Media Burn Archive - Four decades of documentaries

Latest Blog Posts

Thanksgiving 1933: ‘The First Time That Devil’s Brew Hit My Lips’

November 19, 2018 at 9:02 am / Blog

Prohibition had just been repealed in Illinois on Thanksgiving 1933. At age 21, Studs Terkel had his first taste of what he calls “the devil’s brew.” His first drink was alongside the residents of the Wells-Grand Hotel, a men’s hotel near Washington Square Park that his mother owned. His mother decided to have Thanksgiving dinner with everyone that year since many of them didn’t have anyone else to celebrate with. Technically, Prohibition was officially repealed at the federal level on … Continue reading →
‘The New Klan: Heritage of Hate’ Shows A Rarely-Seen Side of the KKK

November 15, 2018 at 3:36 pm / Blog

The New Klan: Heritage Of Hate is a 1978 PBS nation-wide documentary that has been newly restored for today’s audiences. No changes or edits were made, nothing has been added or removed since its first release. Eleanor Bingham and Leslie Shatz, the filmmakers of The New Klan gained unprecedented access to the Klan’s ceremonies, leaders, and members, including the KKK’s involvement in the murders of three “freedom fighters” in Alabama. The film exposes Grand Dragon David Duke’s early campaigns to legitimize white supremacy … Continue reading →

New Videos

Art Jones Hasn’t Changed His Bigoted Platform in 38 Years

November 8, 2018 at 10:00 am / Blog

Art Jones (of the America First Committee and the American Nazi Party), boldly espouses white supremacy and homophobic policy, and is not afraid to use them as a political platform. He has done so in the past, and continues to do so today. Jones has run for the same Illinois 3rd Congressional District seat five times, beginning in 1992, but was unsuccessful with each attempt. Jones was disavowed by the Republican Party and removed from the ballot in 2016. However, … Continue reading →
Looking Back at the 2016 Election and World Series in ‘Seven Days Overexposed’

November 6, 2018 at 9:08 am / Blog

In seven short days, Chicagoans saw their greatest joy sour and their country descend into slow-rolling chaos. Shooting for this documentary began in early fall of 2016, to capture, in Guerrilla TV-style, the masses of people that we saw more and more frequently on the streets of Chicago. This clips shows the joy of the Cubs winning the World Series and the anger about Donald Trump winning the election. This quickly became the central conceit of the documentary: A Guerrilla … Continue reading →
Seven Days Overexposed

November 2, 2018 at 12:36 pm / Chicago Collection, Political Documentaries

In seven short days, Chicagoans saw their greatest joy sour and their country descend into slow-rolling chaos. Shooting for this documentary began in early fall of 2016, to capture, in Guerrilla TV-style, the masses of people that we saw more and more frequently on the streets of Chicago. We started with the debauchery surrounding the Cubs winning the World Series. A week later, Mary Otoo and Lucia Ahrensdorf found themselves filming a citywide protest against the election of Donald Trump. … Continue reading →
Remembering Chicago TV Veteran Warner Saunders (1935 – 2018)

October 30, 2018 at 3:55 pm / Blog

Warner Saunders, news anchor who worked four decades in Chicago television, passed away on October 9. For 29 years he was a sports, then news, anchor on NBC 5. Previously, he was community affairs director and host of Common Ground on WBBM-TV. Saunders won more than 20 Emmys for his TV journalism and retired in May 2009 at 74. Saunders did a memorable series of reports from South Africa in 1990 about Nelson Mandela’s release from prison called, “South Africa: … Continue reading →
Do the Time Warp with Dan Dinello’s ‘Chicago Halloween’

October 26, 2018 at 7:00 pm / Blog

Break out the candy and grab your favorite mask because it’s almost time for Halloween. To celebrate the spooky holiday, we dug into the archive and found some fascinating, and entertaining, Halloween footage from across the years. Dan Dinello’s Chicago Halloween showcases the 1988 celebration of the spooky holiday with a costume contest judged by Freddy Krueger, Rat Girl’s troupe of acrobatic rats, and more. We also found clips of a Halloween wedding, trick-or-treaters with a former First Lady, and even … Continue reading →
Oct 15: Logan Square Lost & Found

October 12, 2018 at 4:39 pm / Blog

October 2018 marks the 100-year anniversary of the Logan Square Centennial Monument, built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Illinois statehood. This event will commemorate this crossing into a new century by looking back at forgotten histories of Logan Square and opening discussion about the next 100 years of the neighborhood. A special part of the night will be the presentation of excerpts from August Nights (1980) and Back Porch (1980) by Chuck Kleinhans (1942-2017). These will be introduced by Kartemquin … Continue reading →
Pop up Studs Terkel exhibit at Media Burn October 12

October 3, 2018 at 4:56 pm / Blog

Every October, Media Burn participates in Chicago Open Archives, an event that gives attendees a chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at collections and spaces not normally open to the public. This year, we’re adding something special as part of the tour. We will be converting our back office into “Studs’ Place,” an exhibit that will display tapes, letters, books, and other items we received from Terkel’s home. None of these objects are usually accessible to the public. Whether you’re … Continue reading →
BOSTON is coming to Chicago September 21-22!

September 19, 2018 at 10:17 am / Blog

Don’t miss this chance to get energized for the upcoming Bank of America Chicago Marathon and see the film on the big screen at the beautiful Showplace Icon Cinema! The film was produced by Jon Dunham, Eleanor Bingham Miller, and Megan Williams in 2017. The feature length movie is the fast paced history of the oldest US marathon (first race was in 1896). It is a wonderful experience for runners and non-runners alike. Jeff Beal’s soaring soundtrack, recorded by the … Continue reading →