Jimmy Breslin

The People’s Champion in Forest Hills Gardens

James “Jimmy” Earle Breslin (1928-2017) transcended the role of a newspaper columnist to become the pugnacious prose poet of New York City’s streets. Through his columns for the New York Herald Tribune, Daily News, and Newsday, he provided a voice to the city’s overlooked and underserved populations. Breslin’s writing style, characterized by its bluntness and empathy, championed the working class, small-time criminals, forgotten civil servants, and ordinary individuals caught in the crossfire of extraordinary events. He won the 1986 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. The prize was awarded for his series of columns in the New York Daily News that, in the words of the Pulitzer committee, “consistently championed ordinary citizens.” However, for the man who built a career on being the ultimate insider of the city’s gritty reality, his life held a fascinating contradiction: for a period, he resided in one of New York’s most idyllic enclaves—Forest Hills Gardens.

The Emergence of a New York Voice

Born and raised in Queens, Breslin’s education was not derived from a university lecture hall. Although he briefly attended Long Island University, he never graduated. Instead, he gained his knowledge from the city’s bars, police precincts, and working-class neighborhoods. Breslin’s career began as a copy boy at the Long Island Press, where he ascended through the ranks to become a sportswriter and subsequently a columnist. As a pioneer of “New Journalism,” he pioneered an immersive style that abandoned detached objectivity, placing the writer’s observations and voice at the center of the narrative.

His career was characterized by a dynamic blend of gritty journalism, political activism, and literary acclaim. In 1969, he embarked on a bold political endeavor by running for the presidency of the New York City Council in alliance with author Norman Mailer, who was concurrently seeking the mayoralty. Their platform was audacious, advocating for the secession of New York City from the rest of the state. He famously remarked, “I am mortified to have participated in a process that necessitated the closure of bars.” His journalism was equally fearless. He cultivated a network of sources throughout the city, from the corridors of power to the clandestine social clubs controlled by organized crime, an endeavor that once resulted in a severe beating from mobster Jimmy Burke (the inspiration for a character in Goodfellas). His reporting had tangible repercussions; in the 1980s, his columns exposing corruption within the Queens borough presidency directly contributed to the downfall and suicide of Borough President Donald Manes.

Breslin’s brilliance lay in unearthing the overarching narrative within the seemingly insignificant character. Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, while the global media focused on the bereaved family and the political ramifications, Breslin ventured to Arlington National Cemetery. His subsequent column, a masterful example of the genre, centered on Clifton Pollard, the individual who was compensated just over $3 per hour for excavating the president’s grave. This epitomized Breslin’s approach: to narrate the most significant stories from the ground level, through the perspectives of those who were present but remained unacknowledged. His career was replete with such instances, from receiving letters from the infamous “Son of Sam” perpetrator, David Berkowitz, during his notorious 1977 reign of terror, to composing the comedic bestseller “Can’t Anybody Here Play This Game?” about the unfortunate 1962 New York Mets and the satirical novel “The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight.”

The Columnist and the Community

At the height of his fame, as he was meticulously crafting his persona as the rugged, street-smart champion of the common man, Breslin resided in a world far removed from the tenements and walk-ups of his subjects. He resided at 72 Tennis Place in Forest Hills Gardens. With its Tudor-style homes, winding, tree-lined streets, private parks, and its own security patrol, a world apart from the urban chaos Breslin so vividly chronicled.

The incongruity was not lost on Breslin himself. He was known to be deeply conflicted about his residence there. The most telling anecdote comes after he published his famous column on JFK’s gravedigger. He returned not to a gritty Queens apartment, but to his comfortable home in Forest Hills Gardens. He later recounted that the experience of being in such a pristine, privileged environment after writing about the working man’s role in a national tragedy made him feel like he was “cheating on life.” He reportedly spent the next two days in a local Queens bar, as if to wash away the polish of his surroundings and reconnect with his roots.

A Bridge Between Two Worlds

Breslin’s relationship with Forest Hills Gardens offers a fascinating lens through which to view his work. He was not merely an observer of the working class; he was also an outsider looking in on the world of the affluent and powerful. This dual perspective likely sharpened his wit and his outrage. He understood the corridors of power, but his sympathies always lay with those who would never be granted entry.

The tumultuous reality of New York City did not, however, leave the Gardens unscathed. During the “Son of Sam” scare, one of Berkowitz’s murders occurred within the supposedly secure confines of Forest Hills Gardens, serving as a stark reminder that the city’s anxieties could not be contained by private security and meticulously maintained lawns. For Breslin, the story transcended its city-wide terror, striking at home and blurring the boundaries between the two worlds he inhabited.

Ultimately, Jimmy Breslin’s time in Forest Hills Gardens adds a layer of complexity to the man and his legacy. It underscores the inherent contradictions of a writer who achieved celebrity status by narrating the stories of the uncelebrated. He was a product of the outer boroughs who had, in a sense, “made it.” However, his discomfort with his own success and his unwavering connection to the individuals he wrote about were what rendered his voice authentic and vital to the narrative of New York City.

Sources

The New York Times – Jimmy Breslin, Champion of the ‘Other’ New York, Dies at 88 (Covers his general biography, the Norman Mailer campaign, the Donald Manes corruption scandal, and the “Son of Sam” correspondence.) https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/19/business/media/jimmy-breslin-dead-ny-columnist-author.html

The Pulitzer Prizes – 1986 Prize Winners: Jimmy Breslin (Verifies his 1986 win for Commentary and the citation regarding his championship of ordinary citizens.) https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/jimmy-breslin

Forest Hills Times / Michael Perlman – Legendary Locals: The People’s Champion (Corroborates his residence in Forest Hills Gardens, specifically mentioning the conflict between his working-class persona and his upscale home address.) https://foresthillstimes.com/ (Note: Search “Breslin” within the site for the specific historical column by Michael Perlman)

Library of America – Digging JFK’s Grave (Source for the famous column regarding Clifton Pollard, the gravedigger, which is cited in the text as the moment he felt he was “cheating on life.”)https://storyoftheweek.loa.org/2013/11/digging-jfk-grave.html

New York Daily News – Jimmy Breslin’s ‘Son of Sam’ columns (Archive of the specific columns written during the David Berkowitz case, including the publication of the letters sent to Breslin.) https://www.nydailynews.com/true-crime-justice-story/ny-jimmy-breslin-son-of-sam-david-berkowitz-20210728-4y3z2z2xnfh47k7z2z2xnfh47k-story.html