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Visit a Chicago mural that spoofs one of American art's most well-known paintings by inserting celebrity likenesses America's Most Famous Diner, Chicago Style Visit a Chicago mural that spoofs one of American art's most well-known paintings by inserting celebrity likenesses All Talks About Since 1942, Edward Hopper's painting Nighthawks has graced the walls of the Art Institute of Chicago . People have travelled across the world to see this depiction of a 24-hour diner with its four subjects, each seemingly lost in thought. In 2018, Nighthawks showed up on a storefront in Chicago's Irving Park neighborhood. Well, sort of. This version—with its nods to Chicago movies and culture—emits, shall we say, a slightly different feel. In this talk with Chicago Movie Tours, dive into Edward Hopper's Nighthawks —along with its history and place in pop culture—Chicago style! Request Talk

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Upcoming Talks See where Kelli will be speaking next—online and in person. Sep 16, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM CDT From Ferris to the Frontlines: Chicago's Art Institute and Grant Park in the Movies / Bridgeview Public Library, 7840 W 79th St, Bridgeview, IL 60455, USA Learn more Sep 16, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM CDT Bridgeview Public Library, 7840 W 79th St, Bridgeview, IL 60455, USA From Ferris Bueller to political drama, see the Art Institute of Chicago and Grant Park through the lens of film Nov 18, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM CST Chicago and The Wizard of Oz / Bridgeview Public Library, 7840 W 79th St, Bridgeview, IL 60455, USA Learn more Nov 18, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM CST Bridgeview Public Library, 7840 W 79th St, Bridgeview, IL 60455, USA Discover Chicago's connections to 'The Wizard of Oz' Dec 09, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM CST Behind the Scenes: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation / Green Hills Public Library, 10331 Interlochen Dr, Palos Hills, IL 60465, USA Register Dec 09, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM CST Green Hills Public Library, 10331 Interlochen Dr, Palos Hills, IL 60465, USA Yule love it! Unwrap the holiday magic and dive into the world of the Griswold family Mar 05, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CST Women and Early Cinema in Chicago: Untold Stories Behind the Silent Screen / Naperville Public Library, 3015 Cedar Glade Dr, Naperville, IL 60564, USA Register Mar 05, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CST Naperville Public Library, 3015 Cedar Glade Dr, Naperville, IL 60564, USA Explore hidden stories of women who shaped early Chicago cinema, with HD footage of key locations where they lived and worked Registration links to dates in the far future may not yet be available. Check back, or subscribe to be notified . Host This Crowd Favorite! Chicago and The Wizard of Oz Discover Chicago's connections to the classic children's story Learn More View All Talks

Upcoming Talks See where Kelli will be speaking next—online and in person. Sep 16, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM CDT From Ferris to the Frontlines: Chicago's Art Institute and Grant Park in the Movies / Bridgeview Public Library, 7840 W 79th St, Bridgeview, IL 60455, USA Learn more Sep 16, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM CDT Bridgeview Public Library, 7840 W 79th St, Bridgeview, IL 60455, USA From Ferris Bueller to political drama, see the Art Institute of Chicago and Grant Park through the lens of film Nov 18, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM CST Chicago and The Wizard of Oz / Bridgeview Public Library, 7840 W 79th St, Bridgeview, IL 60455, USA Learn more Nov 18, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM CST Bridgeview Public Library, 7840 W 79th St, Bridgeview, IL 60455, USA Discover Chicago's connections to 'The Wizard of Oz' Dec 09, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM CST Behind the Scenes: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation / Green Hills Public Library, 10331 Interlochen Dr, Palos Hills, IL 60465, USA Register Dec 09, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM CST Green Hills Public Library, 10331 Interlochen Dr, Palos Hills, IL 60465, USA Yule love it! Unwrap the holiday magic and dive into the world of the Griswold family Mar 05, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CST Women and Early Cinema in Chicago: Untold Stories Behind the Silent Screen / Naperville Public Library, 3015 Cedar Glade Dr, Naperville, IL 60564, USA Register Mar 05, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CST Naperville Public Library, 3015 Cedar Glade Dr, Naperville, IL 60564, USA Explore hidden stories of women who shaped early Chicago cinema, with HD footage of key locations where they lived and worked Registration links to dates in the far future may not yet be available. Check back, or subscribe to be notified . Host This Crowd Favorite! Cinematic Canines and Circus Stars in Chicagoland Cemeteries Delve into the intersection of film history, animal performers, and cemetery lore Learn More View All Talks

