Jean Shepherd's America (1971)
In these humorous and affectionate television poems, humorist Jean Shepherd celebrates America in all its richness and diversity -- from cars to candy, baseball to beer, motels to money. Each week a different aspect of our national psyche is explored as Shepherd travels to the Okefenokee Swamp, Death Valley, Milwaukee, the Old South, and other far-flung locations -- using the PCP-90 portable camera.
Watch now
Episodes
- 1 1. The Phantom of the Open Hearth Lives -- Somewhere in Indiana1971-04-11 · 29mShep recalls the sights, sounds, and experiences of working in a steel mill at age 17, as the operations of a contemporary steel mill play out on screen.
- 2 2. ...One Man's Version of Heaven Is a Super Howard Johnson's with 28 Flavors and No Lines for the Rest Room1971-04-18 · 29mShep loses his bait but comes up with some tall tales on a fishing trip in Maine's backwaters on the banks of the Kennebec River, with a stop at the Skowhegan County Fair to meet B
- 3 3. ...The End of an Era -- Riding the 'City of Los Angeles' on Its Last Journey Across the American West1971-04-25 · 29mWhile rumbling across Wyoming aboard a Union Pacific railroad car, Shep recalls a previous trip during his World War II Army days when he pulled KP duty on a troop train.
- 4 4. A Bunch of the Boys Were Whooping It Up at the Malamute Saloon1971-05-02 · 29mRecalling the origins of his interest in Alaska in the second grade, Shep journeys through the Alaskan frontier exploring the captivating landscape, the sights and sounds of an Esk
- 5 5. There's More to Life Than a Hostess Twinkie1971-05-09 · 29mWhile he cracks lobster claws, Shep cracks jokes and stories about his crazy love affair with all manner of delicacies, from rainbow trout to pecan pie.
- 6 6. And the Bad Guys Are Back on the Shore, Shaking Their Fists1971-05-16 · 29mRecalling a comic-strip from his boyhood in which the hero escapes on a houseboat from the pursuing villains, Shep takes the helm of a houseboat and contemplates a nomadic life at
- 7 7. The Perpetual Swish of Windshield Wipers Is the Soundtrack of Our Lives1971-05-23 · 29mShep gets behind the wheel and moves out on the turnpike of life, as he muses on the mystique of the open road.
- 8 8. It Won't Always Be This Way1971-05-30 · 29mShep contrasts man's "nesting" instinct with his desire for mobility in a vision of tomorrow's styles of living.
- 9 9. ...From Its Golden, Ice-cold Depths Come the Echos of Lost Battles, the Sound of Ancient Victories, the Noise of a Million Ball Games1971-06-06 · 29mBeer, considered by some to be the universal language, is the focus as Shep travels to the archetypal neighborhood tavern in Milwaukee and presents a poetic pastiche of beer commer
- 10 10. I Might Even Snag One for Old Ahab Himself1971-06-13 · 29mShep talks with one of Florida's natural wonders: Sea Weed Ernie, a hermit who lives in an old wrecked boat in the middle of a watery nowhere, trades fish stories and casts a line
- 11 11. When There's No Place to Go But Up1971-06-20 · 29mTall stories -- airborne. Shep takes off at the controls of his four-seater and visits a convention that features home-made airplanes built with some interesting components.
- 12 12. Like All Great Inner-Tube Specialists, He Finally Made the Classic Mistake1971-06-27 · 29mWhat happens when you let a guy like Jean Shepherd loose in a place like Hawaii? He has a luau, watches the surfers and talks about his old man, the All Time Inner-Tube Specialist
- 13 13. Make School or Die1971-07-04 · 29mStranded during a blizzard in Wyoming, Shep and the crew romp in the snow outside the "Little America" motel while he recalls another childhood memory of cold mornings in northern
Cast
Jean ShepherdSelf - HostYou might also like
★ 6.4
★ 7.7
★ 7.6
★ 7.6
★ 8.2
★ 7.5
★ 6.0
★ 7.7
★ 7.7
★ 7.9
★ 7.4
★ 7.4
★ 8.0
★ 8.1
★ 7.1
★ 8.7
★ 6.1
★ 8.2