Baldwin Film's Unkind Cut

by Michael Rothfeld - Staff Writer

There could hardly have been a better way for Alec Baldwin, Massapequa boy turned movie star, to show affection for the place where he grew up.

Baldwin announced that for his first attempt at directing, he would rent from Nassau County a former Northrop Grumman airplane factory to film "The Devil and Daniel Webster.” In November 2000, his crews arrived at the cavernous building in Bethpage.

"It was a fabulous opportunity for us,” Baldwin recalled last week.

It didn't turn out so well for Nassau County, however. Only three months after Baldwin, a self-declared liberal Democrat, appeared in local newspaper pictures with then-Republican County Executive Thomas Gulotta, the actor's film production company stopped paying its $15,000 a month rent.

Devil Productions LLC finished its work and left in April of last year, owing $30,000 to the cash-strapped county. It also owed $18,000 for utilities to the Navy, which owns the property and had leased it to the county for free. When Nassau officials demanded payment, Baldwin's production company sent them a check -- and stopped payment almost immediately.

In November, Nassau decided to sue Devil Productions, which also stiffed other vendors, including a local delicatessen, county officials said. To date, the county hasn't received a dime of the unpaid rent.

Baldwin, in an interview from London, where he is shooting his latest movie, blamed the whole mess in Nassau on David Glasser, his partner in the project. "The Devil and Daniel Webster,” which besides Baldwin stars Anthony Hopkins and Jennifer Love Hewitt, is about a farmer who sells his soul to the Devil and then reneges on the deal. The film, based on a short story by Stephen Vincent Benét, is scheduled to be completed in September.

Baldwin said Glasser, a Los Angeles producer and distributor, informed him on the eve of production that an investor had backed out, but convinced everyone to continue filming. Baldwin has disavowed the movie and filed suit against Glasser in California for fraud and breach of contract.

"He has all of the financial responsibility and authority and we had all of the creative responsibility,” Baldwin said.

Glasser promised that Nassau would have its money soon. "Alec does not have any financial responsibility,” Glasser said. "He's done everything in his power to make sure everybody gets paid.”

Gulotta did not respond to requests for comment.

But County Executive Thomas Suozzi, a Democrat, said the actor could help Nassau eliminate a deficit projected at more than $400 million by 2005.

"Alec, get us the $30,000, OK?” Suozzi said. "You can afford it, and if it's not your responsibility, get the other guy to send it to us.”

Baldwin, 44, whose film credits include "Ghosts of Mississippi” and "The Hunt for Red October,” maintains a presence on Long Island with a house in Amagansett and teaching stints at Southampton College. He's also flirted with running for political office.

Baldwin called the effort to get work in Nassau for film crews -- who were paid -- "a success.” He wasn't afraid that this incident would reflect poorly on him.

"I have no worries about it in terms of appearances,” Baldwin said. "We wanted to do the film here, Tom was very cooperative ... and our financial partners flaked out on us. ... Glasser owes me a million in cash.”

Glasser, who heads Cutting Edge Entertainment in Los Angeles, said his company already has repaid $2 million of the $3 million owed on the film. He said the Navy might already have been paid, though that couldn't be confirmed, and that Nassau would be, too.

"That money will be paid to them very shortly,” Glasser said. "We could have all just thrown our hands up and said let's forget about the movie, which is what most producers do.”