the reunion
this is very long and very personal. if you don't know me watch the other posts
Click Here to view the movieLabels: dead mom, high school, jews, jews fighting, kraftworks, miserable people, neil kraft, oy, the angry jew, the reunion
written by Neil Kraft at 1:54 PM
6 Comments:
I didn't think you were to hard on anyone other than yourself. I also don't remember your folk's with anything other than fond memories. Especialy your dad. I also remember on a couple of occations going to sunday school with you at Temple Emanuel. It was actualy pretty cool. Anyway, the film was fun to watch, a little long in spots, humerous but never funny and informative. I'm very glad to hear that your a happy and devoted family guy. I learned more about your non-professional life from this short film than from you personaly. I'm glad I did, sounds good. By the way, there is no shame in being in the advertising biss. My father was, you don't have to save the world every day at work, just be good at what you do, and you are. Thanks Jason
Well, I watched the whole damn thing. Extremely entertaining, I don't think anyone -- aside, perhaps, from your various ex's -- will be offended. Amazing how different our NLS experiences were -- at least you figured out how to get laid in h.s., that eluded me for the longest time. I tried, as best I could, to make up for lost time. Not sure I have, however, or ever will.
I also found out more about Neil Kraft in 15 minutes than I knew about you having spent eight or more years with you at school. Funny, I was just in NY with my two kids (little girls, just great) and we visited my old bldg. on CPW and, for some reason, I pointed out the spot in front of Ethical Culture where you, only half-facetiously, threatened to jump down a fairly deep air shaft. You probably don't remember this, but I do, quite vividly. You crouched on this parapet over a sidewalk level air shaft and, for no earthly reason, threatened to jump if I came any closer. I knew, even at 10 (or however old we were), it was a game...but I wasn't 100% sure. Eventually I talked you down, I know this because you didn't jump. Here you are-- essentially in one piece.
I also remember, in the early years, before you got cool(er) -- and I emphatically didn't -- spending time at your old apartment in the Beresford. I slept over a few times. I remember once, very vividly, your mother gave me this giant slice of Sara Lee Orange cake which was strictly forbidden in our house, as I was then a chubby kid. I couldn't believe it, and knew I shouldn't be eating it, but...well, it was the biggest slice of Sara Lee I ever had in my life, and I ate the whole damn thing. I remember your mother fairly well. Your Dad even more vividly. We went out on his little Chris-Craft occasionally, a lot of fun, he was kind of a swinging 60's divorcee, with that Mustang...and I nearly drowned swimming off the boat chasing after a giant beach ball that your father rightfully said we shouldn't throw in the water. Must've swam 50 yards from the boat, I turned around and your father, thank G-d, was yelling, "Get back here!" So I swam back, getting quite fatigued as I did. Evidently I survived that too, because here I am. But I remember your dad very well. Among the other things I learned from your little documentary, I didn't realize you had such a difficult relationship with both of them. Interesting. (My own father died in 1995 of lung cancer, and my mother, fortunately, is alive and well and living out here. I had lunch with her just yesterday.)
Oh, here's a question: You say Ronald (who I also remember) rain off with your mother's money...you also say both your parents died close to penniless. The Freudian detective in me wonders what the real story is -- perhaps some day we'll discuss this. Interesting about your brother, however. And I swear I didn't know you had a sister. When did she come along? Much later?? I'm completely blanking her.
My only criticism of your movie: not nearly enough of me...then I realized, we barely had time to speak that day. (And, btw, I'm kidding, as I look and sound awful on camera -- and anything I have to contribute to the mystery of your childhood I just told you.) And, hey, another btw, you always wore dickies. Always. That picture you pointed out was an iconic NLS picture -- everyone exactly as I remember them: the wiry Tad, the confidently athletic Gerard, Neil in a dickey, and yes, that vaguely menacing Nelson Guzman. I wonder what became of him? I bet he's, like, a minister somewhere. People surprise you.
On that note, thanks for letting me look at it. Very enjoyable. If you ever get past your various social phobias, with or without a camera, we can continue the conversation sometime. I do, however, understand your involvement with your family, I'm the same way -- although I have far less of an emotional attachment to L.A. Stupid city. I miss the east coast.
Geez. You remember a whole lot more then me. I don’t remember the suicide attempt or the boat ride. The boat rides were always tension filled as I recall. If I wore a dickey every day, shoot me now. I do remember that I always felt slightly left out by you avery and jacob because you were smarter then me. Beats me how I became cool.
I’m not quite the sociopath I pretend to be but I still don’t write very well. The story with my brother is 100% true and by penniless I meant not living like they lived at the Beresford, I never had to give them money or anything. My brother the thief had been taking money from my mom for years...
Steve kram and johnny get zingers also.
learned something at NLS...
b) It wasn't really a suicide attempt, you were just fucking around, but in the back of my mind I was worried: if I did come too close would you, simply to call my bluff, jump? I decided not to find out -- and finally you got bored with the game. We went home.
c) Sorry, yes, to the dickies -- at the time, and hey, c'mon, it was 1966 for God's sake, it was Kraft signature apparel. I'll have to shoot you. (Oh, hey, I just remembered something else: for my doofsy bar mitzvah you--well, your mom, I guess--gave me a silver ID bracelet--remember those?--from Bergdorf's no doubt. I loved that thing. Never wore it, but I thought it was so cool at the time, c.1969. I believe I still have it somewhere. Or my daughter's may have it stuffed in their 'jewelry' boxes. I kept it. But this is funny: my name was on one side...and I believe yours was on the other. I guess we were dating. Oy.)
d) Oh, the boat rides: I enjoyed them anyway. I recall you used to squabble w/your brother a lot -- once about the correct lyrics to some song from "Funny Girl" -- and if you give me 5 minutes, I'll remember the song. It was an issue, b/c we took the boat to visit a ferry terminal where they filmed part of the movie... God, I do remember a lot of useless bullshit, don't I?
I had some other vagrant thoughts, none of them important. (Oh, yeah, you don't strike me as a sociopath, just a neurotic Jew from New York, like all of us.) I'm killing time today, hence these emails. Just finishing revising a script that we're about to go out with. It's a good script, but I'm not optimistic -- this business has gotten so impossible...
Bergdorf's? I tried to scatter my mothers ashes there (see the parents die video same link) My mom gave you a bracelet with my name on it? It doesn't get much wore then that.
Hey Neil!
It’s a bit like THE OFFICE and a bit like Flight of the Concords! I think Abby is likely to feel hurt (whereas I suspect Alex will enjoy her impact?). If you want to soften the impact on Abby without losing the storyline, I suppose you could replace the stalker comment with a positive one (maybe revealing that you partly appreciated being chased even if you didn’t want to actually connect ... it does say something nice about the depth of her attachment to you that she cares all these years later...).
I look at myself and see this guy who looks like an aging rabbi!
Thanks for working on the movie and sending the link.
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