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franks & wieners
www.filmbrothers.com
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with The DelGiorno Brothers This interview with The Film Brothers was originally published in the July 2000 issue of Out & About, northern Delaware's premier entertainment magazine, and is reprinted here with their kind permission. Out & About is available in many finer restaurants and bars in the area. The Wright brothers. The Marx brothers. The Chemical Brothers. The Mario Brothers. Ringling Brothers - all familiar names that testify to how much brother tandems have influenced history. No one could argue that these fraternal teams haven't made their mark on the tally sheet of notable achievements. And now we come to the DelGiorno brothers. Although their current resumé doesn't quite stack up against the rocket trail of the Cohen brothers, thirtysomethings Gordon and Greg DelGiorno are looking for their 15 minutes of fame (at least) as Delaware's first filmmaking siblings. And more power to them. Their debut effort, Franks & Wieners, is scheduled for release in September or October. The world premiere will be in - drumroll, please - Newark. We recently caught up with the self-proclaimed "Film Brothers" to get the scoop on their imminent indie film.  Franks & Wieners' top dogs share a couple with everything. What made you decide to attempt a career in filmmaking? Gordon: I've done every job that you could possibly do. I've waited tables. I've worked crack houses. Nah, but I have done all kinds of jobs. You get bored and you want more challenges. I felt that this was the ultimate challenge. Greg and I wanted to do something big and creative. Greg has done skits and jokes on tape recorders for years. We just decided to collaborate on ideas. It's our time. Who has been your major influence in this endeavor? Gordon: For me it's Judy McKee. She is a national speaker in California who I originally met in Delaware. She's actually a sales trainer. I don't get wowed by too many people. You meet people everyday, but nobody really sets me on fire. She set me on fire, and she is the type that's, like, "Think big". She made me see bigger things in myself. Our dad, too. He was always a "Go for it!" type of guy. Tell us about the inspiration behind Franks & Wieners. Gordon: After I lived in California for a short time, I moved back east. I moved four times in one month. Just bizarre situations were coming up. I was living with this retired couple who had all these rules; they had a laminated menu of rules that I had to follow. It got real nutty, so three days later I moved out. Then next time I moved in with another guy... but his other roommate was gay and he didn't tell me. Don't get me wrong, I have gay friends (but) I didn't feel comfortable (with) him not telling me that up front. And I came in and two guys are having fondue at three in the morning. This is my first night there. Then I moved in with a neurotic old lady. So all this stuff was happening and I was, like, I should make a script out of this. What movie would you compare to Frank & Wieners? Gordon: That's an interesting question. Somebody said it was a cross between Bonnie & Clyde and Something About Mary. I would say that's pretty close, but it's a little on the Airplane side, too. Kinda outrageous. What's the major appeal of this film? Gordon: I think there is something in this movie for everyone. Realistically, based on the material, you're looking at the 25-20-year-old age group. With the comedy in it, you just can't tell. That's why our tag line is, "Come laugh at yourself," because there's over 80 characters in it. Everybody in the world can relate to at least one of these people. So we're telling people, "You're in the movie". How did you come up with the title? Gordon: We were exhausted. The guy's name is Frank and we were going, "Frank and something... Frankfort... Franks and Wieners... just call it Franks and Wieners. I'm tired." Seriously, that's how it unfolded. Now people are starting to say, "I can see what the Franks and Wieners is! The guy's named Frank and the wieners are the people he meets along the way." Greg: It's a catchy title. People that hear it, they like it. Can you tell us the plot in a few words? Gordon: It's about a guy (Paul Goodman) who's 30-35 years old. He's a loser screw-up. He drinks too much (and) screws up so much that his girlfriend leaves him. In the first part of the movie... he lives with a retired couple who think they have kids again. (At one point) he gets all distraught and decides he wants to end his life, so he goes to a convenience store to grab some Nyquil to OD on. Jackie Laser, played by Yvonne Roan from New York, is robbing the place. She's this real street-smart, beautiful, exotic-looking woman who kidnaps him. At first, he's her hostage; but then after a while, he gets into a life of crime. He likes it. He's found a purpose. So they go off and do all these jobs together. Isn't it misleading that you have a hot dog-headed gunslinger in the Arizona desert as the image on your movie poster? Gordon: That's kind of the point. I always liked the open road. The way I look at that one, they're on the road. The hot dog head, it's just a silly image. So no one plays the role of Hot Dog Head? Gordon: We won't say. How long have you been shooting the movie? Greg: A little over three months. So what's been the best part of this experience so far? Greg: Meeting the (actors) and watching them evolve in their characters. I checked out your Website. The guy who plays the role of Frank (Paul Goodman) looks and dresses like Jack Tripper back in 1981. Is he funnier than John Ritter? Gordon: I can't wait to tell him that. He has his moments when he does some funny stuff. Greg: He's a creative guy who is real focused on the movie. Gordon: He's very committed. That head shot is from like 10 years ago. It looks like it. Is the movie-making business all it's cracked up to be? Gordon: It's hard. It's a lot of work. Especially the overnight shoots. It's the hurry-up-and-wait thing, where people come on a lot of times thinking it's a lot of fun - which it is - but there's a lot of waiting around and people get restless. Tempers are flaring. Egos are crashing. But really, we put the right people up front, where we've screened them and put them through a questionnaire to see what their motivation might be. So in a way, yes, it's what it's cracked up to be, because if you pick the right people you'll have a good time. What have you learned during this whole process? Gordon: That we can stay up 38 hours straight. I didn't think my body could do that. If the movie is a success, what will you do next? Greg: Another one. Gordon: We've got two more we definitely want to do. A short film, 'cause we'll be real exhausted after this one. Do it short and tight to gain more exposure in the film festivals. And we have another one - a family drama - that is the marquee one for us. The dramas win Academy Awards. So that's our plan. Can either one of you kick a freestyle for me? Gordon: Freestyle? I don't even know what the hell that is. A freestyle rap. I know one of you two can kick it. Gordon: O.K. Yeah. What do you want us to talk about? It doesn't matter. Rap about your movie. Gordon: Rap about my movie? I don't even know what they do anymore. Do they still do this? Pooh-Ahhawa (Imagine the world's worst beat-boxing attempt) Greg: Nah, that's out. We'll skip over that one. Do you want to give any shout outs? Gordon: FranksandWieners.com Greg: I'd like to give a shout out to everyone who took their time to be part of this and not just come fly by and want to get their face on the screen. Those people deserve thanks. Gordon: Definitely. I'd like to give a shout out to all the people that helped that have full-time jobs.  Co-producers Gordon (right) and Greg DelGiorno have been busy stirring up interest in their upcoming film. This interview with The Film Brothers was originally published in the July 2000 issue of Out & About, northern Delaware's premier entertainment magazine, and is reprinted here with their kind permission. Out & About is available in many finer restaurants and bars in the area. |