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Every Wednesday, join us in guessing the Chicago-based movie or television show from one screenshot. Visit our archive to play the ones you missed! One-Shot Wednesday On Wednesdays, guess the Chicago-based movie or television show from one screenshot. The Lake House (2006) The Lake House (2006) is a romantic fantasy drama starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. The plot centers on an architect (Reeves) and a physician (Bullock) who exchange letters across a two-year time gap while living in the same unique lake house at different times. In the above screenshot, Bullock’s character collapses by the mailbox, overcome with grief that one of her letters didn't reach Reeves' character in time. Moments later, her sadness turns to joy when he appears. The two kiss and then walk toward the lake house together, as shown in the film’s final shot . Chicago locations, mostly in the Loop , are evident in the movie: the Fine Arts Building, Auditorium Theater, Millers Pub, and Daley Plaza, for example. Cast and crew also ventured out to Chicago's western suburbs for several scenes. Featured are Riverside, Aurora, and most memorably, Willow Springs, where the lake house sits—or once sat. The glass house featured in The Lake House was constructed on dry land at Maple Lake in Willow Springs, IL , and then flooded to appear as if it was on the water. After production, the house was removed and replaced with a fishing dock. This decision was a major disappointment to several prospective buyers who reportedly showered the movie’s producers with inquiries about purchasing the house. The Lake House marks the second Chicago-based movie for both Bullock and Reeves. About a decade earlier, she starred in While You Were Sleeping (1995), he in Chain Reaction (1996). Welcome to One-Shot Wednesday! Think you’re a Chicago screen buff? On Wednesdays, we post one still from a movie or TV show filmed or set in the Windy City. Your mission? Guess the title! You've already seen this week’s image above. If you're feeling nostalgic, explore the full archive of past challenges to keep the fun rolling. Psst: you're on screenshot: 84 Access Archive

Every Wednesday, join us in guessing the Chicago-based movie or television show from one screenshot. Visit our archive to play the ones you missed! One-Shot Wednesday On Wednesdays, guess the Chicago-based movie or television show from one screenshot. Thief (1981) This explosion falls at the end of the 1981 neo-noir Thief , directed by Michael Mann and starring James Caan, Jim Belushi, and Tuesday Weld. Here, Caan's character, Frank, has just blown up Chicago's Green Mill Lounge . Established in 1907 as Pop Morse's Roadhouse, the Green Mill has attracted many celebrities over the years: Gloria Swanson, Al Jolson, Louis Armstrong, and Billie Holiday, to name a few. Gangster Al Capone also had his own booth at the joint, which is still there. In addition to its firey demise here in Thief, the Green Mill has also been featured in Ocean’s 12, High Fidelity, The Lake House, V.I. Warshawski , and Next of Kin . Finally, did you notice the faux-pas in Thief 's Green Mill scene? If you look closely at the car door when Caan opens it, you'll see the movie lights used to illuminate the scene. Check out a screenshot . Welcome to One-Shot Wednesday! Think you’re a Chicago screen buff? On Wednesdays, we post one still from a movie or TV show filmed or set in the Windy City. Your mission? Guess the title! You've already seen this week’s image above. If you're feeling nostalgic, explore the full archive of past challenges to keep the fun rolling. Psst: you're on screenshot: 84 Access Archive

Every Wednesday, join us in guessing the Chicago-based movie or television show from one screenshot. Visit our archive to play the ones you missed! One-Shot Wednesday On Wednesdays, guess the Chicago-based movie or television show from one screenshot. Home Alone 2 Today's #OneShotWed comes from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), a movie filmed mostly in Chicago while set predominately in Manhattan. In this shot, the film's bandit holds an ad for a massive toy store called Duncan's Toy Chest—clearly one of the first places a kid might venture into while lost in New York. Fun fact: Chicago's Rookery Building serves as the exterior of Duncan's Toy Chest. Check it out in the clip below. Welcome to One-Shot Wednesday! Think you’re a Chicago screen buff? On Wednesdays, we post one still from a movie or TV show filmed or set in the Windy City. Your mission? Guess the title! You've already seen this week’s image above. If you're feeling nostalgic, explore the full archive of past challenges to keep the fun rolling. Psst: you're on screenshot: 84 Access Archive

