Chicago, the Beautiful

It's old Chicago in this post-war episode of TravelTalks. It claims to be beautiful Chicago. With today's eyes, it's a lot of old style buildings. Sure, they were modern and new back in the day but it's a lot of concrete. In addition, there are some cool old buildings and lakeshore scenes. There must be some better exotic locations. This one is more like an old industrial advertisement from the city. It's too desperate to be 'Beautiful'.

I have only lived in the Windy City for the first six years of my life and I've only visited the Second City (what it used to be referred as) occasionally till about 1986 when I was still in my teens. Still, many of the sights that still exist to this day as seen on film during the '40s was quite a sight to see on film while watching this on Facebook just now. So the Field Museum was called the Chicago Museum of Natural History during this time, huh? That place was where I saw the King Tut exhibition back in 1977. And nice to know where the name Buckingham Fountain came from. What a great sight to end the film on and what great memories I had of watching it in person whenever I visited the place where I was born! So on that note, Chicago, the Beautiful is very much worth a look.

A quick look at Chicago landmarks is essentially what this short subject in the TravelTalk series by James A. FitzPatrick offers.

It starts with what the narrator calls a picturesque skyline and a glimpse of some of Chicago's great hotels, the aquarium, the huge museum and library, and goes on to show the Chicago Tribune's skyscraper building and the enormous Merchandise Mart.

Lake Michigan is featured prominently, the source of commercial shipping and private boating pleasures.

Chicago has 40 railroads which we get a fleeting look at and a view of the colorful and busy theater district along Randolph Street; the Marshall Fields shopping center along State Street; the Gold Coast, an exclusive section for wealthier citizens along the waterfront beaches;fishermen along the wharf; and finally, mention of several surviving landmark buildings from the 1871 Chicago exposition, as well as surviving structures from the great fire of Old Chicago.

It closes with a view of the Buckingham Fountain, which looks like it belongs at a World's Fair exposition as the sunset settles on the horizon.

I am an imported "Chicagoan". I live in Plainfield and have been in the region since 1978. I came from Pennsylvania, have lived in Ventura and Los Angeles CA and though I love PA's terrain, and the sugar maples in fall, and crave the ocean of CA, I absolutely love Chicago. I think it is the most beautiful large city in the country, with 28 miles of public lakefront -- incomparable! How special is that.

My husband and I have explored with the Architectural Foundation tours of the river, lake and streets. We have gone on Art Institute explorations of the city including the great cemeteries and neighborhoods. We are members of all the major museums, zoos, botanical gardens, etc. We also attend city-wide and neighborhood festivals. We have entertained guests at events on the water, and elsewhere, for events like the air and water show, Venetian Night, and the July 4th fireworks (previously July 3rd). We subscribe to Joffrey Ballet, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Goodman Theater, Grant Park summer concert series. We financially support WTTW, WBEZ, and Chicago's small theaters which Chicago is fortunate to have in abundance. We have sailed on the lake in small craft, used the beaches, gone smelt fishing on cold April nights, eaten at the little fish shack that used to be on the waterfront.

We gave a surprise 16th birthday party for one of our daughters in a hotel overlooking the lake and Navy Pier which had fireworks on the night we stayed over -- quite a memorable event. A variety of hotels have hosted us with my my extended family members from PA. They, too, are now Chicago lovers.

Obviously, we love the city, and avail ourselves of its many enchantments. Having seen all this in the last 35 years it was a very special treat, indeed, to see what all these places looked like 30 years before I arrived here with my fairly recent husband of Plainfield origin.

This is a beautiful documentary done in superlative style for its time. The visual clarity in our current times of Hi Def may cause many to downrate this video. It was state of the art at the time and needs to be seen in that light. The film is a very thorough tour of all aspects of the city. Thoroughly enjoyable, especially for those interested in history and architecture.

An MGM TRAVELTALK Short Subject.

Our whirlwind trip into CHICAGO, THE BEAUTIFUL will take us along State Street & Lake Shore Drive. We'll travel the Chicago River & see vast Lake Michigan. The Wrigley Building, the Palmer House and the grand Merchandise Mart are just a few of the mighty edifices we pass on our way, before looking at some survivors from the Great Fire of 1871.

This is one of a large series of succinct travelogues turned out by MGM, beginning in the 1930's. They featured Technicolor views of beautiful & unusual sights around the globe, as well as vivid, concise commentary. These films were produced & narrated by James A. FitzPatrick.