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Noogie's Time to Shine
Ned "Noogie" Krapczak grew up in rough circumstances in Jersey City, New Jersey. Movies were his only escape, and he dreamed of becoming a filmmaker. But by the time he turns thirty, things aren't working out the way they were supposed to. Instead of making movies, Noogie has a job restocking ATM machines in delis and drugstores.
One day he sees a way out of it all in the form of a slow-motion heist, siphoning $20 bills a few at a time out of the machines he is supposed to be filling. When his scheme is finally uncovered, he hits the road with his Siamese cat, Dillinger, and 350 pounds of $20 bills totaling nearly $5 million.
In that instant, Noogie finds himself not watching movies but living them. He's pulled off a great caper and is on the lam cross-country, a life worthy of Edward G. Robinson or Steve McQueen. Noogie works his way down the East Coast on this great escape, disguising himself by using the names of characters from some of his favorite movies.
In telling the stories of Noogie's final days, Jim Knipfel's novel captures the tragic end of a broken man who, however briefly and unseemly, managed to live the American dream - he starred in his own movie.
One day he sees a way out of it all in the form of a slow-motion heist, siphoning $20 bills a few at a time out of the machines he is supposed to be filling. When his scheme is finally uncovered, he hits the road with his Siamese cat, Dillinger, and 350 pounds of $20 bills totaling nearly $5 million.
In that instant, Noogie finds himself not watching movies but living them. He's pulled off a great caper and is on the lam cross-country, a life worthy of Edward G. Robinson or Steve McQueen. Noogie works his way down the East Coast on this great escape, disguising himself by using the names of characters from some of his favorite movies.
In telling the stories of Noogie's final days, Jim Knipfel's novel captures the tragic end of a broken man who, however briefly and unseemly, managed to live the American dream - he starred in his own movie.
- GenresFiction
247 pages, Paperback
First published October 16, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 19, 2012
This is my third book by Knipfel and though I've rated it as high as Blow Offs and Unplugging Philco, it is in fact not quite as good. Close, though. Short and a very fast read, it tells a story of some really lackluster criminals and the cops that are after them. The book is divided in two halves, the first one reads like a terribly misguided crime and subsequent not so great escape by a man who knows movies much better than life, the second half reads more like a detective novel where everyone tries to figure out what happened and in the end settle for some approximation of it. Much like life itself, it's a bit unsatisfying and somewhat vague in the end, but Knipfel's excellent writing and humor and timing balance it all out. Recommended.
February 4, 2008
I believe I've read every one of Jim Knipfel's "Slackjaw" columns over the years in New York Press, and it was with no doubt I'd enjoy it that I've lately been reading his books that are always, unfortunately, not the easiest to find.
This book takes you inside the life of an isolated mamma's boy of sorts, a pudgy uniformed ATM stocker who visits machines around New York City and makes sure they have the right amount of money in them.
It's like a film noir come to life in a novel. The character, nicknamed "Noogie", ends up stealing a little bit, then a lot, then a whole lot, of money, and when the trail is thickening on him, he takes off, leaving his mother behind, all his belongings, just taking his cat, his new-found money in a giant duffle bag, and his car, and sets out onto the roads of America.
The way he misinterprets peoples' behavior, the odd reactions he has to things, are quirky but ring true. We follow his adventures downhill.
And then there are large unexpected twists and turns that shake up the format of the genre--the crime thriller, or the lonely cowboy--and we end up following Knipfel's madcap imagination wherever it takes us, finally settling into a sort of police procedural in Florida.
All in all, a great read, something you'd quite expect from Jim Knipfel. Any of his books are just as good...
This book takes you inside the life of an isolated mamma's boy of sorts, a pudgy uniformed ATM stocker who visits machines around New York City and makes sure they have the right amount of money in them.
It's like a film noir come to life in a novel. The character, nicknamed "Noogie", ends up stealing a little bit, then a lot, then a whole lot, of money, and when the trail is thickening on him, he takes off, leaving his mother behind, all his belongings, just taking his cat, his new-found money in a giant duffle bag, and his car, and sets out onto the roads of America.
The way he misinterprets peoples' behavior, the odd reactions he has to things, are quirky but ring true. We follow his adventures downhill.
And then there are large unexpected twists and turns that shake up the format of the genre--the crime thriller, or the lonely cowboy--and we end up following Knipfel's madcap imagination wherever it takes us, finally settling into a sort of police procedural in Florida.
All in all, a great read, something you'd quite expect from Jim Knipfel. Any of his books are just as good...
July 3, 2011
I'm on a bit of a Knipfel marathon, and this one hit the spot.
Noogie is replete with longtime Knipfelian themes: booze, morons, movies, failed dreams, the occasional machete.
