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Plains native Rutkoski gave birth to ‘Baby Frankenstein’ concept

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WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Roll out the red carpet, because the Wyoming Valley is ready for its big premiere.Feature film <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4949388/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_lk2" target="_blank">&#8220;Baby Frankenstein,&#8221;</a> a family-friendly monster flick filmed and set in Northeastern Pennsylvania, will make its local debut at R/C Wilkes-Barre Movies 14, complete with hors d&#8217;oeuvres, audience Q&amp;A and after-party.For the two men who were the driving forces behind the production, it&#8217;s also a real-life case of hometown boys made good.&#8220;Baby Frankenstein&#8221; was born as a collaboration between <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1179669/?ref_=tt_ov_wr" target="_blank">Mike </a><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1179669/?ref_=tt_ov_wr" target="_blank">Rutkoski</a>, a Plains Township native and New York-based actor; and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3090755/?ref_=ttfc_fc_dr9" target="_blank">Jon </a><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3090755/?ref_=ttfc_fc_dr9" target="_blank">YonKondy</a>, a West Pittston native who studied film at the USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles and returned home to turn his lens on the region.We spoke with the pair about their careers and about &#8220;Baby Frankenstein,&#8221; which hits the big screen locally on Oct. 26.Below is our Q&amp;A with YonKondy, edited for presentation here, while <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/721460/plains-native-rutkoski-gave-birth-to-baby-frankenstein-concept" target="_blank">our interview with Rutkoski can be found here</a>.Also see the next edition of The Weekender for more.Q: Jon, tell me about you. Where did you study? How did you become interested in film?A: I was a Wyoming Area guy, and then I studied film and video at Penn State Main Campus.I had a passion for art history, for journalism, for architecture, for photography, and it was the confluence of all those things. Film-making is all of them put together. It engages your imagination because it has all those elements in play. I fell in love with the form of it.Q: And then you attended one of the most prestigious film schools in America. What was that like?A: I was at USC from 2010 to 2014. My last year at grad school at USC, James Franco decided to teach a class. He bankrolled a $500,000 feature and I applied and was one of a few people who got selected to do it. It was really neat.Q: So you worked on a feature film before this?A: Yes. I co-directed <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3954876/" target="_blank">&#8220;Don Quixote&#8221;</a> with James Franco and Horatio Sanz. It is now on Netflix.Q: But then you returned to Northeastern Pennsylvania. Why?A: In 2014, my brother became very ill and eventually passed away. I felt I needed to be back here. My family has been incredibly supportive of me through all this, and I was able to be home and help heal my family.But also, I found such a pride in my roots in Northeastern Pennsylvania. We have a little bit of everything &#8212; history that goes back to Native American history, the Revolutionary War, coal mining, the mob. Then there&#8217;s the variety of landscapes &#8212; crumbling Rust Belt stuff, urban areas that could pass for New York City, beautiful waterfalls, beautiful forests &#8212; there are so many unique things in Northeastern Pennsylvania that we all take for granted. People stay here for a reason, because their families are here and there is a lot of good here.Q: How did you come to work on this movie?A: I was presented with a heck of an opportunity by a guy named Mike Rutkoski. He&#8217;s originally from the area. He&#8217;s been a working actor in Chicago and New York City, and he had this zany off-Broadway play called &#8220;Baby Frankenstein.&#8221; He wanted to adapt it into a script that would be made into a feature film, and he sought me out through Facebook of all things, about three years ago.Q: What is the movie about?A: &#8220;Baby Frankenstein&#8221; tells the story of a young guy, by the name of Lance Wilton, who moves to a new neighborhood with his single mother. They rent half of a little double block in Exeter, and mom has this wacky guy she&#8217;s dating, named Ken Glinevich, who becomes the antagonist in the film.Up in the attic of the rented house he finds Baby Frankenstein. And there is a reward for this monster, who was stolen decades ago and was a science experiment for a company in Wilkes-Barre. The mom&#8217;s boyfriend wants to get the $50,000 reward, and Lance enlists the help of the girl next door to protect the monster from Ken Glinevich.Q: Area viewers will recognize many places and faces, won&#8217;t they?A: We filmed entirely