In this hour-long interview, go behind the scenes of Somewhere in Time with the president of the movie's fan club. Kelli and Jo talk all things "Somewhere in Time" Filmed in Chicago and on Mackinac Island, Somewhere in Time has gained a cult following over the years. The movie is beloved by many romance fans, including Jo Addie , who joins Kelli from Chicago Movie Tours to talk about her personal experiences with the film. Guests engaged in 3 questions at the start of the interview, each of which has been edited out of this on-demand replay. Scroll down if you'd like to see or answer the poll yourself. Finally, if you have a questions you'd like to ask Jo, drop it in the comments section, and we'll make sure she gets it! Answer the Polls

The late Sesame Street star got his professional start in Chicago Beloved star of Sesame Street , Bob McGrath has died at the age of 90. McGrath, you might recall, was an original cast member of the children's show Sesame Street , which first aired in 1969. His character, also named Bob, most memorably sang about the “People in Your Neighborhood.” (Feel free to relive your childhood via the clip below.) On the show, Bob also gave music lessons to the Muppets and participated in an opera with them. Both of these storylines make sense when you consider McGrath's musical background—that started in Chicago. A native of Ottawa, IL, McGrath got his professional broadcasting start in Chicago—at the ripe ol' age of nine. In 1941, McGrath sang on Chicago's Morris B. Sachs Amateur Hour , where he outperformed Steve Allen , 11 years his senior. Allen, of course, would cement his own fame as the co-creator and first host of The Tonight Show . Still, for his performance on Morris Sachs, the nine-year-old McGrath won a war bond and a "fancy watch," as the article below puts it. Later in childhood, McGrath would take home first prize on the televised show Stars of Tomorrow , WGN 's so-called "mecca of aspiring amateur talent."And as a teenager, the Irish tenor would win runner-up in the vocal competition of the Chicagoland Music Festival . More musical accolades would follow for singer Bob McGrath: The first freshman to become soloist with the University of Michigan's Glee Club A graduate degree from the Manhattan School of Music Time spent at the prestigious Juilliard School of Music But, of course, Sesame Street would catapult McGrath into musical stardom, of sorts. “It’s a very different kind of fame,” Mr. McGrath said about his time on Sesame Street : McGrath recalled a little boy in a store who came up to him and took his hand. At first he thought he had been mistaken for the child’s father. When he realized that the boy seemed to think they knew each other, Mr. McGrath asked, “Do you know my name?” “Bob.” “Do you know where I live?” “Sesame Street.” “Do you know any of my other friends on Sesame Street?” "Yep,” the boy answered and promptly gave an example: “Oh, the number 7.” RIP, Bob McGrath. Thank you for sharing your musical talent, honed in Chicago, and inviting us to sing about all of the people in our neighborhoods.

Revisit music from 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' to learn about a Hollywood term called "sneaking in and out" Music plays a crucial role in movies. It helps set a mood, enhance storytelling, support visuals, create memorable moments, shape rhythm and pace, and reflect cultural context. With this in mind, let's explore scenes from Ferris Bueller's Day Off in which music plays a key role. As you watch, you'll learn about a technique called "sneaking in and out" — and how sound designers use it to manipulate your attention and emotions. This mini course is part of Chicago Movie Tours' series Film 101, Chicago Style . Watch Excerpt This is an excerpt from our mini course Sneaky Music in Ferris Bueller's Day Off . In the clip, Kelli recounts how our mini courses work. Then, she explains how music and dialogue work in tandem in a pivotal scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off . Watch Full Virtual Tour Join our movie club to reveal below the full virtual tour Sneaky Music in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (26 min.) Browse upcoming virtual events . Learn more about Chicago Movie Tours' series Film 101, Chicago Style .

Master magic hour lighting while you analyze its role in the movie Somewhere in Time Magic hour, also known as golden hour, is a time of day highly sought after by cinematographers when they want to create a beautiful, dreamy look on film or video. In this online mini course with Chicago Movie Tours, you'll learn: how to define magic hour how to recognize magic hour cinematography onscreen why filmmakers seek out this form of natural lighting how it functions in Somewhere in Time (1980), a romantic drama filmed partially in Chicago This mini course is part of Chicago Movie Tours' series Film 101, Chicago Style . Watch Full Virtual Tour (41 min.) Join our movie club to reveal below the full mini course Magic Hour in Somewhere in Time (41 min.) Browse upcoming virtual events . Learn more about Chicago Movie Tours' series Film 101, Chicago Style .

