Sharon Wells

A resident of Key West since 1976, it was Sharon who gave us our first real clue about – “Key West” – the TV show. Her 4-14-02 email sent us in the direction of Frances and Southard Sts, to the Bottle Inn – which was the site of the Meteor newspaper office. From there, she directed us to the Meteor sign, which still hangs in the Meteor Smokehouse, located at 404 Southard St.

Sharon is the creator, author and publisher of “The Walking & Biking Guide to Historic Key West. Her guide may be picked up in a variety of locations throughout Key West. Her most recent venture is ownership in the KW Light Gallery, located at 534 Fleming St. You can visit Sharon at her websites: www.seekeywest.com and www.kwlightgallery.com.

Suzi Munez

A trip to the Conch Republic Seafood Company at 631 Greene St. finds a smiling face that belongs to Suzi Munez. Whether she is managing the Gift Shop or being the hostess, you can count on Suzi to make you feel glad you stopped in. Searching for the best Conch chowder and fritters on the island, we stumbled onto Suzi. Little did we know, she would lead us to our most treasured adventure. Asking her if she remembered the old TV Show – “Key West” – she exclaimed, “Sure and the bar they used is still over at Coconut Mallory”. She was completely unassuming, but we felt as if she had handed us a winning lottery ticket! After drawing a map for us, we biked off to the other side of the island and lo and behold, stepped back in time as we found Gumbos! Visit Suzi in the online store at www.conchrepublicseafood.com.

Mary Beth McCulloch

A transplant from Pennsylvania, Mary Beth has owned the Bottle Inn since 1997. With the building empty following the cancellation of – “Key West” – a major rehabilitation was undertaken transforming the building into the Guest House it is now. The renovation remained true to the original structure and, when complete in 1994, was given a restoration award from the Historic Florida Keys Foundation. A Ceramic Star, the highest level of a restoration award possible, was presented and is hung at the entrance to the lobby. Also, in the lobby is a picture taken of the Meteor office. Visit the Bottle Inn at www.bottleinn.com.

“Roofman” and Nena Carr

Fox TV approached the then-owners of Turtle Kraals, Robert and Nena Carr, for use of their bar to film the pilot episode of “Key West”. The restaurant was shut down for a week while filming was completed. Robert, know to his friends as “Roofman” or “Roof”, will tell you that he enjoyed getting to know Fisher Stevens and Jennifer Tilly. According to Roofman, Jennifer Tilly was often seen around town with Lou Diamond Phillips, who she was dating at the time. However, when you talk to his wife, Nena, she will tell you that after having a beer or two, her husband would start calling Fisher, “Fletcher”. Either way, it was a hoot for Roofman to appear as an extra in the pilot episode. Today, Roofman can be found in the A&B Lobster House, one of Key West’s finest restaurants and Nena runs the Half Shell Raw Bar, a favorite of “in-the-know” locals. Visit the Carr’s at www.aandblobsterhouse.com and www.halfshellrawbar.com.

Tom Luna

A familiar face on the Key West scene is Tom Luna. On a given day, he may be the emcee at a charity event, starring in a theatrical production, or the smiling face behind the counter at Peppers of Key West. A local actor, Tom appears in episode 7, Act of God as Mayor Caldwell’s assistant. In the show, he was quiet and unassuming. In person, he is friendly and quick to make you feel at home. A trip to the island is not complete without a visit to Peppers. Located at 602 Greene St., you can recognize the store by the Pepper’s car out front. You can also order online at www.peppersofkeywest.com.

Fred Cabanas

Fred owns Island Aeroplane Tours. As soon as you arrive in Key West, look overhead and you will probably seen him flying. Fred’s red bi-plane was featured in episode 9, Crossroads and 10, We The People. He speaks fondly of the time spent in shooting the series. He proudly recalls that during that time, he received his Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG) card. You can learn more about Fred at www.islandaeroplanetours.com.

Dennis Riley

Known as the official Southernmost Bagpiper in the USA for over thirty years, Dennis Riley can usually be found on Mallory Square at sunset. Amidst the wall-to-wall partying, the sweet strains of Amazing Grace coming from his bagpipes can be heard over the crowd. When asked why he was used in episode 11, Compadres, he answered, “Because I am a part of Key West”. Good answer!

Michelle Geslin

Knowing that the schooner wolf worked with Reef Relief, we visited their office and gift shop. Reef Relief is an organization that works to protect the local environment especially the living Coral Reef. Sonya was working that day and told us that the owner/captain, Finbar Gittleman and the Wolf were currently in Jamaica While we were there, the door popped and in strolled Tim “By the Way”. Asking Sonya if she had heard of the TV show, “Key West”, we discovered she had only recently come to the country. Hearing us talk of the show, Tim informed us that Michelle Geslin had done the design for the sail. Tim had a chilled bottle of champagne under his arm and invited us to share a toast to the day. We quickly purchased Reef Relief cups and the four of us put that bottle of champagne to its best use. Tim’s theory on possessions is that “if it doesn’t fit in your backpack, it isn’t necessary”. Lessons were learned that day – enjoy the moment and don’t take life too seriously! Only in Key West!

