Image Union: An Extraordinary Joe

Image Union's tribute to Joe Cummings.

The first part of the tape is narration about Cummings’ career and footage from his funeral. The middle of the tape is excerpts from the 1978 documentary “Overnight Man.” The last third of the tape is clips of Joe Cummings doing TV segments during the 1990’s for “Wild Chicago,” “Chicago Slices,” “The News Channel,” and others.

00:16Copy video clip URL Tape begins. Image Union opening. Turns out the voice of Bob was Joe Cummings. A montage of clips of Cummings from various TV segments follow with a voiceover giving a brief background.

01:13Copy video clip URL Titles: “An Extraordinary Joe.”

01:20Copy video clip URL Thoughts from John Callaway, former WBBM AM News Director.

01:42Copy video clip URL Cummings: “I was a nobody. My first job in Chicago was washing dishes. To eat…I sold shoes, I sold Hanover shoes in the Loop, I worked on the Pennsylvania Railroad, I drove cars, I was gonna be a cop, I had an auto accident driving a car then I became a reporter. It’s a real goofy story. But I’ve done everything in life. But being a reporter is my thing. I like being a newsman.”

02:20Copy video clip URL Comments from Michael Sneed, former City News Bureau reporter: “I thought Joe was certifiably insane….I loved him.” Cummings helped Sneed get a job.

02:57Copy video clip URL Comments from Mary Laney, former WBBM TV reporter: “He was bigger than life.”

03:09Copy video clip URL Comments from Scott Craig, former WBBM TV producer.

03:20Copy video clip URL Comments from Bob Wallace, former WBBM TV reporter.

03:36Copy video clip URL Tape of John Drummond, former WBBM TV reporter, standing up at Joe’s funeral, telling a story about when Sam Giancana was murdered and Cummings had to tell the FBI.

03:59Copy video clip URL Zooming exterior shot of the church as “Amazing Grace” is sung. Fades into an interior shot of the service. Close-up on the funeral program.

04:30Copy video clip URL Tom Weinberg speaks at the funeral.

05:11Copy video clip URL Comments from friend Angela Schreiner, who talks about Cummings taking GED classes at age 68 at Roberto Clemente High School.

05:47Copy video clip URL A man from Cummings’ AA meetings speaks.

06:12Copy video clip URL Cummings’s niece Celeste Zielke is interviewed.

06:23Copy video clip URL Cummings’ friend Joe Heffernan speaks from the lectern about how Cummings saved his hospital roommate’s life by giving him CPR.

06:59Copy video clip URL Cummings’ cousin Shiela Murphy is interviewed: “Joe was one of the few people I know who for 24 hours a day got to be Joe.”

07:12Copy video clip URL Footage from the service.

07:31Copy video clip URL From the Overnight Man, Cummings interviews a neighbor at a house fire. More clips from the documentary follow.

35:34Copy video clip URL Clip from “Wild Chicago,” Joe remembers the Richard Speck murders, 1992.

37:54Copy video clip URL Clip from the WBBM-AM audio broadcast from the Chicago Peace March, April 5, 1969.

38:49Copy video clip URL Clip from the News Channel, 1991.

42:46Copy video clip URL Clip from Image Union, 1988.

44:26Copy video clip URL Clip from Skokie 60076-Chicago Slices, 1993.

45:33Copy video clip URL Interview with Harvey Moshman, producer for Wild Chicago. He discusses the first time he met Cummings: “You’ve never had a Chicago hug? I’m checking you for a wire!”

46:05Copy video clip URL Clip from Police Car Collectors Club.

48:11Copy video clip URL Clip of Cummings at Valley View Model Railroad.

50:07Copy video clip URL Clip of Cummings at the Cook County Homicide Evidence Warehouse.

52:05Copy video clip URL Clip of Cummings at Nate’s Leather & Suede, which made police apparel.

54:05Copy video clip URL Clip of Cummings at the Highland Park Public Safety Center, also a North Illinois Police Crime Lab.

57:06Copy video clip URL Credits.

58:07Copy video clip URL End of tape.