Visit from Hollywood
By Jake Wagman
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
05/08/2007
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/s ... enDocument
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Actor Burt Young gets ready for a rehearsal during Monday's filming of the movie "Kingshighway".
(F. Brian Ferguson/P-D)
ST. LOUIS — Hey yo! Seen "Paulie" lately?
You could have, because actor Burt Young, who played the surly brother-in-law of fictional fighter Rocky Balboa, is in town, working on a new feature set in St. Louis.
The crew has been all over the area, shooting mostly at the recently shuttered Tanner B's restaurant at 11th and Pine streets downtown.
Producer Jeff Most — whose credits include "The Crow" and "The Specialist" — is tight-lipped about the plot, but reveals that the script focuses on a love triangle involving an ex-college baseball player seeking acceptance into an insular Italian family.
"Our story is distinctly St. Louis," Most said.
So is their title: "Kingshighway."
"Kingshighway is a metaphor for the characters in the film," Most said. "It happens to run through the neighborhoods where the film is set."
And, no, it's not The Hill, says Most — or at least, if it is, the neighborhood won't be called that in the film.
"I don't want to be more specific than that," said Most, speaking in hushed tones during a filming session last week.
The script was penned by Dan Bishop and Franco Bongiovanni, both St. Louis residents.
Young, talking between takes, described his role as a "stern pop" in a "lovely tough guy story."
Though Young's signature role was staged in Philadelphia, where all six "Rocky" films were set, he likes what he has seen of St. Louis.
"It's like a Manhattan without the people," said Young, 67, in his trademark gravelly voice. "Eight years from now it's going to be a boomtown."
In addition to Young, the cast includes Edward Furlong, Roma Maffia, Waylon Payne, veteran actor Eric Roberts and Clayne Crawford, who is also the director.
The crew, which arrived last month, plans to shoot here until May 15.
So far, scenes have been filmed at a home in Fairview Heights, a jail cell in the old Municipal Courthouse next to City Hall and, last week, a sprawling Compton Heights mansion.
Most is working on his second movie in St. Louis. The first, "Ghost Image," is in post-production.
The producer was attracted to St. Louis, in part, because of generous incentives offered by the Missouri Film Commission — movie companies are eligible for tax credits worth up to half the total amount of money they spend in the state.
Most and others in the industry are backing a bill currently before the state Legislature that would provide more tax credits for movie-makers.
For help with the politics, they could call on Tom Danforth, a production assistant on the "Kingshighway" set who is the only son of former senator and United Nations ambassador John Danforth.
For now, though, the younger Danforth, who lives in the Central West End and worked on Most's earlier production here, is content showing the city to the visitors from Hollywood.
"I love being a tour guide," said Danforth, 34, one of several locals working on the film.
He seems to be doing it well — Most says he has been "extolling the virtues of St. Louis to all of my producer friends in California."
Nearly any type of scene — from pastoral fields to gritty streetscapes — that can be shot in Los Angeles also can be found in St. Louis, Most said.
"Except for mountains," he quipped. "You seem to be deficient on that."
jwagman@post-dispatch.com | 314-622-3580
