Toronto director and former North Bay resident Frank Caruso is in Alberta making his eighth film.
It's a feature film called Red Pine City, and Caruso says it was inspired by North Bay Jail escapee Donald Kelly from the mid-1970s. The murderer overpowered a guard and escaped from the jail on Trout Lake Road. A massive police manhunt ensued. He was recaptured a month later, but not before shooting and killing the police tracking dog Cloud ll.
"This movie is not about him, but we all need inspiration when we write and that's how it started," stated Caruso in a phone call to BayToday. "I share the writing credit with two North Bay residents, Bill Plumstead and Rod Carley, both well-known teachers. Rod, of course, teaches theatre and is a fine writer, while Bill taught English for many years at Nipissing U.".
Caruso intended to shoot the movie in his hometown North Bay, but a grant application to the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) was turned down. Caruso still isn't sure exactly why,
"I was very disappointed as I really wanted to come back to my hometown for the shoot," he explained. "We wound up shooting this film in Edmonton, Alberta because their tax credits are quite generous. Also because my distributor moved there last year and wanted to launch the distribution company in Western Canada with this film."
Caruso explains that Red Pine City is an action/Adventure love story about a talented but underappreciated female blues/country singer (Kate) whose dream is Nashville and a recording career.
Johnny is a small-town “enforcer” for a local crime lord, Mick O’Neill. Johnny breaks bones but is abhorred at the thought of having to kill. His father is an alcoholic who wants his son to have a better life, but Johnny’s options are limited. He has no money and nowhere to escape.
Their lives intersect when Kate is offered a month-long gig in a small city in northern Alberta – at a bar owned by Johnny’s boss, Mick.
Kate quickly realizes that Mick’s Tavern is a mob front. Mick O’Neill virtually owns the town and he is ruthless in his business dealings.
The moment Johnny and Kate lay eyes on each other, they’re hooked. But her desire to destroy Mick’s operation puts them at odds. Sparks fly.
"This is a fast-paced drama with twists and turns that will keep the audience glued to the screen," promises Caruso.
"My very first movie, No Angel, is about an adman, his lover, and a shady developer subjected to the desires of a wily beauty and was shot totally in North Bay, back in 1990."
No Angel aired on Arts & Entertainment, Superchannel, City T.V., Movie Pix, London Television (UK), and sold to over a dozen foreign territories. It was also screened at the Montreal International Film Festival in 1992.
"Red Pine City is my 8th film offering. My other seven films are presently airing on Amazon Prime, Canada and numerous other streaming services," said Caruso.
