In 1822, John Simonton purchased the island of Key West from Juan Pablo Salas. He, along with many other merchants, immediately settled the island. Following soon was Lt. Matthew C. Perry who planted the United States flag on the island on March 25, 1822, claiming it as American soil.
This solidified Key West's special place in history and has given the island reason to commemorate its Bicentennial in 2022. Join us as we celebrate film history! Every month we are showing movies filmed in or inspired by Key West.
Our May screening is 1992's "CrissCross," which brought stars Goldie Hawn and Keith Carradine to the island. Hawn plays Tracy Cross, desperate to support herself and her teenage son, Chris (David Arnott), after her troubled Vietnam vet husband, John (Carradine), leaves the family. When Tracy reluctantly resorts to dancing at a strip club to make more money, Chris begins to take on odd jobs to help her out. Unfortunately, his work transporting freshly caught fish leads to a square grouper—and Chris's attempt to become a drug dealer spirals out of control.