Jack Beers Story

Another of my recent favorite films is Holes in my Shoes, directed by David Wachs. The documentary tells the story of Jack Beers, a boy raised on the Lower East Side at the start of last century who led the life of 10 ordinary men. At a young age he was known as “New York City’s Strongest Boy,” he went on to help build Radio City Music Hall and erect the spire of the Empire State Building after teaching himself engineering by reading books on the subject at the NYC Public Library. He them moved south to work on a project for the US government during WW2. These accomplishments alone would have been enough for anyone else, but not for Jack. He started a new career in film and ended up acting in over 200 films, all while overcoming a terminal illness, raising championship dogs, and mowing the lawn. The only down side of this film is that watching it may make you feel as though you need to get off you butt and start doing something.