One of the commenters generously did the time stamps -- is there anyway you can include it up at the top? (see below) "thpass 9 months ago (edited) Huge Thank you to @19king14 Film2Video Memories & Services for posting this video. Much of the film footage shows structures which are either gone or changed in the current Chicago cityscape. Here are some highlights with timestamps: 0:48-0:55 Robert Taylor Homes and Stateway Gardens housing projects. These were demolished in 2005-07 1:04 A view of the skyline from the Dan Ryan with the First National Bank building (now Chase) and the Hancock tower as the only prominent skyscrapers. The black train bridge crossing over the river at 21st remains largely the same. 2:30 view from the UP North Western tracks at Park Ridge overlooking Main street headed south 2:50 -3:04 Museum of Science and Industry from 57th st with closeups of the caryatid statue columns from the lawn 3:59 the Travel Lodge in the background during cab ride is now a best western near 49th and Lake Shore drive 4:10 Soldier Field as seen from the east section of northbound Lake Shore drive before the merge of the lanes west of museum campus 4:37 view of Buckingham fountain with Hilton and Blackstone hotels in the background. Torco sign was prominent for years before Columbia College moved into building 4:44 the Geodesic dome at 400 east Randolph is still there. Shown here near the start of the old "S-curve" on Lake Shore Drive. The interior is a swimming pool as seen in the 1969 film Medium Cool 4:50-5:16 views of the Hancock, Time Life bldg and Wrigley bldg from the old S-curve. This area has changed drastically since the new s-curve was built in 1985 5:45-6:00 views of Marshall Field store (now Macy's) from Randolph and Wabash. note the old Trailways bus depot across street(gone 1988). The service driveway thru Fields is now blocked off from Randolph 6:15 nice views of a 6000-series CTA train car turning toward Lake street The green and white cars were in service thru the late 1980s 6:50 Marina towers in the freshly completed state. Renovations followed in the 90s and mid 2000s 7:10 The old Sun-times (and Daily News) bldg near the Wrigley bldg and Tribune tower. The suntimes moved out early 2000s, Trump tower sits where this once stood 7:35 Carbide and Carbon building detail. Antennas were removed from the top of the tower in the 70s and the gold leaf restoration completed the art deco look. 8:05 The Playboy tower (Palmolive bldg) had a high powered rotating light which operated thru the early 1980s 8:26 the old, huge Mandel bldg (demolished in the 90s) and the new construction for Wacker drive east of Michigan ave 9:15 The Roosevelt theater on State between Washington and Randolph currently Block 37 9:25 The United Artists and Woods theaters (demolished late 80s). Marquees were lit up even during the day. 10:24 the view southwest from the rotating restaurant Pinnacle Lounge atop the Holiday Inn (now W Chicago)at Ontario and LSD. a view of the old Mandel bldg, Equitable and newly constructed Time Life bldgs 11:00 The gothic style tower is part of Northwestern University Abbott hall 11:13 old Navy Pier was in a dormant stage after U.I.C. moved into the new near west side campus. Footage of Navy Pier in the early 70s is seen in the movie Cooley High. Ramps leading into building were removed in the 1980s. 11:51 -13:45 Excellent night time footage of the neon signage and marquees from downtown Chicago. The Cadillac sign was near the S-curve. The Theater marquees were lit up brilliantly with thousands of light bulbs for the United Artists and Woods theaters at Dearborn and Randolph. Movies shown at the time were Midnight Cowboy and Castle Keep. This part of downtown has completely changed. Block 37 shops sit where United Artists once was. 13:00 Chicago theater is the only theater remaining of all of these. Showing Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch (June 1969) 13:05 State Lake theater is now ABC7 news studios 13:12 the notorious magazine shop and cocktail restaurant with the creepy swing goer, next door to Flo's on Randolph. 13:27 McVickers theater on Madison near Dearborn demolished in 1985 13:54 old Magikist lips sign from the Kennedy expressway. One of 3. There was another on I-290
Thanks for the advice. I just now "pinned" your comment to always be at the top for others to see. Thanks again. If you wish you can edit or remove your first few lines to the time is at the beginning of the comment.
The Magikist and Budweiser sign, the theater district with the Woods, State-Lake and Roosevelt Theaters showing "The Wild Bunch" at one and "Castle Keep" with Burt Lancaster and Peter Falk playing at another. The London House, Oxford House, squat and chubby Yellow and Checker cabs and the latticed-glass dome covering the condo swimming pool on the old LSD. AND the classic midcentury neon Holiday Inn sign. All gone forever. I can see it, hear it and smell the great, gritty odor of old Chicago as if I was back there with my family. Oh, the persistence of memory. Thanks for sharing this gem.
@ you may be right. There was also the LSD split around the Field Museum that was merged into one four lane thruway. There was also the hairpin curve near Lake Point Tower that was straightened out (you can see it in the opening credits of John Wayne’s 1975 police action flick “Brannigan” in an aerial shot). So I think we’re all talking about different parts of the same stretch of LSD/Du Sable.
I have to admit, I became VERY emotional watching this. I was 11 years old in 1969, growing up in Chicago, and while the city has changed a great deal since then, it's still very much the same, as well. I saw sights in this video that I distantly remembered, and I want to say a heart-felt thank you for posting this. You've made an old man very, very happy today.
@@youngchristian4540 The only thing he lied about was that he inferred he was "old" and if you read what he wrote he is only 60-61 years old. THAT's not OLD! Speaking as a person who was 13 in 1969... :-)
I just found this , it takes me back to my youth !! My folks would take us every year to Chicago on the Rock island Rocket to see the parade from the windows of the Walnut Rm at Marshal Fields and have lunch under their Christmas tree. We stayed at the Palmer house for one night and ate at the Old Heidelberg or Berghoff then would take the train back home, the folks are gone my sister is gone and I have the fond memories . I don't know how the folks afforded these yearly trips back in the early to mid 1960s , but it sure made holiday time special for a pair of farm kids.
@@richardpowers6576 That was sooo cool of them! What family memories you now have! Do you remember the giant stuffed Kodiak Bear they had in Marshall Fields? As a little kid, that thing seemed as big as Godzilla to me!
1969, I was 15 and that rarest of birds, a west suburban White Sox fan. All my friends were Cubs fans and in 1969 I had the last laugh. Long time ago. Loved Chicago.
That's neat that you got the last laugh as a fan of the South siders in baseball because I wasn't aware at that time there was pennant fever in Chicago with the Cubs.
I was 18 in 1969, just graduated from high school. Got my first job as a secretary to a buyer at Spiegel the catalog house. Used to go downtown every Saturday. Thanks for the memories!!!
As a millennial and my mom a boomer(I born ‘91and she in ‘54). She drove a cab for many years so I was able to learn most of the city at a pretty young age. Can’t believe I was able to watch a video 50+ years old and recognize almost every landmark through the city. Wish I could’ve been around to see it lit up at night with all the neon signs. Through the good, the bad, and the ugly I am absolutely in love with this city. Went away to train to become a flight attendant for a couple months. And when I came back as soon as the skyline touched my eyes I cried like a baby I was so happy to be home . Chicago …. What a city ❤️
When a Chicagoan hears "Willis" they think of the "Willis wagons" that were installed on CPS sites to keep the schools racially segregated. Instead of allowing blacks to enroll in all white schools, they made them attend classes in trailers. The name "Willis" applied to real estate has very racist and negative connotations. It's amazing to me that the stupid corporate eggheads missed this when renaming the iconic Sears Tower. No true Chicagoan will EVER call the Sears Tower ANYTHING but the Sears Tower. Suck it, corporate knob slobbers. Do some basic research, you bumbling oafs. It's the Sears Tower, now and forever.
