While I can’t argue with Sammy’s sentiment about Eddie’s love of money, there is no doubt that Eddie absolutely relished “the art of the deal”. He absolutely loved wielding the power the company’s growth gave him and he used (or abused) it to the max in all of his business dealings.

Eddie and I worked together in more negotiating sessions than I can remember as we became (at the time) the largest single volume buyer of radio time in New York. As anyone selling radio at the time can attest (and as anyone selling any product to Crazy Eddie, or even any customer who ever bought anything at Crazy Eddie can also attest), Eddie was the ultimate wheeler-dealer and loved every second of it – especially when he won, which was most of the time.

There is no doubt that Eddie was/is a sociopath, and I certainly wouldn't want to emulate his life or his way of being, but Eddie did teach me much about the art of the deal. Those lessons, tempered with my own much-higher set of values and ethics, have helped me considerably in my own various business endeavors. Thirty years later, I can still hear Eddie advising me, “If you want something, demand it. All they can do is say ‘no’!”

So while I agree with Sammy about not wanting to “glamorize an economic predator”, there is no doubt that Eddie’s story is definitely compelling and fascinating – especially his love for wheeling and dealing, as well as the tragedy of the self destruction of his business and of his personal life. However, I also agree with Sammy’s other sentiment about making a movie: if one is to be made – do it right and present it truthfully. Don’t glamorize the crime – and please don’t demean the suffering and losses of its victims.

Larry Weiss
Former VP – Advertising Director
Crazy Eddie