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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 Dark Knight From The Dark Knight (2008), this shot depicts a semi-truck flipping over in front of the Chicago Board of Trade Building and city's banking district. This movie stunt from The Dark Knight is impressive for several reasons. But perhaps the main reason is that it is achieved via practical special effects (as opposed to visual effects ). A practical effect is created physically, without the use of CGI or other post-production techniques. In short, the crew literally flipped a Mack truck on the streets of downtown Chicago. Read more here about how the director, Christopher Nolan, and his stunt coordinator, Paul Jennings, pulled off this memorable special effect. 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

From “Harry and Tonto” to “The West Wing,” see how two of Chicago's western suburbs have played leading roles onscreen Chicago Suburbs Onscreen: Forest Park and Oak Brook From “Harry and Tonto” to “The West Wing,” see how two of Chicago's western suburbs have played leading roles onscreen All Talks About 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. Request Talk

Upcoming Talks See where Kelli will be speaking next—online and in person. Jul 14, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Private: Chicago's First Ferris Wheel in Film / Anshe Emet Synagogue, 3751 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60613, USA Learn more Jul 14, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Anshe Emet Synagogue, 3751 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60613, USA Travel back to the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 and experience the first Ferris wheel through film and virtual reality Jul 22, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM CDT Women and Early Cinema in Chicago: Untold Stories Behind the Silent Screen / White Oak Library District: Lockport Bra, 121 E 8th St, Lockport, IL 60441, USA Register Jul 22, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM CDT White Oak Library District: Lockport Bra, 121 E 8th St, Lockport, IL 60441, USA Explore hidden stories of women who shaped early Chicago cinema, with HD footage of key locations where they lived and worked Aug 06, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM The Breakfast Club: Chicago, Music, and a Generation Defined / Naperville Public Library - 95th Street, 3015 Cedar Glade Dr, Naperville, IL 60564, USA Register Aug 06, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Naperville Public Library - 95th Street, 3015 Cedar Glade Dr, Naperville, IL 60564, USA Discover how "The Breakfast Club" defined a generation through its architecture, music, and ties to Chicago Aug 17, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM The Breakfast Club: Chicago, Music, and a Generation Defined / White Oak Library District: Crest Hill B, 20670 City Center Blvd, Crest Hill, IL 60403, USA Register Aug 17, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM White Oak Library District: Crest Hill B, 20670 City Center Blvd, Crest Hill, IL 60403, USA Discover how "The Breakfast Club" defined a generation through its architecture, music, and ties to Chicago Registration links to dates in the far future may not yet be available. Check back, or subscribe to be notified . Host This Crowd Favorite! Countdown to the Oscars: Illinois Winners, Scandalous Moments, and Oscar Bait Celebrate Illinois' Oscar winners, scandalous moments, and "Oscar bait" as you countdown to this year's Academy Awards Learn More View All Talks

Visit a mill from the credits of "Gone with the Wind," and uncover how Black Chicagoans and "The Chicago Defender" reacted to the 1939 movie Gone with the Wind in Chicago: Place, Protest, and the Black Press Visit a mill from the credits of "Gone with the Wind," and uncover how Black Chicagoans and "The Chicago Defender" reacted to the 1939 movie All Talks About Book for Apr. 2026 and after— download 2026 calendar . This 60-minute talk explores Gone with the Wind not as a Hollywood epic, but as a cultural flashpoint—tracing its contested legacy through place, protest, and the powerful voice of Chicago’s Black press. Through HD video, we go on location to Little Rock, Arkansas, to visit a grist mill briefly shown in the opening credits of Gone with the Wind . We then turn to The Chicago Defender , the Chicago-based African American newspaper founded in 1905. Drawing on contemporary articles, photographs, and interviews from the Defender , we return to Chicago in 1939 to examine how Gone with the Wind was received—by the general public and by protestors alike. The program concludes with the film’s recent reappraisal, including its (temporary) removal from media outlets such as HBO. PLEASE NOTE : This talk does not address Gone with the Wind 's production history, stars, plotlines, characters, or fandom. The focus is on the movie's credit sequence, public response, and media coverage. Request Talk

