Anywhere But Hollywood – Interview with Frank LaLoggia

by Adam Charles | Posted on

Episode Overview

  • This premiere episode introduces the Anywhere But Hollywood podcast.
  • Host Adam Charles interviews Frank LaLoggia, known for the cult classic 1988 supernatural film Lady in White.
  • The conversation spans LaLoggia’s early filmmaking roots, acting career, independent financing innovations, career setbacks, and his new project set in Italy.
  • The interview was recorded over several days from LaLoggia’s home in the Italian countryside, with minor sound issues due to cell reception.

Financing and Production of Lady in White

Innovative Financing

  • Lady in White was independently financed through a public stock offering – a highly unusual model for the 1980s.
  • LaLoggia created a penny stock company that sold shares at 10¢ each on NASDAQ, later rising to about 30¢.
  • The company raised $4.7 million, with thousands of small investors nationwide.
  • No presales or distributor deals were made in advance; the film was fully financed and completed before any studio involvement.
  • LaLoggia personally traveled around the U.S. with a 10-minute 35mm promo reel, screening it for brokerage firms to attract buyers.
  • The project had to be approved by the SEC, effectively functioning as an IPO.

Filming Details

  • Shot over 10 weeks: half on location in upstate New York, the rest on sound stages at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles.
  • Large interior sets – including the woods – were built onstage to give LaLoggia full lighting control.
  • The film’s cinematographer was Russell Carpenter, later an Oscar winner for Titanic.
    • Carpenter later told LaLoggia that James Cameron hired him partly because of his work on Lady in White.

Distribution

  • After completion, LaLoggia hosted a cast-and-crew screening at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences theater on Wilshire Boulevard, inviting all major distributors.
  • Some were frustrated that he had refused to send them rough cuts earlier.
  • The packed screening (about 700 people) triggered a bidding process that took a year of negotiations before a distribution deal was finalized.
  • He insisted on a deal that protected final cut and artistic control.

Current Rights and Future Plans

  • LaLoggia owns the rights to Lady in White and manages all new deals.
  • A 10-year arrangement with MGM included global TV and DVD distribution.
  • An HD master already exists, and LaLoggia plans a Blu-ray release as part of his next distribution agreement.

Early Filmmaking and Acting Career

High School Shorts

  • Began making films as a teenager in Rochester, New York.
  • His first film, “The Clown in the Light”, was an 8mm short made instead of an English essay.
  • The stop-motion-like effects (objects appearing/disappearing) used Georges Méliès-style camera tricks.
  • His teacher loved it so much she screened it for the entire school.
  • Later made two 16mm shorts:
    • “Willow Point” (15 minutes, B&W, no dialogue)
    • “Gabriel”, a longer 16mm drama funded by raising $10,000 from local investors.
  • Both won festival awards and were distributed by Phoenix Films.
  • Willow Point Falls later inspired the setting name for Lady in White.

Move to Los Angeles

  • Moved to L.A. at 21, bringing his shorts to show around.
  • Met legendary casting director Lynn Stalmaster after a chance meeting in Toronto during auditions for The Last Detail (Hal Ashby, 1973).
  • Stalmaster later became LaLoggia’s mentor, casting him as an actor in several TV pilots.

Acting Work

  • Starred in three pilots in the 1970s:
    1. “Salt and Pepe” – a sitcom about a Puerto Rican kid marrying into a Black family (LaLoggia played the lead).
    2. An asylum comedy inspired by One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, featuring Victoria Principal, Ed Begley Jr., and Maury Amsterdam.
    3. “Snavely”, the first American attempt at a Fawlty Towers remake, starring Harvey Korman and Betty White.
      • LaLoggia played “Petro,” the Manuel-like bellhop character.
      • The show was never picked up, though Korman later contacted him decades later to reminisce.