Let's be honest: the Academy Awards have been contentious since their inception During the 94th-annual Academy Awards ceremony , actor Will Smith walked onto the stage and slapped Oscar presenter Chris Rock . The action came after Rock made a joke referencing Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith . Shortly thereafter, Smith resigned from the Academy. Then, the actor was banned from attending all Academy functions for 10 years. There's no doubt this 2022 Oscars event was controversial. And startling. And damning. And lots of other words we could put here. But honestly, the Oscars have been controversial since they began in 1929. The first Academy Award doled out was for Best Actor. That statue went to Emil Jannings (below) who won for his work in two films: The Way of All Flesh and The Last Command . But the real winner in 1929 — or the individual with the most votes — was actually an 11-year-old German Shepherd named Rin Tin Tin. Rin Tin Tin (pictured below) was one of the most popular stars in Hollywood at the time, having already appeared in 20 films. Watch our video below to learn, first, why the Academy gave Jannings an award over Rin Tin Tin and second, why this decision, looked at through the long lens of history, backfires spectacularly. Again, ever since the first ceremony in 1929, in some way or another, the Oscars have sparked controversy.

Learn how Ferris' Bueller's iconic vest/tee pairing started Did you know the patterned vest Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) wears into Chicago on his day off was initially a cardigan? According to Marilyn Vance , costume designer for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off , “I went over to [the department store] Marshall Field’s and looked at the sweaters; I cut the sleeves off one and that was his sweater vest.” Ferris' vest/tee pairing has become such an iconic look, that when shopping for a Ferris Bueller Halloween costume , that's what you're gonna get. More about Marshall Field's Journey with us to 1923, when this Chicago-based department store (acquired by Macy’s in 2005) set up a makeshift movie theatre in its book department.

On Chicago's South Side, Lorado Taft's masterpiece Fountain of Time bears a fun little secret. On this day in 1920, Lorado Taft's Fountain of Time began running on Chicago's Midway Plaisance . Well, the plaster version of it anyway. The finished piece was not installed until 1922. For the last several weeks, I have been researching Fountain of Time because it serves as the finale of a new walking tour Chicago and Movies on the Midway . The sculpture is, after all, shown in at least three movies: Flatliners (1990), The Package (1989), and Chicago the Beautiful (1948). While reading, I learned that Taft, the Chicago-based sculptor, once likened this 126-foot-long structure to that of a house: concrete foundation first floor (sculptural elements) roof (walkway over the top) To save on supplies and reduce weight on the foundation, the inside of Fountain of Time is hollow. Today, restoration experts can access its innards via a knee-high opening in the foundation. Still, the bit about Fountain of Time 's apparent roof intrigued me. So one summer morning, I recruited a colleague with a drone , and we set out to see if a roof or walkway was visible. Voila! There is a roof! If you want to learn more about Fountain of Time and its connections to film, do join me on our outdoor walking tour Chicago and Movies on the Midway ! Sources Lorado Taft: Sculptor and Citizen , Ada Bartlett Taft, 1946. Lorado Taft: The Chicago Years , Allen Stuart Weller, Henry Adams, 2014. "Time and Tide: Restoring Lorado Taft's Fountain of Time : An Overview," Barbara Hall and Robert Aaron Jones. Vol. 31, No. 2, Conservation at the Art Institute of Chicago (2005), pp. 80-89.

Enjoy our list of carefully curated sources about Chicago's 1893 Ferris wheel and movies. Our virtual tour Chicago's First Ferris Wheel in Film (36 min.) offers you a significant amount of information about the World's Columbian Exposition, the Midway Plaisance , and the 264-foot-tall Ferris wheel that captivated the attention of the Fair's visitors. To make all of this content manageable for you, we divided the tour into four sections: Beginnings At the Fair Riding the Wheel After the Fair Watch a sneak preview: If you'd like to read further about the Ferris wheel or about other World's Fair and movie connections mentioned in Chicago's First Ferris Wheel in Film (36 min.), then you'll likely enjoy the sources linked below. Further Reading To make it easier for you to recall, the following sources for further reading are divided into the same four sections as the virtual tour. Enjoy! Beginnings In the first section of the virtual tour, Beginnings , you considered the 5Ws , or those questions often used to gather information about a subject. You learned, for example, why the Ferris wheel existed, who was behind its creation, and when it was constructed. You also looked at photographs of select exhibition spaces in the 1893 World's Fair, including the three-story Art Gallery and Women's Building. Pleasure wheels in Bulgaria: The Travels of Peter Mundy in Europe and Asia, 1608-1667 (page 134). Pleasure wheels from Pietro's Pilgrimage: A Journey to India and Back at the Beginning of the Seventeenth Century (page 30). Art Gallery at World's Fair: Art in the Gallery of the 1893 World’s Fair . Women's Building at World's Fair: Women Building History: Public Art at the 1893 Columbian Exposition . At the Fair In At the Fair , you explored the Ferris wheel as it stood in the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Through personal drone footage, you soared atop the Midway currently and imagined where the Ferris wheel was once positioned. In this section of the virtual tour, you also learned more details about the Ferris wheel, including its capacity, materials, riders, and gross revenue over the course of the Fair. Chicago's Grand Midway: A Walk Around the World at the Columbian Exposition . Art, History, Midway Plaisance and World's Columbian Exposition , published 1893. George W.G. Ferris, Alumni Hall of Fame , Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Competing designs of Ferris Wheel on blog On Verticality . " A Wheel with a View ," Chicago History Museum. Riding the Wheel In Riding the Wheel , you took an animated ride on the Ferris wheel through the Chicago History Museum's free augmented and virtual reality experiences. Whee! Chicago00 Project , Chicago History Museum. Scientific American on the Ferris wheel , published July 1893. Ferris Wheels: An Illustrated History . After the Fair In After the Fair , you discovered what befell Chicago's massive Ferris wheel after the Fair closed its doors in October 1893. You also got to see film footage and map imagery to prove the wheel's relocation and ultimate demise. Watch the Ferris wheel turn in 1896 , Lumiere brothers. Finding the Ferris wheel axle in St. Louis . Obituary of George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. , New York Times , 1896. The 1893 World’s Fair , website.

