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On this virtual walking tour, learn about The Marx Brothers' Chicago connections Did you know The Marx Brothers comedy team lived in Chicago for more than a decade? And were you aware the films they created spoke directly to the experiences of early 20th-century immigrants? Let's get the scoop! On this virtual tour, you'll walk with Chicago Movie Tours to the Marx Brothers' Chicago home and learn about a subgenre of film called anarchic comedy. You'll also take a quick ride down a slice of historic Route 66 and see where the Marx family once owned a chicken farm. (Yes, really, a chicken farm.) To watch the full virtual walking tour (approx. 25 min.), join our movie club ! Or get a sneak peek here .

The short video below is about a road off Route 66 in the western suburbs of Chicago where the Marx Brothers comedy team once owned a chicken farm. Minnie Marx , the matriarch of the family, bought the farm in April 1917 to avoid her sons being drafted during World War I, as farmers were exempt from the draft. Before becoming successful in Hollywood, the Marx family raised chickens, rabbits, and guinea pigs on this farm.

Shot on location in Chicago, Ferris Bueller's Day Off breaks the fourth wall, but it's not the first film to do so Many filmgoers think Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is the first movie to break the fourth wall, i.e., when a character looks at the camera and interacts with the viewer. But narrative films as early as 1903, like The Great Train Robbery , use this device to engage with audiences, albeit not quite the same way. For example, the medium close-up in The Great Train Robbery of the outlaw pointing his gun at the audience is not a part of the story. (Fast-forward to the end of the video below to see what we mean. Or watch the whole film; it's worth a look!) Unlike Ferris Bueller's ongoing conversations that guide us throughout his day off, the outlaw's gunfire in The Great Train Robbery has no bearing on the rest of the 12-minute silent movie. Instead, it serves as a warning of sorts. Here's film historian Pamela Hutchinson on what The GreatTrain Robbery 's final shot could mean: "It's an especially violent act, both in real terms, and cinematic ones. [...] Placed at the opening of the film, it might act as a trailer for the shoot-'em-up action to come. As a coda, it’s a warning to the audience that it's a wild world out there, and the violence continues even after the train robber case has been closed." Life comes at you fast. You've been warned. More Fun with Ferris Bueller's Day Off

A suburban Chicago movie theater takes movie marketing to a realistic and unnerving level Picture it. It's 1930, and you have just purchased your 25-cent ticket to MGM’s prison drama The Big House , now playing at Aurora’s brand-new Tivoli Theatre . You walk into the clean, lavish lobby and are greeted with ⁣⁣ two sawed-off shotguns⁣ two riot guns⁣ a convict suit⁣ a straight jacket⁣ a warden’s uniform ⁣ But wait, there’s more! ⁣ ⁣ Behind these terrifying items sit images from the movie you’re about to see, all of which are surrounded by makeshift prison bars and highlighted with an eerie green spotlight. Yikes.⁣ ⁣ In its September 1930 issue, Exhibitors Herald World reports that the Tivoli’s manager, Edwin Lewis, asked the warden of Old Joliet Prison if he could borrow the above equipment “to exploit in an effective way” MGM’s new moving picture The Big House . ⁣ The warden obliged, and in return for “the courtesy,” he and some buddies scored free tickets to the movie. ⁣