I know the person who filmed this, and the many other super 8s with the lady in yellow. I know her too. She has her fiancé's large print plaid leisure jacket, folded over her arm. I was her flower girl, all her bridal party wore pastel yellow satin with embroidered white daisy chain straight down the front. The couple gave me my first paperback, it was Peanuts cartoons. They both are photographers. So happy people love this video.❤❤
I might have been working in Marshall Fields the day this was shot - 19 years old, stationed in first floor sunglasses, weather equipment and cameras! Thanks for posting this!💕
@ …This south side girl is from Calumet Park, was in my second year at Columbia College in ‘69, taking the IC to school and work.i loved being part of “city life” at the time! Life has been kind to me…but the days sure do trip away much too quickly! Hope you have a lovely holiday and a safe New Year!!💕
@…Oh - me too! I have a long memory of wonderful holiday things at Field…and to this day have not EVER shopped at Macy’s ANYWHERE because of the chaos they threw the Marshall Field’s building into when the took it over…it became a filthy, messy junk store. But…Fields! The Store For Men across the street which I believe had a sporting goods section with a huge stuffed bear in it; China and dishes and Home Goods on 3…books also on that floor…and of course my personal heaven - toys on 4!!! Plus viewing the Field’s Christmas tree from the observation stands on maybe floor 7 or 8 and eating warm apple pie in the Walnut Room! Memories very close to my heart!💕
@ Me too. I loved that store. Especially around Christmas. I would save my $3.35/hour wages and buy a high end Ralph Lauren Polo shirt whenever I could. That and Lord & Taylor.
1969 Chicago. I lived on the north side around Belmont & Central. My grandparents & extended family all within walking distance. Living my best "Norman Rockwell" life & hanging upside down on the monkey bars at the park. Getting ready to start kindergarten in the fall. It's like it was yesterday. I think of it all the time so fondly.
@ChicagoRules 🐒We grew up before excessive political correctness was invented. What a blast it was too! Thanks for sharing the joy we obviously both share of those 'good ol days'!😘❤️ 🎀🎄Merry Christmas & many blessings to you & yours!🎅🎀
I loved seeing this film, born and raised on the SW side of Chicago. At the time I had a 1963 metallic cherry red Chevy Impala, it was my favorite of all the cars I have owned. Was happy to see them again. Thanks for the memories.
My grandfather had a 63 cherry red Impala convertible with the white wall tires we had it until 2003. I used to sit in the back. It was like a large couch. I’d loved it
@@glowilk5377 And he had his cops beat up protesters in 68! The famous quote "We are not here to create disorder, we are here to preserve disorder." Much smaller "big city" then.
For those that requested background informatiom; I wish I had some... I have an 8mm film scanner. This was a reel I found somewhere in my flea-marketing. I enjoy it and was never even in Chicago - it is an excellent time capsual. I do believe the rather irritated woman is the wife of the camera owner. The night scenes were a challange to the scanner and myself as monitoring and improving what I could, but I was able to bring it out surprisingly well for old home-movie film. I'm glad so many others are enjoying this and am happy to see so many favorable comments and memories! I'm surprised you-tube doesn't block the music.
Wow did this bring back memories, thank you so much, the music was perfect! When I was 11 and 12 my dad was in the Veteran's Hospital downtown Chicago so we went to see him twice a week for two years, it was at this same time frame as this video. Like stepping back in time.
Thanks so much for posting this movie, it's great work. I'd love to blend some of these shots with a short music clip I'm making, if ok by you. It adds the look I'm searching for.
Unbelievable that Chicago was like this in 1969. Way ahead of its time. Very nice video. I was vacationing in Chicago in 2014 with my wife and daughter. (We are from India) and we loved Chicago compared to other US cities. Really amazing to know that much of what we saw in Chicago in 2014 was so there in 1969 itself. Thanks for sharing.
"Hey, let me show you some film from our trip to Chicago!" August 1969, family and friends: "Um, we really need to be going, Stan." August 2021, 162,000 random strangers: "Yes please!"
Isn't that the truth :) I was one of those weirdos who loved watching other people's home movies. My dad would be dozing off on the couch and I'd be fascinated
I was 13 in 69 that year my father got a new 442 Oldsmobile! In 79 I drove it to Prescott Arizona for my last year of college then back in August of 80. Drove my girl to Chicago in 1984 so she could go to U of C law school. Thanks!!
Marshall Field’s, now there was a store! I’ve spent so much time in that store, that I knew by heart what was on every floor, where on the floor an item was and all the different entries and exits that it had. I spent $30 on Frango mints the last time I was ever there.
Beautifully poetic description but I'm not giving up on her. She's outshined and thrived amid her fallen 19th century, so called_rust belt_rivals of Detroit, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Cleveland etc. Still great cities but none have percervered with magnificence like Chicago!
I grew up on the west side of Chicago back in the 1960's. Your video brings back a lot of memories of the city for me. Thank you very much for posting!
The old Budweiser sign on the outbound Kennedy! It was still there until about the mid nineties or even later perhaps. Always knew my exit at Western Ave was getting close when I saw it.
Not so!!!! In city traffic, motorists did always stop for pedestrians!!! Chicago was known as a city of courteous drivers - and, since many were WWII vets - they were indeed heroic hearts! These days Chicagoans drive like old time " Angelenos", i.e. residents of Los Angeles, who could turn a jaywalker into road kill! But guess what - today many living in Chicago are NOT the longtime citizens native to Chicago... (Most of those have moved away....or passed on...)+
There’s still time for you to step into a real time machine by visiting your nearest mall. But don’t wait because the opportunity is fast disappearing!
The way RUclips is practicing Revisionism...would not be so sure about the total authenticity of the entire experience they are building... However, With the many advances not only in science but also in depth awareness of the Mysteries of this Creation: would not be so sure that those "who control the powers, principalities and perception" of Creation will perpetually be able to keep their experiences of actual Time Travel to themselves; After all - life was not created exclusively for the 0.0001percenters--- (though they like to imagine it is)!
@@InspectorCallahan.44 Yes, this can be a satisfying and inspiring experience sometimes...especially Lucid Dreams! However, take care with "Remote Viewing" exercises...extended separations of consciousness from one's physical presence can occasionally go awry...⚰️
Im not so sure about that. The more i learn about this universe i realize there is something very interesting about it. Time is linear here on earth to us but there is a link to other times through other dimensions, "heaven" is just another dimension, the (or one) dimension where there is no matter only energy and in that dimension there is no linear time. Supposedly all of time is occuring roughly now though appears linear on earth. I am quite certain many intelligent beings from around the universe can travel in space and time. It may be a long time for us but maybe not.
The sheer amount of people who have traversed those routes, walked along those buildings, and saw those very same sights back then. Most are gone, their memories not much unlike the ones we get watching this now.. Who were they? What were they thinking? Feeling? Life is so short my brothers and sisters, so short. Try to enjoy it while we have the chance..
1969, I was 11. My family & I were catching a train to Fort Worth from Chicago.The 6 of us got to enjoy looking at the Great lake while we waited on our departure. ❤❤❤
First trip to the big city for me, 11 yrs old at the time. Remember distinctly pressing my nose to the car window staring at the Hancock Building, at the time the world’s tallest building. Still a great feat of work, although the number of skyscrapers has greatly increased. Most are “meh”. Hancock Building still looks super impressive with those angles and just huge size.
This is a real treat! I was born in October, 1969 at Swedish Covenant Hospital and spent the next 48 years in Chicago on the northwest side before moving to the western suburbs. Lane Tech alum!
This brings back memories from '69..I was there to celebrate Christmas with my girlfriend and her family. We had dinner at the Top of the Rock atop the Preudential Building then went to see the just released movie "Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid" with Redford & Newman. Seeing the cars in this film felt like old times. Enjoyed it!
I was 23 years old in the summer of 1969 attending NIU in DeKalb. I made two trips to Chicago that summer. The first was to watch the parade for astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins. I had never before (or since) seen TONS of confetti fall from hundreds of windows. That memory has been etched in my mind ever since. As is, moments later, when Richard Daley, in making an introduction speech, forgot the name of one of the astronauts. The other trip was a week or so later to see the Cubs start their heart-breaking decline out of first place giving that honor the the Mets. I took some pictures during both of those visits but it was with my then-girlfriend's camera-- who is now as much gone from my life as so much of the wonderful Chicago of 1969.
