Key West The Newspaper

The Tennessee Williams 106th birthday celebration continues with a lecture and tour given by Dennis Beaver, curator of the Tennessee Williams Exhibit, about the 1954 Key West filming of the movie, “The Rose Tattoo.” The two dates for the event are March 10 at 10 a.m. and March 12 at 2 p.m. at the Exhibit at 513 Truman Avenue. The film is a Williams’ adaptation of the play by the same name written by him while living in Key West and for which he won a Tony. The stars of the movie are Anna Magnani who won an Oscar for her role as Serafina and Burt Lancaster. The house where Magnani’s character lived and where most of the film was shot is at Pearl and Duncan Street, next door to where Tennessee Williams had a home for thirty-four years. Both properties are now privately owned. Some local residents were recruited as extras for the film, including one well-known Italian family. The Key West premiere of the film was held at the San Carlos Institute on January 19, 1956. “The Rose Tattoo,” film is being shown at the Tropic Cinema on March 13 at 6 p.m. It is part of the Monday night classic film series offered in March by the Tennessee Williams Exhibit and Tropic Cinema. For more information, contact Beaver at [email protected]