Born in Chicago, Charmian Carr made many young girls believe a Hollywood dream was attainable Today is International Women's Day , a global day that celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. ​ Dozens of talented and successful women in film and TV call Chicagoland home, including Marla Gibbs Joan Cusack Kim Novak Shonda Rhimes Gillian Anderson Bonnie Hunt Daryl Hannah Raquel Welch Marilu Henner Gloria Swanson Patricia Arquette Sarah Wayne Callies Justina Machado Anna Chlumsky Jennifer Hudson Each of these women is worthy of celebration in her own right. But today, I’d like to recognize an actress I've watched so many times on the big screen that, well, you probably wouldn't believe my count if I told you: Charmian Carr​. Born in Chicago in 1942, Charmian Carr is best known for her role as Liesl, the eldest Von Trapp daughter in The Sound of Music (Robert Wise, 1965). ​This onscreen appearance, Carr's first, garnered glowing reviews. Reporters across the U.S. called her " wonderful ," " aptly named ," and a newcomer audiences should definitely " watch out for ." ​Even Hedda Hopper, the gossip columnist known as the woman who scared Hollywood , praised Carr's debut as "brilliant" and further gushed that she's "never seen more personality packed into a small human parcel." It's exactly these characteristics — charm, full personality, and ingenue status — that made my childhood self want to watch Charmian Carr play Liesl over and over again. As my brother can attest, I virtually wore out our family's VHS tape of The Sound of Music because of my obsessive viewing habits. Also perfect in my 10-year-old mind — and in my adult mind, if I'm being honest — are the pink dress Carr wears during the gazebo scene with (the good-for-nothing Nazi soldier) Rolf and the way she looks at Christopher Plummer's Captain Von Trapp when he first sings "Edelweiss." For someone who'd never acted in the movies or had even sung or danced professionally, Carr made many young girls believe a Hollywood dream was attainable. After leaving show business, Carr continued to be successful. She owned an interior design firm, Charmian Carr Designs, and wrote two books, Forever Liesl (2000) and Letters to Liesl (2001). Way too young, Carr died in 2016 from complications relating to dementia. So, thank you, Charmian Carr, for your onscreen and offscreen achievements, and for inspiring young girls — and a few older ones — to seek out their own aspirations. — Kelli

Compare a suburban Chicago prison today to what it looked like in 1886, before movies filmed on location there Before embarking with Chicago Movie Tours on your walking tour of Old Joliet Prison , take a look at this map from 1886. Then, let’s see what we can learn from it. ​What Is the Map's Purpose? Created by the Sanborn Map Company , this is a fire insurance map of Old Joliet Prison, then called Illinois State Penitentiary. Its purpose was to help fire insurance agents determine the total risk associated with the property. Since 1867, the Sanborn Map Company has published maps and atlases of more than 12,000 cities and towns in the U.S. Now, thousands of those drawings live online via the Library of Congress for anyone, including you, to peruse. How Do We Read the Map? One of the first things we might notice about this map of Old Joliet Prison—as well as the Sanborn Map collection in full—is how colorful it is. Sanborn Maps use symbols—in the forms of colors, line styles, and abbreviations—so fire insurance agents can quickly and easily interpret complex information. For example, building construction types are represented by colors (see image below): Reddish/pink = brick and tile Yellow = frame or wood Olive green = fire resistive Gray = adobe Blue = stone, limestone, and concrete ​​Likewise, walls, doors, and roofs are designated by line types: Solid line = solid wall Breaks in lines = doorways and passageways Dashed lines = wall construction or a mansard roof What Can We Learn from the Map? Now that we know the map's origin and purpose, what can we learn from it about Old Joliet Prison? ​ First, we can tell that Old Joliet Prison is constructed almost overwhelmingly of stone —limestone to be exact. ​Second, any brick used during construction was apparently relegated to places where coal and fire were necessary: the bakery, annealing ovens , and coal storage, for example. Third, we can conclude that—other than the warden's offices and family dwelling (yes, the warden's family would have lived onsite)—most buildings, as one might expect from a prison, contained few open passageways and interior doors. In fact, if you look closely at the map, you'll find the words No Openings written atop some of the structures. That said, several windows adorn Old Joliet Prison. ​Let's Visit! On Chicago Movie Tours' two-hour walking tour of this abandoned suburban Chicago prison , you’ll learn more about the architecture of the correctional center as well as those who built and lived within it. You will also hear about Hollywood's century-long relationship with Old Joliet Prison. ​In the meantime, take another look at this map along with the locations and descriptions of the buildings. You’ll be surprised how different the facility looks today, once you pass through its barbed-wire fence and imposing limestone walls.

The all-white horse breed made its Hollywood debut in 1940 I met new friends at The Tempel Lipizzans stables about an hour outside Chicago. ⁣ The all-white Lipizzan breed apparently made its Hollywood debut in MGM's movie Florian (1940). Based on newspapers of the time, the care and maintenance alone of Florian 's five Lippizan stars—including hay, oats, bran, straw, horseshoeing, vet medicine, a private bungalow, and tail/mane braiding—cost MGM studios $6,745. That translates to roughly $127,000 today.

