Prairie Home Comes Home

When the carriages come into sight, Franken busts through the ropes and down the red-carpeted aisle, shouting as the real celebrities appear. "They're coming, they're coming now!" He gestures back toward the Wabasha intersection, giving high-fives to the gawkers and then quickly dashing into the Fitz's lobby.

Down the runway walks members of the lead carriage: Garrison, his daughter, and Bob (as the friendly members of the crew like to refer to him) Altman and his wife, who draw mild but temperate interest from the crowd. Both men are subdued but seasoned at this game.

When asked what he thought of Altman, Keillor responded, "I am grateful that he gave a first-time screenwriter like me a chance."

Asked about a specific scene in the movie Keillor shared with Meryl Streep, he answered, "That scene worked out pretty good, I am proud I wrote it."

And about what he felt about the final edit of the movie, Keillor gave the highest praise offered by Minnesota guys: "It's not too bad."

 In the next carriages came John C. Reilly, Virginia Madsen, and Kevin Kline.

"You are my favorite actor. I love every movie you're in. Can you please give me an autograph, Mr. Kline?" one person shouts to Kevin Kline, who plays Guy Noir—a character with a smoky and comic debonair tone drawn from the films of the 1940s.

"Why are your address and phone number written on this paper?" Kline wryly asks as he takes her St. Paul map to sign it. "I won't stalk you, if you won't stalk me," she replies.

We went to the St. Paul parade of stars expecting Meryl Streep to be our hero, Lindsay the goat—but things don't always turn out as expected. Intelligent, serious, and politely bashful, Streep is an actress of substance and not notorious for public mischief, but that doesn't mean she'll be friendly—especially to the press. Of course, the most heartwarming and friendly of the cast is Lily Tomlin, who worked the crowd, worked the press, and gave extra attention to anyone interested in her.

"I love Minnesota!" Tomlin chimed after the crowd sought her affirmation of the homeland. "I've been coming here a long time—before you were born," she quipped to one of the teenage well-wishers, adding, "There has always been a fantastic feminist community here."

Minnesota Investors
Dressed up and ready for entertainment, the Landmark Center is secure and bustling with stars and MPR regulars. Capitol City Trolleys deliver the invited moviegoers and stars arriving from the Fitz after viewing the film.

"My wife thinks there should be a treatment center for people who invest in films with a first-time writer, a young director, no known cast, and no distribution," said Minnesota entertainment lawyer John Stout. I've been involved with backing my share of these films over the years." Stout finally feels like he has a winning horse with APHC.