With sunny California the norm, why come here?
Jan. 17, 1999
By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
No, you don't need to get
your eyes checked. Those guys you spotted in Chicago who looked a lot like
Jeremy Piven, William Devane and Kyle Chandler probably were the stars
of "Cupid," "Turks" and "Early Edition," respectively.
All three series are shot exclusively
in Chicago.
NBC's "ER" and CBS' "Chicago Hope"
- which both debuted in 1994 -- fly their casts and crews here regularly
to shoot on location.
Chicago has gone Hollywood. Or,
more accurately, Hollywood has come to Chicago.
OK, we know the attractions our
fair city could hold for the networks. But after a few weeks of record
snowfalls and bone-chilling temperatures, one wonders: Why here instead
of sunny California?
Well, we may think of snow
as something to be shoveled. But TV producers say it lends an air of authenticity.
"You know how you see scenes where
the characters are supposed to be outside freezing, but the fake snow just
doesn't look real?" asked Rob Thomas, creator and co-executive producer
of ABC's "Cupid," which debuted last fall. "When our actors are in those
scenes, there's no fake snow. When they speak, you can see their breath
crystalizing from the cold. I love how authentic that feels on film.
"But that's not the only reason.
We could've picked any number of cities. Chicago is just very photogenic.
When you have a show like ours that's big on exterior shots, you want that."
And if your star, homeboy Piven,
mentions he'd really enjoy filming in Chicago, that's something to consider
as well.
"Jeremy campaigned constantly
and hard to film in Chicago, and we certainly listened to his views," Thomas
continued, laughing. "When I wrote the pilot, I had set the show in New
York. I'd never been to Chicago before, so I hadn't really considered it
as a
location.
"When we decided to film it in
Chicago, I had to change all the New York references. I'd call my friends
who lived in Chicago and say, `I have a reference to the Empire State Building.
What should I replace it with?' "
ABC's "Cupid" will be going head-to-head
with the new cop drama "Turks," which premieres at 8 p.m. Thursday on WBBM-Channel
2.
And even more coincidentally,
"Turks" and "Early Edition" are shot at opposite ends of the same 70,000-square-foot
West Taylor Street facility.
Paul Adelstein, 29, plays a cop
on "Turks" and also appears as a member of a singles' therapy group on
"Cupid." This afternoon, in the 45,000-square-foot warehouse on West Roosevelt
that houses four "Turks" sets, makeup artist Jamie Weiss is touching up
the actor's artistically battered face.
"I was supposed to have been beaten
up," Adelstein explained. "It's really exciting to be working in Chicago,
but it's very strange to be on two shows that are up against each other.
I couldn't pick one over the other, so I'm really fortunate that both shows
are
really good about accommodating the schedules so that I can
do this show this week and `Cupid' at the end of next week."
"Turks" producer Jim Michaels
also has no hard feelings about his ABC competition. Michaels, who grew
up in northwest suburban Arlington Heights, said that he wished nothing
but the best for "Cupid."
"It is kind of funny how the scheduling
of the shows worked out," Michaels said. "But, hopefully, there'll be room
for everyone. Who would've thought the day would come when a show from
Chicago would be pitted against another show from Chicago?
"Actually, San Francisco had been
discussed as a possible location, but ultimately it was (show creator-executive
producer Robert) Singer who decided to shoot the series all in Chicago.
I know he wanted to try something different. So many shows are shot in
Los
Angeles, and that gets to look boring after a while. Chicago's
more visible on TV now, but the city's still not overexposed, and that's
really attractive to us."
The feeling is mutual. According
to the Illinois Film Office, having the city featured on shows such as
"ER" and "Early Edition" is excellent publicity.
"There's the cash benefit of having
a show shoot here, but there are ancillary benefits as well," said Ron
Verkuilen, managing director of the Illinois Film Office. "We've
gotten calls from German tourists wanting to go to Navy Pier because they
saw it on an
episode of `ER.'
"I'm not sure what the budgets
are for the shows filming here now, but a series like (the defunct) `The
Untouchables' had a budget of $1.4 million per episode. About 80 percent
of that amount was used on Chicago talent and crew, caterers, florists,
hotels, etc. When you take into account that these series film from July
through April, that's a considerable amount of cash flow for the city,
since three-fourths of everything that's shot in Illinois is shot in the
Chicago area."
"Early Edition" producer Loucas
George credits his show with helping pave the way for the young turks filming
here now.
"I think the success of our show
certainly acknowledged that we knew what we were doing," George said. "Chicago
was looked on favorably based on our experiences here."
Does he believe that other series
will shoot in Chicago?
Laughing, he said, "It wouldn't
surprise me one bit."
***
A look at your city through the camera
If you haven't caught a flash of Chicago yet, try tuning into these shows:
"Chicago Hope." 9 p.m. Wednesday, WBBM-Channel
2. Set at Chicago Hope Hospital, the critically acclaimed medical drama
often gets mistaken for that other doctor show.
Producer Rob Corn said the cast enjoys shooting
on location here: "We work on stages and sets so much that (the actors)
like to get out of Los Angeles and go to Chicago. Being outside and in
a different location rejuvenates everyone. Sometimes when it's really cold,
it slows us down a little because everyone's frozen. But it's nice to see
the actors' breath and red noses on camera."
