Studio guns down St. Joseph's hope for 'Jesse James' movie premiere

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Jesse James is a big deal in St. Joseph, which is where the Wild West outlaw was assassinated. But that doesn't seem to matter to Hollywood.

"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" is being released in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto and Austin, Texas, on Friday. The movie stars Brad Pitt as James and Casey Affleck as his assassin.

But like Jesse James, St. Joseph's hopes of being associated with the production or release of the film have been shot down.

"It's disheartening," says Beth Conway, communications director for the St. Joseph Convention & Visitors Bureau. "I think it would have been nice if they would have embraced us as a location to at least screen the movie."

The film, featuring the landscape of America's Wild West, was shot in Canada.

The film about a man who robbed trains had its world premiere in a city built on water, Venice, Italy.

Some local residents anticipate the film's release as a chance to have one of St. Joseph's most notable figures brought to life by one of Hollywood's leading men. But others think the film's studio, Warner Bros. Pictures, has turned a cold shoulder on St. Joe.

Conway has been campaigning to get the film shot or premiered in St. Joseph for the past two years.

"They know that we are here, and they know we are interested, but they don't have to answer to us. We're small potatoes," Conway said.

But she hasn't given up.

"We're obviously holding out hope that the movie comes here at all," she says. "These are the people who are most interested in the story of Jesse James."

But Gary Chilcote, director of the Patee House and Jesse James Home museums, doesn't necessarily agree after witnessing local attendance at the Jesse James Home museum.

"Most people couldn't care less," Chilcote said. "If they don't care enough to come and see where Jesse was shot, why would they care about the movie?"

But having the film about a prominent St. Joseph figure screened elsewhere could be beneficial for the town, he said.

"I think having more people from other areas see the movie will do more for us than having people see it in St. Joe," Chilcote said.

Whether Brad Pitt or "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" comes to St. Joseph or not, Chilcote hopes that the movie will allow Jesse James' legend to live on that much longer.

"Any publicity is good publicity," Chilcote said. "The worst thing that could happen is for people to say, 'All right, Jesse's dead, now forget him.'"