This is awesome!!! We have some videos but nothing like this. Thank you for sharing.... My grandmother knew the Magikist guy. She said he was nice and very hardworking. She remembered him when he began his business, beating the rugs outside to get them clean.
"The memories will be so thick, they'll have to brush them away from their faces." Incredible film quality! And no g-d awful background music! Thank you for sharing.
Im from 69 growing up in Chicago it has changed alot for many years but would never give up my city I grew up memories that I will cherish for life Amen
The city was clean and vibrant. State Street was illuminated with marquees of shows and performers such as Diomme Warwick. I remember the Magikist sign. So much nostalgia. Every man was in a suit or slacks and a shirt and women wore dresses. The city looked healthy with a pulse. Unfortunately, things have gotten so bad. I was three years old in 1969. I worked for the Chicago Tribunne over 35 years ago and I enjoyed being downtown. Hopefully, in the coming years it will be resuscitated. It is slowly dieing. So much vacant real estate, crime, shootings, and vagrancy. Chicago was once one of the greatest cities in the world. Thank you for posting!
First visit to Chicago was in ‘65 and I was there each summer until ‘68. Many of the sites in the film are very familiar. I saw the transformation of State street, Lake Shore Drive, Michigan Ave. the Els (I rode in those green and white Els for many years as they transitioned to those stainless steel trains for the mid 70s}. Came back in ‘77 and have been living in the area since. I don’t go downtown much these days but when I do I see the great transformation that has turned the city into a very beautiful town! Thanks for this movie.
Great memories of Doentown. Made me miss those Days cruising through Chicago with my parents. We were from the suburbs and it was always an adventure. Didnt see Maxwell Street in the film. We saw a lot of Chicago Blues Legends playing outside before they were big names. Especially Hound Dog Taylor,Muddy Waters,Jr.Wells etc. Thanks for the film.
Great job on this one! Loved seeing the now classic cars! Loved the opening of the 68' barracuda, as I had one back in 78' what a glimpse into our past and bygone era ❤
That's my hometown I got family up there they been up there for decades my father used to own the store their hell I was raised their 1967 how many you all remember that store that you go down in the basement and go out the other end yeah that's was my place Chicago I come up there every 3 years to visit just like coming back home much love to my hometown the Windy City👪👪👪❤❤❤❤❤❤💪💪
I loved watching this video. I was born in 1969 in Chicago and it was so amazing seeing what was going on. From the cars to what people were wearing and all the signs.. I remember that Coke sign..;) Thank you 🙏 Very cool…
That was therapy for my Chicago-grown soul. In the downtown theater scene, one of marquees brought to my memory that I saw that movie, with my best friend in 1969. Thank you!!!!
I was born in 1948, NYC. I used to love to shop along the Main Street downtown Brooklyn and look at shoes in the windows of the shoe shops. There were several. The least expensive shoes were in the front…..$2.99 usually. The middle displays were shoes $4.99 to $7.99. The really nice ones were high on the back displays $9.99. I loved them of course. No malls, back then, just nice shops, department stores.
When my sister was born in Chicago in this same year, my parents didn't have much money and they would take her in a stroller to Buckingham Fountain and just spend their weekend nights there. I also had a great-aunt who lived in the Corn-Cob apartments at 7:49 . and the Picaso Statue at 9:26 is where my dad proposed to my mom. Life sure was simpler back then.
Great views and thank you. Reminds me so much of the car trips my Mom used to take us on as a child. Always loved seeing the new place that seemed a world away...
Thank you so much for this footage. I come across this once a year or so and it brings back some very fond memories. I was a young man, working downtown in 69 and it's a pleasure to see it again. For those of you that haven't been in the Loop in the last few decades, all of those theaters are gone except for the Chicago.
Great video. The thing most noticeable to me was the size of those cars and the fact that there was not one foreign car on the road. WellI did see a couple of Volkswagen’s but that’s it.
Great video. So many things are different and yet so many things are the same. Somewhere in that city at that time my mother was. Maybe even walking down the sidewalls going shopping as you drove or walked by. Thank you for shearing.
One of my favorite hobbies is finding the actual locations that appear in TV shows and movies on Google's Street View. I had a BLAST with this video. Surprisingly I was able to identify and find most of the locations in this video...I am surprised how much of Chicago is still there more than 50-years on.
Talk about memory lane... the now iconic images were part of my everyday reality living in Lake Point Tower at age 15 in 1969. I also noticed how light the traffic was, and all the taxis. We walked for miles on Michigan, State, Randolph etc. so the sense of stoic, monolithic high-rise buildings was everyday scenery. We'll never know how this footage ended up in a flea market. Lots of people do not have a drop of nostalgia in them. Thank goodness for youtube!
Kind of sad actually, that this wonderful home movie ended up in a flea market. That couple did a nice job of getting great shots, without zooming too much, or panning the camera too quickly. They captured footage that gives a nice overview of what Chicago "felt like" in the day. Such a nice job, I wish we were able to know more about them and what life had in store in the decades after.
There are so many photographs we own. I think I have 3,000 on my phone. They will disappear from my cloud. I have a medium bin of photos, some taken with a Brownie, others with a Polaroid. A small bin holds small Fuji instant photographs. The day will come when they will wind up at a flea market or landfill.
Turned 14 in July, 69, Fenwick HS. Remember many of these places. My dad's friend from work was newly divorced, shocking in those days, and had moved into Lake Point Tower. How we oohed and awwed at the fews from his "pad."
This is a treasure. Thank you. I was so amazed by downtown Chicago at night. Once upon a time Chicago was a wonder. .(These scenes leave a lump in my throat.)
Was in tears watching the super8 of your visit to Chicago. I was 11yrs 9months at that time. I especially liked the filming of your dinning at the top of the Holiday Inn restaurant, a place I always wanted to visit.
One of the biggest changes over the past 50 years is the amount of traffic in Chicago. There really was a rush hour (one hour) of peak traffic in the morning and evening commute by car. The highways were empty compared to today even though the population was higher back in those days. The film brings back a lot of memories for me. Wish I could go back.
I could get downtown from Niles in 20 - 25 minutes. Now? Forget it. It’s a crapshoot. Sometimes you get lucky and others you sit and sit. At least those coin tollbooths are gone. Friday nights after work going through the Cumberland tollbooth that merged 8 lanes into 4 then back into 8 and dealing with all the frustrated, exhausted people. It was a madhouse. God forbid you would drop a coin trying to throw it in the basket 😂
Wow this is cool! Those buildings at:55 is the old Robert Taylor Homes right off the Dan Ryan expressway and the overhead railroad tracks is the Englewood/Howard line.
My family lived in the Robert Taylor Homes for a few years around '65. I remember looking out of the window and reading the railroad names on the sides of boxcars.Walking across the ditch that was was paved to become the Dan Ryan,
@@andremccullum3066 A Southsider! I still only know the El’s by their old names. Lake-Dan Ryan, Howard -Englewood, O’Hare-Jackson Park, Ravenswood….. You had to know if your stop was an “A” stop or a “B” stop, or an “A-B” stop… I was way to set in my ways to learn the colors…
For those, like me, who grew up in Chicago (I was 10 years old when this was filmed), this brings back fond memories. In those days Chicago was a great and exciting city to live in. It will always be dear to my heart. Thank you for sharing this!
What an absolute delight! I put on some period-correct lounge music, and watched vintage Chicago unfold. What sparkling nightlife signs they used to have. Thank you for posting this treasure ✴
Omigosh, the magazine store! And Flo's restaurant! And all the theaters making State Street Chicago's great white way! Now THIS was a real theater district! Oooh ... the Magikist sign on the Kennedy! And going back to the start: Park Ridge (at 2:22) before "modernization", and then the MSI when you could just park out in front. At about 3:20 what appears to be a large display of the first walk on the moon, which must have just happened. This video is wonderful!
The Magikist sign is actually from the corner of State and Randolph (NW corner)....it was there until the mid 1990s.....there was one where you said too.
I was showing a young woman the sights in the early 2000s. When I pointed to the Prudential building and told her it was the tallest building in Chicago when I was a kid, she looked at me like I was Methuselah.