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. South Side This episode (2.4) of the television comedy series South Side cleverly tips its hat to Ferris Bueller's Day Off , the 1986 movie that shares its Chicago backdrop. Here, the show offers a more representative South Side experience than Ferris Bueller’s North Side one. For instance, it substitutes a Cubs game for a White Sox, and it trades the Art Institute of Chicago for the DuSable Museum of African American History . And, as represented by the above screenshot, South Side replaces the “Save Ferris” water tower (as seen here ) with “Save Brenda” in graffiti on the South Side sculpture Fountain of Time . South Side ’s Chandra Russell explained to Entertainment Weekly in 2021, ”We certainly set out to create a love letter to an iconic Chicago movie, but we wanted to do it in a unique way.” Mission: accomplished. 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

Encounter four ways Hollywood has traditionally represented women onscreen Gender in Hollywood: Women Encounter four ways Hollywood has traditionally represented women onscreen All Talks About Encounter four ways Hollywood has traditionally represented women onscreen. Among the categories you'll consider: mothers, damsels, femme fatales, and domestic or romantic agents. You'll also get a primer on how movies have chosen to represent women's bodies over the years, particularly when few clothes are involved. Join Chicago Movie Tours for an overview of women onscreen! NOTE: To give your guests a thorough background on common representations of gender in Hollywood film, book this talk alongside Gender in Hollywood: Men . Or if only one subject interests you, book it individually! 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. Sixteen Candles This slightly low-angle medium shot of Joan Cusack comes from Sixteen Candles . In John Hughes’s 1984 teen comedy—set and filmed in suburban Chicago—Cusack plays Geek Girl #1. She has no lines other than “yeah” and “okay,” and she wears a neck brace that hinders her drinking from water fountains and cans of soda. Memorably, Geek Girl #1 uses material from her shirt appliqué to wipe her mouth after she finally captures a sip of water. (Joan’s brother, John Cusack, also plays a small part in Sixteen Candles .) Fans of the Cusacks likely know the siblings—comprised of Ann, Joan, Bill, John, and Susie—grew up in Chicago’s north suburb of Evanston, where they began acting in local theater productions. Additionally, their father, Dick Cusack, owned a movie production company that created corporate films, and he and his wife encouraged the kids to perform. Despite their careers in Hollywood, John and Joan Cusack still have residences here. In fact, since 2011, Joan has owned a gift shop in Old Town, Chicago . When asked about her hometown—where bit parts like this one in Sixteen Candles would ultimately lead to Oscar-nominated roles in Working Girl and In and Out— Joan Cusack says this: “Chicago is so normal. It’s very real. In Hollywood, I feel like mostly an actress. In Chicago, I feel like a person and an actress.” (Tallahassee Democrat , Dec 1993) 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. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) Directed, written, and produced by John Hughes, Planes, Trains and Automobiles is a road movie with one goal: to get its two characters home to Chicago for Thanksgiving. Steve Martin and John Candy play the incompatible pair. Martin’s Neal Page is an uptight Chicago ad executive, and Candy’s Del Griffith is a garrulous shower curtain ring salesman. The long shot above of a guy smirking behind a NYC taxi cab takes place near the beginning of Planes, Trains and Automobiles . While frantically searching for a cab, Neal encounters “Taxi Racer,” played by Kevin Bacon. The two men sprint through a crowded Manhattan street, seeing who can reach an available cab first. Neal nearly wins, but he trips over Del’s trunk and lands face-first onto the street. “Taxi Racer” claims the cab; before getting in, he offers a sarcastic salute to the fallen Neal. Here, Hughes films from a low angle because it is a point-of-view shot from Neal’s (lowly) perspective. What’s more, this shot—along with the whole scene —foreshadows the frustrating and often submissive position in which Neal will consistently find himself as he crosses paths with Del on their journey home to Chicago for Thanksgiving. If you’re wondering why Kevin Bacon plays such a small role in Planes, Trains and Automobiles (indeed, he’s only onscreen for 1 minute), he explains here . 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

