KEY WEST LOU / KEY WEST A MOVIE MAKING LOCALE

Many the movie has been filmed in Key West. Included are License to Kill, The Laundromat, The Beach Bum, Operation Petticoat and The Rose Tattoo.

Yesterday marked the 68th anniversary of the first day of filming of the The Rose Tattoo. November 3, 1954. The movie was based on Tennessee Williams’ play of the same name.

Williams lived on Duncan Street in Key West. The movie was filmed in a house two doors away from his. The movie starred Anna Mangani and Burt Lancaster. Lancaster stayed at the Williams home during the filming.

Anna Mangani won the Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress for her role.

Lisa and family reside on Duncan Street. One and a half blocks from the former Williams residence.

The Williams home continues to be in excellent shape. It has been owned by the same snowbird couple for more than 30 years. They have taken excellent care of the property. The same cannot be said for the Rose Tattoo house. It was permitted to remain empty for years and not cared for. Finally a few years ago, the house was purchased and renovated. Not as well as it could have been, however.

Christianity continues moving a step too far. Saving souls not enough to do. Getting its nose in matters none of its business is. The Catholic Church a perfect example.

A significant portion of the Catholic Church is far right authoritarian in its thinking. The National Catholic Reporter on 11/3 published an article on redemption: For A Redemption Story, Look To The Phillies, Not The Astros.

What does baseball have to do with redemption?

The article spelled out the already well known cheating of the Houston Astros in 2017 by the use of a video feed to steal opposing team signs during the World Series championship season and the year after.

It’s no wonder Catholic Churches are empty, parishes combining, Catholic schools closing, etc. The Church has forgotten the work it was intended to do. Yes, stealing baseball signs wrong and even qualifies as a sin. A minor one at best. As bad as eating meat on friday when such was prohibited many years ago.

Not all religions have moved to the far right. The Jewish religion is being persecuted again. Increasingly so. By many of Christian faiths.

With anti-Semitism on the rise, American Jews are rightfully concerned. So concerned they are asking “where must we move.”

Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank, one of the Jewish faith, wrote an excellent article  0n 10/28 on the issue: “American Jews Start To Think The Unthinkable.” The unthinkable…..Flee the United States. Would you believe?

Jews constitute 2 percent of the U.S. population. Their fear a growing one.

Anti-Semitism in the U.S. has tripled since 2015. Jews subjected during that time to acts of harassment, vandalism and assault. Milbank succinctly wrote: “If it isn’t safe here, it won’t be safe anywhere.” He’s right.

The problem an increasing one. Just yesterday the FBI’s Newark offices issued an alert saying it had received “credible information of a broad threat to synagogues in New Jersey…..Stay alert!”

Elections tuesday. Vote not for any candidate who is anti-Semitic. In these tumultuous times, Jews have been added to blacks as groups to dislike/hate. Who is next? You, me, who?

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