"Cupid." 8 p.m. Thursday, WLS-Channel
7. Loony guy or Cupid? No one's really sure, but Jeremy Piven plays Trevor
Hale (a.k.a. Cupid) with puckish charm.
"Early Edition." 7 p.m. Saturday, WBBM-Channel
2. A cat mysteriously appears at Kyle Chandler's door every morning with
a day-early edition of the Chicago Sun-Times. There's usually a catastrophe
he needs to prevent.
Producer Loucas George said one of the benefits
of filming in Chicago was an endless supply of snowballs for his 6-year-old
son. "I keep a snowball in the freezer for him for when he visits," George
said. "With the way the weather's been lately, I don't think I'll need
to do that for a while, though."
"ER." 9 p.m. Thursday, WMAQ-Channel
5. "We didn't know that `Chicago Hope' would be filmed in Chicago or that
it would debut the same year (1994) we did," said Dr. Neal Bear, a supervising
producer. "Originally the show was going to be set in Boston
because (creator) Michael Crichton had gone to Harvard Medical School.
But too many people remembered that `St. Elsewhere' had been set in Boston."
"Jenny Jones." 10 a.m. weekdays, WGN-Channel
9. The former "Star Search" winner has been hosting her talk show here
since 1991.
"The Jerry Springer Show." 11 a.m.
weekdays, WFLD-Channel 32. Since his show debuted in 1992, the former mayor
of Cincinnati has been able to hold his own against Oprah. Who knew?
"The Oprah Winfrey Show." 9 a.m. weekdays,
WLS-Channel 7. After taking over "A.M. Chicago" in 1984, Winfrey proved
to be such a success that her talk show was named for her in 1986.
"Siskel & Ebert." 6:30 p.m. Saturday,
WBBM-Channel 2. Film critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel have been sparring
weekly since 1986. Unlike the Springer guests, they don't engage in fisticuffs.
"Turks." 8 p.m. Thursday (series premiere),
WBBM-Channel 2. William Devane stars as the patriarch of a family of Chicago
cops. The cast and crew have every reason to feel safe on this drama.
"The majority of the officers
you see wearing police uniforms are actual Chicago cops," said producer
Jim Michaels. "Besides knowing how to act like real cops, they bring their
own clothes. It works out really well for everyone."
Through the magic of television
Don't be fooled. Just because a
show is supposed to be set in Chicago doesn't mean it's actually filmed
here.
While these series didn't fake
it nearly as well as "ER" and "Chicago Hope" - which shoot here three to
six times a year each - most of these Los Angeles-based productions at
least made an attempt to shoot exteriors or establishing shots in Chicago:
"The Bob Newhart Show," "Good
Times," "Hill Street Blues," "Webster," "Punky Brewster," "Perfect Strangers,"
"Anything but Love," "Uncle Buck," "The Bonnie Hunt Show," "For Your Love,"
"Family
Matters," "Mary" and "E/R" (yes, there was another one and,
strangely enough, it starred George Clooney).
Some popular shows chose to shoot
in lesser-known locales. Residents of Fulton, Ill., will recognize their
city in reruns of "Roseanne." "Married . . . With Children" shot
in Deerfield. And "Sisters" showcased the beauty of Wilmette and Winnetka
in the weekly drama.
Other shows were made here, too
So you think that "Early Edition," "Cupid"
and "Turks" are the only series to film exclusively in Chicago? Think again.
Or, better yet, read on:
"American Dream" (1981), ABC. Shot
on location in Park Ridge and Wicker Park, the drama revolved around a
family that moved from the suburbs to the urban grit and grime of Chicago.
Lasted about two months on air.
"Chicago Story" (1982), NBC.
Starring Craig T. Nelson, Dennis Franz and Maud Adams, the 90-minute drama
told the stories of a group of professionals. First telecast in March,
1982, the show expired in August.
"Lady Blue" (1985-86), ABC. Dubbed
"Skirty Harry," the police drama centered on a tough female detective (Jamie
Rose) working in Chicago. Also starred Danny Aiello.
"Jack and Mike" (1986-87), ABC. A "Moonlighting"
ripoff, this show featured former Charlie girl Shelley Hack as a newspaper
columnist for the Chicago Mirror, and Tom Mason as a restaurateur.
"Crime Story" (1986-88), NBC. Shot
in Chicago for 1 1/2 years before relocating to Las Vegas, the serial drama
starred former real-life Chicago cop Dennis Farina.
"Sable" (1987-88), ABC. Children's
book author by day, grease-painted crime fighter by night, Jon Sable (a.k.a.
Nicholas Flemming) was a bizarre cookie indeed. An unknown Rene Russo co-starred
as a literary agent.
"Reasonable Doubts" (1991-93), NBC.
Oscar winner and Chicagoan Marlee Matlin played an assistant district attorney.
Mark Harmon -- a future "Chicago Hope" star -- portrayed a hard-edged but
handsome detective.
"Angel Street" (1992), CBS. A troubled
Robin Givens cop drama produced by David Gerber.
"Missing Persons" (1993), ABC. Cop
show starring "Hill Street Blues" alum Daniel J. Travanti.
"The Untouchables" (1993-94), syndicated.
Until "Early Edition," it was the longest-running series shot in Chicago.
|
|
 |