I had a chance recently to talk to an Oklahoma living sports hero and a few minutes later to busy Hollywood film director. Coach Jim Keith had a true Cinderella team in the 1960s. Still it came as a surprise when the Sayre, Oklahoma high school coach of the girls basketball team was approached by his uncle who wanted to write a book based on Keith's near legendary story. Keith's eyes got even wider when filmmaker Robert Collector got in touch about making that book into a movie. The result was "Believe in Me."

The independent film had select showings, mostly across Oklahoma and Texas. It's also had screenings at the Jackson Hole Film Festival, Santa Barbara Film Festival, at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art (where Coach Keith, the film's director, and several of the original team members were in attendance). The movie is now out in DVD.

Speaking from his home in Claremore, Keith, now in his 80s (and still coaching parttime!), was proud of his Lady Cyclones, proud of the book and can't say enough about how well the film turned out. "People are in tears at the
end of the movie," he said. "There are schools that have taken their whole teams, both girls and boys, to see it."

Collector, calling from California, said, his wife turned him onto the book. "She had read it, remembered it and told
me I should make it into a movie," he said. After reading it, he agreed. But, getting another movie made about a small town sports team that overcomes great odds had its own hurdles. "There were a couple of big names interested in coming on board when they heard I was making it," Collector said. "But they were wanting some big changes and to
shoot it in Canada."

Collector, who wrote the Chevy Chase comedy "Memoirs of an Invisible Man" and directed the sci-fi thriller "Nightflyers," knew what he wanted. "People are always saying how Hollywood doesn't make films for families
anymore, well, I did," he said.

"The film is set in Western Oklahoma," said Keith, "they'll recognize it in Lawton. Lawton is even in the film. We play a regional tournament there."

Collector said, "It's a feel-good movie like we just don't see much anymore."

"Believe in Me" stars Jeffrey Donovan, Samantha Mathis, Bruce Dern. Rated PG (teen pregnancy, language). I got to see an advance DVD of "Believe in Me." It's the story of a reluctant girls basketball coach who transforms himself, the lives of young players and the pride of a small town in Western Oklahoma. It's beautifully made and will pull the heartstrings of anyone who works with young people. While some liberties are taken with Coach Keith's life story and the book "Brief Garland," the film is exciting, funny, dramatic, just like the lives of real teenagers, and it is an inspiration. And I never knew how much Clovis, N.M. looks like Southwest Oklahoma.