The saga of 'Crazy' Eddie Antar is one that is probably unfamiliar to most of you, especially if you're under the age of 30 and not from the New York/Tri-State area. Through the '70s and much of the '80s, Crazy Eddie was a popular electronics retailer operating in and around New York, known most for their low prices and memorable TV ad campaign which featured the fast-talking radio DJ, Jerry Carroll. The business went bust in 1989 after a federal investigation shed light on their corrupt practices.
It was reported earlier this year that Danny DeVito is interested in bringing the tale of Antar's business to the big screen. So when MTV's Josh Horowitz -- a native New Yorker -- sat down with the "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" star last month at San Diego Comic-Con, he just had to ask for an update on this Crazy Eddie movie.
"I think it's a great story to tell," DeVito said, "[but] there are certain legalities, there are a lot of people that are running after Eddie."
It's true. The Antar family member who were involved in the business skimmed money off of their earnings from day one, depositing these illicit funds in Israeli bank accounts. Their fraud went much further though; as Crazy Eddie prepared to become a publicly traded company, the Antars started skimming less money, to create the illusion of a fast-growing business. This is just a sampling, as the Antars also engaged in money laundering, inventory fraud and more.
What all of this means is that the Antars, and Eddie in particular, are not friends of the people, particularly not in these post-Bernie Madoff days. "I was actually interviewing [Eddie], getting a lot of authentic stories from him and his life, but the thing is, you've got to distance yourself from-- you can't be in business with a person who, unfortunately, was thrown in jail for taking a lot of old ladies' money."
So it sounds like DeVito's Crazy Eddie biopic might not be as close as some might have hoped. Given the niche appeal of a story like this and the wounds that were so freshly opened by Madoff, it's probably for the best. Besides, we'll always have those classic Jerry Carroll commercials...
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