Storyline

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.

First Aired

1971-04-11
Last Aired

1985-07-09
Creator

Jean Shepherd
Genre

Documentary, Comedy
Seasons

2
Episodes

23
Status

Ended
Language

English
Network

PBS

Keywords:

road trip americana travelogue

Stream and watch Jean Shepherd's America

Season 1

Season 2

1. The Phantom of the Open Hearth Lives -- Somewhere in Indiana

Shep recalls the sights, sounds, and experiences of working in a steel mill at age 17, as the operatio...More

Shep 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.Less

29mins 1971-04-11

2. ...One Man's Version of Heaven Is a Super Howard Johnson's with 28 Flavors and No Lines for the Rest Room

Shep loses his bait but comes up with some tall tales on a fishing trip in Maine's backwaters on the b...More

Shep 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 Bob, champion horse weight-puller.Less

29mins 1971-04-18

3. ...The End of an Era -- Riding the 'City of Los Angeles' on Its Last Journey Across the American West

While rumbling across Wyoming aboard a Union Pacific railroad car, Shep recalls a previous trip during...More

While 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.Less

29mins 1971-04-25

4. A Bunch of the Boys Were Whooping It Up at the Malamute Saloon

Recalling the origins of his interest in Alaska in the second grade, Shep journeys through the Alaskan...More

Recalling 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 Eskimo village, and the pervading silence.Less

29mins 1971-05-02

5. There's More to Life Than a Hostess Twinkie

While he cracks lobster claws, Shep cracks jokes and stories about his crazy love affair with all mann...More

While 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.Less

29mins 1971-05-09

6. And the Bad Guys Are Back on the Shore, Shaking Their Fists

Recalling a comic-strip from his boyhood in which the hero escapes on a houseboat from the pursuing vi...More

Recalling 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 sea.Less

29mins 1971-05-16

7. The Perpetual Swish of Windshield Wipers Is the Soundtrack of Our Lives

Shep gets behind the wheel and moves out on the turnpike of life, as he muses on the mystique of the o...More

Shep gets behind the wheel and moves out on the turnpike of life, as he muses on the mystique of the open road.Less

29mins 1971-05-23

8. It Won't Always Be This Way

Shep contrasts man's "nesting" instinct with his desire for mobility in a vision of tomorrow's styles ...More

Shep contrasts man's "nesting" instinct with his desire for mobility in a vision of tomorrow's styles of living.Less

29mins 1971-05-30

9. ...From Its Golden, Ice-cold Depths Come the Echos of Lost Battles, the Sound of Ancient Victories, the Noise of a Million Ball Games

Beer, considered by some to be the universal language, is the focus as Shep travels to the archetypal ...More

Beer, 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 commercials -- "the folk music of our time."Less

29mins 1971-06-06

10. I Might Even Snag One for Old Ahab Himself

Shep talks with one of Florida's natural wonders: Sea Weed Ernie, a hermit who lives in an old wrecked...More

Shep 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 in the fabled Black Water Bay.Less

29mins 1971-06-13

11. When There's No Place to Go But Up

Tall stories -- airborne. Shep takes off at the controls of his four-seater and visits a convention th...More

Tall 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.Less

29mins 1971-06-20

12. Like All Great Inner-Tube Specialists, He Finally Made the Classic Mistake

What happens when you let a guy like Jean Shepherd loose in a place like Hawaii? He has a luau, watche...More

What 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 of America.Less

29mins 1971-06-27

13. Make School or Die

Stranded during a blizzard in Wyoming, Shep and the crew romp in the snow outside the "Little America"...More

Stranded 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 Indiana, and his mother's unsympathetic reply to his plea to stay home from school.Less