The Chicago Traveler

If you were a child in Chicago anytime between 1961 and 1994, you will recognize the following names: Cooky, Wizzo, Cuddly Dudley, Garfield Goose… These characters and more were all regulars on Bozo’s Circus and then on the even more popular The Bozo Show, both of which were produced locally and aired on WGN.1
You might drive by the WGN television studios and not even know it. While most of the other TV stations in Chicago broadcast from beautiful skyscrapers downtown (including the NBC Tower), the WGN structure looks like a boring office building. That’s because it was constructed in 1963, …read more

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One of the questions I often get from out-of-towners is “Have you ever been to a Jerry Springer show?” No, I haven’t, but I do know someone who was once on the show. (That’s a story for another time.) In case you didn’t know, the Jerry Springer show is filmed right here in Chicago, inside the NBC Tower.
The NBC Tower is a 37-story skyscraper that was completed in 1989. At a height of 627 feet (191 m), it is considered one of the best reproductions of the art deco style in a postmodern building. The NBC peacock logo is incorporated …read more

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Many films that appeal to the young-adult audience are full of clichés and what I call “after-school-special” romanticisms. While Save the Last Dance is not an incredible film, it does present characters that are a little closer to reality than the stereotypes too many movies rely upon.

Save the Last Dance (2001)

Directed by:
Thomas Carter

Produced by:
Robert W. Cort
David Madden

Starring:
Julia Stiles
Sean Patrick Thomas
Kerry Washington

Distributed by:
Paramount Pictures

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The film opens with Sara (Julia Stiles), a teenager from the suburbs, moving to Chicago to live with her father Roy (Terry Kinney) after the unexpected death of her mother. Roy lives in a rough neighborhood …read more

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One of my favorite superheroes as a kid was the Caped Crusader, Batman. And I’m certainly not alone. This weekend, everyone is looking forward to the premiere of the latest film in Christopher Nolan’s Batman series: The Dark Knight.
Chicagoans will notice that Gotham City looks very familiar. While the movie avoids recognizable landmarks like Wrigley Field or Sears Tower, locals will be able to distinguish several Chicago locations. Be on the lookout for the canyon of skyscrapers at LaSalle and Monroe Streets (near the Chicago Board of Trade Building) and Bruce Wayne’s penthouse in Hotel 71. Key action scenes take …read more

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One of the things that I never quite got the hang of was skating, in any form. One of my first experiences was actually at a roller rink not too far from where I live now. Some of you locals may remember the Rainbo, which had a long history in entertainment. (It’s since been torn down and turned into condos… of course.) I suppose the rink was no longer as popular as it once was, but in the late ‘70s, disco roller-dancing was huge, and Roll Bounce is a light-hearted flashback to that era.

Roll Bounce (2005)

Directed by:
Michael D. Lee

Produced by:
Robert …read more

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For many of us, our daily lives consist of coffee, going to work, come home for dinner, watching television, and going to bed, only to wake up to do it all over again the next day. Some people long for a life less ordinary. The 1999 thriller Stir of Echoes shows just how appreciative we should sometimes be for our “ordinary” lives.

Stir of Echoes (1999)

Directed by:
David Koepp

Produced by:
Judy Hofflund
Gavin Polone

Starring:
Zachary David Cope
Kevin Bacon
Kathryn Erbe
Illeana Douglas

Distributed by:
Artisan Entertainment

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The film takes place in a blue-collar Chicago neighborhood, where everyone on the block is friendly and familiar with each other. One …read more

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June is Gay Pride Month, and it’s already off to an excellent start. Last night, a brand new documentary premiered on Chicago’s public television station, WTTW. Out & Proud in Chicago draws attention to 150 years of the city’s GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender) history. From the Civil War to today, the documentary details how the vast community’s diverse members have come together to create historical and political achievements.
Out & Proud in Chicago profiles the famous and the unsung, those who chose paths of activism and those who chose to live everyday lives with extraordinary dignity. This is the …read more

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Earlier today, I mentioned that Hollywood has come to Chicago to film a new movie near the Biograph. This historic theatre, along with several other Chicago landmarks, also appears in the 2000 film High Fidelity.

High Fidelity (2000)

Directed by:
Stephen Frears

Produced by:
Tim Bevan
Rudd Simmons

Starring:
John Cusack
Iben Hjejle
Todd Louiso
Jack Black
Lisa Bonet
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Joan Cusack
Tim Robbins

Distributed by:
Touchstone Pictures

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The movie, based on a novel by the same name, is about Rob Gordon (John Cusack), a man in his 30s who owns a record store at the corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Honore Street (in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood). Rob’s girlfriend Laura (Iben Hjejle) has just …read more

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Are you a fan of Johnny Depp or Chicago’s infamous gangster, John Dillinger? A new movie, Public Enemies, is currently being filmed in Lincoln Park. This neighborhood is the home of the historic Biograph Theatre (near the Red Lion Pub), where the criminal was pointed out by the “Lady in Red” and (allegedly) met his demise.
Lincoln Avenue is closed off at night for filming, but you can walk around during the day to gnab a few pictures of the 1930s set. It’s like stepping back in time… y’know, only with cameras and lights and cables and such.
Photo credit: Wikipedia

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The story is not a unique one: Hero Cop is loved by all his friends, except for one surly suspicious fellow. Suddenly, Hero Cop is framed for a crime and loses all his friends and his honor. Hero Cop decides to take the law into his own hands to find “the truth.” However, powerhouses Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey prevent this classic story from becoming a predictable mess in The Negotiator.

The Negotiator (1998)

Directed by:
F. Gary Gray

Produced by:
David Hoberman
Arnon Milchan

Starring:
Samuel L. Jackson
Kevin Spacey
David Morse
Ron Rifkin
John Spencer
J.T. Walsh

Distributed by:
Warner Bros

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Released in 1998, The Negotiator follows Danny Roman (Samuel L. …read more

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