Offbeat family man with big dreams creates a candy-coated phenomenon, tiny jelly beans in a colorful array of wildly different flavors, but quickly has his Jelly Belly company stripped from him by big businessmen who know how to turn the product into a multi-million dollar corporate empire. The American Dream gone sour, and yet inventor David Klein doesn't really allow the pitfalls of fortune's flip-side get him down. Klein has his regrets--as anyone in his situation would; he has a quiet sadness that comes through in his little shrugs and half-nods, but he keeps shuffling forward. It's in his nature to hide the pain and make folks smile. This documentary, produced, directed, and photographed by Costa Botes, doesn't have big moments of high drama...but the sad reverie which permeates these interviews of Klein and his kooky family turn out to be just as potent. **1/2 from ****
8 Reviews
Why Weird Al?
captaincrouton31 March 2012
I love documentaries like these. I know that they tell one man's side of the story and you should always take them with a grain of salt.
The topic was fascinating. The story was worth telling. But there were parts of it that were confusing. The most confusing part was, "Why was Weird Al in this movie at all?" He was interviewed early on, and I waited for that magic moment when I'd find out what significance he played toward the fame or business aspect of the company. Maybe he was a family friend through the years.
But he has no real reason to be there. I finally concluded that he was there for quirky star power. So odd.
The topic was fascinating. The story was worth telling. But there were parts of it that were confusing. The most confusing part was, "Why was Weird Al in this movie at all?" He was interviewed early on, and I waited for that magic moment when I'd find out what significance he played toward the fame or business aspect of the company. Maybe he was a family friend through the years.
But he has no real reason to be there. I finally concluded that he was there for quirky star power. So odd.
The Creation of the Gourmet Jelly Bean
view_and_review25 November 2021
As long as I can remember Jelly Bellys have been the premier jelly bean. Every other jelly bean was a stale, uni-flavored, sugary mass whereas Jelly Bellys had distinct, unique, wonderful flavors. I'm in my room staring at a candy dispenser full of Jelly Bellys right now. Who invented Jelly Bellys never crossed my mind. I figured they were spit out of the boardroom of some company and it just worked. I certainly didn't know a quirky guy named David Klein was the brains behind the Jelly Belly brand.
"Candyman: The David Klein Story" is about the creation of the Jelly Belly brand and how it became a product of the Goelitz Candy Company. The documentary is a little scattered at times because it hinges on the storytelling of David Klein, an eccentric and "unusual" man, but it gives you enough information to know about Jelly Belly.
I don't think this documentary would interest many people who are not into Jelly Belly. They don't go into how it's made, there wasn't a grand conspiracy to steal it, and nobody died under suspicious circumstances. It's just about an upbeat and offbeat kind of guy who came up with an idea around 1976 that people like me enjoy to this day.
"Candyman: The David Klein Story" is about the creation of the Jelly Belly brand and how it became a product of the Goelitz Candy Company. The documentary is a little scattered at times because it hinges on the storytelling of David Klein, an eccentric and "unusual" man, but it gives you enough information to know about Jelly Belly.
I don't think this documentary would interest many people who are not into Jelly Belly. They don't go into how it's made, there wasn't a grand conspiracy to steal it, and nobody died under suspicious circumstances. It's just about an upbeat and offbeat kind of guy who came up with an idea around 1976 that people like me enjoy to this day.
The true story of how Jelly Bellies came to be.
TxMike26 May 2012
Warning: Spoilers
What kind of person would rent an ice cream truck on his own birthday and drive around giving candy and ice cream to kids? That's Dave Klein, a man who has few passions in life and that is one of them, doing things to help others and make them happy. The other is candy, especially coming up with new ideas for candy.
This film's story began in 1976 when Dave thought, there must be a better way to make jelly beans which were always dull, waxy, and not particularly tasty. That was the birth of what soon became known as Jelly Bellies. He started with 8 flavors and over the years the number blossomed to dozens, even after Dave Klein was no longer affiliated with the product.
That in itself is an interesting story, told well in this film. Dave Klein had contracted with a candy factory to make his special Jelly Bellies, which after a very sluggish beginning finally took off, world-wide, such that it was impossible to keep up with demand. So there was the famous meeting in Los Angeles, the candy company didn't just want to expand to make more product for Klein, they wanted the Jelly Bellies business, the trademark, everything. If Klein had refused they were prepared to bankrupt him with legal proceedings until they got what they wanted. In the end Dave Klein, being basically a soft-hearted man didn't want to disappoint the 200-odd people (he was told) depending on this transaction so he sold all rights to Jelly Bellies for what amounted to $4.5 Million in 1980, payable over the years in $20,000 per month. The actual value of the Jelly Bellies business over the period 1980 through today is in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Dave Klein's Jelly Bellies business was virtually stolen from him. He didn't even have a lawyer advise him on the contract.
