September 12, 1989

Reymans’s East 65th Street Film Palace

 

 

I met with the producer of Think and Die, Tom Scarpino, in the West Coast offices of Hi-Caliber Films. He seemed eager to talk about the movie. Actually, he seemed eager to talk about anything.  The office seemed pretty quiet. There was an actual rotary phone on his desk that looked like it hadn’t rung in a long time.

 

Where did the idea for Think and Die originate?

 

It was Delbono who first wanted to make a movie. As you’ll recall, at that time Chafe was a huge professional wrestling star. He saw Arnold Schwarzenegger and Steven Seagal having success crossing over to films and he wanted to get in on the action, so to speak. He approached Marty Kozlowski [Director, Co-writer] and me to see if we were interested in collaborating with him.

 

Did he know what kind of movie he wanted to make?

 

Yeah, he told us exactly what he wanted – guns, car chases, fights with nerds, explosions, and a pretty girl. For writers like Marty and me, hearing a clear vision like that was really a gift. The script pretty much wrote itself.

 

Delbono comes across as very natural in the film. He seems completely free of technique, lacking any kind of method. Had he ever acted before?

 

I suppose you could say that. He was, after all, a professional wrestler.

 

How did you cast the other roles in the film?

 

The blonde was the girlfriend of someone on the set. I remember it took a bit of cajoling to get her to kiss Delbono. Mostly because he’s such a perfectionist, you know. He called for about twenty takes of that scene. Marty would say, “We got it, Chafe.” And Delbono would give us that cold stare of his and rasp, “Let’s do it again.” What a pro.

 

And the Professor?

 

He was just some guy wandering down the street who had the look we were going for. He was pretty excited at first when we asked him if he wanted to be in a movie. Maybe he thought we were making a porno or something. He started having second thoughts though, on the set, when we explained we needed him to get punched in the face and have a gun shoved down his throat. But we locked the doors—wouldn’t let him use the bathroom either—until we got those shots in the can.

 

The film has a real edgy mood; it’s very dark and grainy.

 

Yeah, there was a bit of luck in that. It was exactly what we were going for. It was also, actually, all we could afford. You can see every dime we spent in that Super 8 footage.

 

With such a small budget how were you able to shoot those dynamic action sequences?

 

We shot all that footage one evening standing on a corner of Ninth Avenue in Manhattan. You gotta remember New York City was a very dangerous place in 1989. We just set up our camera and shot what was happening on the street that night.

 

But there’s one shot of a small jet exploding and another of a guy with a flame thrower?

 

Yeah, I know. What a town.

 

There was some controversy when the film first came out about the scene with Mother Theresa. How did you handle that?

 

We just ignored it. We’d already sent a rough cut of the film to Mother T for her blessing. She was very supportive. She even suggested we change the line the bleeding hearts didn’t have the guts to
the bleeding hearts didn’t have the cojones. But Delbono nixed it. He felt his audience didn’t understand Japanese.

 

So, I guess the thing I’d most like to know is why you never finished the film? Were there creative differences? Were you not able to get the funding?

 

What do you mean?

 

Well, Think and Die is just a trailer for a movie, right?

 

No, no. It’s the movie.

 

But it’s only 90 seconds long. That’s not a movie.

 

Sure it is. What else do you think it needs? A bunch of stiffs standing around explaining the plot?
If that’s the kind of movie you want, call George Lucas. Delbono really doesn’t get the credit he deserves for his vision. He understood what the ADHD Generation—the YouTube kids—wanted before they were even born.

 

So was there ever talk of a sequel?

 

Marty and I did write a preliminary draft for a follow up called Think Again and Die 2. But once
Run Run Shaw saw the film he sent Delbono a plane ticket to Hong Kong and that was the end of it. We never saw him again.

 

Do you know what Delbono’s doing now? I haven’t seen much about him lately?

 

I think he’s coaching a high school wrestling team in upstate New York. I heard he actually married his co-star.

 

The Professor?

 

No, the blonde.

 

Oh…well…thanks for your time.

 

Sure thing. Got lots of that.

Chafe Delbono

James Reyman

 

Delbono’s Woman

Karen Majestic

 

The Professor

Paul Kozlowski

 

 

 

Director of Photography

Jason Kessler

 

Assistant DP

Sheila Szczepaniak

 

Stage

B-Video Studios

 

Paintbox Artist

Susan McCarty

 

Graphics Studio

WNET – Channel 13

 

Narrator

Kevin Moriarty

 

Music Score

Martin Kozlowski

James Reyman

Tom Scarpino

 

Music Performed by

The Wild Banana Boys

 

Recording Studio

Reyman’s House of Hits

 

Film-to-Tape Transfer

IVS

 

Edit house

Film/Video Arts

 

Written, Produced, Directed and Edited by

Martin Kozlowski

Tom Scarpino

 

 

 

 

In fond memory of The Professor