When Robert Duvall, the first-rate actor of innumerable movies (my favorite role was when he was the guide for the Army in the movie Geronimo) came to film in Brownsville, he chose two spots that some locals wouldn't be caught dead in.
The first part of the filming was in Market Square with its quaint buildings and raunchy cantinas.
The other jewel was Charlie's Bar on 14th Street.
Now, does Duvall and Hollywood know something that we locals don't?
At Charlies, the joint starts rocking after 10 p.m. and you enter at your own risk. If you are identified as a "mark" by the ladies, get ready to spend some dough for their pleasure of their company. If not, well, you know what walks. At the Market Square, once you dodge the working guys and gals, there are actually some sedate places where one can actually talk over the jukebox in the corner.
While the landed gentry of Brownsville seems attracted by the sterile environments of the plasticized bars and watering holes north of Boca Chica, the well-heeled movie stars in Los Angeles have their eye on what locals consider seedy, blue-collar joints where you don't have to pay more than $2 bucks a brew and the talk is decidedly bilingual.
What do these people know that we don't?
Recently, we have noticed where United Brownsville – a scam looking for a raison d'etre to justify it's $25,000 that it receives as a gift from our various corporations and economic development alphabet soup organizations – has "adopted" several projects initiated by local activists who want to see downtown resurrect.
With its annual budget of $381,000 and a $85,000 executive director in Mike Gonzalez, it has now decided it wants to usurp the downtown revitalization game with its sparsely attended Better Block program. Before that, Melissa Castro had just about single-handedly implemented the Mercadito idea with the aid of local downtown promoters Ben Neece and George Ramirez, whose Crescent Moon was a bona fide incubator for local night scene.
Now, instead of a dark Market Square, weekend nights see throngs of colleges students and visitors to spots like the The Haven, Bora Bora, El Callejon, etc.
Add in a photo contest where the organization will not pay prize money but rather spread the fame of the shutterbugs who fall for the ruse, and you have the quintessential parasite organization sinking its teeth into yet more freebies at the expense of the local yokels. They get a lunch and get to meet Da Mayor and will share a lunch with Brownsville community leaders from the eight United Brownsville entities, which include – among others – the city of Brownsville, Brownsville Public Utilities Board and the Brownsville Independent School District.
The photo contest is only one of the first initiatives United Brownsville will release to get the community interested in the future of the city.
“There will be a video contest and we also want an essay contest for high school students,” said Luciana Morales, intern United Brownsville who is studying public policy and management.
“I think the idea is to engage different segments of the population,”Morales said.
The winning pictures could be used in future United Brownsville ad campaigns and other marketing efforts.
So basically, just as they get their funding for free and with virtually no one to account to except IBC President Fred Rusteberg and UTB President Juliet Garcia, they also want to get their graphics and photos for nothing under the guise of establishing a "dialogue" with the community.
Funding from the public entities and the boards is $25,000 apiece from the city of Brownsville, Brownsville Public Utilities Board, Brownsville Navigation District, Brownsville Independent School District, University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, Brownsville Community Improvement Corp. and Greater Brownsville Incentive Corporation. That's reallly not a bad take and all they have done so far is copy other peopl's ideas. Nifty, hey?
Although there are members of the private sector on the coordinating board, there has never been any mention made of how much they are kicking into the kitty. Could it be that they also want to start a "dialogue" with the residents of Brownsville as long as it's on the public's nickle and not on theirs?At least Duvall pays to play.
11 comments:
Hey, three of my friends were cast as extras, WOW! I am so exited. I love Robert Duvall!
If I win the photo contest , can we please eat in McAllen?
Blow me!
First of all when Mr. Duvall was there it was a closed set with tons of security outside. Second of all they picked charlie's because they were really trying to recreate México's zona roja. 14th street is scarry at night, who would want to go there, plus where would all those seedy characters go if they turn 14th street into a nice, fru fru place
You want to eat in McAllen, They have good realtors over there that can find you a place to live also!
Haha! Like 'The Big Year' showed the city dump. Lot's of fame there. Fuckin cantinas...Lmao! Pictures and essays...child's play! Plenty of citizens speak up and out about what they want in Brownsville. Next some thieving community board will claim the idea of vendors' licenses for downtown and the parks and special events, which only a select few are ignored, currently. If Brownsville commissioners want to give citizens what they want, they should televise public comments and heed the crys of the people that they represent. Instead, they turn a selective ear and advocate only those that fit into their idea of the future of Brownsville. FYI, Palm Lounge has been downtown for years inviting musicians of all types to play. Just because a bunch of lawyers, judges, and a millionaire 'mandon wannabe' don't patron the place doesn't mean it wasn't there before the cresent moon. Some people praise the burgers...not me...but a lot of people go for lunch regularly. Granted you can't smoke pot there, but it was there before crescent moon. The art gallery is a better source for having incubated the current downtown bar scene. Minors drinking and public intoxication. Not exactly what we had in mind as far as revitalization of downtown Brownsville.
Do you think that brownsville was chosen as a film location for its beautiful people and beautiful streets?
It was chosen because of a star struck "film commissioner" who gives everything away for free and convinces the gullible people of Brownsville to donate services and location property for free. No make up necessary for the extras. There is no mention in the Brownsville herald that people in Brownsville are working on the movie crew for $7.00 an hour when the normal rate somewhere else would be $22.00 per hour? How exciting ! Congrats Brownsville for standing in for the bowels of mexico.
Brownsville was chosen because it is just like Mexico, but with better roads and you can drink the water.
What is so wonderful about that? We have dives that look like Mexican dives! Great..just great.
a eso se le llama vivOs haciedo dinero de los PENDEJOS!!!, La verdad que nacadas y pendejadas estan haciendo aqui en Brownsville!! ahora por si muchos no se han dado cuenta, cantidad de policias estan dando seguridad a estas filmaciones EN VEZ DE QUE ESTEN ATENDIENDO EL CRIMEN QUE ESTA SUCEDIENDO EN NUESTRA CIUDAD!!! El pendejo que aprovo estas filmaciones, no le esta haciendo ningun favor a la ciudad, debio haver cobrado una cuota y ese dinero invertirlo para la misma ciudad, ahora que es eso de que les estan pagando $7.00 dlls la hora? ya ni la chingan los que estan filmando, estubieron haciendo propaganda con falsas anotaciones de pago y eso no esta bien. La verdad que algun beneficio esta sacando el que aprobo todo esto!!! Me pregunto cuanto le habran pagado y que no se reporto correctamente el dinero a la ciudad? digo...por que nadie da pisada sin guarache y sin sacar provecho. BOLVEMOS A LO MISMO BOLA DE RATAS.
What , are you mad because they didn't pick you to be an extra? Hey, it is some extra money for our people and is also an experience they will never forget. For once, be glad for our city and stop talking so much shit.
lol...PLEASEEEE I thought of giving you the opportunity instead, SINCE YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AN EXTRA IN LIFE MY DEAR!!! JAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAAJAJAJAJAJAJAAJA
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