Stanley Kubrick’s Chicago, 1949
April 5, 2011 9:28 PM Subscribe
Stanley Kubrick’s Chicago, 1949 [ via ]
“Before he started making movies, Stanley Kubrick was a star photojournalist. In the summer of 1949, Look magazine sent him to Chicago to shoot pictures for a story called “Chicago City of Contrasts.”''
“Before he started making movies, Stanley Kubrick was a star photojournalist. In the summer of 1949, Look magazine sent him to Chicago to shoot pictures for a story called “Chicago City of Contrasts.”''
Wow, I knew that he was a still photographer but haven't actually seen much of his work. There are some amazing shots in that set.
posted by octothorpe at 9:37 PM on April 5, 2011
posted by octothorpe at 9:37 PM on April 5, 2011
these are gorgeous
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 9:54 PM on April 5, 2011
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 9:54 PM on April 5, 2011
Aren't they?
There is a great story about him in NYC doing a shoot.
posted by clavdivs at 10:11 PM on April 5, 2011
There is a great story about him in NYC doing a shoot.
posted by clavdivs at 10:11 PM on April 5, 2011
I love the photos, but really: "Chicago, City of Contrasts"? Did it not sound so lame sixty years ago?
posted by Joe in Australia at 11:25 PM on April 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Joe in Australia at 11:25 PM on April 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
The Onion was founded in Madison, although Chicago's name actually means "wild onion".
Some personal notes:
1 - State Street with the old State Lake theatre (now the ABC offices) and the trolley down the middle! Awesome.
2, 3 - Santa Fe trains means Dearborn Station, long since closed -- but the head house remains and has been rehabbed.
4 -
5 - Drove me crazy trying to figure out where this was, but I think it was a bend on a long-since removed segment coming into the SW corner of the Loop from the W side, at roughly Wacker & Jackson. Track map [pdf]. The big clues are the river and the 4-track to 2-track conversion.
6 - Sign on sidewalk side says "MONROE"; again, you can see the streetcar tracks. This helps confirm the location of (5), just a couple of blocks south.
7,8 - Pigtails, shorts, and lederhosen-like suspenders. School uniform?
9,10,11,12 - Commodities traders? Not the Merchandise Mart, but either the Mercantile Exchange or the Chicago Board of Trade. In 1949, the former was this building, built 1927 and designed by Alschuler, whose 2003 demolition prompted the formation of the Landmarks Commission. But 12 seems to have "BOARD OF TRADE" at the top of the market board, so it's probably the latter, the building at the end of LaSalle Street, a location found in The Dark Knight and some other movies.
17 - The Pump Room continues as one of Chicago's more notable eateries.
18 - There's your city of contrasts.
...that's about it for historical interest.
posted by dhartung at 11:57 PM on April 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
Some personal notes:
1 - State Street with the old State Lake theatre (now the ABC offices) and the trolley down the middle! Awesome.
2, 3 - Santa Fe trains means Dearborn Station, long since closed -- but the head house remains and has been rehabbed.
4 -
5 - Drove me crazy trying to figure out where this was, but I think it was a bend on a long-since removed segment coming into the SW corner of the Loop from the W side, at roughly Wacker & Jackson. Track map [pdf]. The big clues are the river and the 4-track to 2-track conversion.
6 - Sign on sidewalk side says "MONROE"; again, you can see the streetcar tracks. This helps confirm the location of (5), just a couple of blocks south.
7,8 - Pigtails, shorts, and lederhosen-like suspenders. School uniform?
9,10,11,12 - Commodities traders? Not the Merchandise Mart, but either the Mercantile Exchange or the Chicago Board of Trade. In 1949, the former was this building, built 1927 and designed by Alschuler, whose 2003 demolition prompted the formation of the Landmarks Commission. But 12 seems to have "BOARD OF TRADE" at the top of the market board, so it's probably the latter, the building at the end of LaSalle Street, a location found in The Dark Knight and some other movies.
17 - The Pump Room continues as one of Chicago's more notable eateries.
18 - There's your city of contrasts.
...that's about it for historical interest.
posted by dhartung at 11:57 PM on April 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
1 - State Street with the old State Lake theatre (now the ABC offices) and the trolley down the middle! Awesome.
And it's playing He Walked By Night to boot...
posted by alexoscar at 3:11 AM on April 6, 2011
And it's playing He Walked By Night to boot...
posted by alexoscar at 3:11 AM on April 6, 2011
This marquee has all the big name stars! Marion Hutton! (Betty Hutton's sister!) Robert Alda! (Alan Alda's dad!) Jack Carson! (No relation.)
posted by Sys Rq at 3:29 AM on April 6, 2011
posted by Sys Rq at 3:29 AM on April 6, 2011
"This account has been suspended"
posted by Joseph Gurl at 4:33 AM on April 6, 2011
posted by Joseph Gurl at 4:33 AM on April 6, 2011
Wow! Who knew they were suspending accounts as far back as 1949? And Kubrick was there too? Bonus!
posted by Mike D at 5:03 AM on April 6, 2011
posted by Mike D at 5:03 AM on April 6, 2011
Photographer Richard Nickel also documented a lot of old Chicago, especially buildings on the verge of demolition. He often protested the scheduled demolition of buildings he thought should be preserved. Sadly, he was killed when one of those same old buildings collapsed on him while he was inside. Nice summary here.
posted by Mike D at 5:08 AM on April 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Mike D at 5:08 AM on April 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
It was sure struggling when I was looking at it three hours ago. Like, pre-Y2K load times. Slooooooow.
If it was us that kersploded it, though, in the wee hours of a Wednesday morning, they probably should have shelled out for the $1.99/month plan.
posted by Sys Rq at 7:28 AM on April 6, 2011
If it was us that kersploded it, though, in the wee hours of a Wednesday morning, they probably should have shelled out for the $1.99/month plan.
posted by Sys Rq at 7:28 AM on April 6, 2011
Here's the original link to the ChiTrib site It's only got 8 photos.
posted by warbaby at 8:48 AM on April 6, 2011
posted by warbaby at 8:48 AM on April 6, 2011
Sorry about this. Not much I can do about the main link, but here are search results from the Library of Congress, the first three pages of which contain all or nearly all of the same photographs.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:10 AM on April 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:10 AM on April 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
The Onion started there.
No, it started in my hometown, Madison, Wisconsin. It's headquarters are currently in Chicago.
posted by John Cohen at 10:03 AM on April 6, 2011
No, it started in my hometown, Madison, Wisconsin. It's headquarters are currently in Chicago.
posted by John Cohen at 10:03 AM on April 6, 2011
No, it started in my hometown, Madison, Wisconsin. It's headquarters are currently in Chicago.
ah sorry. i didn't know anything about Chicago for the joke, and the AV Club references Chicago heaps.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 4:45 PM on April 6, 2011
ah sorry. i didn't know anything about Chicago for the joke, and the AV Club references Chicago heaps.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 4:45 PM on April 6, 2011
i didn't know anything about Chicago for the joke
Really? Chicago is internationally famous for one thing above all others: Deep dish pizza.
And they have two major league baseball teams.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:36 PM on April 6, 2011
Really? Chicago is internationally famous for one thing above all others: Deep dish pizza.
And they have two major league baseball teams.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:36 PM on April 6, 2011
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posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 9:32 PM on April 5, 2011 [3 favorites]