Streetwise

I have lived in Seattle all my life, I watched and knew people like the kids in Streetwise. Many people would like to think that Streetwise was a "scripted" movie and that these kids "played up" their lives for the cameras. Scary as it might seem they did not. This was life on the streets of Seattle when I was 12-13. I know, I was a part of it.

Children, barely old enough to take care of themselves ran amok on the streets, had drug habits and prostituted themselves for some food money. They had parents that beat them or were in jail or molested them and that life on the streets was preferred to life at home.

I appreciate that this movie was so truthful and showed what life is really like out on the streets when you open your eyes.

I've watched this movie several times and I am happy that I got off the streets and survived. But the movie does make me wonder if I was the only one. Watch this movie and open your eyes.

'STREETWISE' the documentary film

Director & Cameraman: Martin Bell

Sound Recordist: Luther Keith Desmond

The rest of the credits are on the 'Streetwise' web site.

Recently, someone mentioned '…Didn't you have summat to do with Streetwise?….' This prompted me to look through the Streetwise website for the first time. I was more than a trifle surprised to find, there's a whole raft of you out there believe this remarkable film was 'scripted.' As the only soundman on the streets of Seattle during the filming of Streetwise, had there been a script, it would have been necessary for me to have a copy. There was no script - period.

The relationship between Dewayne and his father was later developed into a story by Peter Silverman. Martin Bell, Mary Ellen Mark and Peter Silverman wrote a screenplay, which became the 1992 movie 'American Heart' directed by Martin Bell.

Cheryl McCall, who is down as the writer on the website, is most certainly a writer, and also the credited producer of Streetwise. The entire film was inspired by an article in Life magazine (1983) entitled 'Streets of the Lost'- text by Cheryl McCall, photographs by Mary Ellen Mark. All of the action on the street and all of the dialogue in the film is that of the kids. How do I know? Well I recorded the stuff. No-one could write dialogue that good.

Some have thought 'Streetwise' was too beautifully filmed to be a documentary. For the UK television audience, the quality of the images in Streetwise was standard documentary TV in the early 80's. I only mention this, as the crew shooting 'Streetwise' were Limey's. Martin and I had worked together for fifteen years - cutting our teeth on documentaries shot for UK television.

The Limey factor proved to be a stumbling block at the outset. The kids on Pike Street were confused by the accents of two bearded characters, unable to speak American properly, and it took us two to three weeks to convince them we were not the CIA. In two and a half months we shot close on 50 hours of film. This is normal for obtaining enough content to give the editor a chance of constructing a truthful account.

Some of you on the web indicate disbelief as to how some sequences were gathered, indicating a possibility of manipulating the contributors.

The only manipulation of any contributor was administered by myself, in placing radio microphones on the characters involved. It could also be argued that it was manipulation to put a radio microphone on Tiny in her prison cell, prior to filming the visit by Rat. Likewise, with Dewayne's father, also in jail. If this was manipulation, I stand guilty as charged. This was the only way I could gather dialogue from contributors.

Many have expressed dismay or doubt, about the Coke can on the coffin of Dewayne. This was not orchestrated by the crew, simply a forgetful gesture by a father, out of jail for the day for the funeral, distraught at his failure towards his son. What you do not see in this scene is Dewayne's father giving his son a drink of coke from that can.

Some of you may be unaware of the dedication and involvement of the film editor and the editing crew. The skill, sensitivity and integrity of editor Nancy Baker and her sharp shooter assistant, Jonathan Oppenheim is overwhelming. These people make my stuff 'sound' good, and they gave us a memorable film.

I cannot offer you hopeful news on most of the street kids in Seattle, I only wish I could.

The last I heard was that Tiny (Erin) had now given birth to eight children – and is about to give birth to her ninth.

Lulu was killed by street kids, without provocation. Over 300 attended her funeral.

Shadow is now working in construction in Seattle.

Munchkin is a chef in a Seattle restaurant.

Patti died of AIDS.

Kim married a Navy Seal and has a child.

Rat, could be almost anywhere.

The rest, Dawn, Shellie, Lillie, I know nothing of.

Someone asked, who sang 'Teddy Bears picnic?' – this was not Tom Waits, but a street musician in Seattle known as 'Baby Gramps' – wasn't he good?

Luther Keith Desmond Sound Recordist London. U.K. November 2004

I could never forget the kids in the movie, I have done some searching and found out info on some of the kids, pics too and anyone interested can email and I will fill you in. Some think it was scripted, either way it is a touching movie and a harsh look at what life on the street for anyone let alone kids is like.

Its been twenty twenty six years since the streetwise film was made i was in a boys home at the time of filming i was asked to be in the film but i was unable to be there i knew rat and lulu Kim Dwayne tiny munchkin and Pattie hell i even dated Lillie for a while the days of the doughnut shop and the aftermath when Gunther got busted and yes even to this day the murder of lulu still makes me cry to some people out there these kids were ghosts to me they wers my friends and family who at times were the only family we had its sad to think so many of them are gone but never will be forgotten my name is T I am now 42 years old and live in Nashville tn im married with two kids and work in law enforcement i see kids today just where we all were downtown on first and pike just as scared and just as tough trying to survive in a world that is not that easy to survive in

yet i try to help them the best way i can hell somebody has to. to all those who was in the film i still think of you everyday and send love im even writing a book about the seattle street kids in those days if any of you are still around and remember me T please send word email me i would love to hear from you

This documentary hits very close to home. I grew up with "Rat" after 1984, and our lives are still involved in some ways. I saw this movie as a teenager and it really makes you think about how things could be. Most kids can't wait to get out "on their own" and when you look at the way some roads can take you, you don't ever want to leave. When I look back at how "Rat" grew up and the lives of these other kids, I think to myself how easy it could have been me or kids that I know now. When you watch this movie, you will always remember that LIFE is such a short period of time and so many things can bring you down along the journey. But you have to keep in mind that the negative is always a learning experience, the question is...would you take the same journey again?