The Storyteller Behind 'A Christmas Story'

Published December 25, 2013 at 1:10 PM EST

Flick's tongue gets stuck to a pole after agreeing to a triple-dog-dare. (Screenshot/"A Christmas Story")

This Christmas, we take a look back at the life of a storyteller whose most famous movie is likely playing non-stop this holiday: “A Christmas Story.”

The late radio host, Jean Shepherd, wrote and narrated the film inspired by his own childhood.

Eugene Bergmann, author of ”Excelsior, You Fathead!: The Art and Enigma of Jean Shepherd,” and editor of “Shep’s Army: Bummers, Blisters and Boondoggles,” joins Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson to discuss the life of “Shep.”

“He tickled the finer parts of your mind,” Bergmann said of Shepherd. “He made you laugh about things that were not just funny in general about the human condition, but the little philosophical bits he had his own interesting take on.”

Guest

Eugene Bergmann, author of “Excelsior, You Fathead!: The Art and Enigma of Jean Shepherd,” and editor of “Shep’s Army: Bummers, Blisters, and Boondoggles.”