Patricia Garcia Rios Movies
- 2002
An outgrowth of historian Donald L. Miller's massive City of the Century, this three-part, 270-minute series traces the history of Chicago from a settlement of only 300 or so transients in 1830, to the heavily populated site of the 1893 Columbian Exposition. After synopsizing Chicago's roots as a stopping-off point for explorers Marquette and Joliet in the 17th century, the series focuses on that era of the city's past that has been meticulously chronicled in print and on camera: the Great Fire of 1871, the Haymarket Riot of 1886, the ascension of the meatpacking "barons" to Gold-Coast aristocracy, the dominance of such high-profile figures as Cyrus McCormick, George Pullman, and Marshall Field (described in the narration as "buccaneers"), and the seeds of the social-consciousness movement sown by Jane Addams and her Hull-House. It is shown how the "landed gentry" of Chicago not only scorned the incoming Irish, Polish, and African-American immigrants, but also did everything in their power to expunge these minorities from the social mainstream (for example, the myth that "Mrs. O'Leary's cow" sparked the Chicago Fire is debunked as anti-Irish propaganda); it is also shown how those minorities ultimately battled their way to predominance in Chicago's political machine. Narrated by actor David Ogden Stiers, Chicago: City of the Century was produced for the PBS anthology American Experience in association with Chicago's Historical Society and the city's powerful public-TV outlet WTTW. The series originally aired on January 13, 14, and 15, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Ogden Stiers
- 2002
"The Revolution Has Begun" is part two of American Experience: Chicago - City of the Century, based on the book by Don Miller. David Ogden Stiers narrates. After the Chicago Fire of 1871, the city began to rebuild. Marshall Fields opens his dream department store on State Street and Cyrus McCormick rebuilds his reaper plant. But the big industry becomes cattle dealing, led by butcher Gustavus Swift. Immigrants from Eastern Europe flock to the city to work as meatpackers. The immigrants bring socialism with them, helping to jump-start the American labor movement. In 1886, a labor activist rally becomes violent in Chicago's Haymarket Square. Workers on strike from the reaper factory are killed by police during a riot, leading to a bombing. This program was originally broadcast on PBS in January of 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Ogden Stiers
- 2002
"Battle for Chicago" is part three of American Experience: Chicago - City of the Century, based on the book by Don Miller. David Ogden Stiers narrates. After the Haymarket Square incident, the unified work force was defeated and crime was on the rise. The various European immigrants in Chicago created ethnic ghettos in opposition to one another. Prostitution, corruption, and drug use increased. In 1889, social reformer Jane Addams established Hull House, a settlement house in the West Side that offered free social services and education for poor people. Social changes led to the construction of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum of Natural History, and the Auditorium Theater. Chicago was named the site for the 1893 World's Fair. This program was originally broadcast on PBS in January of 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Ogden Stiers
- 2002
"Mudhole to Metropolis" is part one of American Experience: Chicago - City of the Century, based on the book by Don Miller. David Ogden Stiers narrates. The story begins in 1673, when French explorers took a canoe up the Illinois River and found a smelly marshland that the Indians called Chicagoua. The French chose not to settle there and the area was used as a fur trading post until the 1800s. When the Erie Canal was finished, the marsh was a good way to link the Mississippi to the Great Lakes. By 1833, the Potawatomi tribe was forced out and white men from New England bought up the land. Then the Irish immigrants who had dug the Erie Canal arrived looking for work. The city's first mayor, William Butler Ogden, helped make Chicago the world's largest railroad hub, lumber market, and grain port. The city experienced an economic boom until the great Chicago Fire of 1871. Over three miles of the city was destroyed. This program was originally broadcast on PBS in January of 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Ogden Stiers
