The Last Time I Committed Suicide

Neal Cassady

Harry

Ben

Lewis

Jerry

Rosie Trickle

Mary Greenway

Father Fletcher

Nurse Waring

Mrs. Greenway (as Christine Rose)

Sarah

Jeananne

Vicky

Cop #1

Cop #2

Player #1

Guard #1

Guard #2

Captain (uncredited)

(uncredited)

Sheila (uncredited)

The letter this movie is based on was referred to by its author Neal Cassady and its recipient Jack Kerouac as "the Joan Anderson letter" (even though the only extant fragment more prominently and dramatically dealt with a different girlfriend of Neal's at the time nicknamed Cherry Mary). This letter, written in Dec. 1950 about events in Cassady's life from the summer thru Christmas of 1945, was *lost* c. 1954/55. But before that happened a 5,000 word fragment (which this movie is based on) had been copied (retyped) likely by Kerouac himself, and was subsequently published in 1964 in a small S.F. literary magazine called "Notes From Underground," then again later in Cassady's posthumous autobiography "The First Third" (beginning "To have seen a specter isn't everything ..."). The entire 16,000 word letter by Cassady - which Kerouac had praised as a turning point in his approach to writing - was never seen again after 1955 - and consequently became something of a Holy Grail in the Beat world. Miraculously, in 2012, the entire letter was found after nearly 60 years (!) ... in old boxes that had been stored since being rescued from the Sausalito publisher Golden Goose's garbage when it folded in 1955. It's set for auction on Dec. 17th, 2014.

Keanu Reeves gained 35 pounds for his role.

The film is based on a letter written by Cassady to Jack Kerouac in 1950.

The epilogue notes that Neal Cassady died in 1968 at the age of 42. In actuality, he died four days before his 42nd birthday.

Neal Cassady: You should have seen all you brought down. Sirens, ambulances, doctors, nurses, butchers, bakers. Some big fear you brought down Miss Joan.

Joan: Thanks for being here.

Neal Cassady: My role in all this was to make her feel better. Better than what?