Flicklives


Hartwest Productions Show Sydication circa 1965
Last Update: 04-19-2016

Hartwest Productions was a syndicator back in the 1960's who maintained one of the most extensive programming-production departments in the syndication field. They supplied sydicated shows such as The Joe Pyne Show, the Paul Gibson Show, the Barry Gray Show, and the Jean Shepherd Show to radio staions across the country. According to the Films Around the World website Shepherd recorded a number of shows for Hartwest for syndication. About 200 hours of shows, which should be close to 300 individual shows, are currently in possession of Films Around the World. The shows were recorded without commercials, with Shep only announcing "lets break for a commercial". Some shows had an open mike before the theme and you can hear Shep talking with the engineers. Based on ads and articles in Broadcast Magazine, Hartwest was supplying shows to WHEC in Rochester, NY as early as November 9, 1964 and as late as March 15, 1965. Supposedly they were broadcast daily which means that over the 4 month period about 80 shows were aired on WHEC alone. It is not known how many other stations carried these. Also it is not know which shows were aired. Were the shows that aired part of the group of 200 hours in possession of FATW? Or were there more?

Photos:

November 30,1964
Broadcasting Magazine Ad

March 15,1965
Broadcasting Magazine Ad

June 27,1966
Broadcasting Magazine

March 25,1968
Broadcasting Magazine

Courtesy: Steve Glazer

Radio Again distribution

In 2006 Hartwest entered into a distribution agreement with Choice Ventures, a new audio distribution company founded by Mark Tepper. There was an initial offering of 2 sets of shows - 4 programs in one set and 8 in the other. Each program was on its own audio CD packaged in cases containing the CDs and liner notes written by Eugene B. Bergmann and excerpts from his book "Excelsior You Fathead - The Art and Enigma of Jean Shepherd."

Ultimately they released five 8 program sets and four 4 program sets
for a total of 56 shows under the "Radio Again" label.

Mr. FAT-W Audio distribution

MR. FAT-W AUDIO JEAN SHEPHERD RADIO SHOW RELEASES

WEBSITE: http://filmsaroundtheworld.com/Jean_Shepherd_Radio.php

In general, the programs, after Shepherd's music theme, are monologues, with commercial breaks (but no commercials); Shepherd muses about whatever strikes his fancy, ranging from his youthful experiences as a tuba student, to the time that he and an army buddy went to a tattoo parlor but chickened out. The humor is remarkably fresh and current, with only a few "dating" references.

JEAN SHEPHERD RADIO SHOW Volume 1 The American Way of Life	JEAN SHEPHERD RADIO SHOW Volume 7 Mankind, Part 2
JEAN SHEPHERD RADIO SHOW Volume 2 At the Sound of the Bell — how we react to certain sounds and words, and the vast differences between generations (and between grandparents and grandchildren in particular)	JEAN SHEPHERD RADIO SHOW Volume 8 The Singing Shepherd
JEAN SHEPHERD RADIO SHOW Volume 3 The Tuba	JEAN SHEPHERD RADIO SHOW Volume 9 Impulses and Pie — the rarely-considered human impulses which make throwing a pie in somebody’s face such a staple of movie and other comedy
JEAN SHEPHERD RADIO SHOW Volume 4 How to cook on the cheap.	JEAN SHEPHERD RADIO SHOW Volume 10 Prison Life
JEAN SHEPHERD RADIO SHOW Volume 5 The Motherland (Great Britain, in case you forgot)	JEAN SHEPHERD RADIO SHOW Volume 11 Getting Away
JEAN SHEPHERD RADIO SHOW Volume 6 Mankind, Part 1	JEAN SHEPHERD RADIO SHOW Volume 12 The Dictionary

"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