Upcoming Talks See where Kelli will be speaking next—online and in person. Jul 14, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Private: Chicago's First Ferris Wheel in Film / Anshe Emet Synagogue, 3751 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60613, USA Learn more Jul 14, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Anshe Emet Synagogue, 3751 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60613, USA Travel back to the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 and experience the first Ferris wheel through film and virtual reality Jul 22, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM CDT Women and Early Cinema in Chicago: Untold Stories Behind the Silent Screen / White Oak Library District: Lockport Bra, 121 E 8th St, Lockport, IL 60441, USA Register Jul 22, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM CDT White Oak Library District: Lockport Bra, 121 E 8th St, Lockport, IL 60441, USA Explore hidden stories of women who shaped early Chicago cinema, with HD footage of key locations where they lived and worked Aug 06, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM The Breakfast Club: Chicago, Music, and a Generation Defined / Naperville Public Library - 95th Street, 3015 Cedar Glade Dr, Naperville, IL 60564, USA Register Aug 06, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Naperville Public Library - 95th Street, 3015 Cedar Glade Dr, Naperville, IL 60564, USA Discover how "The Breakfast Club" defined a generation through its architecture, music, and ties to Chicago Aug 17, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM The Breakfast Club: Chicago, Music, and a Generation Defined / White Oak Library District: Crest Hill B, 20670 City Center Blvd, Crest Hill, IL 60403, USA Register Aug 17, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM White Oak Library District: Crest Hill B, 20670 City Center Blvd, Crest Hill, IL 60403, USA Discover how "The Breakfast Club" defined a generation through its architecture, music, and ties to Chicago Registration links to dates in the far future may not yet be available. Check back, or subscribe to be notified . Host This Crowd Favorite! Art of Ferris Bueller Art of Ferris Bueller is not currently available for booking. 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. Southside with You An account of Barack and Michelle Obama's first date, Southside with You was filmed in Chicago in the summer of 2015. Today's #OneShotWed takes place under the Tiffany dome in the Chicago Cultural Center. According to Architectural Digest , for this scene, the characters were supposed to attend an art show at the Art Institute of Chicago. But the cast and crew were unable to film there. So in the end, "the Chicago Cultural Center served as a replacement, and the crew created a show within the space." 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

Upcoming Talks See where Kelli will be speaking next—online and in person. Jul 14, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Private: Chicago's First Ferris Wheel in Film / Anshe Emet Synagogue, 3751 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60613, USA Learn more Jul 14, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Anshe Emet Synagogue, 3751 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60613, USA Travel back to the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 and experience the first Ferris wheel through film and virtual reality Jul 22, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM CDT Women and Early Cinema in Chicago: Untold Stories Behind the Silent Screen / White Oak Library District: Lockport Bra, 121 E 8th St, Lockport, IL 60441, USA Register Jul 22, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM CDT White Oak Library District: Lockport Bra, 121 E 8th St, Lockport, IL 60441, USA Explore hidden stories of women who shaped early Chicago cinema, with HD footage of key locations where they lived and worked Aug 06, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM The Breakfast Club: Chicago, Music, and a Generation Defined / Naperville Public Library - 95th Street, 3015 Cedar Glade Dr, Naperville, IL 60564, USA Register Aug 06, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Naperville Public Library - 95th Street, 3015 Cedar Glade Dr, Naperville, IL 60564, USA Discover how "The Breakfast Club" defined a generation through its architecture, music, and ties to Chicago Aug 17, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM The Breakfast Club: Chicago, Music, and a Generation Defined / White Oak Library District: Crest Hill B, 20670 City Center Blvd, Crest Hill, IL 60403, USA Register Aug 17, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM White Oak Library District: Crest Hill B, 20670 City Center Blvd, Crest Hill, IL 60403, USA Discover how "The Breakfast Club" defined a generation through its architecture, music, and ties to Chicago Registration links to dates in the far future may not yet be available. Check back, or subscribe to be notified . Host This Crowd Favorite! Roller Coasters, Racism, and Chicago Home Movies Reconsider Chicago amusement parks through the lens of home movies and a dunking booth game Learn More View All Talks

Learn about three Chicago movie theaters that survived the 1918 flu pandemic Chicago, Movies, and the 1918 Pandemic Learn about three Chicago movie theaters that survived the 1918 flu pandemic All Talks About 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. Request Talk

