Author of RETAIL GANGSTER: The Insane, Real-Life Story of Crazy Eddie
Saddened to read today about the death of Richard Widmark, a great actor who never received the honors that were his due.
Labels: Richard Widmark
posted by Gary Weiss @ March 26, 2008
It really amazes me that so many far younger and, frankly, less accomplished performers receive "lifetime" recognition, while this brilliant actor is ignored. He brought an integrity to his performances that was unique, even when he portrayed lowlifes like Udo, or Harry Fabian (right) in Night and the City.
The authenticity of his performances was amazing. I've read that Joey Gallo patterned his real-life gangster persona on Widmark's fictional, throw-old-lady-down stairs portrayal. Yet he could be just as convincing as a public health officer in Panic in the Streets or as Jim Bowie in The Alamo. (Here's a fun fact: Mildred Dunnock was younger than Madonna is now when she played the old lady in the wheelchair.)
Mind you, I have nothing against, for instance, Dolly Parton or Van Cliburn getting Kennedy Center honors (the honorees of the honorary Oscars are a bit more elite bunch). But to me, the glaring omission of Widmark makes the whole "lifetime honors" exercise a bit empty.Labels: Richard Widmark
posted by Gary Weiss @ December 24, 2007
I'm a journalist and author. My latest book is RETAIL GANGSTER: The Insane, Real-Life Story of Crazy Eddie (Hachette Books, August 23, 2022). I was an investigative reporter and Wall Street writer for BusinessWeek, a contributing editor at Condé Nast Portfolio, and have written for the Daily Beast, Parade magazine, Salon, The Street.com, Fortune.com, Barron's and many other publications. I was an adjunct professor at Columbia University's School of Journalism. Follow me on Twitter @gary_weiss Email: garyweiss dot email at gmail dot com
A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice
Washington Post, "10 Best Audiobooks of 2022"
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"A compact and appealing account of Crazy Eddie’s artificially inflated rise and slow-mo collapse… Subcutaneously, Retail Gangster is a tender requiem for a time [past] … But the meat of this limber book is its investigation into the deep family drama and funny money behind Crazy Eddie.”―New York Times
"[A] fast-paced, entertaining narrative… Mr. Weiss is an enthusiastic storyteller, and he does a terrific job synthesizing a dizzying amount of information.” ―Wall Street Journal
"Weiss’s irresistible account of the life of Eddie Antar, a small-time huckster and high school dropout who became a wealthy merchant, securities fraudster, fugitive and convict, is also a tale of the rise of consumer electronics in America and a fond portrait of the sleazy, disintegrating city that was New York in the 1970s." ―Washington Post
"A must-read... Weiss deftly weaves the family story, with the New York Zeitgeist of the 1970s and 1980s, along with the rather complicated frauds committed by the Sam and Eddie Antar. In other words, he turns the complicated and baffling into simple and understandable. This book is worth your time, and Weiss should be saluted for his work." ―Forbes
“A rollicking chronicle of malignity, criminality, and family intrigue. The book not only documents Antar’s nefarious antics in lucid detail. It also evokes the saga of the Syrian Jews who fled the depredations of their Turkish overlords for the promised land of America in the early 20th century and prospered, mostly honestly, beyond their dreams.”―Edward Kosner,Commentary
"It's a very good and highly entertaining book, and a very good reminder that the scammers we know now in the startup world have plenty of history to call their own."―NPR's "Pop Culture Happy Hour"
“"Extraordinary."―Philadelphia Inquirer
"Highbrow brilliant."―New York Magazine
"It’s a rare business book from which you learn about an important industry and the methods of a criminal enterprise, all while shaking with laughter at the human beings involved as they attempt to rip off everyone in sight from customers to insurance companies to their own family members... Weiss writes up this tale of crime and punishment with great New York verve, delivering a probing examination of a profane way of doing business."―Washington Free Beacon
“Weiss paints an intricate portrait of greed, aspiration, and complicated family ties… A compellingly readable story about a con artist who 'epitomized the duality of the American Dream.'"―Kirkus Reviews
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