He gets bang for his buck

These days, movie producer Eugene Musso rubs shoulders with the likes of Woody Harrelson, Susan Sarandon , Bette Midler , Val Kilmer , Danny DeVito and Jon Hamm . But growing up on South Webster Avenue in Scranton, he was as far removed from a stereotypical film geek as you could get.

“I went to the movies, but it wasn’t like I had to go to see them,” he recalls. “I went when I could afford to go. I was more of a working guy.”

One of seven children raised by educators Anthony and Diana Musso, Eugene spent summers toiling at three jobs to pay for college and help put gas in the family car. He worked at a clothing store, delivered mail and helped run a nursery outside Lake Wallenpaupack, where he still keeps a home.
“In the winter, I used to pray for snow so I could make money shoveling it,” he recalls.
A talent for finance led Musso to a career as an accountant and, subsequently, a producer with Code Entertainment, a company he founded with Bart Rosenblatt and Al Corley (best known for his role on TV’s “Dynasty.”) The trio’s latest release, “Kill The Irishman” opened in theaters in spring and recently turned up on Blu-Ray and DVD.
A crime-infested drama in the tradition of “GoodFellas” and “Donnie Brasco ,” the film follows the true-life adventures of Danny Greene (“Rome’s” Ray Stevenson), a Cleveland troublemaker who, in the 1970s, rose up the ranks from union organizer to mob enforcer, eventually turning the tables on a handful of major crime figures (Christopher Walken and part-time Scranton resident Paul Sorvino ).
Along the way, the Mafia tried to take Greene down with car bombs and bullets but failed repeatedly, making the Irish brute seem indestructible.
The movie documents “such a great piece of American history,” Musso says from his home in Fort Lauderdale. “The script just flowed, and every character was fascinating.”
Musso and his Code Entertainment partners were so compelled by Greene’s story they tried to get the movie made eight years ago. But just as they were preparing to hire a director, some of the story’s real-life mobsters let it be known they wanted to play themselves in the film.
Spooked by the prospect of dealing with angry thugs, Musso and company backed off. When the project came back around, “the dust had settled” and the real-life criminals were no longer an issue.
“We took ‘Kill The Irishman’ from a script to a rewritten script through to principal photography, post-production and distribution,” Musso says. “We cover all facets of the film business, from start to finish.”
According to Rosenblatt, Musso is primarily responsible for lining up financing for the movies Code Entertainment oversees. “Gene is an active producer who has great taste in material and has an understanding of the financial aspects of film production as well,” Rosenblatt notes via e-mail. “He is involved in evaluating potential projects and making decisions as to whether they make sense financially.”
Because most of the movies Musso produces are shot on a tight budget, it’s up to him to get the most bang for the buck. In the case of the Cleveland-set “Kill The Irishman” that meant shooting the movie in Detroit, where significant tax breaks helped the bottom line.
Musso credits his years in Scranton with giving him an understanding of the value of money. “I realized money isn’t easy to get, and you shouldn’t spend it easily,” he says. “When you aren’t handed money, you’re more cautious with it. “
After graduating from Scranton Central High School in 1968, Musso majored in accounting at the University of Scranton, where his father worked in the foreign-languages department. An eight-year stint at the prominent Philadelphia accounting firm Haskins & Sells followed.
While working as a CPA, Musso became friends with Rosenblatt and Corley and opted to help them run a number of production companies, including Artists Writing For Film, Neverland Films and, eventually, Code Entertainment.
“Basically, Al and Bart talked me into it,” Musso says with a laugh. “As I listened to them, I agreed. I thought, ‘We can do this. Why not?’ It’s interesting and fun.”
Musso’s filmography includes high-profile films “Palmetto” with Woody Harrelson and Elisabeth Shue , “Drowning Mona ” with Danny DeVito and Bette Midler, “Noel” with Penelope Cruz and Susan Sarandon and “You Kill Me” with Tea Leoni and Ben Kingsley .
“They’ve all been hard to put together,” he says. “None of them has been easy.”
Musso doesn’t play favorites with his movies. “I like them all,” he says. “They all have a unique status. …We did have a great time making ‘Drowning Mona’ in Los Angeles. Danny DeVito is the best. What a great person!
“We’ve worked with Woody (Harrelson) twice, and he’s a very talented guy. We got him for ‘Palmetto’ right after he shot ‘The People Vs. Larry Flynt ’ and sold the movie to Castle Rock before we even shot a frame of film.”
Since his parents died, Musso rarely makes it back to Scranton, but he does spend at least five weeks a year at his second home in Lake Wallenpaupack. The producer owns 30 acres of land and two properties, including a home his father bought in the 1940s.
“It’s beautiful up there,” he says. “It’s such a great place to relax.”
Truth be told, the 59-year-old Musso doesn’t do much relaxing. According to the producer, getting movies made in recession-battered Hollywood is a much tougher job that it used to be.
But Musso is not complaining. “I get up, and I’m running. I’m a can-do person,” he says. “Some people say, ‘You can’t do this, you can’t do that.’ I feed off the excitement of doing something – and doing it right.”
Source http://www.timesleader.com/