Step beyond Chicago’s city limits and explore how its western suburbs have quietly starred in film and television. In Forest Park, the historic Altenheim—once a home for elderly German immigrants—was transformed for the movies Harry and Tonto (1974), The Package (1989), and The Babe (1992). See how one location became three very different cinematic worlds.

Then, travel to nearby Oak Brook, where The West Wing (1999–2006) filmed a dramatic episode far from Washington, D.C. As we trace the cast and crew’s filming path with HD video, discover local landmarks tied to a former mobster hangout and the Underground Railroad. 

Led by Kelli Marshall, a PhD and former film professor, this hour-long talk reveals surprising ways Chicago's western suburbs appear onscreen.