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Pull up a seat, grab some popcorn, and dig deeper into Chicago and film.


Featured on NBC: Talking 'The Untouchables' Inside Chicago’s Union Station
Watch my NBC 5 Chicago segment filmed inside Union Station, where I discuss "The Untouchables" and its iconic staircase scene featured on my Chicago movie tours.
Jul 172 min read


Lose That: A Marital Affair in Planes, Trains and Automobiles?
An emotional reaction in the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles was tied to a subplot that director, John Hughes, chose to remove.
Nov 14, 20242 min read


Memorial Day History, Movies, and Chicago's Grant Park
Look for 2 monuments devoted to the founder of Memorial Day in our short video on The Trial of the Chicago 7.
May 27, 20242 min read


How Do You Capture Chicago Through Film?
In this roundtable discussion, a podcaster, a blogger, and a tour guide discuss how they record Chicago's past and present film history.
Nov 15, 20231 min read


Magic Hour in Somewhere in Time
In this mini course, master magic hour lighting while you analyze its role in the movie 'Somewhere in Time,' filmed partially in Chicago.
Oct 12, 20231 min read


Altenheim Goes to the Movies
Tour Altenheim, originally built to care for German elderly and later, a setting for Chicago movies
Aug 2, 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


Sneaky Music in Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Revisit music from 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' to learn about a Hollywood term called "sneaking in and out."
Jun 28, 20231 min read


The West Wing in Chicago
In this virtual tour with Chicago Movie Tours, hear about that time 'The West Wing' travelled to the Chicago suburbs to film an episode.
Jun 21, 20231 min read


Movies on the Bayou: Live on Location in Louisiana
Float virtually with us down a Louisiana bayou and learn why movies are filmed on these mystical bodies of water
Jun 13, 20231 min read


The Untouchables: Behind the Scenes in Chicago's Union Station
Dig in to The Untouchables with two behind-the-scenes accounts.
May 26, 20233 min read


Editing and Chaos in The Untouchables
In this mini course, use the most famous sequence in The Untouchables (1987) to master a disorderly editing style.
May 24, 20231 min read


Blues Brothers on Location: Prisons, Malls, City Halls
Revisit three scenes from 'The Blues Brothers,' and assess the significance of location filming in Chicago
May 17, 20231 min read


Low-Angle Shots in The Dark Knight
Go on location in Chicago to learn what what low-angle shots signify in The Dark Knight — and in Hollywood movies in general.
May 10, 20231 min read


The Dark Knight on My Watch
I don't like The Dark Knight, but if you run a business called Chicago Movie Tours, then you must submit to the movie at some point.
May 9, 20232 min read


Filming Somewhere in Time: How Chicago Welcomed (Back) Hollywood in 1979
Watch the cast and crew of "Somewhere In Time" gush over Chicago's hospitality in 1979, a new period in the Windy City's movie history.
Apr 27, 20232 min read


Somewhere in Time: Behind the Scenes Interview
In this hour-long interview, go behind the scenes of "Somewhere in Time" with the president of the movie's fan club.
Apr 26, 20231 min read


Ferris Bueller and the Art Institute of Chicago
Explore 4 reasons the Art Institute scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off is so memorable
Jul 15, 20221 min read


"A Raisin in the Sun" and Filming in Chicago
Sadly, the location filming in Chicago of the 1961 movie "A Raisin in the Sun" echoed the racism in the play.
Jan 7, 20223 min read


Ferris Bueller's Fourth Wall
Shot on location in Chicago, Ferris Bueller's Day Off often breaks the fourth wall, but it's not the first film to do so
Apr 17, 20201 min read
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