Learn how the TV series "Seinfeld" uses food to define characters, shape dialogue, and reveal (often wacky) American social norms No Soup for You! The Role of Food in "Seinfeld" Learn how the TV series "Seinfeld" uses food to define characters, shape dialogue, and reveal (often wacky) American social norms All Talks About Book for Sept. 2026 and after— download 2026 calendar . What does a sitcom "about nothing " have to say about something as universal as food? Quite a lot, it turns out. In this hour-long talk, you'll discover how the TV series Seinfeld (1989-1998) uses food to define its characters, shape their conversations, and highlight society’s endless—and often absurd—rules around eating. From marble rye to the Soup Nazi, from the Big Salad to the Junior Mint, food in Seinfeld is rarely just about what’s on the plate. Through clips and screenshots, this talk traces the show’s nine-season run and highlights the most memorable—and culturally revealing—food moments. Presenter Dr. Kelli Marshall , who has taught a college course devoted to Seinfeld , published articles on the show , and even Skyped with a cast member, guides you through how one of television’s most celebrated sitcoms turned food into a comedic feast of meaning. Request Talk

Every Wednesday, join us in guessing the Chicago-based movie or television show from one screenshot. Visit our archive to play the ones you missed! One-Shot Wednesday On Wednesdays, guess the Chicago-based movie or television show from one screenshot. Prison Break This long shot, filmed at a low angle, comes from the second episode of the TV series Prison Break (2005-2009). Two women, a lawyer (Veronica) and a witness to a murder (Leticia), meet covertly near Crown Fountain in Chicago’s Millennium Park . The meeting does not last long, however. The witness is convinced she was followed and runs away. Her hunch is correct: later in the episode, she is kidnapped and killed. Prison Break follows Michael Scofield, a structural engineer, and his brother Lincoln Burrows, who has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit (hence the lawyer/witness meeting above). To save Lincoln, Michael deliberately gets himself incarcerated, using a plan hidden in his full-body tattoo. Yes, a full-body tattoo . (The show is better than it sounds!) Much of Prison Break ’s first season is filmed in and around Chicago. Scenes depicting Fox River State Penitentiary, the fictional prison where Michael and Lincoln are sentenced, take place in Old Joliet Prison in Joliet, IL, where Chicago Movie Tours also gives walking tours . Prison Break ’s first two episodes aired August 29, 2005, and were watched by roughly 10.5 million viewers in the U.S. While on air, the series continued to draw viewers here and around the globe. And when it began streaming on Netflix in 2024, the show raced to the #1 spot, now discovered by a new audience. Welcome to One-Shot Wednesday! Think you’re a Chicago screen buff? On Wednesdays, we post one still from a movie or TV show filmed or set in the Windy City. Your mission? Guess the title! You've already seen this week’s image above. If you're feeling nostalgic, explore the full archive of past challenges to keep the fun rolling. Psst: you're on screenshot: 84 Access Archive

Every Wednesday, join us in guessing the Chicago-based movie or television show from one screenshot. Visit our archive to play the ones you missed! One-Shot Wednesday On Wednesdays, guess the Chicago-based movie or television show from one screenshot. The Bear This screenshot comes from The Bear (FX), the episode "Forks" (2.7). It reinforces the series' theme that time is precious and hesitation has consequences. Clocks, calendars, and time dominate The Bear , which is shot entirely in Chicago. In the show's pilot, a wall clock is literally shown 4 times in 3 seconds. In this episode, "Forks," digital clocks, sitting on bedside tables and hanging on glazed tiled walls, constantly fill the frame. In season 2 in general, The Bear 's characters are always up against time, scrambling to open a new restaurant in 12 weeks. They must complete renovations, secure and train staff, and complete a menu. They must also get appropriate permits, which the tense 10-second countdown of the fire suppression test reminds us. In The Bear , every second does indeed count. Welcome to One-Shot Wednesday! Think you’re a Chicago screen buff? On Wednesdays, we post one still from a movie or TV show filmed or set in the Windy City. Your mission? Guess the title! You've already seen this week’s image above. If you're feeling nostalgic, explore the full archive of past challenges to keep the fun rolling. Psst: you're on screenshot: 84 Access Archive