@WheelsAlwaysTurning Started in Summer of 1970 and completed in May 1973. Later Sears sold it and they renamed it Willis tower but to Chgo people, it will always be Sears tower.
@@kimosabbe50 My dad was the Superintendent who ran the whole Electrical portion of the job. 55-57. My grandfather, WJ O’Brien Electric Co. did the job, and my grandpa put my dad in charge of it. Very proud for me. I followed and became an electrician in the late 70s. Yeah, when I tell my kid that this was the tallest building in Chicago, that they had an observation deck, she can’t believe it either!
@@kemosabe5648 They also installed those huge radio broadcast tower antennas on top of Marina City. Ch. 7, ABC, used to broadcast their TV station from there. lol Amazing, no?
Fond memories of Chicago as a little kid. From Lake county Indiana, we used to go there quite regularly for Sox games and also at Christmas time, once on the South shore 🚂.
Remember when Wrigley Field first got lights in 1988? Most of the houses in Wrigleyville had signs on their windows saying " No lights". I remember most of the games started at 11:15 or 1:15,because the later games would sometimes get postponed because of " darkness ". You could tell it was getting near that time when Steve Stone or Harry Carray started talking about shadows on the field. That was way before the parking garage too. We'd get their really early to park in that little lot on Grace St. If you didn't get there in time, you'd have to drive all over, looking for private parking, 3 times the amount. We'd get there early for the 11:15 games and eat breakfast at McDonald's, then watch all of the players drive up to the different gates, dropping their cars off
@@Armybrat173 My cousin was stationed at that Firehouse right there. We would go there all the time to hang out and try to catch home runs out on Waveland Ave!
Wow, that's neato.Did you catch any good balls? Do you know who hit it out? Were any of them Grand Slams? I remember in school, the class built a mini Chicago and used two corn cobs( raw) for Marina City, LOL. Sad what has happened to Chicago. Has anyone gone on any of the Gangland tours? ( Bus with the bullet holes).
Thank you for posting this. I was 14 in 1969 and my dad and I went through Chicago a few times in the late 60s. It would take me about one second to feel completely at home and comfortable there if I was suddenly transported into that world at that time.
I was 5 in 1969 and especially enjoy seeing the cars in these old films. Had forgotten how popular station wagons used to be. Can’t remember the last one I saw one on the road. Checker cabs used to be everywhere. I enjoy watching these videos. Thanks!
I was 8 years old in '69 and remember my mom taking me and my brother downtown and being amazed at the buildings Grant and Lincoln parks and everything else, thinking this is the greatest.I've been going downtown nearly every year since since and never really noticing the changes. After seeing this and seeing how much it's changed I can honestly say that it was the greatest city then and still is today.
My father took 16mm films of my all my family vacations, birthdays, and holidays from 1950 till 1970. I have thousands of feet of film, some has been put on cd. Thanks for the memories.
I was born in 78’ but throughout my childhood, Chicago still looked very much like this. Hell, the neighborhood I lived in still looks like this today. Very nostalgic.
One of the commenters generously did the time stamps -- is there anyway you can include it up at the top?
(see below)
"thpass
9 months ago (edited)
Huge Thank you to @19king14 Film2Video Memories & Services for posting this video. Much of the film footage shows structures which are either gone or changed in the current Chicago cityscape. Here are some highlights with timestamps:
0:48-0:55 Robert Taylor Homes and Stateway Gardens housing projects. These were demolished in 2005-07
1:04 A view of the skyline from the Dan Ryan with the First National Bank building (now Chase) and the Hancock tower as the only prominent skyscrapers. The black train bridge crossing over the river at 21st remains largely the same.
2:30 view from the UP North Western tracks at Park Ridge overlooking Main street headed south
2:50 -3:04 Museum of Science and Industry from 57th st with closeups of the caryatid statue columns from the lawn
3:59 the Travel Lodge in the background during cab ride is now a best western near 49th and Lake Shore drive
4:10 Soldier Field as seen from the east section of northbound Lake Shore drive before the merge of the lanes west of museum campus
4:37 view of Buckingham fountain with Hilton and Blackstone hotels in the background. Torco sign was prominent for years before Columbia College moved into building
4:44 the Geodesic dome at 400 east Randolph is still there. Shown here near the start of the old "S-curve" on Lake Shore Drive. The interior is a swimming pool as seen in the 1969 film Medium Cool
4:50-5:16 views of the Hancock, Time Life bldg and Wrigley bldg from the old S-curve. This area has changed drastically since the new s-curve was built in 1985
5:45-6:00 views of Marshall Field store (now Macy's) from Randolph and Wabash. note the old Trailways bus depot across street(gone 1988). The service driveway thru Fields is now blocked off from Randolph
6:15 nice views of a 6000-series CTA train car turning toward Lake street The green and white cars were in service thru the late 1980s
6:50 Marina towers in the freshly completed state. Renovations followed in the 90s and mid 2000s
7:10 The old Sun-times (and Daily News) bldg near the Wrigley bldg and Tribune tower. The suntimes moved out early 2000s, Trump tower sits where this once stood
7:35 Carbide and Carbon building detail. Antennas were removed from the top of the tower in the 70s and the gold leaf restoration completed the art deco look.
8:05 The Playboy tower (Palmolive bldg) had a high powered rotating light which operated thru the early 1980s
8:26 the old, huge Mandel bldg (demolished in the 90s) and the new construction for Wacker drive east of Michigan ave
9:15 The Roosevelt theater on State between Washington and Randolph currently Block 37
9:25 The United Artists and Woods theaters (demolished late 80s). Marquees were lit up even during the day.
10:24 the view southwest from the rotating restaurant Pinnacle Lounge atop the Holiday Inn (now W Chicago)at Ontario and LSD. a view of the old Mandel bldg, Equitable and newly constructed Time Life bldgs
11:00 The gothic style tower is part of Northwestern University Abbott hall
11:13 old Navy Pier was in a dormant stage after U.I.C. moved into the new near west side campus. Footage of Navy Pier in the early 70s is seen in the movie Cooley High. Ramps leading into building were removed in the 1980s.
11:51 -13:45 Excellent night time footage of the neon signage and marquees from downtown Chicago. The Cadillac sign was near the S-curve. The Theater marquees were lit up brilliantly with thousands of light bulbs for the United Artists and Woods theaters at Dearborn and Randolph. Movies shown at the time were Midnight Cowboy and Castle Keep. This part of downtown has completely changed. Block 37 shops sit where United Artists once was.
13:00 Chicago theater is the only theater remaining of all of these. Showing Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch (June 1969)
13:05 State Lake theater is now ABC7 news studios
13:12 the notorious magazine shop and cocktail restaurant with the creepy swing goer, next door to Flo's on Randolph.
13:27 McVickers theater on Madison near Dearborn demolished in 1985
13:54 old Magikist lips sign from the Kennedy expressway. One of 3. There was another on I-290
Thanks for the advice. I just now "pinned" your comment to always be at the top for others to see. Thanks again. If you wish you can edit or remove your first few lines to the time is at the beginning of the comment.
If you know you know
Are you referring to just the video? The Goodman theater was built in 1922 and is still operating today
It was fun seeing the old Mandel Bros. warehouse. My wife worked there when it housed Encyclopedia Britannica (late 1970s)
13:55 audio clip - Let’s Go by The Cars
The Magikist and Budweiser sign, the theater district with the Woods, State-Lake and Roosevelt Theaters showing "The Wild Bunch" at one and "Castle Keep" with Burt Lancaster and Peter Falk playing at another. The London House, Oxford House, squat and chubby Yellow and Checker cabs and the latticed-glass dome covering the condo swimming pool on the old LSD. AND the classic midcentury neon Holiday Inn sign. All gone forever. I can see it, hear it and smell the great, gritty odor of old Chicago as if I was back there with my family. Oh, the persistence of memory. Thanks for sharing this gem.
I loved the Magikist sign and had forgotten all about it.