Dave Klein, who reminds me of Buddy Hackett in his appearance and manner of speaking, has continued to come up with ideas, and he really thought he would come up with something as big as Jelly Bellies, but it never happened. The money from the sale of Jelly Bellies is long gone, but Dave seems happy, still helping people and enjoying the simple pleasures of life, like picking an orange from the tree in his yard and enjoying it on the spot.
Watching this film was especially nice because I have been a Jelly Bellies fan for a number of years. In fact I buy them in 4-pound containers from Costco and have a small handful of them every evening after dinner. Now I know the story behind them and I appreciate Dave Klein.
This film's story began in 1976 when Dave thought, there must be a better way to make jelly beans which were always dull, waxy, and not particularly tasty. That was the birth of what soon became known as Jelly Bellies. He started with 8 flavors and over the years the number blossomed to dozens, even after Dave Klein was no longer affiliated with the product.
That in itself is an interesting story, told well in this film. Dave Klein had contracted with a candy factory to make his special Jelly Bellies, which after a very sluggish beginning finally took off, world-wide, such that it was impossible to keep up with demand. So there was the famous meeting in Los Angeles, the candy company didn't just want to expand to make more product for Klein, they wanted the Jelly Bellies business, the trademark, everything. If Klein had refused they were prepared to bankrupt him with legal proceedings until they got what they wanted. In the end Dave Klein, being basically a soft-hearted man didn't want to disappoint the 200-odd people (he was told) depending on this transaction so he sold all rights to Jelly Bellies for what amounted to $4.5 Million in 1980, payable over the years in $20,000 per month. The actual value of the Jelly Bellies business over the period 1980 through today is in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Dave Klein's Jelly Bellies business was virtually stolen from him. He didn't even have a lawyer advise him on the contract.
Dave Klein, who reminds me of Buddy Hackett in his appearance and manner of speaking, has continued to come up with ideas, and he really thought he would come up with something as big as Jelly Bellies, but it never happened. The money from the sale of Jelly Bellies is long gone, but Dave seems happy, still helping people and enjoying the simple pleasures of life, like picking an orange from the tree in his yard and enjoying it on the spot.
Watching this film was especially nice because I have been a Jelly Bellies fan for a number of years. In fact I buy them in 4-pound containers from Costco and have a small handful of them every evening after dinner. Now I know the story behind them and I appreciate Dave Klein.
Mr. David Klien 1 GOOD GUY!!!
gfarr746 February 2015
One good Docu-movie to learn from and to stay thankful! Thank you for helping CandyPuffcorn.com, I hope we're not "bullied" as well (Fairfield,CA.), God Bless.
This is a must watch movie, sad, happens every day to good guys and women. I never expected a return call back from Mr. Klien directly and he helped with advice with Candy Puffcorn. I do like Jelly Belly living in Fairfield, CA. and all, but very hurt by the how the bully part went down.
He does give free wisdom, which helps me give it away to help others who want to be successful without being a bully about it, but making lasting mutual business success.
This is a must watch movie, sad, happens every day to good guys and women. I never expected a return call back from Mr. Klien directly and he helped with advice with Candy Puffcorn. I do like Jelly Belly living in Fairfield, CA. and all, but very hurt by the how the bully part went down.
He does give free wisdom, which helps me give it away to help others who want to be successful without being a bully about it, but making lasting mutual business success.
A Fool and his business were parted
yastepanov30 May 2015
I want to feel sorry for David Klein, but I can't.
He created a fantastic product: The Jelly Belly jellybean, but he seems purely unsuited to either running a business or even getting decent advice.
Had this man (who attended law school) simply hired a lawyer, he could have probably retained a small minority share in what is Jelly Belly today and been rich. He didn't. At every turn, when confronted with a situation, he seems to have taken the quick but easy way.
To be honest, David Klein invented the Jelly Belly, but then he more or less stopped. He is NOT responsible for the massive success of the company, but wants to be treated as if he was.
He wanted his contract manufacturing company to expand -- with them taking all the risk -- and was surprised when they turned the tables on him.
Since the story is one-sided and still doesn't make him out to be much of a sympathetic character.
He created a fantastic product: The Jelly Belly jellybean, but he seems purely unsuited to either running a business or even getting decent advice.