Travel back to the World's Fair of 1893 and experience the first Ferris wheel through movies and virtual reality The first Ferris wheel was a groundbreaking engineering marvel designed for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair (aka. World's Columbian Exposition). Standing as the Fair's tallest attraction, this iconic structure provided breathtaking panoramic views of the fairgrounds and the city. It also set a precedent for future amusement park attractions. Have you ever thought about what it might have been like to ride the original Ferris wheel? The views? The duration? The passengers? Let's try to answer these questions through the magic of film and virtual reality, the latter provided by the Chicago History Museum . Are you ready to ride? Join Chicago Movie Tours on this virtual walking tour as we explore Chicago's first Ferris wheel in film. This virtual event was streamed live on Facebook. Watch an Excerpt This an excerpt of Chicago's First Ferris Wheel in Film, our virtual tour that takes you back to the World's Fair of 1893 to experience the first Ferris wheel through movies and virtual reality. Watch Full Virtual Tour (36 min.) Join our movie club to reveal below the full virtual tour (1080p HD, 36 min.). Browse upcoming virtual events . Eek, a Quick Word 😬 In the virtual tour below, I say the Midway Plaisance was located 9 miles south of the World's Fair. That is incorrect. The Midway ran alongside the fairgrounds, and all were located in Jackson Park. When speaking, I was thinking of the Art Institute of Chicago , also built for the Fair but located in the Loop, about 9 miles from the former fairgrounds. My apologies! Thanks for watching, Kelli

Visit the childhood home of film producer Quincy Jones and a mural that celebrates him Born in Chicago in 1933, Quincy Jones describes his childhood as "rough and scary"—and he literally has the scars to prove it. But the award-winning composer and film producer also credits his early years in Chicago for "all he has done in his life." On this free virtual walking tour with Chicago Movie Tours, learn more about Quincy Jones as you visit his childhood home and a mural once featured his likeness. (That mural was painted over in the summer of 2023 with one that celebrates Chicago sports teams.) This virtual event was streamed live on Facebook. NOTE: Due to the violent nature of Jones' backstory, this virtual tour may not be appropriate for children. Watch Virtual Tour (24 min.) Join our movie club to reveal below the full virtual tour (1080p HD, 24 min.). Browse upcoming virtual events . Again, this virtual event was streamed live on Facebook.

Learn about the "rough and scary" childhood of film producer Quincy Jones and a Chicago mural that celebrated him Quincy Jones was born in Chicago in 1933. He describes his childhood as "rough and scary"—and he has the scars to prove it. Literally, on his right hand and left temple, scars he received by crossing over into the “wrong neighborhood,” as he puts it. At age 7, Quincy Jones and his brother also watched in horror as their mother was taken away from them in a straightjacket, where she was admitted to Manteno State Mental Hospital in Kankakee, IL. While the award-winning composer and film producer clearly had a difficult childhood here in Chicago, he also credits those early years for "all he has done in his life." Arranging music, making records, composing soundtracks, and producing movies. Today in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood, you can visit Quincy Jones’ childhood home. And if you were in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood from July 2019 to August 2023, you likely didn't miss the massive mural that featured Jones' likeness . (That mural was painted over in the summer of 2023 with one that celebrates Chicago sports teams.) Discover more about these locations and Jones’ relationship to Chicago and film on our full 24-minute virtual tour Quincy Jones' Chicago .

Learn about three Chicago movie theaters that survived the 1918 flu pandemic Backed by video footage of three silent-era theaters, hear about the 1918 flu pandemic's effect on Chicago movie houses and what the owners did to survive. This virtual walking tour from Chicago Movie Tours includes HD video footage of silent-era Chicago movie theaters that survived the pandemic. It also covers a brief history of the Spanish Flu. Finally, the event looks in-depth at how small and large Chicago movie houses were affected financially by this event—and how they pulled through. This virtual event was streamed live on YouTube. Watch an Excerpt This is an excerpt from our 41-minute virtual tour that teaches you how three silent-era Chicago movie theaters survived the 1918 flu pandemic. Watch Full Virtual Tour (41 min.) Join our movie club to reveal below the full virtual tour (1080p HD, 41 min.). Browse upcoming virtual events . Again, this virtual event was streamed live on YouTube.