Remember the old “S” curve - was it around Oak Street beach? Can’t remember. It sure was a joy in rush hour. 😆
@@alwaysalibrarian Yes, the Oak Street "S" curve. Still there, still slow in traffic.
@ I thought a while back they made a change to make the curves less sharp but sounds like you’ve been there and it hasn’t improved.
@ you may be right. There was also the LSD split around the Field Museum that was merged into one four lane thruway. There was also the hairpin curve near Lake Point Tower that was straightened out (you can see it in the opening credits of John Wayne’s 1975 police action flick “Brannigan” in an aerial shot). So I think we’re all talking about different parts of the same stretch of LSD/Du Sable.
I have to admit, I became VERY emotional watching this. I was 11 years old in 1969, growing up in Chicago, and while the city has changed a great deal since then, it's still very much the same, as well. I saw sights in this video that I distantly remembered, and I want to say a heart-felt thank you for posting this. You've made an old man very, very happy today.
Tribb Legals lies
@@youngchristian4540 The only thing he lied about was that he inferred he was "old" and if you read what he wrote he is only 60-61 years old. THAT's not OLD! Speaking as a person who was 13 in 1969... :-)
M Rom oh I didn’t see old part
I agree. I was 12.
That year was the first and worst time the Cubs broke my heart.
I was 2 Years Old April 22 1967
I just found this , it takes me back to my youth !! My folks would take us every year to Chicago on the Rock island Rocket to see the parade from the windows of the Walnut Rm at Marshal Fields and have lunch under their Christmas tree. We stayed at the Palmer house for one night and ate at the Old Heidelberg or Berghoff then would take the train back home, the folks are gone my sister is gone and I have the fond memories . I don't know how the folks afforded these yearly trips back in the early to mid 1960s , but it sure made holiday time special for a pair of farm kids.
@@richardpowers6576 That was sooo cool of them! What family memories you now have! Do you remember the giant stuffed Kodiak Bear they had in Marshall Fields? As a little kid, that thing seemed as big as Godzilla to me!
The Restaurant is still there last time I went downtown. Many memories of that place as a kid in the 70's
1969, I was 15 and that rarest of birds, a west suburban White Sox fan. All my friends were Cubs fans and in 1969 I had the last laugh. Long time ago. Loved Chicago.
What Suburb? I lived in La grange and Hinsdale as a kid. I was born in 1965.
That's neat that you got the last laugh as a fan of the South siders in baseball because I wasn't aware at that time there was pennant fever in Chicago with the Cubs.
@@robertmasina7388 Just listen to Ron Santos from back then he will tell you.
Still don't like the Mets.
I was 18 in 1969, just graduated from high school. Got my first job as a secretary to a buyer at Spiegel the catalog house. Used to go downtown every Saturday. Thanks for the memories!!!
As a millennial and my mom a boomer(I born ‘91and she in ‘54). She drove a cab for many years so I was able to learn most of the city at a pretty young age. Can’t believe I was able to watch a video 50+ years old and recognize almost every landmark through the city. Wish I could’ve been around to see it lit up at night with all the neon signs. Through the good, the bad, and the ugly I am absolutely in love with this city. Went away to train to become a flight attendant for a couple months. And when I came back as soon as the skyline touched my eyes I cried like a baby I was so happy to be home . Chicago …. What a city ❤️
🖤
Cabbies of that era were citizens, they knew the city and provided an outstanding service at an affordable price❤
It's so odd to see the skyline without the Sears Tower (I'll *never* call it Willis Tower).
When a Chicagoan hears "Willis" they think of the "Willis wagons" that were installed on CPS sites to keep the schools racially segregated. Instead of allowing blacks to enroll in all white schools, they made them attend classes in trailers.
The name "Willis" applied to real estate has very racist and negative connotations. It's amazing to me that the stupid corporate eggheads missed this when renaming the iconic Sears Tower.
No true Chicagoan will EVER call the Sears Tower ANYTHING but the Sears Tower. Suck it, corporate knob slobbers. Do some basic research, you bumbling oafs. It's the Sears Tower, now and forever.
yes but at least it has the hancock which was completed in 69
@@69eddieD I'm not even from Chicago, and I refuse to call it anything but the Sears Tower.
Me too
To me, it’ll always be the Sears Tower, the John Hancock, and Lake Shore Drive. 👍🏻
I know the person who filmed this, and the many other super 8s with the lady in yellow. I know her too. She has her fiancé's large print plaid leisure jacket, folded over her arm. I was her flower girl, all her bridal party wore pastel yellow satin with embroidered white daisy chain straight down the front. The couple gave me my first paperback, it was Peanuts cartoons. They both are photographers. So happy people love this video.❤❤
Thank you for telling us. Are there more videos
What gorgeous footage
I might have been working in Marshall Fields the day this was shot - 19 years old, stationed in first floor sunglasses, weather equipment and cameras! Thanks for posting this!💕
Where does the time go Claudia??
I was one and a Wicker Park boy.
@ …This south side girl is from Calumet Park, was in my second year at Columbia College in ‘69, taking the IC to school and work.i loved being part of “city life” at the time! Life has been kind to me…but the days sure do trip away much too quickly! Hope you have a lovely holiday and a safe New Year!!💕
Oh, how I miss Marshall Fields!
@…Oh - me too! I have a long memory of wonderful holiday things at Field…and to this day have not EVER shopped at Macy’s ANYWHERE because of the chaos they threw the Marshall Field’s building into when the took it over…it became a filthy, messy junk store. But…Fields! The Store For Men across the street which I believe had a sporting goods section with a huge stuffed bear in it; China and dishes and Home Goods on 3…books also on that floor…and of course my personal heaven - toys on 4!!! Plus viewing the Field’s Christmas tree from the observation stands on maybe floor 7 or 8 and eating warm apple pie in the Walnut Room! Memories very close to my heart!💕
@
Me too. I loved that store. Especially around Christmas. I would save my $3.35/hour wages and buy a high end Ralph Lauren Polo shirt whenever I could.
That and Lord & Taylor.
1969 Chicago. I lived on the north side around Belmont & Central. My grandparents & extended family all within walking distance. Living my best "Norman Rockwell" life & hanging upside down on the monkey bars at the park. Getting ready to start kindergarten in the fall.
It's like it was yesterday. I think of it all the time so fondly.
@@grnpeepers2683 “How about it?!? I haven’t heard that expression “monkey bars” in like a thousand years!
@ChicagoRules 🐒We grew up before excessive political correctness was invented.
What a blast it was too!
Thanks for sharing the joy we obviously both share of those 'good ol days'!😘❤️
🎀🎄Merry Christmas & many blessings to you & yours!🎅🎀
This guy knew what he was doing with that camera! Looks way better than any home movie footage I ever shot!
.....old cars are a work of art.
Who in their right mind would give this a thumbs down?!? 119 so far. Not one boring second. Need more home movies from the 60s and 70s.
Some people are simply out to be downers on anything that others are getting joy from.
I miss holiday inns. The real ones
And no music. Nice
Millennials.
I haven't been able to see thumbs down totals in a couple years. I thought they stopped that
I loved seeing this film, born and raised on the SW side of Chicago. At the time I had a 1963 metallic cherry red Chevy Impala, it was my favorite of all the cars I have owned. Was happy to see them again. Thanks for the memories.
My grandfather had a 63 cherry red Impala convertible with the white wall tires we had it until 2003. I used to sit in the back. It was like a large couch. I’d loved it
No trash ! those days are gone !
Correct. 👍
Mayor Daley kept the city clean & spiffy.
@@glowilk5377 And he had his cops beat up protesters in 68! The famous quote "We are not here to create disorder, we are here to preserve disorder." Much smaller "big city" then.
It’s not so bad… check out NY lol
Chicago is still a very clean city.
For those that requested background informatiom; I wish I had some... I have an 8mm film scanner. This was a reel I found somewhere in my flea-marketing. I enjoy it and was never even in Chicago - it is an excellent time capsual. I do believe the rather irritated woman is the wife of the camera owner. The night scenes were a challange to the scanner and myself as monitoring and improving what I could, but I was able to bring it out surprisingly well for old home-movie film. I'm glad so many others are enjoying this and am happy to see so many favorable comments and memories! I'm surprised you-tube doesn't block the music.