Had this man (who attended law school) simply hired a lawyer, he could have probably retained a small minority share in what is Jelly Belly today and been rich. He didn't. At every turn, when confronted with a situation, he seems to have taken the quick but easy way.
To be honest, David Klein invented the Jelly Belly, but then he more or less stopped. He is NOT responsible for the massive success of the company, but wants to be treated as if he was.
He wanted his contract manufacturing company to expand -- with them taking all the risk -- and was surprised when they turned the tables on him.
Since the story is one-sided and still doesn't make him out to be much of a sympathetic character.
Could somebody tell me WHY Weird Al was in this film...?
planktonrules19 January 2012
This is a mildly--very mildly interesting documentary about the guy who invented Jelly Belly candy and basically threw the company away for practically nothing. My biggest question about the film is not about this guy but why was Weird Al in the film in various guest spots? Did he have some connection to the company or the candy industry? I assume not, as his clips seemed to come from left field. Other than providing information about the candy being is vegetarian-friendly (but not vegan-friendly), I didn't understand that. Now I am NOT anti-Al--heck, I went to his last concert when it came to town. But I just didn't see the connection between him and David Klein or Jelly Belly.
The film begins with Klein coming up with the idea of the candy as well as the initial difficulties he had marketing the candy. Then, it chronicles how the candy took off as well as the confusing story about why he sold his company for an incredibly small sum--even at the time when it was a much smaller company. The rest of the film seems to talk about how unsuccessful he was following this but how he's really a great guy. However, this confused me, as there was one BRIEF clip in which Klein's son talked about how the guy displaced his anger on his son when he was growing up. Apparently Klein sold his company without even having a lawyer involved during this process--and today has very little to show for it! This displacement did NOT fit with the guy the rest of the film portrayed--and it left me confused.
All in all, an okay documentary but one I found not all that compelling. While the film seemed to want the viewer to feel sorry for the guy, I couldn't help but think he was just a bit...well...foolish.
The film begins with Klein coming up with the idea of the candy as well as the initial difficulties he had marketing the candy. Then, it chronicles how the candy took off as well as the confusing story about why he sold his company for an incredibly small sum--even at the time when it was a much smaller company. The rest of the film seems to talk about how unsuccessful he was following this but how he's really a great guy. However, this confused me, as there was one BRIEF clip in which Klein's son talked about how the guy displaced his anger on his son when he was growing up. Apparently Klein sold his company without even having a lawyer involved during this process--and today has very little to show for it! This displacement did NOT fit with the guy the rest of the film portrayed--and it left me confused.
All in all, an okay documentary but one I found not all that compelling. While the film seemed to want the viewer to feel sorry for the guy, I couldn't help but think he was just a bit...well...foolish.
Mildly Entertaining Doc
Michael_Elliott21 August 2012
Candyman: The David Klein Story (2010)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Interesting documentary taking a look at the life of David Klein. You might not know his name but he was the man who created Jelly Belly jelly beans and lived to regret it. This documentary tells the history of Jelly Belly from the very start of it to today but the real key point is that Klein signed an extremely bad deal to help other people and he pretty much lost the company and gave it away for nothing. While the company continues to be one of the most profitable out there, the man who made it gets nothing from it. At 76-minutes there are a few slow spots here and there are a few moments that could have been better told but for the most part this is a fairly interesting film and one that will probably make your blood boil. It's clear that Klein is a terrific, warm hearted guy but at the same time you have to feel bad that this kindness pretty much ruined his life. I thought it was interesting hearing how this familiar company came to be and of course the stuff dealing with Klein losing everything was pretty sad. We get interviews with Klein as well as his family and friends and all of them shine a light on this period. For some reason Weird Al is also interviewed and these "comic" moments are pretty embarrassing.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Interesting documentary taking a look at the life of David Klein. You might not know his name but he was the man who created Jelly Belly jelly beans and lived to regret it. This documentary tells the history of Jelly Belly from the very start of it to today but the real key point is that Klein signed an extremely bad deal to help other people and he pretty much lost the company and gave it away for nothing. While the company continues to be one of the most profitable out there, the man who made it gets nothing from it. At 76-minutes there are a few slow spots here and there are a few moments that could have been better told but for the most part this is a fairly interesting film and one that will probably make your blood boil. It's clear that Klein is a terrific, warm hearted guy but at the same time you have to feel bad that this kindness pretty much ruined his life. I thought it was interesting hearing how this familiar company came to be and of course the stuff dealing with Klein losing everything was pretty sad. We get interviews with Klein as well as his family and friends and all of them shine a light on this period. For some reason Weird Al is also interviewed and these "comic" moments are pretty embarrassing.
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