The Poster

I tacked the first poster to the wall in our new house this morning. It's hanging on the sheet rock right next to the door leading from the garage into the shop. That's kind of a busy-looking area right now and will continue to be so. That's precisely why the poster will fit perfectly there.

I bought the poster last night at the Panida after watching A Prairie Home Companion. It was a busy movie with busy sets and ever-changing snippets of back-stage life. Lots of memorabilia not only surrounding the characters in dimly-lit settings but also coming from the mouths of characters, just like that area in our still-congested garage where I pinned up the poster. Just a few feet away from the poster in the darkly-lit area sit family treasures like Bill's high school clarinet, an old bugle he picked up somewhere along the way, Annie's ice skates and some of her hubcaps collected over the years, along with boxes of family photos, books and household trinkets.

In compliance with Annie's perennial wishes while we watch movies, I did not fall asleep during this Garrison Keillor flick. It demanded too much attention and careful listening for any snooze breaks, so much so that I think it's another of those classics which requires a second and a third watching, much like our most recent favorite Napoleon Dynamite.

For anyone who listens regularly to Keillor's weekend radio show coming from downtown St. Paul or from venues across the country, this movie provides more than frosting on the cake. The visual touch of Keillor at the mike wearing his suit and red tenny runners while calmly introducing his cast of regulars and special guests pumps an extra dimension of life into the National Public Radio show that we often listen to while out on back woods roads for our Saturday or Sunday drives.

Seems like a gong always strikes in Bill's head wherever we happen to be when 3 o'clock Saturday afternoon or 6 p.m. Sunday evening come. If we're out driving, he immediately clicks on KPBX, and we listen to each week's production of Keillor's show while looking down over the Moyie River or coming down the road from a hike at Priest Lake. Unlike the lady in white who keeps appearing in the Prairie Home Companion set in the movie, we've managed to keep our car on the road while listening to the songs, skits and commentary rich in Lutheran/Norwegian perspective.

And, now, each time he walks into his shop, Bill can view that poster on the wall and be reminded of the superb acting and singing of regulars and super stars like Meryl Streep, Woody Harrelson and Lily Tomlin that turned his favorite weekend radio show into a supreme movie hit. The only thing better would be to find its soundtrack or for Bill to see the show live some day.

I'd highly recommend the movie, and I have a feeling when it comes out on DVD, we'll have a copy. I'll also predict that we'll probably watch it a dozen times just like we've already done with Napoleon Dynamite and Sherman Alexie's Smoke Signals. All, classics, for sure.

A Prairie Home Companion is playing at the Panida Theater tonight and tomorrow night. Even with The Festival at Sandpoint's opening show last night, the movie at the Panida attracted a record Thursday night crowd, according to theater manager Karen Bowers. We three Loves found it well worth the trip to town.