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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. City That Never Sleeps Today's #OneShotWed comes from City That Never Sleeps , a film noir set and filmed (mostly) in Chicago. This shot comes at the start of the film. After holding our gaze to the Wrigley Building for several seconds, the narrator—representing Chicago itself—begins to introduce its citizens. First up is the "mechanical man" below, working in a window. "Once he was an actor; now he's down to this," we learn. Watch the film's opening here , courtesy of Turner Classic Movies. 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 Fugitive (1993) In The Fugitive , Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) escapes from U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) during Chicago's annual St. Patrick's Day parade, allowing him to continue his quest to find his wife’s killer. Today’s screenshot illustrates how The Fugitive ’s director, Andrew Davis, filmed this scene “documentary-style, grabbing what [he] could from the actual parade.” Pictured are parade participants from the Chicago Stockyards Kilty Band , reportedly Chicago's oldest bagpipe band, founded in 1921. More specifically, Davis captured most of the parade chase with hand-held and Steadicam cameras. Then, he edited the shots together to depict Kimble’s slipping away unnoticed. But one of the final shots in this scene—of Kimble escaping into the crowd as Gerard searches —occurs in the same frame. “That moment was without a cut," recalls Davis. "It was fantastic." You can watch the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day parade scene in full below and read more about it in this 2023 interview . 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

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

Analyze the relationship between sound and image Why Is Movie Sound So Powerful? Analyze the relationship between sound and image All Talks About A dinosaur's roar, a dancer's tap shoes, a lightsaber's hum: each of these sounds conveys meaning in relationship to its accompanying image—respectively, terror, talent, and anticipation. If you're interested in learning how such sounds are made, "sweetened," and then rendered onscreen, then join us for this hour-long discussion on the relationship between sound and image. You'll also explore several sound techniques; three types of sound (voice, music, sound effects); and the power of sound in cinema. Request Talk

Celebrate the 1980 Chicago-based movie in all its iterations Beyond the Blues Brothers Celebrate the 1980 Chicago-based movie in all its iterations All Talks About Celebrate the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers as you explore its backstories, mix of Hollywood genres, and impact on Chicago-based filmmaking. This hour-long interactive talk considers Backstories of the 1980 movie and the Blues Brothers' act, made famous on SNL . Conventional Hollywood genres and 10 ways The Blues Brothers film, for better or worse, insists on mixing them. The movie’s impact on Chicago-based filmmaking, with a special nod to Jane Byrne, who served as Chicago’s mayor during the film’s production. 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. Cooley High Cooley High (1975) is a coming-of-age comedy-drama set in 1960s Chicago. It follows high school friends Preach (Glynn Turman) and Cochise (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs) as they navigate life, dreams, and hardships in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing projects . The above screenshot marks a pivotal moment in Cooley High , shifting the film’s tone from lighthearted to deeply emotional. In this long shot, Cochise, a promising athlete, is tragically killed under the ‘L’ tracks by neighborhood hoodlums. Preach finds his friend’s lifeless body and screams for help, but the screeching train tires above drown out his cries. A touching funeral scene follows. Cochise’s funeral is filmed at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, IL, the final resting place for thousands of South Chicago residents and their families. Over the heartbreaking scene, which you can watch below, the song “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday ” plays. If you are of a certain age and recognize the song outside of Cooley High , it’s likely because you remember the a cappella version recorded by Boyz II Men in 1991 . 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. 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

