Clint Eastwood, ‘Jersey Boys’ cast close L.A. Film Festival

The event: The 20th Los Angeles Film Festival came to a close Thursday with the L.A. opening of “Jersey Boys.” That’s the Clint Eastwood-directed adaptation of the stage musical about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, from their formation to their breakup -- with jail time for some members, mob entanglements and a rise to world fame in between.

The premiere: Festival director Stephanie Allain welcomed all to the Regal Cinemas at LA Live, before introducing David Ansen, the festival’s artistic director, who called Eastwood to the microphone. Ansen said he couldn’t think of a better way to end the nine-day festival, which champions independent films, than with the legendary producer, director and actor.

“Clint Eastwood has always gone his own way,” Ansen said, ticking off “Unforgiven,” “Million Dollar Baby,” “The Outlaw Josie Wales,” “Letters From Iwo Jima” and “Mystic River” among Eastwood’s acclaimed films. “American cinema would not with the same without him,” he added.

The after-party: Up on the roof, under the glow of a neon sign reading “Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons,” actress Renee Marino, who plays Valli’s wife Mary, sidled up to Eastwood, singing “Sherry,” as the director drew her in for a hug.

Buffet tables flanked a vintage red Cadillac, and neon signs for various establishments lined the perimeter. No matter that the “Jersey Boys” wore contemporary dark suits, Eastwood came clad in the group’s iconic red jacket from the film’s “American Bandstand” scene.

The crowd: The cast turned out in force and included “Seasons” portrayers John Lloyd Young (Frankie Valli), Vincent Piazza (Tommy DeVito), Michael Lomenda (Nick Massi) and Erich Bergen (Bob Gaudio), plus Alison Eastwood, Erica Piccininni, Johnny Cannizzaro and others, who stopped often to pose for pictures with well-wishers.

Quote of note: Before the film began, Eastwood noted that his 1964 classic “A Fistful of Dollars” closed the Cannes Film Festival and “Jersey Boys” would be ending the L.A. Film Fest. “I hope we’re not setting a bad trend of closing theaters,” he said, “but anyway, there’s a 50-year difference, and if you hang around long enough, good things can happen.”

Reminding the audience of the film’s origins as a musical theater play, he said, “It started out in La Jolla and played two or three nights. That’s what everybody thought was going to be the sum of it all, and then finally it’s still playing nine years later on Broadway, after winning the Tony, and after John Lloyd Young won the Tony.”

Ellen Olivier is founder of SocietyNewsLA.com.