Chicago Film Office: Who Knew?

By Margaret Lyons in Miscellaneous on Sep 1, 2004 6:04PM

So we’ve been talking about movies in Chicago (Batman, Wicker Park, Oceans 12, etc), and we were getting a little curious about how that’s all regulated and stuff. It turns out there’s a Chicago Film Office as part of the Mayor’s Office of Special Events. The CFO works to “attract and accommodate” projects in Chicago and “prompt the economic and cultural development that filmmaking provides while striking an effective balance with the needs of the community.” Score.

Most information on the website is all pretty interesting, even though it’s totally irrelevant to our lifestyle, but we’re especially into the Made in Chicago section. The Famous Titles link boils it down, but if you check out the decade sections, your inner TV and movie geek is in for a treat. For example, did you know that…
Ten Nights in a Barroom was filmed in Chicago in 1909? Because that title alone is still ringing true today.
We really got rolling in the 70s? If you haven’t seen The Sting, add that to your Netflix que right now. Right. Now.
A jillion awesome 80s movies were filmed right in your own city? We totally forgot that Uncle Buck is set around here.
Record-keeping efforts seem to have vastly improved in the 90s? We’d like to point out that Unsolved Mysteries might not actually count.
In the last four years, a lot of Chicago-based TV shows didn’t make it past the first season?

Um, we like lists. We’re into the Chicago Film Office, even if their Upcoming Productions area is a little behind.