The "founding father of gay Chicago" documents a one-time sexual encounter with movie star Rock Hudson In the 1940s, Chicago department store Marshall Field & Co. was known as a gay cruising ground. At least that's how author Justin Spring describes it in his book on Chicago cult artist and writer Samuel Steward: Secret Historian: The Life and Times of Samuel Steward, Professor, Tattoo Artist, and Sexual Renegade (2011). As Spring's book title suggests, Samuel Steward was, first, a popular professor. He taught English at DePaul University and Loyola University. He also wrote and published literary fiction and gay pulp fiction. Second, Steward moonlighted as a tattoo artist under the name Phil Sparrow. That's how he was known to the Hell's Angels who befriended him. Finally, Steward was a relatively open gay man during an era when homosexuality could mean jail time. He documented all of his intimate encounters, including those with Thornton Wilder , Rudolph Valentino , and Rock Hudson . Hence, Spring's nickname for him: the " founding father of gay Chicago . " During the 1946 Christmas season, Samuel Steward worked in the bookstore at Marshall Field's, which he describes as "a howling madhouse, a lunatic Sabbath, and a frenzied nightmare of females and squalling brats." (Yikes.) While working at Field's, one day, Steward took interest in a handsome, young male employee wrapping presents. After confirming from his (gay) boss that the handsome fellow was indeed "a club member," Steward approached. A conversation ensued. Shortly thereafter, the two men nonchalantly boarded the store's freight elevator, stopped it between floors, and engaged in a quick sexual encounter. That is, of course, according to Steward's "stud file," a metal box containing index cards that recount in detail all of his sexual relationships. In any event, the Marshall Field's gift-wrapper was named Roy Fitzgerald. Within a few months, Fitzgerald would leave his department store post—and his hometown of Winnetka, IL—for a remarkable career in Hollywood as Rock Hudson.

In educating 1930s Chicagoans about the dangers of syphilis, movies played a couple of roles In the mid-1930s, syphilis was widespread in the United States: Roughly 1/10 Americans suffered from the venereal disease 18% of deaths from heart disease were attributed to syphilis 60,000 children were born each year with congenital syphilis (Brandt 129-30). With penicillin 10 years away, doctors treated syphilis with arsenic, bismuth, and mercury. Treatment was not cheap, costing some patients $300-$1,000! To curb this spreading disease, the New York State health commissioner proposed several plans to enact nationally. Among his suggestions: Offer free testing centers Make blood testing mandatory before marriage and early in pregnancy Educate the public concerning syphilis In educating the public about the dangers of syphilis, movies would play a couple of roles. Syphilis Movies for Doctors In the 1930s, syphilis movies were aimed at doctors . The American Medical Association and U.S. Public Health Service created training films like Syphilis: A Motion Picture Clinic to show doctors, step by step, how to examine patients and test for the disease. These movies offered physicians the latest information about causes, effects, and treatment of syphilis. They also included "explicit images of affected genitalia" and, thus, were not deemed suitable for the general public of the 1930s. (Little did the films' creators know at the time that their work would eventually circulate on something called YouTube!) Syphilis Movies for the Public In the 1930s, syphilis movies—and movie-like propaganda—also targeted the general public , Chicagoans included. As these clippings from the Chicago Tribune and surrounding Chicago newspapers point out, in the late 1930s, Chicagoans could attend free movies and talking-slide films about syphilis. High schools, women's and men's clubs, and parent-teacher associations were invited to view these "clean, educational picture[s]" and slides designed to help eradicate "the menace of syphilis." One talking-slide movie called For All Our Sakes (1936) was reportedly produced in Chicago at Burton Holmes Studios, 459 E. Ontario St. Its first screening took place off Lake Shore Dr. and Superior St. For All Our Sakes featured 100+ projected slides operated in connection with a phonograph disc recording. From 1937-38, it was shown in several states in addition to Illinois. Based on the letter from the American Social Hygiene Association that accompanied For All Our Sakes , Chicagoans were assured they were not watching "a Chamber of Horrors picture ." Rather, the approach to the spreading problem was "sane and enlightening" and designed for mixed audiences. In short, no one would be embarrassed, not even the "most sensitive individual." While we no longer have visual evidence, For All Our Sakes was evidently "attractively photographed" and "accompanied by a voice of unusual variety and vividness" (Pinney 167). In 1936, Dr. Jean B. Pinney writes that social hygiene "naturally lends itself to interpretation through the motion picture." She cites Damaged Goods (1915) as "the first social-hygiene drama film" and similar films that were created during WWI, the latter of which may have kept a low rate of syphilis among U.S. soldiers. We've known from their inception that moving images are powerful and can be used in various ways: to narrate, entertain, promote, scare, express, and persuade. We can add to the list: to educate Chicagoans on the potential dangers of diseases like syphilis. Sources Brandt, Allen M. No Magic Bullet: A Social History of Venereal Disease in the United States Since 1880 . Oxford UP, 1987. Englund, Kristin MD. " Syphilis 100 Years Later: Another lost opportunity? " Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine , 2017. Pinney, Jean B. " The Motion Picture and Social-Hygiene Education ." The Journal of Educational Sociology. Vol. 10, No. 3, The Motion Picture in its Educational and Social Aspects (Nov., 1936). 158-67.

