By Patrick F. Cannon

The residents of my Forest Park condominium building and its almost identical (but smaller) neighbor next door were all atwitter (or aghast or even appalled) early this week as an episode of the NBC series “Chicago Fire” was shot in and around us. The big day was Tuesday the 16^th, although set up began the week before. The entire 200 block of Elgin Avenue was closed on the big day, with no parking permitted.

            As it happens, our neighbors on the block are a series of detached single-family houses, small two flats and a row of attached town homes. I can’t imagine they were all pleased to have their street thus occupied, but art must have its way. For those of you not familiar with “Chicago Fire,” it is now in its 14^th season. It is part of a franchise that also includes “Chicago PD” and “Chicago Med.” Unlike some “Chicago based” series and film, which use only some exterior images, they are filmed entirely in the city.

This episode will air on Wednesday, October 29 on NBC at 8:00 pm. Since they have decorated some of the balconies in our buildings and the exteriors of some of the other houses on the block for Halloween, the date seems meaningful!

             While it has been interesting to experience the filming process, it’s nothing like as important or exciting as my experience 67 years ago watching the filming of Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest. I was a young man of 20 then and working as a clerk for the New York Central Railroad at LaSalle Street Station in Chicago. Both are long gone, but I swear it wasn’t my fault. As I recall, the crew came the day before the filming to set up cameras, lighting, and sound equipment.

            Of the stars (including James Mason) only Eva Marie Saint (still with us at age 101) and Cary Grant appeared. I never actually saw him, although I caught a glimpse of Saint. I did see more of  Hitchcock – and he was as roly poly as you may remember him. He was dressed in a suit and tie, and left before the scene was actually shot, apparently satisfied that all was well. If you remember the movie, Grant stows away on the 20^th Century Limited, the New York Central’s legendary train from New York to Chicago. All the set up was for the briefest of scenes. Grant knows that the police (and bad guys) might be waiting on the platform to see if he’s on the train. So, he bribes a Red Cap and changes into his uniform, and escorts Saint and her luggage down the platform.

            Thus disguised, he makes his escape. Among the extras they used were actual LaSalle Street Station Red Caps. They were delighted to do this and even got paid. Another Chicago location was the Ambassador East Hotel, where nabobs and movie stars often hung out at the famous Pump Room restaurant before catching Santa Fe’s Super Chief to La La Land. If you haven’t seen the movie, I can highly recommend it. Pay particular attention to the LaSalle Street Station scene. It brings back memories for me.

            The 20^th Century Limited, which in its heyday had a barber shop, a stenographer (look it up), a dining car with gourmet food, and two cars where you could get a drink or two, made its last run in 1967, victim of the speedy jet air liner. LaSalle Street Station itself was torn down in 1981, replaced with a bare bones Metra station.

            One of my jobs as a junior clerk was to meet the 20^th Century every morning at 9:00 am (it was rarely late). I would swing on to the baggage car before it fully stopped, open the door and fetch the company mail bag, which every other Friday contained the Chicago staff pay checks. As the years went by, and more people flew, the number of celebrities sighting dwindled. The last one I remember seeing was Victor Mature. You remember him, don’t you?

Copyright 2025, Patrick F. Cannon