Wow did this bring back memories, thank you so much, the music was perfect! When I was 11 and 12 my dad was in the Veteran's Hospital downtown Chicago so we went to see him twice a week for two years, it was at this same time frame as this video. Like stepping back in time.
+19king14 Thanks for posting this and all your work!
19king14 Film2Video Services
Thanks so much for posting this movie, it's great work. I'd love to blend some of these shots with a short music clip I'm making, if ok by you. It adds the look I'm searching for.
Have you been able to get here (Chicago) since posting this comment? For the bad reputation the city gets, it truly is beautiful
Unbelievable that Chicago was like this in 1969. Way ahead of its time. Very nice video. I was vacationing in Chicago in 2014 with my wife and daughter. (We are from India) and we loved Chicago compared to other US cities. Really amazing to know that much of what we saw in Chicago in 2014 was so there in 1969 itself. Thanks for sharing.
"Hey, let me show you some film from our trip to Chicago!"
August 1969, family and friends: "Um, we really need to be going, Stan."
August 2021, 162,000 random strangers: "Yes please!"
Excellent observation, so true and funny to top it off! This is "pinned" to remain the top comment, and indeed, it is! :)
Isn't that the truth :) I was one of those weirdos who loved watching other people's home movies. My dad would be dozing off on the couch and I'd be fascinated
Missed the Chimney off the Kennedy with Dads Rootbeer painted on it.
instablaster...
O[[
I absolutely love Chicago and its history. I wasn’t born until 71, so it's wild seeing so many missing pieces in the skyline back in 69.
Blown away seeing Park Ridge in 69. Wild seeing all the old stores on Main St again.
And the old commuter train cars!
I remember that magakist sign and the Budweiser sign alongside the expressway before hitting Fullerton
I seem to recall a large “Zenith “ sign in that area
I do too
I was 13 in 69 that year my father got a new 442 Oldsmobile! In 79 I drove it to Prescott Arizona for my last year of college then back in August of 80. Drove my girl to Chicago in 1984 so she could go to U of C law school. Thanks!!
442! Wow. What a cool dad.
442 yes.
Marshall Field’s, now there was a store! I’ve spent so much time in that store, that I knew by heart what was on every floor, where on the floor an item was and all the different entries and exits that it had. I spent $30 on Frango mints the last time I was ever there.
Classic cars everywhere!!!
Lol! They weren't classic back then.
Man! There will Never be another one like CHICAGO.. and now the days grow short, she's in the Autumn of her years..🎶
Yeah that's true!!! Every Major American city has a unique charm...✌🏾🎶🎵💨🌟💫😜😁
Beautifully stated, ma’am :)
Beautifully poetic description but I'm not giving up on her.
She's outshined and thrived amid her fallen 19th century, so called_rust belt_rivals of Detroit, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Cleveland etc.
Still great cities but none have percervered with magnificence like Chicago!
She’s in the prime of her life, do you see how much downtown’s skyline has changed since 1969.
My grandpa was a surgeon in the ER at the old Henrotin Hospital in 1969. Not there anymore. I love Chicago!
I grew up on the west side of Chicago back in the 1960's. Your video brings back a lot of memories of the city for me. Thank you very much for posting!
Me too, Oak Park.
My family from grand and oakley.
The old Budweiser sign on the outbound Kennedy! It was still there until about the mid nineties or even later perhaps. Always knew my exit at Western Ave was getting close when I saw it.
I was born & raised in Chicago in 1970! What awesome footage .. great memories from the age of 5yrs. old. You have truly documented great history!!
Makes me want to go back into time!!! I miss those days
We all do !
Nice to see that people drove like idiots on the Dan Ryan 50+ years ago. Some things are truly timeless.
Ikr..😂..some things never change..
Not so!!!! In city traffic, motorists did always stop for pedestrians!!! Chicago was known as a city of courteous drivers - and, since many were WWII vets - they were indeed heroic hearts!
These days Chicagoans drive like old time " Angelenos", i.e. residents of Los Angeles, who could turn a jaywalker into road kill! But guess what - today many living in Chicago are NOT the longtime citizens native to Chicago... (Most of those have moved away....or passed on...)+
@@sjtalksandlife nice to see how Chicago looked before Liberals and "stronger with diversity" took over.
@@jonburrows2684 What’s wrong with diversity tho?
@@thepoorkid6004 um, you can't see the difference when it wasn't being pushed? If not, you're blind as a bat
RUclips is about as close as we're going to ever come to an actual "Time Machine"!
There’s still time for you to step into a real time machine by visiting your nearest mall. But don’t wait because the opportunity is fast disappearing!
I time travel every night in my dreams, interdimensional sometimes.
The way RUclips is practicing Revisionism...would not be so sure about the total authenticity of the entire experience they are building...
However,
With the many advances not only in science but also in depth awareness of the Mysteries of this Creation: would not be so sure that those "who control the powers, principalities and perception" of Creation will perpetually be able to keep their experiences of actual Time Travel to themselves; After all - life was not created exclusively for the 0.0001percenters--- (though they like to imagine it is)!
@@InspectorCallahan.44 Yes, this can be a satisfying and inspiring experience sometimes...especially Lucid Dreams!
However, take care with "Remote Viewing" exercises...extended separations of consciousness from one's physical presence can occasionally go awry...⚰️
Im not so sure about that. The more i learn about this universe i realize there is something very interesting about it. Time is linear here on earth to us but there is a link to other times through other dimensions, "heaven" is just another dimension, the (or one) dimension where there is no matter only energy and in that dimension there is no linear time. Supposedly all of time is occuring roughly now though appears linear on earth. I am quite certain many intelligent beings from around the universe can travel in space and time. It may be a long time for us but maybe not.
The sheer amount of people who have traversed those routes, walked along those buildings, and saw those very same sights back then. Most are gone, their memories not much unlike the ones we get watching this now.. Who were they? What were they thinking? Feeling?
Life is so short my brothers and sisters, so short. Try to enjoy it while we have the chance..
Beautifully said 👏🏾
@@zirconia717 Thank you. 💓
I was born in Chicago in May of 1970. Some of my earliest memories were taking the Northwestern in to the Loop to see my father.
July 61. Chicago was a blast
1969, I was 11. My family & I were catching a train to Fort Worth from Chicago.The 6 of us got to enjoy looking at the Great lake while we waited on our departure.
❤❤❤
I miss living there at that time. It was so much to do and can hang out in the parks without getting robbed or shot.
I can only imagine BJ
@@tomg.8904 Meet me on Pulaski and Jackson
@Alana Greig police have always made the city worst
@Alana Greig the police are the criminals lol
@Alana Greig it's fine your old fart generation is on their way out thank god
First trip to the big city for me, 11 yrs old at the time. Remember distinctly pressing my nose to the car window staring at the Hancock Building, at the time the world’s tallest building. Still a great feat of work, although the number of skyscrapers has greatly increased. Most are “meh”. Hancock Building still looks super impressive with those angles and just huge size.
This is a real treat!
I was born in October, 1969 at Swedish Covenant Hospital and spent the next 48 years in Chicago on the northwest side before moving to the western suburbs. Lane Tech alum!
Spring of '69,,,, downtown swedish covenant hospital,,,, this guy right here came into this world
This brings back memories from '69..I was there to celebrate Christmas with my girlfriend and her family. We had dinner at the Top of the Rock atop the Preudential Building then went to see the just released movie "Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid" with Redford & Newman. Seeing the cars in this film felt like old times. Enjoyed it!
I just got back from a trip to Chicago & never get tired of looking back at the memories of it, & a different world than compared to today.
Still a chicagoan by heart kids were born there.got to have chicago attidude to live there.we pronounce it chicawgo illinio
I was 23 years old in the summer of 1969 attending NIU in DeKalb. I made two trips to Chicago that summer. The first was to watch the parade for astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins. I had never before (or since) seen TONS of confetti fall from hundreds of windows. That memory has been etched in my mind ever since. As is, moments later, when Richard Daley, in making an introduction speech, forgot the name of one of the astronauts.
