use shell script to parse json returned by a restful service

I have a Restful web service with a URL like "http://myhost:5000/getname" to return a JSON string like this:

{"firstName": "john", "lastName": "doe"}

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Now that I need to use Linux shell to call the web service and parse the returned JSON string to get the first name and last name. They need to be stored into two variebles and printed out.

Please use out-of-box shell scripting. Don't use any utilities that need to be installed separately.

I am new to shell scripting, so would some one please kindly share your thoughts? Thanks!