On February 16, 1986, the Cubs and Mets revived the 1969 season to play an exhibition series in Arizona. Ernie Banks was 54. This video is probably Banks’ last hit and last putout in any game. It’s an excellent example of the kind of video we have produced over the years. Shot on the field with Ernie on a radio mic, it’s a contrast to what’s been seen on “regular” TV. Enjoy. Check out more on Ernie and the Cubs […]
Harold Washington’s time in office was relatively brief, but he still continues to hold a memorable place in our political history, as the first and only elected African-American mayor of Chicago. Locals remember his thrilling potential as a reformer and the deadlock caused by the “Council Wars” as “the Eddies” (Vrdolyak and Burke) thwarted his every move in the city council. Washington died suddenly on November 25, 1987, shortly after beginning his second term in office.On February 1, South Side […]
Everybody gets started somewhere, and for a lot of comedic actors and producers, that place is and has been Chicago’s improv comedy scene. In this video, we look back at a time when Jill Soloway (creator of Transparent, which just won the 2015 Golden Globe for Best Television Musical or Comedy and writer for Grey’s Anatomy and Six Feet Under), Jane Lynch (now well known as one of the regular actors in the Christopher Guest mockumentaries and for her role on […]
Dear Friends: With your help, we’ve come a long way in our first decade. From a storefront full of tapes and a core group of early believers, Media Burn has become an internationally respected leader in the moving image archiving community. Our videos have been viewed more than 12 million times around the world. 2014 was our best year ever. (See below for details). We’ve been able to thrive due the generous support of funders like the National Endowment for […]
Marion Barry, former Mayor of the District of Columbia, passed away last week. Elected in 1979, he was the first civil rights leader to become mayor of a major US city. He was well-loved by many of D.C.’s residents, earning the nickname “Mayor for Life.”In 1990, Barry was arrested by the FBI following a sting operation where Barry was videotaped smoking crack cocaine. He was ultimately convicted and served 6 months in prison. After his release, he ran for a […]
Last night, a grand jury decided not to indict Darren Wilson for the shooting death of teenager Michael Brown. As protesters took to the streets, they chanted the words, “No justice, no peace”—an echo of similar protests that arose in 1992 after a jury acquitted the officers involved in the Rodney King beating. Many of the same issues and outrages that surrounded the Rodney King trial are flaring up again in response to the events in Ferguson. So today, we’re […]
Today we mourn the loss of colleague and friend Jerry Blumenthal, a filmmaker and founding partner of Kartemquin Films, who passed away yesterday morning. We present this short video tribute from Media Burn founder Tom Weinberg, followed by highlights from some of Jerry’s early work with Kartemquin. We’ll have more on Jane Byrne later. For now, you can check out this campaign commercial, footage with Byrne on election night 1979, and Byrne’s Easter at Cabrini–Green.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show first debuted in 1975 to mixed reviews, but it soon developed a cult following like nothing before, and very little since. Fans of Rocky Horror come dressed in character and screenings grew to include pre-screening performances and audience interaction. The film now holds the record for the longest running theatrical release, and still shows in theaters all over the country. In Chicago, the Rocky Horror cult following developed around the Biograph Theater, which picked up […]