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

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. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation This close-up shot of a squirrel comes to you from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation . In the 1989 comedy, the Griswolds try to have a “good old-fashioned family Christmas.” But as usual with this family, everything that can go wrong does—including that moment a squirrel who has been nesting in the family Christmas tree gets loose in the house. In an oral history of the film, Christmas Vacation ’s director, Jeremiah Chechik, recalls shooting this scene , which frankly, sounds as chaotic as what made it on film! For the dog and squirrel chase, we hired an animal trainer who trained them everyday for months to run through the set. When it came time to finally shoot what we’d been planning, I got out of my car and saw everyone standing in a huddle shaking their heads, and I knew something was terribly wrong. I asked them what was going on, and they said, “We have a problem.” “Okay, what?” “The squirrel’s dead.” I said, “Holy fuck, we’re shooting that today!” And the animal trainer turned and said, “Ya know, they don’t live that long.” We still had to shoot the scene, so we used an untrained squirrel. It was just total chaos. Related Content Book our talk Behind the Scenes: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation . See if this talk is coming to a location near you. 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. Feb 24, 2026, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM CST Black Movie History in Chicago: Cinematic Milestones and Sacred Grounds / Orland Park Public Library, 14921 S Ravinia Ave, Orland Park, IL 60462, USA Register Feb 24, 2026, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM CST Orland Park Public Library, 14921 S Ravinia Ave, Orland Park, IL 60462, USA Explore Black film history in Chicago through select movies and sites that connect them Mar 02, 2026, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM CST On the Run in Chicago: Behind the Scenes of The Fugitive / Homer Township Public Library District, 14320 W 151st St, Homer Glen, IL 60491, USA Register Mar 02, 2026, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM CST Homer Township Public Library District, 14320 W 151st St, Homer Glen, IL 60491, USA Uncover how "The Fugitive" blends TV history, cultural ritual, and Chicago’s architectural stage 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 Mar 11, 2026, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM CDT Countdown to the Oscars: Illinois Winners, Scandalous Moments, and Oscar Bait / Helen Plum Library, 411 S Main St, Lombard, IL 60148, USA Register Mar 11, 2026, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM CDT Helen Plum Library, 411 S Main St, Lombard, IL 60148, USA Celebrate Illinois' Oscar winners, scandalous moments, and "Oscar bait" as you countdown to this year's Academy Awards Apr 16, 2026, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM CDT Private: Chicago and The Wizard of Oz / Skokie Country Club, 500 Washington Ave, Glencoe, IL 60022, USA Learn more Apr 16, 2026, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM CDT Skokie Country Club, 500 Washington Ave, Glencoe, IL 60022, USA Discover Chicago's many connections to the classic children's story "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" Registration links to dates in the far future may not yet be available. Check back, or subscribe to be notified . Host This Crowd Favorite! Festivus 101: A Celebration for the Rest of Us Become an expert on Festivus and its place in pop culture, Chicago's included 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. The Package The Package is a 1989 political thriller set during the Cold War. The U.S. and Soviet governments are on the verge of signing a nuclear disarmament treaty when a high-ranking U.S. General is assassinated. Gene Hackman’s character is blamed for the lack of security and, therefore, the general’s murder. As punishment, he is assigned to escort an Army sergeant (Tommy Lee Jones/Kevin Crowley) back to the U.S. for court martial. The Package 's opening was shot in Berlin, Germany. The rest was shot in and around Chicago. Locations here include Lake Forest Academy (as a German chalet), the Field Museum, the South Shore Country Club, Grant Park, O’Hare International Airport, and Chicago’s Union Station . This medium-long shot of Tommy Lee Jones takes place on the historic oak benches in Chicago’s Union Station . His character is disguised as an Anglican priest and has just received a suitcase containing a sniper’s rifle. As the story’s villain, he will not use this weapon for good. A native Texan, Jones fondly recalls his time shooting The Package in Chicago—and he even wears the clothing to prove it : “I, my wife, and my little boy love Chicago. It’s a fine city, an all-American city. A considerable amount of history has been written there. It’s windy and cold in the wintertime, but we don’t worry about that — it’s hot and dry in Texas in the summer.” (The Sacramento Bee , Sept 1989) 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. Feb 24, 2026, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM CST Black Movie History in Chicago: Cinematic Milestones and Sacred Grounds / Orland Park Public Library, 14921 S Ravinia Ave, Orland Park, IL 60462, USA Register Feb 24, 2026, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM CST Orland Park Public Library, 14921 S Ravinia Ave, Orland Park, IL 60462, USA Explore Black film history in Chicago through select movies and sites that connect them Mar 02, 2026, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM CST On the Run in Chicago: Behind the Scenes of The Fugitive / Homer Township Public Library District, 14320 W 151st St, Homer Glen, IL 60491, USA Register Mar 02, 2026, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM CST Homer Township Public Library District, 14320 W 151st St, Homer Glen, IL 60491, USA Uncover how "The Fugitive" blends TV history, cultural ritual, and Chicago’s architectural stage 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 Mar 11, 2026, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM CDT Countdown to the Oscars: Illinois Winners, Scandalous Moments, and Oscar Bait / Helen Plum Library, 411 S Main St, Lombard, IL 60148, USA Register Mar 11, 2026, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM CDT Helen Plum Library, 411 S Main St, Lombard, IL 60148, USA Celebrate Illinois' Oscar winners, scandalous moments, and "Oscar bait" as you countdown to this year's Academy Awards Apr 16, 2026, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM CDT Private: Chicago and The Wizard of Oz / Skokie Country Club, 500 Washington Ave, Glencoe, IL 60022, USA Learn more Apr 16, 2026, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM CDT Skokie Country Club, 500 Washington Ave, Glencoe, IL 60022, USA Discover Chicago's many connections to the classic children's story "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" Registration links to dates in the far future may not yet be available. Check back, or subscribe to be notified . Host This Crowd Favorite! Inside Gene Kelly's House Visit one of Hollywood's best song-and-dance man with a tour to his homes Learn More View All Talks