Fear No Evil (1979)

  • LaLoggia’s first feature: an ambitious, independent horror film made for $450,000.
  • Cut by editor Edna Paul, with Joel Coen (later of the Coen brothers) serving as assistant editor.
  • Distributor Avco Embassy financed completion but recut the film without LaLoggia’s approval, resulting in a version he disowned.
  • The studio later went bankrupt and discarded the original negatives – including those of The Howling, The Fog, and The Thing – keeping only video masters.

Mother (1996)

  • Years after Lady in White, LaLoggia directed Mother, a psychological horror film starring Diane Ladd.
  • Initially shut down in pre-production due to lack of funds; LaLoggia and Ladd sued producer Steve Friedman and won a $600,000 judgment, forcing him to complete it.
  • Shot in 31 days, but LaLoggia was denied final cut and removed from editing before completion.
  • He describes Friedman as “a very sad man” and notes the experience was deeply frustrating.

The Aborted Spider-Man Project

  • Hired by Cannon Films (Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus) in the late 1980s to write and direct Spider-Man.
  • Wrote a 50–60 page treatment; Golan initially agreed with his vision but changed everything in meetings.
  • After an absurd note suggesting Peter Parker should have a dog (“It would cost one million dollar to put dog – it will be no dog!”), LaLoggia quit the project.
  • He was paid out and walked away.

The Giant (Unrealized Project)

  • A Michelangelo biopic inspired by LaLoggia’s 1986 trip to Florence, where he fainted upon seeing the statue of David.
  • Researched extensively, corresponded with art historians, and wrote a screenplay titled “The Giant.”
  • Budget was considered too high ($15–18 million) for the time; now it would require at least $60–70 million.
  • Met with Sean Penn, who loved the script but declined, saying he wanted to quit acting to direct.
  • Penn’s resemblance to Michelangelo inspired LaLoggia’s casting vision.

Life and Work in Italy

  • Moved to Florence, Italy, and initially believed he was done with filmmaking.
  • Began composing again, building a home studio with virtual instruments (Cubase, digital synths).
  • Recorded an album titled “Frankie Goes to Tuscany.”
  • One song, “Miranda,” inspired a new film project.

New Project: Miro/Miranda (or The Total Miranda!)

Concept

  • A musical comedy set in early 1980s Italy about an older man named Miro who dreams of becoming a woman inspired by Carmen Miranda.
  • The film follows his joyful transformation and self-acceptance.
  • The title may be changed to **The Total Miranda! for easier pronunciation in English markets.

Production of the Promo

  • Shot a 10-minute promotional short in Italy, serving as a proof of concept.
  • Budget: roughly €35,000 raised from private investors, with LaLoggia personally funding the rest.
  • Filmed over 13 days using a RED digital camera, professional dancers, and Italian crew.
  • Interior sets built inside a Florentine villa; visual effects (70+ shots) completed by Metafix Studio in Rome.
  • Tone: bright, exuberant, filled with color, dance, and optimism.

Next Steps

  • Created a 60-page treatment with seven songs and is now shopping it to investors and distributors.
  • The promo trailer and more information are available at MiroMiranda.com.
  • Full promo available by private password request.

Relationship with the Host

  • Adam and Frank originally met through Adam’s screenplay Wind and Shadows, which LaLoggia once planned to direct.
  • Their creative partnership and mutual respect add warmth to the conversation’s close.

Episode Wrap-Up

  • Adam thanks Frank for his candid stories spanning decades of independent filmmaking.
  • He promises to post links to Frank’s album, the Miro/Miranda site, and possibly clips from his early shorts on AnywhereButHollywood.com.
  • The episode ends with lighthearted banter and a hint that future episodes will continue exploring “the stories behind the stories” of independent cinema.

Summary Tone and Takeaway

This inaugural Anywhere But Hollywood episode serves as an oral history of one filmmaker’s lifelong relationship with cinema – from teenage experiments to cult classics, studio battles, and artistic reinvention.

 

Adam Charles
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About the author

Adam Charles has written for Walt Disney Television, Amblin Entertainment, and more. Over the years he has crossed paths with so many media personalities, he’s come to think of himself as the Forrest Gump of the film industry.

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