Remembering Rob Reiner

By Susan Wagner and David K. Haspel

Rob Reiner--the actor, director, and outspoken Hollywood insider activist--died tragically this week. Like the great Rob Reiner, we at the Grassroots Connector see humor as a powerful form of political protest. A member of our Editorial Board had the pleasure of working with Reiner on just that in 2020 during the Biden Trump election. Thank you Susan for sharing your story.

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In 2020, my friend David Haspel (who I met through my work with Markers For Democracy (MFD) and I had the crazy idea of trying to influence older Jewish voters in Florida to vote for Joe Biden. Our colleague Bruce Silverman thought that we should use the Jewish secret weapon of humor. Through a series of connections also made through MFD, I proposed the idea that Bill Kristol and Billy Crystal do a spot about “how they don’t agree (back then anyway) on much, but they do agree that you must vote for Biden.” As a result of that pitch and assistance from the social impact producer Julie Hermelin, the founder of Gutsy Media, we had the pleasure of meeting Rob over two days in September 2020. At the request of his good friend Billy Crystal, he directed a digital political ad written by Phil Rosenthal of Everyone Loves Raymond fame.

The ad ran in 2020

Phil Rosenthal crafted an amazing script, Rob agreed to direct, and Billy Crystal, in his marvelous way, delivered a message based on the confusion between Billy Crystal and the esteemed Bill Kristol. The budget for the project was minimal, but this all star team poured their hearts into the production.

Due to the pandemic, everything was done remotely, which allowed us to watch this accomplished director quietly bring out the best in Billy and Bill. It was a masterclass!

Bill Kristol described it yesterday on the Bullwark Podcast with Tim Miller. He said in part, “I’ve never been an actor. … I thought I’d worked out my lines and had a bit of punch. Of course it was pathetic. Rob was very kind. ‘Bill, that was good. I might just pause here. Emphasize this word.’ Deft and gently done. He improved my performance 1000%. … I was touched by his humanity. He was pleasant. He wasn’t a primadonna. I was saddened by the murder of him and his wife. …”

Tim Miller pointed out the work that Rob and Michelle did to support gay marriage. “They were doing real, meaningful organizing work.”

Bill Kristol was better than he gives himself credit for, but certainly Billy Crystal stole the show. Crystal even asked his friend Jimmy Kimmel to feature the message on his October 8, 2020 show where he introduced the spot.

While writing this homage about our brief but impactful work with Rob, David’s wife told him that Trump had posted his condolences about the Reiners’ murder. Cautiously he asked her to read it. When she finished, he said that must be disinformation, as it was vile and ugly, even by Trump standards. A quick factcheck proved him wrong.

To Mr. Trump, as we say in David’s Nashville, “Bless your heart.”

The clarity of Rob’s legacy was simple and flawless. Even in death, he brings out the best in (most) people. And that is how we will remember him.

Despite our shock and grief, to the Reiners’ loved ones, friends, and fans, we know their memory is a blessing.

Shalom from Nashville and New York,

David K. Haspel and Susan Wagner

David K. Haspel is a film producer based in Nashville, TN. Susan Wagner is on the Editorial Board of The Grassroots Connector and is one of the founders of Markers for Democracy.