I am not ashamed to admit that I once had to face life on the streets of both Los Angeles and New York City as I went through some difficult times after the market went belly-up and found true human degradation in the shelter system that I truly could not comprehend. Unless you have lived through on experience like this, you can't really understand the inhumanity that the shelter workers and street thug's inflict on the homeless. People who end up in careers as social workers find that it's much more than they can handle and often, their caring turns into antipathy. Of course, the true issue is that they are trained to be almost robotic in their patronizing treatment of the people who must turn to the government for help, and often, they stand by and do nothing or provide a deaf ear when somebody truly needs somebody to listen to.
This is a well intended social documents of what an elderly woman goes through living on the street and how she deals with a young lady whom she incorrectly assumes to be homeless. The legendary Lucille Ball loses all her glamour as she takes on the big street, this being a far cry from her well remembered drama classic of that name where she played a selfish show girl. Her character of Florabelle is obviously missing a few buttons of sanity, having lost her home some years before and now living out her last days in the streets. Meeting social worker Daphne Zuniga, she takes her under her wing, unaware of what Zuniga really does. Spending a night out on the street takes its toll on Zuniga but Ball risks everything in order to protect her. When all is revealed, she is furious and ends up in a shelter where the mostly white staff are strict but kind. Only a few shelter staff members whom I encountered were remotely sympathetic, and perhaps my own intelligence and strength helped me get out faster than most.
I am not denying the importance of the shelter system, but a closer to the truth view of the New York shelter system and the pathetic HRA was 1993's The Saint of Fort Washington. This is still pretty gritty and street-smart, it's just a bit gussied up and bigger hearted. I give Lucy credit for taking on such a daring part and suffering immensely in her excessive clothing in the summer shooting. Such homeless devices of efforts to survive such as can recycling and garbage can/dumpster diving are realistically presented. I just want anybody who views this to realize that as intense as this is, the reality is far more serious. Fortunately for me, my determination to change my situation lead to a quick exit out of this temporary hell, while unfortunately, elderly people like Lucy's character aren't always as lucky.
This is a well intended social documents of what an elderly woman goes through living on the street and how she deals with a young lady whom she incorrectly assumes to be homeless. The legendary Lucille Ball loses all her glamour as she takes on the big street, this being a far cry from her well remembered drama classic of that name where she played a selfish show girl. Her character of Florabelle is obviously missing a few buttons of sanity, having lost her home some years before and now living out her last days in the streets. Meeting social worker Daphne Zuniga, she takes her under her wing, unaware of what Zuniga really does. Spending a night out on the street takes its toll on Zuniga but Ball risks everything in order to protect her. When all is revealed, she is furious and ends up in a shelter where the mostly white staff are strict but kind. Only a few shelter staff members whom I encountered were remotely sympathetic, and perhaps my own intelligence and strength helped me get out faster than most.
I am not denying the importance of the shelter system, but a closer to the truth view of the New York shelter system and the pathetic HRA was 1993's The Saint of Fort Washington. This is still pretty gritty and street-smart, it's just a bit gussied up and bigger hearted. I give Lucy credit for taking on such a daring part and suffering immensely in her excessive clothing in the summer shooting. Such homeless devices of efforts to survive such as can recycling and garbage can/dumpster diving are realistically presented. I just want anybody who views this to realize that as intense as this is, the reality is far more serious. Fortunately for me, my determination to change my situation lead to a quick exit out of this temporary hell, while unfortunately, elderly people like Lucy's character aren't always as lucky.
