[By Jupiter! Marshall Fields]
A “Black and White” short produced by the Marshall Fields Company that connects Jupiter and Juno of the Ancient Roman Pantheon with everyday Americans in 1940’s America!
A “Black and White” short produced by the Marshall Fields Company that connects Jupiter and Juno of the Ancient Roman Pantheon with everyday Americans in 1940’s America!
Take a step back into Cold War America – and witness the rise of mass-consumer culture and marketing through the lens of the Hotpoint Refrigerator!
See what the nightlife scene in downtown Chicago was like in 1948 – in spectacular technicolor!
Witness silent film footage of Roosevelt College in its early days as filmed by some of its first students!
Silent footage of the demo reel for the Jeff Spitz documentary about Roosevelt College, now Roosevelt University.
Why and how did an integrated college in a segregated city start in downtown Chicago just as World War II was ending? In 1984 an independent documentary filmmaker, Jeff Spitz, found old pictures and film footage about Roosevelt University including a magazine article that referred to the school as “The Roosevelt Experiment.”
Tapping the memories of former students who crossed the color line, particularly Blacks and Jews, the film blends archival images and interviews into an exploration of race, racial quotas and democratic ideals. Former students recall being questioned during an anti-communist investigation that targeted their school.
Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, a former student council president, shares poignant memories of getting into political
arguments in the cafeteria. He called it an “insane but interesting place.”
Shortly after the film’s release Spitz returned to City Hall to interview Mayor Washington about fairness, diversity and clashing visions of government. Mayor Washington’s additional commentary appears at the end of the video.
Watch a series of onstage performances at the Chicago Cultural Center!