Tuesday, October 28, 2008 6:16 PM EDT
‘Little Chicago’ producers say they have a firm timeline
By Adam Vosler
Special to the Olean Times Herald
Filming for the movie, which
tells a tale of 1920s bootleggers in Bradford and Olean, N.Y., has been
delayed several times due to difficulty securing big-name actors and
tax credit issues, among other snags.
“I’ve
come to realize, there’s so much work to be done and all this advance
stuff,” Carl Veno, screenwriter and executive producer, said Thursday.
If that wasn’t enough, Mr. Veno announced a new director in late
September, as Jason Wiles took over for Terry O’Keefe.
Mr. Veno cited Wiles’ Hollywood connections as one reason for the
switch, believing he can bring in top-end talent for the film. Progress
on that end remains a mystery, as Mr. Wiles, who played Bosco on the
television series “Third Watch” for six years, does not want Mr. Veno
to reveal any cast members yet.
Either way, filmmakers are prepared to begin shooting by the end of the
year, even though the original plan was to shoot in warm weather.
“There’s
a strong possibility we’ll be shooting through the winter,” Mr. Veno
said. “It’s something I wasn’t crazy about doing, but we’re apparently
going to do it.”
The crew’s tour of the
area will begin in Arcade, N.Y., where Olean’s Erie Railroad Station
will be recreated, along with an orphan train. Members of Christian
Youth Corps Inc. recently helped restore passenger cars that will be
used in an important scene.
“The Christian youth group really helped us up there,” Mr. Veno said.
“They’re painting the trains dark green, as they were in the 1920s.”
After Arcade, Mr. Veno’s crew will next spend three to four days
filming in Niagara Falls, N.Y. Olean filming will take place at the
Christopher Columbus Lodge.
Tentative plans are to hold a nighttime gun battle in the nearby streets.
“That’s where (infamous Bradford gangster and focus of ‘Little
Chicago’) Al Ritchie was badly wounded and was in the hospital for five
months,” Mr. Veno explained.
Shooting will wrap up in Bradford at the Option House and the Pennhills
Club. The Seneca Allegany Casino in Salamanca, N.Y., has also been
mentioned in the past as the possible host of a boxing scene.
“We’re looking for a place to end the movie in Bradford,” Mr. Veno
added. “We’re going to have an explosive end to it.”