Review Oscar's history as it relates to Hollywood and Chicago The Oscars and Chicago Review Oscar's history as it relates to Hollywood and Chicago All Talks About Join us for The Oscars and Chicago as we consider Hollywood's most prestigious awards and their unexpected connections to the Windy City. We'll start this hour-long talk with a backstory of the Oscars, including why and how they were created. Then, we'll look at Chicago’s links to this Los Angeles-based event, focusing specifically on the statuette and a few industry game-changers from Chicago. Finally, we'll wrap up the program with a (virtual) tour of Chicago’s Grant Park, where a recent Best Picture nominee spent considerable time filming. Dust off your black dress or tuxedo! The Oscars and Chicago is about to begin. 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. Space Jam In Space Jam (1996), Chicago Bulls basketball legend Michael Jordan teams up with the Looney Tunes characters to win a basketball game against aliens. The film combines live-action and animation, and it culminates in a victory with Jordan’s iconic slam dunk. To achieve the live-action/animated special effects in 1995-96, artists took their original drawings and paintings (from paper) and scanned them into a computer. After that, the animators “touched them up, and then separated elements to give [audiences] various depths of field.” Read more about the painstaking process in Part 2 of Space Jam’s oral history . Matt Johnson, one of Space Jam ’s digital artists, recalls one particularly difficult shot that includes the Chicago skyline : “There’s a shot where we start with Michael Jordan in a press conference and it goes up through a CG roof and then you see the Chicago panoramic skyline, past a miniature, and you go up and then it carries onto this big sequence as you travel past the moon, and then you’re into the toon CG world.” Johnson continues. For the shot, “I turned [the camera] on its side and I think I got a couple of people including myself just to stand against a white wall and kind of wave or make movements and things like that, and I just stuck us in the window. So if you look very carefully there are little people waving in the windows of the Chicago skyline, and that’s me and a couple of other people from the office.” Watch the full sequence below, where you’ll find the above medium shot of Michael Jordan at the press conference. 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

Visit three Chicago locations in The Untouchables, focusing on the movie’s baby carriage sequence in Union Station and later films it inspired Behind the Baby Carriage: Chicago and The Untouchables Visit three Chicago locations in The Untouchables, focusing on the movie’s baby carriage sequence in Union Station and later films it inspired All Talks About Book for Aug. 2026 and after— download 2026 calendar . When people think of movies that showcase Chicago, The Untouchables (1987) often tops the list. But does Brian De Palma’s gangster film truly give the city a starring role—or does Chicago merely serve as a dramatic backdrop? We’ll explore that question through a tour of three key Chicago filming locations featured in The Untouchables : the Chicago Board of Trade, the Rookery Building (including Frank Lloyd Wright’s celebrated redesign), and Union Station. Using original HD footage, we’ll see how Chicago’s architecture, scale, and history help shape the film’s visual power and sense of place. In the second half of the program, we’ll focus on The Untouchables ' most iconic moment: the Union Station staircase shootout. As a baby carriage careens down the steps amid gunfire, De Palma creates one of the most unforgettable set pieces in American cinema. We’ll unpack the scene’s behind-the-scenes construction, trace its roots to silent-era filmmaking, and examine how later directors have borrowed the baby carriage motif for dramatic effect. By the end of our hour together, you’ll see how The Untouchables not only cements Chicago’s place in film history, but turns the city—especially Union Station—into an indelible cinematic character. 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. The Untouchables In The Untouchables (1987), actor Billy Drago plays Al Capone’s henchman Frank Nitti. From this bird’s-eye-view angle , Nitti has just met his fate, falling 5 stories onto the first parked car below. Today’s screenshot is also a point-of-view (POV) shot from the perspective of Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner). Looking down after killing Nitti, Ness stands triumphant on the roof of the Chicago Cultural Center (the U.S. District Courthouse in the movie). Based on several interviews, Billy Drago quite enjoyed his time playing Frank Nitti . He talked with members of the Nitti family, studied the mob outfit’s history, and interviewed remaining members of “the real Untouchables” (Omaha World-Herald , 26 Jul 1987). But what really surprised Drago during filming was how down-to-earth the Nittis were. During production, Drago received this message at his Chicago hotel: “the Nitti family will be by to pick you up at 7 o’clock.” Understandably, the actor was concerned. But, as Drago tells it, “they couldn’t have been nicer—and they had all of these legitimate businesses!” Furthermore, the family loved the way he portrayed Nitti in the movie (The Boston Globe , 24 Aug 1990). The Untouchables was nominated for 4 Oscars: best actor in a supporting role, best art/set direction, best costume design, and best music original score. Sean Connery won the award for best supporting actor. 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