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AN ELEPHANT NEVER FORGETS: EPISODE 8: FEAR NO DANTE

Writer's picture: Frank LaLoggiaFrank LaLoggia

Updated: Aug 29, 2023

Lots of stories to tell regarding the journey that led to LADY IN WHITE.


When FEAR NO EVIL opened in the United States, the distributor, Avco Embassy Pictures, “platformed” the picture with a “roll-out”. What that means is that they decided to open the picture in key locations first rather than all across the country at once. In the case of FEAR NO EVIL, the film initially opened in January, 1981, in Florida and Texas. Avco decided to fly me to both states for television, radio and print interviews. It was a pretty heady experience for a 27 year old kid: The best suite in the best hotels (stocked with Dom Perignon), limousines and publicity agents.

My two young nephews and niece, none of them in their teens yet, were living in Tampa at the time. So “Uncle Frank”, who just happened to be in their neighborhood for his first movie opening, decided to scoop them up and take them to a matinee at their neighborhood theater. We arrive at the box office and I take out my wallet to purchase our tickets to a chorus of “What?!”, “That's crazy, Uncle Frank!”, “You shouldn't have to pay for tickets to see YOUR OWN MOVIE!!” The poor girl in the ticket booth calls the manager to quell the mini-riot that's erupted out front.


“What seems to be the trouble here?”, asks the manager. “He's our Uncle Frank and he MADE this movie! Why should he have to buy tickets to see his OWN movie!?” The manager asked me if this was true and I told him that it was. The three brats insisted that I show him my driver's license to definitively prove their point. I did. The manager, duly impressed, said that they were absolutely right. I would certainly NOT be paying to see my own movie with HIM in charge!

After we followed him into the theater and took our seats, he proudly made his way to the front of the cinema and positioned himself mid-closed curtain to make an announcement to the audience:


“Ladies and gentlemen, we are exceptionally pleased and honored to have with us this afternoon, the man who wrote, produced and directed the motion picture you you are about to see, Mr. Frank LaLoggia! Mr LaLoggia, would you stand up and take a bow?”


The brats start cheering and pushing me up out of my seat screaming “That's our Uncle, Frank!” as the seven or so paying audience members twist their necks to look behind them to see what all the fuss was about. Upon my sitting down again, the manager looks upward to the projection booth and with a sweeping wave of his hand proclaims “OK, Charlie! Let's roll-em!” Lights dim and the film begins.


As a result of the film's opening out of town in its initial dates, the initial reviews were, obviously, from out of town critics. It was the industry film “rag” Variety's policy to have a “stringer” on hand to write their review for them whenever this occurred. Shortly after these opening dates and having returned to my home in L.A., I was invited to a party at the home of Mick Garris. Mick, at that time, was working in publicity at Avco Embassy Pictures. His career as a Director was to begin a few years later.


John Carpenter and Joe Dante were at Avco at the same time I was working on post production for my film. When the deal was made, I was excited about meeting these guys and other filmmakers that were hanging around the studio. Won't it be fun to share stories and get to know each other, I thought? Carpenter was there with THE FOG and Dante with THE HOWLING. Unfortunately, I never did get to meet either one of them during that period. So, I was pleased to run into Joe Dante at Mick's party in the kitchen that night, both of us looking for additional munchies to help pass the time.

“Hi, Joe. I'm Frank LaLoggia. Nice to meet you!” “Hey, you too!”, (chomp, chomp). “Great review your film got in Variety.” “Thanks!” “You're welcome!”, (chomp, chomp). “Only reason that happened is that you were reviewed 'out of town'.” Walks away...(chomp, chomp).


Dante's review of THE HOWLING in Variety wasn't negative but wasn't a rave either. I have to admit, that FEAR NO EVIL'S review WAS better, even glowing by comparison. I wish that that had been the case throughout the rest of the country, with other publications, but many of them were not.

FEAR NO EVIL opened to very good box office numbers throughout the country. Bob Rehme, the President of Avco Embassy, even sent my cousin Charlie and I a personal letter congratulating us on its opening numbers stating that it had done better than THE FOG. As for Dante, I never had any other personal contact with him after that. Anecdotally, there was a lovely young lady that took a romantic interest in me who worked as a secretary at Avco. On our one and only date, she told me that the other girls at Avco referred to me as “the Lothario” and Dante as “the sexless wonder.”

(Chomp, chomp.)


AN ELEPHANT NEVER FORGETS: SAY IT AIN'T SO, JOE!



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