In 1918, Chicago movie theaters faced an unprecedented challenge as the flu pandemic disrupted daily life and shuttered public spaces across the city. Yet some movie houses found ways to endure—and their buildings still stand today! 

In this talk, Kelli takes you, via HD footage, to three silent-era Chicago movie theaters that survived the 1918 flu pandemic. Along the way, she offers a brief history of the so-called Spanish Flu, with subtle connections to more recent global experiences such as COVID.