The cast and crew of the latest Robert Altman film wrapped up their work and headed home this week. For the past month they'd taken over the Fitizgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minn., home to the popular public radio show A Prairie Home Companion, which also happens to be the subject of the film.
The show's creator Garrison Keillor wrote the screenplay, a fictional account of life on the show. Keillor plays himself, acting with a host of Hollywood stars including Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Kline and the young star Lindsay Lohan.
Originally Keillor approached Altman with an idea for a movie about Lake Wobegon, the fictional town made famous in Keillor's stories. That didn't interest Altman. But he said he would make a film about the radio show. Keillor hesitated but Altman wouldn't back down. So the radio host finally agreed to write a fictional version of his own show.
Lynn Neary visited the set of the movie.
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