The other trip was a week or so later to see the Cubs start their heart-breaking decline out of first place giving that honor the the Mets.
I took some pictures during both of those visits but it was with my then-girlfriend's camera-- who is now as much gone from my life as so much of the wonderful Chicago of 1969.
H-U-S-K-I-E-S GOOOO HUSKIES!!!
Did you and some guys from school have a band and try real hard? Jimmy quit, Jodi got married?
@@monkeywkeys3916 Were those the best days of your life?
@@SustainableEnslavementAgenda
Oh yeah...
@@monkeywkeys3916 Brian Adams? He's Canadian. Take off you hoser. 😁🇨🇦
60s baby here born in 1965 I remember bits and parts of 1969 I was ONLY 4 years old.
This is awesome!!! We have some videos but nothing like this. Thank you for sharing.... My grandmother knew the Magikist guy. She said he was nice and very hardworking. She remembered him when he began his business, beating the rugs outside to get them clean.
I love these old reels, makes me nostalgic for a time that I don't recall existing in, but who knows
I visited Chicago for the first time in 1969. I fell in love, moved there when I turned 20 with a plan. So glad I did, Chicago is a fantastic city.
Hello 👋 , How are you doing?
Went to my first baseball game at Wrigley July 1969. Thanks mom n dad😎
A fantastic city??🤣🤣🤣wtf u must have money then I escaped from that warzone at 17 only go back for funerals mostly
@@AugustusAsgeir I left in 1980, too cold for me. I still love it though
@@AugustusAsgeir Exactly, good point
"The memories will be so thick, they'll have to brush them away from their faces." Incredible film quality! And no g-d awful background music! Thank you for sharing.
Im from 69 growing up in Chicago it has changed alot for many years but would never give up my city I grew up memories that I will cherish for life Amen
I used to miss going to those old movie theaters downtown back in the day eat at McDonald's & play video games at The Treasure Chest
The city was clean and vibrant. State Street was illuminated with marquees of shows and performers such as Diomme Warwick. I remember the Magikist sign. So much nostalgia. Every man was in a suit or slacks and a shirt and women wore dresses. The city looked healthy with a pulse. Unfortunately, things have gotten so bad. I was three years old in 1969. I worked for the Chicago Tribunne over 35 years ago and I enjoyed being downtown. Hopefully, in the coming years it will be resuscitated. It is slowly dieing. So much vacant real estate, crime, shootings, and vagrancy. Chicago was once one of the greatest cities in the world. Thank you for posting!
No. It was filthy back then. It's pretty clean now.
This is amazing. Jut stumbled on this. I live in the UK but I just love the feel of these films fromover 50 years ago. The cars are outrageous.
First visit to Chicago was in ‘65 and I was there each summer until ‘68. Many of the sites in the film are very familiar. I saw the transformation of State street, Lake Shore Drive, Michigan Ave. the Els (I rode in those green and white Els for many years as they transitioned to those stainless steel trains for the mid 70s}. Came back in ‘77 and have been living in the area since. I don’t go downtown much these days but when I do I see the great transformation that has turned the city into a very beautiful town! Thanks for this movie.
Incredible seeing 90/94 without traffic
Great memories of Doentown.
Made me miss those Days cruising through Chicago with my parents. We were from the suburbs and it was always an adventure. Didnt see Maxwell Street in the film. We saw a lot of Chicago Blues Legends playing outside before they were big names. Especially Hound Dog Taylor,Muddy Waters,Jr.Wells etc. Thanks for the film.
Great job on this one! Loved seeing the now classic cars! Loved the opening of the 68' barracuda, as I had one back in 78' what a glimpse into our past and bygone era ❤
That's my hometown I got family up there they been up there for decades my father used to own the store their hell I was raised their 1967 how many you all remember that store that you go down in the basement and go out the other end yeah that's was my place Chicago I come up there every 3 years to visit just like coming back home much love to my hometown the Windy City👪👪👪❤❤❤❤❤❤💪💪
This is a gem! Thank you for the work it must have taken to make a 8mm film into a RUclips video. Also thanks to original unknown cinematographer
Amen!
I loved watching this video. I was born in 1969 in Chicago and it was so amazing seeing what was going on. From the cars to what people were wearing and all the signs.. I remember that Coke sign..;) Thank you 🙏
Very cool…
Time to start watching the old Bob Newhart reruns.
Yep, good Chicago scenes
I'm still in love with Emily.
@@ghostofreagan3181 Oh yes!😍
Suzanne Pleshette was hot
My family was from NYC, but we lived in Downers Grove, Illinois for three years (1967-69). We loved going into Chicago. Thank you for this.
Good to hear I’m in downers.
Great film. Love seeing all the long gone buildings and especially the cars. So much we thought was eternal back then now just memories.
That was therapy for my Chicago-grown soul. In the downtown theater scene, one of marquees brought to my memory that I saw that movie, with my best friend in 1969. Thank you!!!!
I was born in 1948, NYC. I used to love to shop along the Main Street downtown Brooklyn and look at shoes in the windows of the shoe shops. There were several. The least expensive shoes were in the front…..$2.99 usually. The middle displays were shoes $4.99 to $7.99. The really nice ones were high on the back displays $9.99. I loved them of course. No malls, back then, just nice shops, department stores.
When my sister was born in Chicago in this same year, my parents didn't have much money and they would take her in a stroller to Buckingham Fountain and just spend their weekend nights there. I also had a great-aunt who lived in the Corn-Cob apartments at 7:49 . and the Picaso Statue at 9:26 is where my dad proposed to my mom. Life sure was simpler back then.
Great views and thank you. Reminds me so much of the car trips my Mom used to take us on as a child. Always loved seeing the new place that seemed a world away...
Thank you so much for this footage. I come across this once a year or so and it brings back some very fond memories. I was a young man, working downtown in 69 and it's a pleasure to see it again. For those of you that haven't been in the Loop in the last few decades, all of those theaters are gone except for the Chicago.
Yes thank you for taking ys back to a time when Life was Beautiful!!! How I miss the Wonderful People I met and great places I worked at! 🌺
Great video. The thing most noticeable to me was the size of those cars and the fact that there was not one foreign car on the road. WellI did see a couple of Volkswagen’s but that’s it.
Great video. So many things are different and yet so many things are the same. Somewhere in that city at that time my mother was. Maybe even walking down the sidewalls going shopping as you drove or walked by. Thank you for shearing.
One of my favorite hobbies is finding the actual locations that appear in TV shows and movies on Google's Street View. I had a BLAST with this video. Surprisingly I was able to identify and find most of the locations in this video...I am surprised how much of Chicago is still there more than 50-years on.
Awesome.
@@dwhitty25 Hahaha! I do the same thing when I watch “Chicago PD” Always scouting out the locations they are in!
Talk about memory lane... the now iconic images were part of my everyday reality living in Lake Point Tower at age 15 in 1969. I also noticed how light the traffic was, and all the taxis. We walked for miles on Michigan, State, Randolph etc. so the sense of stoic, monolithic high-rise buildings was everyday scenery. We'll never know how this footage ended up in a flea market. Lots of people do not have a drop of nostalgia in them. Thank goodness for youtube!
Kind of sad actually, that this wonderful home movie ended up in a flea market. That couple did a nice job of getting great shots, without zooming too much, or panning the camera too quickly. They captured footage that gives a nice overview of what Chicago "felt like" in the day. Such a nice job, I wish we were able to know more about them and what life had in store in the decades after.
The soulless millenials have no nostalgia- just the now
There are so many photographs we own. I think I have 3,000 on my phone. They will disappear from my cloud. I have a medium bin of photos, some taken with a Brownie, others with a Polaroid. A small bin holds small Fuji instant photographs. The day will come when they will wind up at a flea market or landfill.
Turned 14 in July, 69, Fenwick HS. Remember many of these places. My dad's friend from work was newly divorced, shocking in those days, and had moved into Lake Point Tower. How we oohed and awwed at the fews from his "pad."
