IMBD reviewers may have little recognition of this classic, since it was carried on superstation WWOR; unless you had a cable system that carried it or lived in the New York City vicinity, you may have only heard about it. In many ways this was far superior to the later CBS Saturday night syndicated show. Social commentary was mixed with satire--the hypocrisy of a real-life priest accused of exploiting the teenage boys in the shelter he ran was immortalized in a spoof of a K-tel type commercial. It parodied songs such as Ringo Starr's "Photograph" with "I like to take boys and make photographs...I can't believe that people think I'm so nice." A politically incorrect classic. Who can forget loveable Stuttering John getting berated by baseball legend Ted Williams--for asking him if he ever broke wind in the catcher's face! It was a little rough around the edges, like an upscale public access show, but the obvious low budget and cheesy set only added to its mystique. But do not be fooled; a lot of hard work and funny writing went into this. As the radio show gained more exposure over the years through syndication, there are probably many newer fans who are even unaware of the existence of the "Channel 9 show," as it was often called. They deserve a chance to witness it for the first time, and the rest of us deserve to savor it again.
Review of The Howard Stern Show
