That’s a Wrap: Bronxites unite for completion of first major
film project
For Bronx native and television star, Louis Lombardi, there is life after 24.
Last season, America watched with sadness as their beloved computer geek, Edgar, masterfully played by Lombardi, died in an emotionally charged episode that ended his run on 24, but opened the doors to a floodgate of new projects, including the recently completed Dough Boys: The Movie.
The film, which could do for bakeries what The Barbershop did for its namesake, sees Louis Lombardi team up with prolific filmmakers and fellow Bronxites, Harrington Talents, fresh off their groundbreaking short film, Even Stevens, for what could be a fresh take on Italian and Bronx culture never before seen in cinema.
Dough Boys is a slice of life comedy that serves up the story of Lou, played by Lombardi, and Frank, played by Guetano Iacono, two Bronx brothers running the family bakery. Faced with Lou’s gambling problem, the shop is about to be taken from them by the neighborhood gangster. Frank is not privy to this development and now, the fate of this local landmark hangs like a “pie in the sky.” The question that will be resolved by the film’s climax; will it be a sweet dream, or a nightmare?
The film also includes, as co-stars; Vinny Pastore, most recently of Sopranos fame; Mike Starr, of Goodfellas; Jimmy Madio, of Band of Brothers; and Andrew Keegan of 7th Heaven and 10 Things I Hate About You – many of which came out to celebrate the completion of the project at a recent party held in Manhattan over Columbus Day weekend. The celebration marked the completion of a journey for those involved.
“This is unbelievable,” said Lombardi, when discussing the film. “It really came together; everything worked out perfectly. This is a movie I am really proud of and now that it is complete, we hope to get it out to Sundance – that would be huge for us. We will take it along the festival routes and obviously into regular movie theaters. I strongly believe the movie will be a big success.”
Success has been following Louis Lombardi’s career for some time. Country Club’s own studied acting at the Actors and Commercial Workshop and New York University before getting his biggest professional break performing in the independent film, Amongst Friends. His acting caught the attention of Oliver Stone, who then cast him in the film, Natural Born Killers and his list of credits currently includes Beverly Hills Cop III, Ed Wood and 3,000 Miles to Graceland, along with appearances in television shows, NYPD Blue, CSI and The Sopranos.
Most recently, Lombardi and the rest of the crew of 24 received an Emmy for best drama and was, a short time ago, honored by Comptroller William Thompson, amongst other notables in their varied fields, during an Italian-American heritage month ceremony.
“Louis Lombardi is a talented and accomplished professional who has achieved great heights in his field,” said Thompson.
Outside of recent fame, Lombardi also celebrated, with his wife Mandy, the birth, four months ago, of his daughter, Ava. It has been an amazing ride for Lombardi, with no end in sight, as Dough Boys faces a scheduled release in 2007.
Putting aside his ego, Lombardi doesn’t pat himself on the back for a movie well done, despite his role as an actor, writer, director and executive producer for the film.
“Harrington Talents is great; they did everything they said they were going to do,” he said. “Frankie raised the money for the film and did it all in a month. They really get all the credit in helping to get this movie off the ground and running.”
Harrington Talents started out at Harrington Avenue in Throggs Neck before moving to their current location of City Island. The crew, formed by Frank Mosca, Stephen Franciosa and John Morena, worked filming weddings, documentaries and even released videos of wrestling shows before moving to larger projects in the form of commercials, music videos and short films.
Their recent work, Even Stevens, dealing with the drama between a police officer and a pedophile, has been making the rounds of various festivals. But Dough Boys marks the first major full-length film for the company, with Mosca credited as producer; Franciosa, as director of photography and Morena in charge of production design.
“We are very proud and optimistic of the project,” said Mosca. “As a group, we were really excited to take his leap as a company with so many Bronx actors and filmmakers involved. We shot the movie during one of the hottest weeks in New York City, but we got through it, because the set at the bakery was like a family. It was just a real pleasure making this movie and we have nothing, but high hopes for Dough Boys.”
The film was shot in the Morris Park community and serving as the true main character of the movie, was Conti’s Bakery. “Oh my God; Conti’s is like over 100-years-old,” noted Lombardi. “And you feel it when you go inside.”
Louis Lombardi was recently a guest on the Tony Danza Show and he brought a Boston Crème Pie, a Conti’s staple, with him. Danza loved the product so much, he raved about it on the air, resulting in some great attention being showered on the popular bakery. “They were thankful and I told them I wanted to use the place in my movie,” recalled Lombardi. “There is a lot of history in there. And it was the perfect location for a movie about a historic family-owned bakery. It became a character itself.”
Lombardi states that he was very thankful to the Bronx for welcoming them with open arms and helping them create a film he believes Bronxites and people worldwide will enjoy.
“It is a movie about family,” he said. “It’s about Italians and more than anything else, there is no cursing in this movie. I didn’t want that. It is not necessarily how all Italian-Americans talk. It is not necessary to make a successful movie.”
Lombardi has more projects in the works, including one about a crew of Irish kids who pose as cops to rob as drug dealers that he plans to shoot over south Bronx. He also plans to film movies throughout New York in the future.
“The Bronx and New York are unbelievable communities,” he said. “There is just a lot of talent out there in the Bronx and a lot of great communities that I hope to highlight in the years to come.”
For more information on Dough Boys, go to www.doughboysthemovie.com and for more on Harrington Talents log in to www.harringtontalents.com.
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