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Posts Tagged ‘Jean Shepherd’

The Great American Fourth of July

Posted in Favorite Things, Television, Video, tagged on July 4, 2011| Leave a Comment »

I grew up reading the humor of Jean Shepherd, the man behind the movie, A Christmas Story, now a holiday staple around Christmas.  I remember seeing his books in the library when I was just a teen and being pulled in by the titles, like Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories and In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash. 

Many of Shepherd’s stories about growing up in a small midwestern city were put together for a film in the early 1980’s.  Called The Great American Fourth of July (and Other Disasters), it was shown on PBS and starred Matt Dillon as Shepeherd’s alter ego, Ralphie.  If you’ve seen A Christmas Story the characters will be very familiar.  It opens with Shepherd driving down I-95 approaching that iconic tourist trap, South of the Border in South Carolina, as an introduction to his 4th of July saga.  Anyone who has ever made the trip north or south on 95 has witnessed the seemingly neverending barrage of billboards for Pedro’s paradise.

All in all, it was a very funny film and a great view of Americana but unfortunately is not on DVD and is seldom seen.  You can see it on Youtube in six 10 minute clips.  It’s not the greatest way to see something but if you enjoy the humor of Jean Shepherd it’s worth the effort.  Here’s the first part:

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4th of July Asbury Park

Posted in Favorite Things, Video, tagged , on July 4, 2010| 2 Comments »

I was going to either write today, on our Fourth of July, about a film I saw back in 1982 called The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters.  It was from humorist writer Jean Shepherd, of  A Christmas Story fame, and was a very funny depiction of a celebration of the Fourth in a 1940’ssmall  midwestern city featuring all of Shepherd’s usual wonderfully caricatured characters. 

Or I was simply going to show a video of the Bruce Springsteen song  4th of July Asbury Park.  Like Shepherd’s story, it is the depiction of the Fourth in a small American town, except this is the 1960’s and 70’s New Jersey shore.  It always brings back that feeling of the viewpoint of youth for me, the carefree attitude mixed with the feeling of  every emotion like a nerve laid bare.

I opted for the Bruce.  This is a great version of the song from back in 1975, at Hammersmith Odeon in London.  The quality of the filming is exceptional and it’s great to see Bruce in his early form.  Take a moment from your own Fourth, if you can, and take yourself to a different time and place.   I can almost smell the fried dough…

Enjoy your 4th.

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