Boy on a String: From Cast-Off Kid to Filmmaker Through the Magic of Dreams [Hardcover]

Joseph Jacoby (Author), Martin Scorsese (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 14, 2006

Boy on a String is the inspirational memoir of Joe Jacoby who worked in the early days of live TV and went on to become a pioneering filmmaker. Jacoby has never before revealed that his childhood was spent in foster homes and institutions. A New York University film school colleague of Martin Scorsese, Jacoby survived a childhood wrought with abuse and neglect. His mother's unpredictable and sometimes dangerous behavior forced friends to commit her, which then led Jacoby to grow up in seven foster homes in Brooklyn, and two institutions (one for emotionally disturbed children). Yet, propelled by the power of his dreams, Jacoby came to realize his passion for puppetry and movies and made his first feature at the age of twenty-seven (now in the Museum of Modern Art's permanent archives). He also recounts, often with hilarity, his dealings with the last of the movie moguls, Joseph E. Levine.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Throughout a childhood spent being shuttled among foster homes and a "school for wayward boys," filmmaker Jacoby was buoyed by a passion for entertainment that grabbed hold of him at age seven when he first saw a television set. Witnessing his mother being taken to an institution marked the beginning of Jacoby's "childhood of perpetual loss" that caused him to behave like "a kid throwing jabs in anticipation of being knocked out," never feeling deserving of any praise or affection. This defensiveness proved useful during his nearly three-year stay at a home for troubled adolescents that Jacoby resented because it "simply straitjacketed the underlying causes" of his emotionally disturbed state "and directed them inward." He then went on to a successful career as a puppeteer, screenwriter, director and producer, but he dwells on and analyzes everything, writes in psych-speak and invokes childhood memories so frequently the book feels like a therapy session. Readers interested in foster children's stories might find Jacoby's experiences interesting, but his unfiltered reminiscing about his therapy progress, lists of his favorite childhood TV shows and the observation during a visit to one of his foster homes that "I remembered the front door being a bit wider" are superfluous at best. Jacoby clearly found revisiting his past therapeutic, and his success is impressive given the neglect he suffered in his youth; unfortunately, his insights on his upbringing and his noteworthy experiences in the entertainment business take a backseat to excessive introspection.
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Review

Engrossing, offbeat . . . account of Jacoby's lonely childhood and how his imagination led him into the world of film and television. -- Library Journal

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (February 14, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786717114
• ISBN-13: 978-0786717118
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,499,000 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Story, March 29, 2006

By 

A reader in Lindenhurst (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boy on a String: From Cast-Off Kid to Filmmaker Through the Magic of Dreams (Hardcover)

Joe Jacoby has survived an incredible life. It's hard to believe that someone could become an orphan at seven, go through the revolving-door of foster homes and institutions, and somehow come out a normal human being. He brought tears to my eyes -- and also made me laugh a lot, especially about Joseph E. Levine and Match Game. An uplifting book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring Story, July 6, 2006

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Discerning Reader (Salisbury, NH, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boy on a String: From Cast-Off Kid to Filmmaker Through the Magic of Dreams (Hardcover)

This book shows how imagination and the human spirit can overcome a tragic, mixed-up childhood. Joe Jacoby took a few early images and turned them into a successful and fascinating career. It's a good lesson for today's whiny and privileged kids who don't get the concept of paying dues.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Motivational and poignant, August 9, 2006

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Jasper "Jasper" (Manhattan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boy on a String: From Cast-Off Kid to Filmmaker Through the Magic of Dreams (Hardcover)

A poignant, yet unsentimental self portrait of a life created solely through a passion for movies, puppetry and the entertainment industry. A good read, especially for those who feel they might otherwise have gone further in life but for different parentage or role models. Jacoby's childhood background appears to be a modern-day Dickensian one; but to him, apparently, motivational and testament to the phrase "the child is father of the man". His story also includes some interesting, personal and amusing vignettes of some entertainment industry luminaries. Read in one sitting.