INDEPENDENT FILM FOR INDEPENDENT MINDS

In 1976, David Klein approached The Herman Goelitz Candy Company, asking them to manufacture his revolutionary new product: a gourmet jellybean he’d dubbed “Jelly Belly.” The concept was slow to take off, but Klein was a tireless hustler. He started out slinging his beans in an Alhambra, California ice-cream parlor, then beat the drum for Jelly Belly in newspaper profiles and on talk shows, often while wearing a tight T-shirt over his ample frame and doing a funky dance. Once word got out about the candy’s unusual flavors and high quality, orders came pouring in so fast that at one point, the factory was a full year behind on production. So Klein made some concessions, both to help the business and to help the friends who got him started. And before he fully understood what was happening, Klein had signed over the rights to Jelly Belly for a fraction of its value. Klein’s blunder is at the core of Costa Botes’ documentary Candyman: The David Klein Story, though that isn’t all the movie is about. In the decades since parting ways with Jelly Belly, Klein has spent his settlement money-a couple of paltry millions, after fees and taxes-developing other novelty candies that haven’t been anywhere near as popular. He’s also helped young entrepreneurs fulfill their dreams, making sure they realize that they only need to be a genius for 15 seconds, and after that, they need a good lawyer.