The Old Man As A Pool Shark
Airdate:
Monday - August 19, 1963
WOR Show Original Airing
First Spoken Line After Theme Ends
Yeah, it's a very exciting. . .
Show Description
[ Courtesy: Ed Suhaka - ]
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".
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Misc
Engineer and Staff in Booth
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