Browse Chicago Movie Tours' event calendar for upcoming guided walking tours, movie history talks, and more. Event Calendar Browse the calendar for upcoming walking tours, talks, special events, and more. August 2025 Today Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 10:30 AM From Fairground to Film Set: Chicago's Midway, Movies, and the 1893 World's Fair +1 more 25 26 27 28 29 10:30 AM Hollywood on the Rails: Movies and TV in Chicago's Union Station +1 more 30 11:30 AM The Art of Ferris Bueller +1 more 31 1 2 3 4 1:00 PM Inside Gene Kelly's House: A Virtual Tour +1 more 5 6

Read Chicago Movie Tours' Tour Terms and Conditions, to which all guests and guest purchases are subject. Tour Terms and Conditions All guests and guest purchases are subject to the following Terms & Conditions. Please read these terms carefully before purchasing a tour ticket. They outline, among other things, our cancellation policy and certain limitations of liability. Cancel or Change Reservations Low Attendance Policy Weather Payment Discounts Pricing Group Bookings Video and Photography Notes and Other Materials Medical Accidents, Loss, or Damage to Property Guest Responsibility and Conduct Children Refunds Privacy Policy These Terms and Conditions govern the relationship between you ("the guest" and "you") and us, CHICAGO MOVIE TOURS & TALKS LLC ("we," "us," and our"). By purchasing your ticket or obtaining it via complimentary means, you are entering into this agreement with us. Last updated: JUNE 2025 1. Cancel or Change Reservations You may cancel or amend your reservation 48 hours or more before the tour departs. Cancellations received within 48 hours of tour departure—along with late arrivals and no-shows after a tour departs—are not eligible for refunds. For reschedule requests outside of the 48-hour period prior to a booked tour date, guests should email us with a preferred alternative date. Please note: we cannot guarantee an appropriate replacement tour date will always be available, but we will do our best to accommodate guests! Tickets are valid for the date and time for which the guest purchased them. Guests should carefully review all of their booking details, including contact email and/or phone number, to ensure no errors exist. 2. Low Attendance Policy To ensure we can provide a fun, engaging, and economically feasible tour, we require a minimum number of guests. We need at least 4 guests to run the majority of our public walking tours . Our movie tour at Old Joliet Prison , given its larger venue and the special arrangements needed to access the property, requires at least 20 guests. A low attendance policy helps us cover essential aspects such as travel time for our tour guide , parking costs downtown, property rental fees, and all the behind-the-scenes magic that goes into making your tour unforgettable. Plus, group participation makes a tour more fun! If we need to cancel a public walking tour due to low ticket sales, we'll notify you 24 hours in advance. You'll have the option to transfer your tickets to another tour date or receive a full refund—whichever works best for you. 3. Weather Policy Our walking tours, which promptly begin at the scheduled departure time and date, operate in rain, shine, or snow. If we must cancel a scheduled tour due to extreme or unsafe weather (e.g., heavy rain, ice, hail, tornadoes, winds, lightning), we will notify guests by email and/or text that the tour has been cancelled. Guests will receive a full refund, or they may transfer their tickets to another tour date. 4. Payment Credit card payment for online bookings through chicagomovietours.com is processed at the time of booking through Stripe , a safe and secure booking and payment processing system. PayPal is also available at checkout. All bookings are processed in U.S. Dollars (USD). Walk-up guests who wish to pay with cash or credit card may do so only if spots are available on the tour. NOTE: We will not have change for cash payments. For custom/private tours, a quote will be provided to customers based on their requests. A deposit may be required for larger tour groups. Prices do not include gratuities to the guide and are at your discretion. 5. Discounts and Coupons If guests have a coupon code or discount, they must apply it to their tour BEFORE purchasing a ticket. Unfortunately, we cannot apply retroactive discounts. No discount offered by Chicago Movie Tours can be combined with any other discount or special offer when booking, unless otherwise noted. All discounts and special offers are subject to availability and may be removed at any time at our discretion. 