Views obviously, sorry stupid spellchecker
This is a treasure. Thank you. I was so amazed by downtown Chicago at night. Once upon a time Chicago was a wonder. .(These scenes leave a lump in my throat.)
I was a teenager through most of that time. Love to go back. A lot of great cars.
Was in tears watching the super8 of your visit to Chicago. I was 11yrs 9months at that time. I especially liked the filming of your dinning at the top of the Holiday Inn restaurant, a place I always wanted to visit.
That is the Chicago of my childhood and teen years. Thanks for posting. Brought back a lot of memories.
One of the biggest changes over the past 50 years is the amount of traffic in Chicago. There really was a rush hour (one hour) of peak traffic in the morning and evening commute by car. The highways were empty compared to today even though the population was higher back in those days.
The film brings back a lot of memories for me. Wish I could go back.
And the rush hour went one way. 🤪🤪
Take me back to Chicago…🎶
I could get downtown from Niles in 20 - 25 minutes. Now? Forget it. It’s a crapshoot. Sometimes you get lucky and others you sit and sit. At least those coin tollbooths are gone. Friday nights after work going through the Cumberland tollbooth that merged 8 lanes into 4 then back into 8 and dealing with all the frustrated, exhausted people. It was a madhouse. God forbid you would drop a coin trying to throw it in the basket 😂
@@aficianado100 ‘cause hustling’s not my style!
Wow this is cool! Those buildings at:55 is the old Robert Taylor Homes right off the Dan Ryan expressway and the overhead railroad tracks is the Englewood/Howard line.
No longer Englewood/Howard. Now it’s Englewood/Harlem (or the “green line”).
I believe Kirby Puckett and Mr T are from these projects.
My family lived in the Robert Taylor Homes for a few years around '65. I remember looking out of the window and reading the railroad names on the sides of boxcars.Walking across the ditch that was was paved to become the Dan Ryan,
R..I.H.
@@andremccullum3066 A Southsider! I still only know the El’s by their old names. Lake-Dan Ryan, Howard -Englewood, O’Hare-Jackson Park, Ravenswood…..
You had to know if your stop was an “A” stop or a “B” stop, or an “A-B” stop…
I was way to set in my ways to learn the colors…
For those, like me, who grew up in Chicago (I was 10 years old when this was filmed), this brings back fond memories. In those days Chicago was a great and exciting city to live in. It will always be dear to my heart. Thank you for sharing this!
What an absolute delight! I put on some period-correct lounge music, and watched vintage Chicago unfold. What sparkling nightlife signs they used to have. Thank you for posting this treasure ✴
Weird not seeing the Sears tower. Ground broke in 70. Love seeing all the cars from back then.
Omigosh, the magazine store! And Flo's restaurant! And all the theaters making State Street Chicago's great white way! Now THIS was a real theater district! Oooh ... the Magikist sign on the Kennedy! And going back to the start: Park Ridge (at 2:22) before "modernization", and then the MSI when you could just park out in front. At about 3:20 what appears to be a large display of the first walk on the moon, which must have just happened. This video is wonderful!
The Magikist sign is actually from the corner of State and Randolph (NW corner)....it was there until the mid 1990s.....there was one where you said too.
@@fernandobaldazo3104, there was also one along the Eisenhower.
@@scotwirth6228 on Cicero ....then 87th Dan Ryan.
sad to see the bright theater district long gone
I was 18 when this recorded. Many memories revived
I remember when the Prudential building was the tallest skyscraper on the Chgo skyline. Love these old films.
I was showing a young woman the sights in the early 2000s. When I pointed to the Prudential building and told her it was the tallest building in Chicago when I was a kid, she looked at me like I was Methuselah.
kimosabbe50 LOL
@WheelsAlwaysTurning Started in Summer of 1970 and completed in May 1973. Later Sears sold it and they renamed it Willis tower but to Chgo people, it will always be Sears tower.
@@kimosabbe50 My dad was the Superintendent who ran the whole Electrical portion of the job. 55-57. My grandfather, WJ O’Brien Electric Co. did the job, and my grandpa put my dad in charge of it. Very proud for me. I followed and became an electrician in the late 70s. Yeah, when I tell my kid that this was the tallest building in Chicago, that they had an observation deck, she can’t believe it either!
@@kemosabe5648 They also installed those huge radio broadcast tower antennas on top of Marina City. Ch. 7, ABC, used to broadcast their TV station from there. lol Amazing, no?
Fond memories of Chicago as a little kid. From Lake county Indiana, we used to go there quite regularly for Sox games and also at Christmas time, once on the South shore 🚂.
There are some amazing street scenes. It was nice to see the Woods, McVickers, and Roosevelt theaters again! Thanks for sharing!
Chicago has impressive Architecture!
Remember when Wrigley Field first got lights in 1988? Most of the houses in Wrigleyville had signs on their windows saying " No lights". I remember most of the games started at 11:15 or 1:15,because the later games would sometimes get postponed because of " darkness ".
You could tell it was getting near that time when Steve Stone or Harry Carray started talking about shadows on the field.
That was way before the parking garage too.
We'd get their really early to park in that little lot on Grace St. If you didn't get there in time, you'd have to drive all over, looking for private parking, 3 times the amount.
We'd get there early for the 11:15 games and eat breakfast at McDonald's, then watch all of the players drive up to the different gates, dropping their cars off
@@Armybrat173 My cousin was stationed at that Firehouse right there. We would go there all the time to hang out and try to catch home runs out on Waveland Ave!
Wow, that's neato.Did you catch any good balls?
Do you know who hit it out? Were any of them Grand Slams?
I remember in school, the class built a mini Chicago and used two corn cobs( raw) for Marina City, LOL.
Sad what has happened to Chicago.
Has anyone gone on any of the Gangland tours? ( Bus with the bullet holes).
Thank you for posting this. I was 14 in 1969 and my dad and I went through Chicago a few times in the late 60s. It would take me about one second to feel completely at home and comfortable there if I was suddenly transported into that world at that time.
I was 5 in 1969 and especially enjoy seeing the cars in these old films. Had forgotten how popular station wagons used to be. Can’t remember the last one I saw one on the road. Checker cabs used to be everywhere. I enjoy watching these videos. Thanks!
I was 6. And we still have station wagons. They're called Subarus/Crossovers. They're just taller now.
I was 7 yrs old in 1969. Grew up on the southside 18th st then later over on 26th st in K-town.
Old Chi Town!...i was only 3 in 1969..we were living in a nice Brick bungalow 3 bedroom on South Elizabeth Street....
@@ericortiz1125 hey Eric ! What address on Elizabeth st?
It was a Different city back then. More Pleasant!
This is extremely cool...seeing things like the Sun Times building again, and the Wrigley Building literally standing alone.
I was 8 years old in '69 and remember my mom taking me and my brother downtown and being amazed at the buildings Grant and Lincoln parks and everything else, thinking this is the greatest.I've been going downtown nearly every year since since and never really noticing the changes. After seeing this and seeing how much it's changed I can honestly say that it was the greatest city then and still is today.
My father took 16mm films of my all my family vacations, birthdays, and holidays from 1950 till 1970. I have thousands of feet of film, some has been put on cd. Thanks for the memories.
Do you have plans do get the rest of your films digitized?
Everything looks so much crisper and cleaner
Unless you were actually standing on the streets in those days and having to hold your breath when bus exhaust was overwhelming you.
I was born in 78’ but throughout my childhood, Chicago still looked very much like this.
Hell, the neighborhood I lived in still looks like this today.
Very nostalgic.
Meet me on Pulaski and Jackson
I was born in 79' and I agree!
@@skelly4998 Jackson and Pulaski ain't like that no more , over by there
@@keelerhastings7109 wasn't saying it was like anything, just saying meet me there
what neighborhood did you grow up in? I lived in bucktown till I was 2 then we moved by the brickyard. I'm 26
Although many changes, a lot of those places are still recognizable today!
I was 10 yrs old in 1969, I'm still here. I remember all this very well. My mom took us downtown regularly to go shopping.