The Holland Avenue Boys: A Success Story

The "Holland Avenue Boys" are 14 men who grew up on or near Holland Avenue in the Bronx in the late 1940's and early 1950's. This documentary begins with memories of growing up, endless games of stickball and piling on top of each other. Though they went in many different directions professionally and geographically, they maintained close ties. The 12 surviving boys and family members all speak candidly about their lives. One speaks frankly about grappling with depression, another talks about his divorce and his pride in maintaining a loving relationship with the mother of his children. One talks about how he feels about not having had children. Another explains that he dreamed of being an engineer until a school guidance counselor told him that he would never get a job because he was Jewish. One became a distinguished physicist, one a doctor, one a manufacturer. One ran a museum of jazz. One flew missions in Viet Nam and then lived in Morocco helping to set up air defense systems. Through it all, they made many friends and they loved their families, but the connection between the members of the original group remained important to each of them.