Cinematic Road Trip: Missouri

Concentrate. Concentrate. Here you are. On Jeopardy. Alex Trebek is staring at you. You grasp for breath. He's just read out the "Final Jeopardy" question and that music – that haunting, contagious music – is playing. Quickly. Quickly. Must write down an answer. All your money is on the line. The category is U.S. states. "These two U.S. states share a border with eight other states, the most in the country." Think. Think. Landlocked. Can't be out west. Those states are too big. Um... uhh...

Bum, bum bum. The music ends. Alex looks at you. Sweat drips off your brow. "Let's see what you put down. Tennessee and – I'm sorry. The other state is Missouri. Missouri. Let's see how much you wagered."

And you wake up in a fever. Missouri. Missouri. You always forget Missouri. But, being the Hollywood Producer that you are, you find forgiveness among your peers. Not many think of Missouri when setting their movies - as shown by the relatively low film output from the state in the past 100 years. And with the exception of Robert Altman and Scott Bakula (shout out to my Quantum Leap fans), The Show-Me State has not shown us much as far as raising cinematic talents (oh yeah, don't forget Walt Disney!).

So what's the deal, Missour-uh? You've got some great cities like Kansas City and St. Louis. The Gateway Arch (above) is one of the most popular symbols of America (seen in TV shows, commercials and movies including American Flyers with Kevin Costner) and you have a rich history of influence in the Civil War and in modern-day politics.

And to post another strike against Missouri, I've already mentioned two films that were shot partially in the state: Paper Moon (in Kansas) and National Lampoon's Vacation (in Arizona). To make matters worse, most of the ghetto scenes in Vacation that supposedly occur in St. Louis were actually shot on a Hollywood studio back lot. 

Ok, enough picking on Missouri. In another case of city stunt-doublehood, many of the scenes of the film Escape from New York were actually shot in St. Louis to save money. According to IMDB, The Chain of Rocks Bridge, Union Station, Fox Theatre, and the Civil Courts Building in St. Louis were all used as sets for this futuristic action movie where the president must be rescued from Gotham after being kidnapped by a gang of convicts. Though I'm not sure how much of these sets are recognizable: The film's dark lighting and set decorators dressed it up to appear like a hellish version of the Big Apple.

More recently, Ang Lee set one of his lesser known films in Missouri. Ride with the Devil maybe more famous as Jewel's on-screen debut as an actress, but the film holds up as a decent Civil War-era depiction of Jayhawkers and Bushwhackers – two gangs not necessarily fighting for or against slavery but more for the survival of their own ways of life. The Jayhawkers were from Kansas and tended to be pro-Union while the Bushwhackers from Missouri leaned towards the Confederacy. Lee decided to shoot the film in Missouri to "stay true to the story." An interesting decision given that he has since made a movie in Canada based on a story set in Wyoming (Brokeback Mountain).

Ride with the Devil shows much of the countryside of Missouri – the flat expanses of farmland, the rolling hills of green grass and also some wintertime scenes in the hills and forest. This is a Western-style movie set in a midwestern state, complete with horses and soldier-cowboy types. In the scene where William Quantrill stages a guerilla raid on Lawrence, Kansas, the production team dressed Pattonsburg, Missouri, to look like Lawrence of approximately 150 years ago. This included covering all of the streets and sidewalks with dirt and removing any signs of modernity from the picture.

Missouri, I ask you: Is your state nickname a misnomer? If you will be called the Show-Me State, you must provide some pictures. You had a good running start with the birth of Samuel Clemens but have since fallen off track. Consider this a call to all your writers and filmmakers to start showing off their home.

Also Recommended: King of the Hill

Read More: Want to get a leg up on filming in Missouri? Check out the Missouri Film Commission and the Missouri Film Office's sites. Previously on CRT: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, The Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

Photo: Jeannette Kimmel

Comments

[Evan]

I would have to say that Missouri is actually a pretty beautiful place. The problem is that other than the river, it is fairly indistinguishable above ground compared to its neighbors (all eight of them). The one thing this land has going for it is the caverns. I spent some time camping in the state parks there and it was really cool. I guess the lack in popularity of spelunking films is primarily attributable to the inhibited growth of the film industry here.

[John Ur]

I knew of the cave systems in Kentucky - like Mammoth Cave but did not know that Missouri also had some. Thanks Evan.

http://www.missouricaves.com/mo-map.htm

[Evan]

I do not believe it is known as much for a single large cave system, but more of a wealth of isolated caves. I remember camping in Graham Cave State Park for one. Evidence of human settlement dated back many thousands of years in that cave system as I recall.

[Jenifer]

Missouri is rich in caves, wineries, and some really interesting facts. Meramec Cavern was the hiding place for the James Gang, there is a BBQ restaurant in a hillside cave, and a large Amish population. I have lived here 30 years, and haven't got to explore every facet, but I can recommend some beautiful parks, float/canoe rivers, and fascinating caves. It's too bad we hide our treasures from the rest of the world.:)

[pixie]

Hey everyone, Missouri has a fantastic Film Office, just two people who work their rear ends off to bring production to Missouri. There used to be a bigger staff but unfortunately people have been let go, and the office itself has been moved around. The state used to be a leader in film tax credits but other states caught up and passed it by. As you know it's all up to the legislatures (i.e. politicians) and they either get it (Michigan, Louisiana, New Mexico) or they don't. Despite many obstacles the Mo Film Office has brought in numerous films, including Killshot by Elmore Leonard, and Saving Grace B. Jones by Connie Stevens, and many others that have not been released yet. Take a look at mofilm.org and you will be pleasantly surprised.