top of page
Step into Chicago's Movie History
In-depth analysis and cultural insights into Chicago’s 135+ year cinematic history, written by a film historian and former professor.
Featured on
The Tramp and the Dog: How Chicago Learned Early Filmmaking
Long before Hollywood dominated the industry, early filmmaking in Chicago was taking shape in surprising ways. Discover how The Tramp and the Dog (1896) reveals the city’s first steps into this new medium.
Sep 29, 20253 min read
Chicago's First Ferris Wheel and Film: A Reading List
Enjoy a list of curated sources about the first Ferris wheel, the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, and movies.
Sep 20, 20232 min read
Chicago's First Ferris Wheel in Film
Travel back to the World's Fair of 1893 and experience the first Ferris wheel through movies and virtual reality
Sep 20, 20231 min read
Reel Resilience: The Survival of Chicago Movie Theaters in 1918
Learn about three silent-era Chicago movie theaters that survived the 1918 influenza pandemic.
Aug 23, 20231 min read
The Sins of Chicago Nickelodeons
Walk virtually with Chicago Movie Tours and hear why some Chicagoans claimed small movie houses lured certain filmgoers into a life of sin.
Aug 16, 20231 min read
Makeup and Toupees in Chicago's Silent Movies
Travel back to Chicago's silent era to learn how makeup and men's hairpieces functioned both on and offscreen
Jul 26, 20231 min read
Chicago's Shipwreck, Liquor, and Movies
On this virtual walking tour, learn about the S.S. Eastland tragedy via a suburban Chicago speakeasy and film.
Jul 18, 20231 min read
Chicago, Movies, and Censorship
Get a bite-sized history of Hollywood censorship and Chicago's role in the matter
Jun 16, 20231 min read
How to Clean Early Chicago Movie Theaters
Discover one way to clean 1920s movie houses on the cheap After the 1918 Flu Pandemic , movie theater owners in Chicago and across the...
Oct 31, 20222 min read
Chicago Movie Murals
Discover murals in Chicago that are devoted to movies.
Oct 6, 20221 min read
Chicago Movie Tours Turns 2!
Thank you supporting Chicago Movie Tours. Here’s to many more!
Apr 1, 20221 min read
Oscars, Controversial Since 1929
The Oscars have been contentious since their inception
Mar 28, 20221 min read
The Secret Above Chicago's Fountain of Time
On Chicago's South Side, Lorado Taft's sculpture Fountain of Time bears a fun little secret you can discover with our drone footage.
Sep 1, 20211 min read
When the Fathers of Cinema Took on Chicago's Ferris Wheel
In 1896, a newly established movie company made its way to Chicago. Brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière are two of the first men whom film...
Aug 9, 20201 min read
Boy Scouts, Chicago, and That Darn Film Projector
Technology, giving movie audiences trouble since 1920... "The Boy Scout leaders did not mess up your movie!" This was the cry heard...
Jul 2, 20201 min read
Movies & Blue Law Protests in 1920s Chicago
In the United States, movies and religion have virtually always been at odds. One early point of contention between the motion picture industry and religious people, mostly Protestants, comes in the form of blue laws.
Jun 8, 20202 min read
Carl Laemmle, Movie Pioneer in Chicago
Discover three reasons Carl Laemmle is a pioneer in film and Chicago
May 11, 20201 min read
Chicago and Bungalow Movies
Silent film titles suggest Hollywood took note of the bungalow explosion in America
Apr 20, 20201 min read
How to Sell a Prison Movie in 1930s Chicago
A suburban Chicago movie theater takes movie marketing to a realistic and unnerving level.
Apr 9, 20201 min read
post list
bottom of page