Apr 3, 2008
Film highlights Bridgeport sites, local actors
By Brad Durrell
The director of an independent film made mostly in Bridgeport said the city may have a bright future as a place to produce movies.
“Bridgeport was tremendously supportive,” said Tom “T.K.” Reilly of Fairfield, who directed and wrote the film. “It was a great place to shoot. No one we approached had any trouble with us shooting there.”
The uplifting film, “Bobby Dogs,” deals with a middle-aged man’s successful struggle to overcome alcoholism and open up a hot dog stand.
Reilly and four of the actors appeared at a free screening of the film at the downtown Bridgeport Public Library on Saturday, attended by about three dozen people. The actors present were Joshua Eaddy, Damien Langan, Chris Mancini and Michael Nastu.
The movie showcased Seaside Park in particular, where the main character’s hot dog stand — actually a truck — was established. The film crew spent 17 days in Seaside Park.
“Bobby Dogs” also includes scenes shot at Mountain Grove Cemetery and the Bridgeport Garden Apartments in Black Rock as well as numerous neighborhood scenes done in the Hollow, on Fairfield Avenue and on State Street.
Aerial footage was taken with the help of local pilot Morgan Kaolian, who runs an aerial photography business.
“It could not have been more local,” Reilly told the audience after the screening at the library, thanking city Parks Commissioner Gene O’Neill and longtime Board of Education administrator Allan Wallach in particular for their help with making the movie.
Reilly described Wallach as a “real indy film buff” who helped secure a house on Jewett Avenue, in the North End, for one interior scene.
Other scenes were shot in Fairfield. The Super Duper Weenie restaurant in Fairfield, near Black Rock, figures prominently as that is the name of the main character’s hot dog stand in the movie.
The original truck used in real life to start Super Duper Weenie is what the film’s main character uses to begin his business, which appears ready to fail before it wins a culinary contest.
“Bobby Dogs” has been nominated for a Prism Award, given annually to films and other forms of entertainment that accurately depict substance abuse problems.
Filmmakers like the city
Bridgeport has become a popular place to make movies in the past few years, helped by a generous state tax break program that is attracting major filmmakers to many parts of Connecticut.
Reilly, who also has wrote and directed an independent short film, “The Barbershop League,” said Bridgeport has tremendous potential because it offers such a diversity of backdrops.
“If you want to do any kind of urban scene it’s as good as it gets anywhere, plus it’s also near suburban areas,” he said. “It’s also very accessible, with New York so close.”
Many crew members for the films being made in Bridgeport come from New York City and belong to important entertainment unions.
The film doesn’t star any household names but rather an assortment of local actors, many of whom have appeared in Connecticut theater. For instance, Fairfield native Mike Boland, who plays the main character, now is appearing in a national touring company of the play, “Twelve Angry Men.”
Reilly wouldn’t reveal how much it cost to make the film, saying only it involved “a true shoestring budget.”
Only some camera and sound crew members were paid. “This is all a labor of love,” Reilly said.
The actors donated their time and effort because they hope the film helps them get noticed in the industry, according to Reilly. “Their passion is acting,” he said.
Aspiring actor had role
Joshua Eaddy, a native and longtime resident of Bridgeport who now lives in Stratford, has one of the main roles as the primary character’s close buddy and hot dog stand employee.
Eaddy said it was a joy to get up and go to work at Seaside Park every day. “At the time, I didn’t even have to drive there,” he said.
He works for the state-run Greater Bridgeport Community Mental Health Center near Bridgeport Hospital, and has appeared in some other films and local plays as well.
“I hope to make it my sole career,” Eaddy said of acting. He is a 2005 graduate of Housatonic Community College’s theater arts program.
Reilly, who works in the fuel brokerage business, grew up in Westchester, N.Y., and moved to Fairfield about 15 years ago. He is married with three children.
He said the film is fictional, with some “vignettes” of real life used to create the story line.
“Bobby Dogs” premiered last June during a week-long run at Fairfield’s Community Theater. It also has been shown at film festivals in Boston, Beaufort, S.C., and Syracuse, N.Y.
Filming began in December 2006 and took three months to complete, with some breaks. Dozens of local residents had minor acting roles in the film.
The Bridgeport Public Library has two copies of “Bobby Dogs” on DVD available for rental. Copies are sold at Super Duper Weenie.
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
