friends. It's not just a possibility. It is a certainty." - Jean Shepherd - 1975