SCRANTON -- Ten years ago, Lackawanna County commissioners approved a plan to invest $500,000 in Paul Sorvino's movie, "The Trouble with Cali," to be filmed in Scranton.
"We`ve known for nine of those years it was a big mistake," said former minority commissioner Mike Washo.
When he heard the news last week that the movie won`t be distributed, Washo wasn`t surprised. He's been looking at records, and Washo never saw the movie proposal Sorvino brought to the majority commissioners ten years ago.
It includes the warning, "It is generally believed that most independently produce films. Have resulted in losses to their investors."
"It was like folks there had never been with a 'celebrity' before," said Washo about former majority commissioners Bob Cordaro, AJ Munchak, and their supporters. "Paul Sorvino was an actor. He wasn`t a producer and that was the big mistake."
Minutes of a December 2005 commissioners meeting show Sorvino promising a well-known Hollywood promoter would insure the film`s success.
The minutes show the actor calling this "a pilot project" that would bring more movie-making to the region. It's an idea the New York Times would later label, "Hollywood on the Lackawanna."
Action 16 Investigates asked Washo if that concept ever stood a chance.
"Never, never in my mind," responded Washo.
Renewed interest and outrage surfaced last week when Sorvino announced the movie is dead.
Commissioner Pat O`Malley asked for the county to consider legal action to get the money back from Sorvino.
Washo doesn't think that's possible.
"There isn`t anything that can be done," said the former Commissioner. "Our lawyers looked at this, and there`s nothing to be had."
Newswatch 16 wanted to ask commissioner O`Malley if it was worth any taxpayer dollars to take legal action and try to get Sorvino to pay the money back.
But we were unable to get an interview, and told he was in meetings all afternoon at his downtown office.
Washo is frustrated nothing can be done to get back the money. He even showed us how the county cut Sorvino a check in 2005 three weeks before the majority commissioners approved a deal with the actor.
Paul Sorvino cancelled an interview we scheduled with him in New York City.
Sorvino said by phone he wants to get his side of the story out, but was told by his lawyer not to talk, because of the renewed call for legal action.
