As, the Shepherd leads, so shall his flock follow, and the Shepherd is coming to City.
Jean Shepherd, baseball star, disc-jockey. digressionist, psychologist, bon vivant and leader or the ''Night People," will appear here Thursday at 12 Noon, in Room 212 Finley, as a guest of the Observation Post, The Campus, and WVCC.
Shepherd, who has been called by New York radio reporters "One of the most interesting and original conversationists on radio today," will digress on the topic: "This is the way it really is, Buddy!" He will present some lucky student with a ceremonial skate key.
Jean attracted national attention in August when he was dismissed from his WOR all-night radio show for not being able to "sell soap." Given a one-week reprieve, he proved he was "commercial" by delivering a boffo advertisement for a toilet soap company. He was fired the next day. You see, the company he advertised was not a paid sponsor. I only wanted to show them I could do it," Shepherd said.
Immediately, his cause was taken up by the "Night People." A wake was held on the old Wanamakers site, complete coverage was given the affair by the press, WOR was swamped with letters and phone calls of protest, and soap manufacturers took a look at their sales charts and offered to sponsor Jean's show (with real money). Inside of two weeks Shepherd was back.
Another "Night People" coup d'etat was the "I, Libertine" hoax.
Under orders from the leader, the nocturnal crowd across the country filled bookstores with orders for "I, Libertine", a novel by Frederick R. Ewing. As the requests mounted, librarians began to panic, for neither the book nor the author actually existed. Eventually, Ballantine Books took advantage of the ruse and hired Shepherd and Theodore Sturgeon to write " I, Libertine."
Jean and Sturgeon will autograph copies of the book from 1-2 P.M. in the bookstore.
EXCELSIOR!!!!!!
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