[Chicago Slices raw: Marianne Kurtz]

Raw footage for "Chicago Slices," a series about everyday life in Chicago. In this video, Karen Hutt interviews Marianne Kurtz, a white suburban Palatine teen. Marianne talks about her life in Palatine, her interests, hobbies, and friends. They take a drive and walk around Woodfield Mall, discussing her views on the city versus the suburbs, teenage drinking, and sex, and other subjects.

00:00Copy video clip URL Karen Hutt arrives outside Marianne Kurtz’s house in Palatine. Hutt does a brief introduction, then goes up to the house. Marianne comes to the door and welcomes them to the house. They sit down in the front room, and Marianne begins by saying that there’s not much going on in Palatine, that she plays soccer and that she used to swim as well. She says that boys’ sports get a lot more recognition than girls’, and explains that she’s been playing since the age of six or seven.

04:45Copy video clip URL Marianne’s mother comes down the stairs and invites them to go into the living room where it’s more comfortable. Her mom calls her a “cool kid,” and says they don’t argue much anymore. Marianne says that she’s starting to work again tomorrow at Mrs. Fields in Woodfield Mall.

08:15Copy video clip URL Marianne finds her school to be tough because there’s a lot of pressure to conform. She talks about dating, saying that though the average time for going out is three months, she has been dating her current boyfriend for nine months. She talks about the challenges of drugs and sex for teenagers, though she does not think they are a problem for her.

10:40Copy video clip URL Her friend Jennifer comes into the room, but she is about to leave. She says that Marianne is a “really fun girl and she’s a person you can be yourself around.”

12:20Copy video clip URL Back to Marianne and Hutt’s conversation, Marianne says that she sleeps a lot now that it’s summer. They then head upstairs to her room, and she shows the camera a photo of her boyfriend, explaining that he’s “a really nice guy and thinks like I do.” She talks more about her role on the soccer team. Hutt points out all of the photos of her friends on Marianne’s dresser, and Marianne lists the people in them. They talk about prom and how people chose whether to go or not. Marianne calls her school “stuck-up.”

18:50Copy video clip URL They go back downstairs, and Marianne explains that her father works as a sales manager and physics professor. They talk with her mother, a preschool teacher, briefly.

20:26Copy video clip URL Taping both Marianne and her mother, videomaker Doug Sawyer points out that they have a resemblance, but Marianne says that she looks more like her father. They go outside, and Marianne takes them for a drive, talking about the thrill of getting her license.

22:40Copy video clip URL Marianne comments on the people in the area, saying that for the most part, they are nice. Marianne refers to the murders that took place at the Brown’s Chicken in town, which were a huge shock for the community.

25:16Copy video clip URL She calls her brother her best friend and says that she hangs out with him and his friends. She also points out that she can stay out without a curfew when she’s with him. Her brother is a sophomore at MIT; she says that she had fun visiting him. While he’s a science guy, Marianne claims to be the exact opposite, noting that she is interested in the liberal arts. Sawyer and Hutt switch seats at a stop light.

28:55Copy video clip URL Marianne talks about her experiences in the city, saying that she is sometimes afraid to go in certain areas. Her information about the city comes primarily from friends who go there a lot. Hutt asks her if she knows anything about Pilsen, but she says she does not. Hutt explains that they’d like to take her to Pilsen to meet Araceli, a girl whom she interviewed in another episode of this series. Karen says that she thinks it would be fun to do.

31:30Copy video clip URL Sawyer asks what they do for dates. Marianne says that her boyfriend is going to France for two weeks tomorrow, so she’s thinking about what to do with him tonight. They discuss alcohol use among teenagers, and Marianne says that most everyone drinks in high school and a lot of people are starting to get into marijuana. Marianne claims that four people in her school have AIDS. They ask about safe sex practices, which she says she thinks are pretty common.

36:30Copy video clip URL They get out of the car and walk into Woodfield Mall. Marianne explains that students don’t really hang out at the mall anymore. She tells the story of how she started to date her boyfriend, and tells stories of hanging out in the mall during junior high. She says that they would just hang out and walk around, and that she only had one friend whose parents would give her money. She agrees with her parents that it’s better she earn her own money.

41:30Copy video clip URL Hutt asks about why she doesn’t know much about the city, and Marianne says her parents don’t want her driving down there. Hutt notes that people often have misconceptions about each other but don’t know the truth. Marianne says that some people have a lot of money in the suburbs but it’s not the case for everyone.

43:40Copy video clip URL They arrive at Mrs. Fields and briefly say hello to her co-worker, who laughs and says that she gained 10 pounds while working at Mrs. Fields. They talk about their favorite stores at the mall.

50:40Copy video clip URL As they walk out, she calls out, “Josh!” to a guy who’s sitting between the doors to exit the mall. She introduces him as her boyfriend’s best friend. Josh says that Marianne is “gorgeous” and that she has a good boyfriend. He explains that he’s counting people for Long John Silver. They leave and as they walk back to the car, Marianne talks about her boyfriend’s friends. They drive back to her house.

55:21Copy video clip URL Hutt asks her to say something more about herself, and Marianne responds by saying that she’s pretty easy-going and that she’s got a lot of different friends, and that she’s pretty open-minded.

56:58Copy video clip URL End of tape.