It takes a trek up some steep stairs to reach Michelle, but after reaching the top and stepping inside Geslin Sailmakers, you feel as if you are in another world. In this huge room, there are beautiful wooden floors and bolts of material lining the walls. We played a hunch when we spotted the sail maker high over the Schooner Wharf Bar in the Historic Seaport of Key West. Talking with Michelle, we learned that she did a freehand drawing of the “Key West” logo and made it into a huge appliqué for the sail used on the Schooner Wolf in the opening credits of the show.

Captain Jim Gardner

“Just Do It” is Captain Jim’s philosophy when asked about moving to Key West. You can find the barefoot captain on the deck of the fishing boat, Dream, docked outside of Turtle Kraals. Only the stern plate of the Dream was used, and at that, only in the opening credits of the pilot episode of “Key West”, but it was that endearing image of Dream Key West that inspired the name of this website. Captain Jim tells us that Fisher Stevens went out snorkeling several times on the Dream and even took a ride following his break-up with Michelle Pfeiffer.

You can also find Captain Jim at Kindred Spirit, a quaint little shop at 1204 Simonton St. A visit there soothes your spirit the minute you enter. Jim’s wife, Karen and her business partner, Kelly, started this business, and can be found behind the counter. The aromatherapy candles are burning, the bookshelves line the store and if you have the time, they will serve you a cup of tea. If Captain Jim is around, you may get to sample his home baked banana bread. Check out Kindred Spirit at www.kindredspiritkeywest.com

Captain Finbar Gittleman

Captain Finbar Gittleman is Rear Admiral of the Conch Republic Navy, appointed by Admiral Wilhelmina Harvey (former Commissioner of Monroe County, first lady Mayor and First Lady in Perpetuity of Key West). The owner, operator and captain of the Schooner Wolf, Finbar is a wealth of naval history and a vastly experienced mariner…and an all-around fun guy! (for more visit http://keywest.com/royalty.html)The Schooner Wolf is the flagship of the Conch Republic Navy and is still seen gracing the waves for events such as the Pirates in Paradise festival and the annual Conch Republic Independence Anniversary battle. The sea called his name and currently he is serving in the Merchant Marines. However, whenever possible, Captain Finbar is at the helm of the Wolf. The schooner Wolf was used in the opening credits of each episode and showed an all-girl crew. In reality, there was an all-girl crew on the Wolf at the time. Word is that they were a very fine crew, and quite fetching in appearance, but the production company, for reasons known only to them, used actors for the scene. Learn more about the Wolf and it’s experiences at http://keywest.com/scnrwolf.html .

Denise Jackson

If you want to film in Key West, chances are you will meet with Denise Jackson. She was instrumental in getting the “Key West” show locations and has plenty of stories to tell. We tracked her down (tough task- she’s a busy lady!) and asked her a variety of questions. She was kind and entertained us with stories one evening. Among our favorites was one she told about Denise Crosby…it seems, the crew was working one night on Eaton St. Filming had to be interrupted when piano playing could be heard from the house next door. Denise Jackson went over to stop the “interference” only to discover it was Denise Crosby playing the piano. Needless to say, the playing stopped!

Captain Tony

The oldest bar on the island is Captain Tony’s located at 428 Greene St. Although Captain Tony Tarracino has sold his interest in the bar you can still see Tony on his stool near the Gift Shop signing autographs. Quite the ladies man, Captain Tony delights in autographing girl’s bare tummies with a downward arrow saying simply “Captain Tony was here”. Stop by Captain Tony’s Saloon for the best drinks in town and to check out the bar. It is papered with tens of thousands of business cards and wall hangings of newspaper articles about Tony being elected Mayor of Key West (Jimmy Buffett was his campaign manager). There is also the old town hangin’ tree growing up through the floor and out the roof. It is hard to tell which is most colorful, Tony or the bar! To “Key West” fans, Captain Tony can be recognized having the unforgettable line, “No way Bubba, that’s a howling, rolling hurricane” in episode 7, Act of God. Visit www.capttonyssaloon.com for more information.

Dan Wool: (Jacki’s Note)

Before actually setting foot in Key West, I was investigating the Internet. I discovered the website www.prayforrain.com. It was this site, which led me to Dan Wool. Telling Dan of my fight with cancer, I informed him that Bill would whistle the “Key West” theme song to me when I was facing my chemotherapy treatments or some other daunting treatment. Dan was kind enough to send up mp3 clips of the music from the show. Bill put them on a CD for me and I have used them over and over again when faced with an anxious moment. On our November 2003 visit to Key West, we arrived at Gumbo’s (always our first stop on the island) serendipitously at 9:00 p.m. on a Tuesday night (which just happened to be the day and time when “Key West” used to air). In the true spirit of the show, we had those tunes filling the air from the car’s CD player. I have many thanks for the kindness of Dan Wool.

Bankie Banx

Bankie Banx can be seen in the Hurrican episode, Act of God. His character sings a song called Edge of Darkness (available on Bankie’s CD – Mighty Wind) during the storm. A great tune, it supports the feelings of human vulnerabilities and strength of the story. We believe Bankie was featured in this episode because of all that he has done over the years to help rebuild after hurricanes in his native Caribbean Islands. In episode 12, The System, his song, Island Boy (from the CD of the same name) opens the story. Bankie’s unique sound haunts and enchants you and we encourage you to visit www.zemimusic.com if you like to purchase his CD’s.