Movies have their place in the sun

The Sunshine State has long lured filmmakers — think “Key Largo,” “Scarface” and “Cross Creek” — not to mention “Caddyshack,” “Cocoon” and “There’s Something About Mary.” Although in recent years, Southwest Florida hasn’t spawned or starred in too many features (“Hoot” and “Adaptation” are exceptions), back in the 1940s, ’50s and early ’60s, the region experienced a mini moviemaking boom. From sweeping Everglades sagas to creepy creatures stalking scientists, Hollywood found inspiration and location in our neck of the woods. Even Elvis got in on the act, singing and goofing his way through “Follow That Dream,” an adaptation of Fort Myers novelist Richard Powell’s “Pioneer Go Home!” Better-known for his best-selling “The Young Philadelphians,” which was also made into a movie in which Paul Newman starred, “Pioneer” was more of a romp: the story of a Yankee family coming to a fictional state he named Columbiana, which very much resembles Florida, and squatting on a stretch of spoil deposited by the state during the building of a bridge, which very much resembles Matlacha. In fact, three years before he died in 1999, the Orlando Sentinel reported Powell based it on what he observed after moving here in the 1940s: people squatting on the newly created land, building homes and opening businesses until the state eventually granted them titles. Great premise for an Elvis movie, right? The New York Times begged to differ. From its review of the film: “Elvis Presley, who was seen in ‘Blue Hawaii,’ now appears on the Florida coast as a combination Sir Galahad and Li’l Abner ... Judging by this laboriously homespun and simple-minded exercise about just plain folks, somebody must have decided that the Presley films have been getting a little too glossy lately. In any case, compared to yesterday’s serving of cornmeal mush (from United Artists), ‘Blue Hawaii’ was caviar ... Judging by some of the humor, the picture isn’t as radiantly wholesome as it pretends ... There’s one archly sensual scene involving a purring welfare worker, Joanne Moore, and Mr. Presley’s carefully exposed torso. An outdoor rest room turns up repeatedly as a major fun prop. Mr. Presley warbles five songs. One of them, ‘Sound Advice,’ isn’t bad, only you wonder who on earth advised him to make ‘Follow That Dream.’ ”影视帝国悬疑片排行榜 好看的综艺节目 台湾综艺节目排行榜