6. Pricing All rates for public group tours lie at the discretion of Chicago Movie Tours and are subject to change without notice. Once a guest has booked a tour with us, the guest will not be required to pay any difference in the event of a price increase, and we will not refund the balance of any price reduction. For group and private tours, we will provide a quote to the guest prior to booking. After the guest accepts a quote, a credit card may be required to hold the private tour. 7. Group Bookings For group bookings, the purchasing guest acts on behalf of all guests, including children, joining the tour. If the purchasing guest does not intend to participate, a representative who will be participating must be named and must inform us prior to starting the tour. If the purchasing guest is a company, group or partnership, an individual must be named as a responsible person. 8. Video and Photography Video and audio recording any of our tours and talks is prohibited. In some instances, we have spent years researching and compiling the material for our tours, and we have done so in order to offer guests a one-of-a-kind experience that features histories and anecdotes they will not hear anywhere else. Any form of copying or reproduction of our likeness or our tours will result in legal action. We may take photographic, video, or film records of any of our tours or talks, including guests, to use for promotional and/or commercial purposes. Guests should notify us if they do not want to be photographed. 9. Notes and Other Materials Any notes or other materials we supply to participants before, during, or after a tour or talk—whether in hard-copy, electronic format, or any other form—are the copyright of Chicago Movie Tours, without limitation, and are not to be reproduced in whole or in part, or distributed to any Third Party in any form whatsoever, without the express written permission of the copyright holder. 10. Medical Guests must be fit and well enough to take our walking tours. Guests with medical or health concerns should inform us of their condition in writing (i.e. via email) prior to the tour.The tour operator reserves the right to disqualify guests if they appear incapable and/or if their continued participation will in any way jeopardize either themselves or the rest of the tour group. Refunds are not given under such circumstances. Chicago Movie Tours is not responsible for the costs of any medical treatment guests may require during or after a tour. And we are not responsible for the quality of medical care, or lack thereof, guests may receive during or after a tour.If you have any reservations regarding your fitness for a tour, please contact us . 11. Accidents, Loss, or Damage to Property Customers are responsible for their personal property. We are not liable for any theft, loss, damage, delay, inconvenience, direct or consequential loss. We are also not responsible for any damage inflicted, accidentally or otherwise, on properties, artworks, or other items by the guest or the guest's children. 12. Guest Responsibility and Conduct Walking tours begin promptly at the scheduled departure time and date. Please be on time or early. We recommend arriving at least 10-20 minutes early in order to find the location, parking, and your tour guide. Guests should alert us immediately via phone or text at 312-685-1190 if they are lost. Guides are unable to make and receive calls once a tour has started. Guests should behave respectfully to others, including but not limited to tour operators, other guests, and members of the public, and to the property of others, including but not limited to shared facilities and public environment. We are happy to answer guests' questions but ask that they do not talk over the tour guide, consistently interrupt, heckle, or engage in other distracting behavior. We reserve the right to stop a tour if guests violate this agreement. No refund will be given, and the participants must pay the full compensation for any damages that might have been caused. 13. Children In general, our tours are not suited for children under 10 years old. Any attendees with disruptive children will be asked to leave. 14. Refunds Walking tour refunds are permitted for the following reasons: Low capacity Bad weather that does not permit the tour to run Guests inform us no later than 48 hours that they wish to cancel The tour is partially completed (guests will receive a 50% refund) 15. Privacy Policy Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website. Please read this privacy policy carefully . If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access our site.

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Learn the basics of movie editing How Do Movies Link All Those Images? Learn the basics of movie editing All Talks About If you hold up a piece of film stock, you'll notice a series of images, one slightly different from the next. So how do those hundreds or thousands of separate images that comprise a movie ultimately make sense and then, hopefully, affect us emotionally as we watch? Learn the answer in this hour-long program on editing, where you'll be introduced to the basics of editing, including the shot, shot transitions, types of relationships between shots, and two common editing styles. Request Talk