IT'S MOVIETIME IN MISSOURI

Most of us didn't even know there was something called the Missouri Film Office. Its purpose is to promote our state as a good place to make movies and to work with production companies to provide local fill-in actors, props and locales.

Movie making isn't new to Missouri. Walt Disney started in Kansas City. Many movies have used Missouri locations. And Missouri has provided its share of top box-office stars, including Springfield's Brad Pitt.

Cape Girardeau has its own current claim to Hollywood. The script for Pitt's new film, "Fight Club," was written by Jim Uhls, a native of our fair city.

Once upon a time, it seems everything had its place: gambling in Las Vegas, movies in Hollywood, auto manufacturing in Detroit and country music in Nashville. It's not that way any more. Who would have dreamed some of the biggest names in show business would wind up living in a little lake town in Southwest Missouri called Branson?