Thank you for supporting Chicago Movie Tours. Here’s to many more! Two years ago today — on April 1, 2020 — I sat on my back porch with my dog Oliver. I made this 2-minute video introducing myself and Chicago Movie Tours . Then, I uploaded that video to YouTube and hoped for the best. Little did I know the COVID-19 pandemic would last nearly 2 years and that it would keep me from running the in-person tours I had so carefully researched and planned for you. But we pulled through — with the help of virtual tours , Zoom programs , and even in-depth online courses ! And I'm happy to say that as of this writing, more than 21,000 movie fans follow my small Chicago-based tour business across social media. What follows is a quick video that recaps the day I introduced myself and Chicago Movie Tours. The video also thanks you for following, engaging with, and supporting Chicago Movie Tours over the last 2 years! Here’s to many more. 🥂 Kelli

Explore 4 reasons the Art Institute scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off is so memorable In Ferris Bueller’s Day Off , three suburban teenagers skip school, drive into Chicago, and explore well-known sites like the Sears Tower , Wrigley Field , and the Art Institute of Chicago . The scene inside the Art Institute lasts only 2 minutes, but it is arguably one of the most memorable from the 1986 American teen comedy. Here are at least 4 reasons this museum scene is so unforgettable: Showcases a whopping 40 pieces of art Distinguishes the movie from other hedonistic teen comedies of the time Speaks volumes about the film's characters and its director, John Hughes, even though it contains no dialogue Represents a beautiful tribute to the power of art If you want to experience firsthand the artwork and hear behind-the-scenes stories that inspired one of the most famous scenes in Chicago-based cinema, join our guided walking tour The Art of Ferris Bueller . Also, be sure to look for our appearance in The Washington Post alongside three Chicagoans who recreate Ferris, Cameron, and Sloane's famous day off!

Discover two landmarks etched into a bronze cow outside the Chicago Cultural Center In front of Chicago’s Cultural Center sits a 2,500-pound bronze cow. It’s there to commemorate a public art project called Chicago Cows on Parade . In 1999, 320 fiberglass cows were placed around Chicago. In the video below, you can see a few of these statues: Top Cow Tourist Cow Space Cow, who sits appropriately in front of Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry In the fall of 1999, 100 of these cows were auctioned off for charity. Talk show host and actress Oprah Winfrey bought 3 of them. Chicago Cows on Parade was so popular that a bronze replica was placed in front of Chicago's Cultural Center in 2001 to remind Chicagoans of the event. Look Into My Eyes If you look closer at the cow — and into its eyes — you will see two other nods to Chicago’s history with architecture and art. Etched into one eye is a rendering of Chicago’s Picasso statue , which has appeared in movies like The Fugitive , The Lake House , and The Blues Brothers . Etched into the cow’s other eye is a depiction of Chicago's 150-year-old Water Tower , one of the few iconic structures left standing after the Great Chicago Fire . Keep your eyes open when you are taking a Chicago walking tour (or a virtual tour !). You might be surprised what’s hiding in plain sight!