Discover a Chicago restaurant booth frequented by classic movie stars, and analyze food in "When Harry Met Sally" Hollywood Bites: From Golden Age Glamour to Rom-Com Delights Discover a Chicago restaurant booth frequented by classic movie stars, and analyze food in "When Harry Met Sally" All Talks About Indulge in tales about a white booth once nestled inside a glamorous Chicago hotel restaurant, where classic Hollywood movie stars converged. Then, turn to the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally , as you uncover how food offers insight into its characters' lives, even in fleeting Chicago scenes. Through HD video footage, the University of Chicago and Chicago's Union Station will serve as backdrops for your culinary movie journey. Request Talk

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Virtual Tours Virtual Tours Virtual Tours Title Title Virtual Tours Discover Chicago film virtually through participation, HD video, and other media Available Tours What Is a Virtual Tour? Available Tours

Every Wednesday, join us in guessing the Chicago-based movie or television show from one screenshot. Visit our archive to play the ones you missed! One-Shot Wednesday On Wednesdays, guess the Chicago-based movie or television show from one screenshot. Child's Play (1988) This #OneShotWed comes from the 1988 horror movie Child's Play . In the film, a single mother named Karen (Catherine Hicks) gives her son a doll named Chucky, only to discover it's possessed by the soul of a serial killer. Yikes! The medium shot above—of a now-charred and beheaded Chucky—takes place toward the end of Child’s Play . In this scene, the doll has cornered Karen and her son, Andy, in the hallway of their apartment . In the process, Karen shoots off Chucky’s head and several of his limbs. In addition to a dozen puppeteers, Chucky moved with the help of actor Ed Gale. Gale is a little person who donned Chucky’s costume and wig for various scenes, including the one above in which Karen sets the doll on fire. This practical effect—i.e., a special effect performed on set using no digital enhancement—required Gale to be set ablaze. In the actor’s own words, “They set one arm on fire first, then my chest, then both arms. You wear an oxygen mask. I did the scene in segments. First I was on fire in the fireplace, cut. Kicking the gate open, cut. Walk out on fire, cut. Each was only about 45 seconds, which is a little less than a lifetime when you’re on fire.” (“Your Friend 'Til the End: An Oral History of Child's Play ,” Mental Floss ) For more, listen to Gale discuss his time playing Chucky . Sadly, Gale made news more recently (2023) when he admitted “to engaging in sexually explicit online conversations with a boy he thought was 14 with the aim of having a physical encounter.” Welcome to One-Shot Wednesday! Think you’re a Chicago screen buff? On Wednesdays, we post one still from a movie or TV show filmed or set in the Windy City. Your mission? Guess the title! You've already seen this week’s image above. If you're feeling nostalgic, explore the full archive of past challenges to keep the fun rolling. Psst: you're on screenshot: 84 Access Archive

Celebrate six Chicago actors and the Hollywood musical for which they are most remembered Singin' in the Rain and Chicago Celebrate six Chicago actors and the Hollywood musical for which they are most remembered All Talks About Singin' in the Rain often ranks as the best film musical ever made—and, indeed, one of the best movies ever made. Set in 1927, the film tells the story of silent film stars as they navigate Hollywood's transition from the silent era to "talkies." No, Singin' in the Rain was not filmed in Chicago, nor does it take place here. But at least six of the movie's cast members are from or have strong connections to the Windy City. So on this virtual tour, which begins at a rain-inspired sculpture in Chicago, we will celebrate these six actors and the delightfully entertaining Hollywood musical for which they are remembered. Request Talk