Discover the rise and fall of the legendary department store Marshall Field’s.
Social & External
Narrator
As one of his generation's quintessential Mad Men, television commercial director Joe Sedelmaier's work was iconic, dynamic, and instantly recognizable--some twenty to thirty years later, people are still wondering 'Where's the beef?” He turned the advertising world on its brain-damaged head by casting offbeat non-actors in still-unforgettable spots. His brilliant, frequently hysterical commercials for Wendy's, Alaska Airlines, Federal Express and others were snappy slices of cultural quirk that tapped into the Cold War-fearing, corporate workaholic zeitgeist of the '70s and '80s with a sense of humor that cracked billions of smiles, sold billions of burgers, and sped up the default rhythm of time-based media.
This Traveltalk series short begins in Chicago, where the narrator and his crew board a cruise ship. After a 20-hour trip up Lake Michigan, they arrive at Mackinac Island, near the southeast tip of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. On the island, we see many of the attractions for which it is famous. These include Arch Rock, Old Fort Mackinack, and a hotel owned by Chauncey Depew. No automobiles are allowed on the island. Transportation is limited to bicycles and horse-drawn carriages.
Mackinac Island, Michigan, is a tiny island in the center of the Great Lakes. Besides being a world favorite "Horse Drawn" and "Victorian Era" summer destination, the island holds another treasure few have ever seen: its wild, magical and beautiful winters. The 72-minute film Ice Bridge follows islanders' unique and quirky lifestyle throughout an entire year while tracing the formation of the spectacular phenomenon known as the "ice bridge" (a three-mile span of ice that allows islanders to cross to the mainland).
Further Sasquatch encounters.
In 2017 a rash of sightings of a winged creature spread around Chicago. Now, Small Town Monsters launches their own investigation into the Mothman sightings that spread around Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Is the Mothman real? Seth Breedlove and Heather Moser pull at the threads of one of the most bizarre paranormal mysteries of the last decade. Along the way they interview witnesses, investigators, and even capture footage of a massive, winged being in downtown Chicago. What are people seeing? What does it mean? Is the Mothman simply an unidentified animal or a misidentified bird? Or is it something far more sinister? The truth is here, and the answers may shock you.
This documentary takes the viewer on a journey along Halsted Street, from the southern tip of Illinois, north through various Chicago neighborhoods, to the end of the road at Broadway in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood.
This 1978 documentary classic is an inside look at the old-style Chicago Machine politics of the Richard J. Daley era, where Alderman Vito Marzullo ran his West Side 25th Ward virtually unchallenged from 1953-1985.
The Vatican media documentary about the roots of Robert Francis Prevost in his native United States. It follows an itinerary that begins with his childhood in Dolton, through the memories of his brothers Louis and John, and continues among schools and universities, communities and parishes, featuring the voices of confreres, teachers, classmates, and longtime friends. A production of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Apostolate El Sembrador Nueva Evangelización (ESNE), broadcast on the official channels of Vatican Radio – Vatican News.
Footage of the Chicago fire department in the 1890s.
The third iteration of a continuing diary film. Five years and one roll of film distilled into three and a half minutes. The filmmaker captures a distinct period in their life, living and moving from Ithaca, New York to Chicago, experiencing and exiting the pandemic, seeing friends and taking road trips. Sound captured separately on a micro cassette recorder between 2019-2022.
A love letter to the first three months of the Coronavirus pandemic.
David Charleston, once a world renowned journalist, now lives alone maintaining the Thunder Rock lighthouse in Lake Michigan. He doesn't cash his paychecks and has no contact other than the monthly inspector's visit. When alone, he imagines conversations with those who died when a 19th century packet ship with some 60 passengers sank. He imagines their lives, their problems, their fears and their hopes. In one of these conversations, he recalls his own efforts in the 1930s when he desperately tried to convince first his editors, and later the public, of the dangers of fascism and the inevitability of war. Few would listen. One of the passengers, a spinster, tells her story of seeking independence from a world dominated by men. There's also the case of a doctor who is banished for using unacceptable methods. David has given up on life, but the imaginary passengers give him hope for the future.
A group of eccentric assassins are fed up with Gunther, the world's greatest hitman, and decide to kill him – but their plan turns into a series of bungled encounters as Gunther seems to always be one step ahead.
A recovering addict contemplates the point of living, when an unexpected visit by his life-long buddy sets in motion a night of psychedelic absurdity and devastating revelation.
Up-and-coming artist Anisa is woefully unprepared for the pettiness and performative antics taking place at the gallery opening for her latest pieces. Everything but the artwork seems to take center stage. With an absent girlfriend and career-oriented bestie focused on their own priorities, Anisa is left to spiral alone at the end of the night.
Mike Sullivan works as a hit man for crime boss John Rooney. Sullivan views Rooney as a father figure, however after his son is witness to a killing, Mike Sullivan finds himself on the run in attempt to save the life of his son and at the same time looking for revenge on those who wronged him.
Two strangers, both at the end of their rope, suddenly meet in the middle of the unpredictable waters of Lake Michigan.
Walter Schmitt, a once-prominent Chicago hotel developer, fights to revive his stalled legacy through an ambitious international expansion. When the pressure mounts, a chance encounter with a mysterious, powerful investor sparks a high-stakes new chapter that tests the limits of his ambition.
A young man who's down on his luck, attempts to enjoy a weekend getaway to a family lake house. Unbeknownst to him, his brother and future sister-in-law invite one of their old friends to come along
A tour de force exercise in optical printing shot in the Chicago Loop