Made in Key West

Criss Cross

In 1975, a writer named Scott Som-ers came to Key West to soak up the laid-back atmosphere and perhaps find some inspiration. He stayed at the Eden House on Fleming Street. While there, he dated a woman who worked both in the hotel's café and at the Esquire Lounge as an entertainer. She had a young son named Chris.

A few years after this idyll, Sommers wrote a novella entitled "CrissCross" (about a woman named Tracy Cross who lived in a hotel in Key West with her son Chris and who worked in the hotel's café and at the Esquire Lounge, funniest thing...) that appeared in serialized form in Penthouse Magazine. Hollywood picked it up for a movie and paid Sommers to write the screenplay. Producer Anthea Sylbert decided the property would be perfect for her production partner, Goldie Hawn, and "Chris Productions" was born. Chris Menges, a former cinematographer with one directorial effort under his belt, was hired to direct. The cast was filled out with great character actors­ some more recognizable now than they were then­ including Arliss Howard, Keith Carradine, James Gammon and Steve Buscemi. Now all they needed was a place to film­ why not Key West? In fact, why not at the Eden House where it had all happened? And why even not film at the Esquire Lounge?

Why not? Mike Eden, owner of the Eden House, was contacted. Of course he remembered Scott Sommers. Well, sure, he said, let's talk a deal.

A contract was brokered, with local attorney Jack Spottswood representing Eden. Spottswood's greatest contribution to the deal was in insisting on a $35,000 bond against possible damages to the hotel. Otherwise, Eden was paid $5,000, his entire staff was kept on the payroll and all monthly expenses were paid, plus any change to the physical property of the hotel would have to be returned to its original state. Additionally, the hotel would be allowed to rent out six rooms in the two houses at the back of the property.

The production company took over the hotel in May of 1990. Very early in the filming process, Hawn flew to California to appear on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. When asked by Carson what she was doing, she announced she was in Key West, Florida, filming a movie at The Eden House. Remember those six rooms Mike could rent out? The phones in Key West started ringing off the hook and they were soon booked solid for the entire length of the film shoot. Although he only charged half price because of any possible inconveniences, guests were allowed to observe filming. One caveat­ each hotel guest around the film set had to be accompanied by an escort­ a job happily filled by staff members now being paid full wages but who had little real work to do. Filming proceeded, and a good time was generally had by all.

One small exception to all the fun was what happened with the Eden House's front desk clerk. Because the real "front desk" was now part of a movie set, the hotel's entrance was moved to the gas station on the corner of Fleming and Frances Sts. (continued)

The clerk­ fairly young, fairly inexperienced­ was quite surprised one day when one of Key West's finest showed up and told her the office was illegal. Told her that if she was still there the next day, he'd arrest her. Well, Mike Eden and all involved at the Eden House assured her that everything was fine, everything was legal, and to go on with her job. She opened the office the next day, confident that "right" was on her side, only to have the policeman show up and put her in handcuffs! It was only through the intervention of Mike Eden and various code enforcement personnel that the cop was convinced to let her go and let the show go on. The gas station today is Azur restaurant.

There was one big thorn among all these happy roses however­ a thorn named Ulf Zimple. Ulf was manager of the Eden House, and took it upon himself to document everything. If a tree limb was cut down, he took a picture. If a pool tile was broken, he took a picture. If something just plain didn't look right, he took a picture. By the end of filming, Mike Eden was able to claim $18,000 of the $35,000 bond for damages done to his property.

The movie was finally released in 1991 and got mixed reviews, although The New York Times praised it. Its box office figures weren't great, but CrissCross proved to have a long shelf-life and DVD sales are strong. The film continues to pop up on cable as well.

A nice (and very typically Key West) postscript is attached to this film. The lady in question from Scott Sommers' heady time in Key West was notified (she no longer lived here) that a film was being made of her story. She contacted the film company and collected $20,000

The hotel set showing the exterior sign made for the film. Below that is the sign today­ hanging prominently in the Eden House lobby.

Special thanks to Mike Eden, Daniel Seifert and Elizabeth Ross for all their help and information.