in NEPA, and we were amazed at the outpouring of support that we got from the community, local businesses. We filmed in Boscov&#8217;s Wilkes-Barre, Pizza L&#8217;Oven in Exeter, we filmed in Chacko&#8217;s (bowling center) in Wilkes-Barre, at Community Bank in Wilkes-Barre, everyone was so generous.About half of our cast and crew were working hires from NEPA. We wanted to do that from the get-go. It just made sense business-wise. And I was happy to give some talented people a chance for recognition.Q: The culture of the region also comes through, doesn&#8217;t it?A: Yes! We hope it will expose all the cool little quirky nuances to a larger audience.In one of the scenes in the film, Baby Frankenstein goes out trick-or-treating, and he&#8217;s got the sheet on his head like E.T.Now when I was a kid, when you&#8217;d go to a house asking for candy, you&#8217;d have to tell a joke or sing a song or something.From what I&#8217;ve heard, that doesn&#8217;t really happen anywhere else, it&#8217;s a local Northeastern Pennsylvania thing.So there&#8217;s a scene in the film where they&#8217;re out trick-or-treating, and they stop at this house, and this guy wants them to sing a song or tell a joke, and they do.Q: How did the plan for a local screening come about?A: We did a prior test screening a few years ago, and (Movies 14 General Manager) Blaze Kopec has been a friend. We wanted to do it the right way, in a real movie theater, so it was a no-brainer for us. This is a Wilkes-Barre film, and we wanted to show it in a Wilkes-Barre theater.Q: What can audiences expect from the event?A: This is a family-friendly film and we want to make this a family-friendly event. We encourage everyone to come out and bring their kids. We&#8217;ve priced these tickets so they won&#8217;t break the bank. We want to give back and have people see what we&#8217;ve been up to for three years. We&#8217;re very proud of what we&#8217;ve done.Q: What&#8217;s next for the movie?A: We&#8217;re very close to finding distribution, which means this film will be able to be seen on various platforms, hopefully as soon as this winter.Q: And for you?A: Mike and I have this great working relationship. We&#8217;ve talked about getting together on other projects &#8212; he&#8217;s got ideas, I&#8217;ve got ideas. And I want to shoot more movies in Northeastern Pa.* * *SEE THE MOVIE&#8226; Friday, Oct. 26The red carpet premiere will begin at 6 p.m. at R/C Movies 14 in Wilkes-Barre. Hors d&#8217;oeuvres, snacks, refreshments, and beer (21+) will be served and included in price of admission.Tickets are $10, but kids 14 and under dressed in Halloween costumes will be admitted free. Tickets can be purchased online at <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/baby-frankenstein-nepa-premiere-tickets-51227151790" target="_blank">www.eventbrite.com</a> or at the event.The screening will start promptly at 7:30 p.m., and a Q&amp;A with various members of the cast and crew will begin directly after the film.&#8226; Saturday, Oct. 27.A second-chance screening will start promptly at 1 p.m.<style>
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<div class="neCaption">Rance Nix is seen playing the role of Baby Frankenstein during filming at Chacko&#8217;s Family Bowling Center in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_bf_2-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Rance Nix is seen playing the role of Baby Frankenstein during filming at Chacko&#8217;s Family Bowling Center in Wilkes-Barre. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_TTL11xx15BabyFrankenstein1-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Director John YonKondy checks the camera angle of John Hudak Jr. during filming of a scene for &#8216;Baby Frankenstein&#8217; at Boscov&#8217;s department store in Wilkes-Barre in 2015. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_TTL11xx15BabyFrankenstein1-3.jpg</photo1><caption1>Director John YonKondy checks the camera angle of John Hudak Jr. during filming of a scene for &#8216;Baby Frankenstein&#8217; at Boscov&#8217;s department store in Wilkes-Barre in 2015. </caption1><photoCredit1>Times Leader file photo </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_TTL101118Baby-Frankenstein3-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Jon YonKondy is seen on the edge of his seat at R/C Wilkes-Barre Movies 14, where his locally produced film, &#8216;Baby Frankenstein,&#8217; will premiere this month. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_TTL101118Baby-Frankenstein3-3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Jon YonKondy is seen on the edge of his seat at R/C Wilkes-Barre Movies 14, where his locally produced film, &#8216;Baby Frankenstein,&#8217; will premiere this month. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>&#8216;Baby Frankenstein&#8217; filmmakers talk shop as debut nears</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Roger DuPuisrdupuis@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div>