In this, Knipfel's second novel, a paunchy blowhard named Ned Krapczak (pronounced "Crap Sack") pulls off a simple yet brilliant ATM heist and hits the road — along with his cat, Dillinger — when he's eventually found out.
Noogie, as Ned is always called, is no charmer. No one likes him. Even his female hitchhiker would rather get off in the pitch-black, freezing-cold middle of nowhere than keep riding in a van with him. But there's a ton of nuance and dimension to this character. Ultimately, he cuts a sympathetic (if slovenly and irritating) figure.
Another fascinating, and freaking hilarious, tour of Jim Knipfel's America.
Noogie is replete with longtime Knipfelian themes: booze, morons, movies, failed dreams, the occasional machete.
In this, Knipfel's second novel, a paunchy blowhard named Ned Krapczak (pronounced "Crap Sack") pulls off a simple yet brilliant ATM heist and hits the road — along with his cat, Dillinger — when he's eventually found out.
Noogie, as Ned is always called, is no charmer. No one likes him. Even his female hitchhiker would rather get off in the pitch-black, freezing-cold middle of nowhere than keep riding in a van with him. But there's a ton of nuance and dimension to this character. Ultimately, he cuts a sympathetic (if slovenly and irritating) figure.
Another fascinating, and freaking hilarious, tour of Jim Knipfel's America.
December 6, 2025
I bought this book in 2012 on vacation in Pittsburgh, based on the fact I had read all three of Knipfel's memoirs, (I read Slackjaw twice). It has sat unread ever since, as my guilt increased each year that I couldn't get into it. This year my resolution was to get a few of my long-term parkers read.
I struggled to know when the story was taking place. The references to cassettes for sale, the fear of stereos being stolen, and the ability to check into a hotel, and not show ID or put down a credit card make me think early 90s, but a couple of references to what had to be 9/11 though not explicitly stated put the book in the early 2000s. My suspicion is that this book was written in the 90s, then published after the popularity of the memoirs, with only a cursory update to what was then present day.
The book also suffers from not having a clear hero. The closest I got to caring about a character was Dillinger the cat, and once I knew he was going to be okay, I breathed a sign of relief.
The most shocking/dramatic moment in the book comes at the beginning of Part 2, and it left me struggling to refocus on the remaining narrative. It did have amusing moments, but it was just okay overall.
It was a short quick read, and I still have the Knipfel novel "The Buzzing" sitting on my to-read shelf. Sigh.
I struggled to know when the story was taking place. The references to cassettes for sale, the fear of stereos being stolen, and the ability to check into a hotel, and not show ID or put down a credit card make me think early 90s, but a couple of references to what had to be 9/11 though not explicitly stated put the book in the early 2000s. My suspicion is that this book was written in the 90s, then published after the popularity of the memoirs, with only a cursory update to what was then present day.
The book also suffers from not having a clear hero. The closest I got to caring about a character was Dillinger the cat, and once I knew he was going to be okay, I breathed a sign of relief.
The most shocking/dramatic moment in the book comes at the beginning of Part 2, and it left me struggling to refocus on the remaining narrative. It did have amusing moments, but it was just okay overall.
It was a short quick read, and I still have the Knipfel novel "The Buzzing" sitting on my to-read shelf. Sigh.
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November 29, 2007Quite possibly the worst book I've ever read in my entire life. All along I was all, "There's no way this can actually be this bad. It's gonna pull the rug out from under me any moment, right? It's all bad on purpose, right? Some kinda hipster irony, right? Right?!" So either this author is way to po-mo/intellectual/Ivy League educated than I'm giving him credit for and every word he wrote went right over my head, or this is a flaming, festering, syphallictic babboon prolapse of a novel. But I've been wrong in the past.
October 30, 2007
A sort of lovable loser tale that never quite pulls it all together. The portrait of Noogie and his improbable caper are good humored and enjoyable.
But the last 100 pages switches rather abruptly from Noogie to law enforcement's attempts to unravel the mystery. And Knipfel never quite finds a way to wrap the story up. The ending seems almost tacked on rather than a natural unfolding of the story. The two perspectives are interesting but the transition and the ending are awkward.
But the last 100 pages switches rather abruptly from Noogie to law enforcement's attempts to unravel the mystery. And Knipfel never quite finds a way to wrap the story up. The ending seems almost tacked on rather than a natural unfolding of the story. The two perspectives are interesting but the transition and the ending are awkward.
June 26, 2008
His second novel.
January 13, 2011
I loved the first half of this book but was sidelined by the second half. Perhaps the "true story" aspect of it had me falling bored. Big letdown after reading "Unplugging Philco".
April 13, 2012
2 1/2 stars. I've had better Knipfel experiences. Think "Psycho" if Hitchcock had decided to use Ignatius J. Reilly from "A Confederacy of Dunces" instead of Janet Leigh.
January 9, 2008
If you like crime stories laced with irony and rue, this certainly fills the bill.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews