Tom Palazzolo Trailers

I Married a Munchkin Trailer (1994)

01 January 1994

Chesterton, Indiana's annual WIZARD OF OZ parade (as well as their many Oz-themed festivities) provides the backdrop for I MARRIED A MUNCHKIN, Tom Palazzolo's study of the life and career of Mary Ellen St.

I Was a Contestant at Mother's Wet T-Shirt Contest Trailer (1978)

01 January 1978

A short documentary on wet t-shirt contests at a Chicago bar.

Jerry's Trailer (1974)

01 January 1974

JERRY'S DELI is a testament to a bygone era when shrieking lunatics could run successful (even popular) businesses.

Love It, Leave It Trailer (1973)

04 November 1973

A 14-minute almanac of Midwestern America and its funky Americana at the end of the Love Generation, Love It / Leave It begins with proudly naked people parading about for all the world to ogle at the annual Naked City beauty pageant in Roselawn, Indiana, before returning to Chicago, where families literally draped in American flags are found wilting under the heat of the sun along a downtown parade route.

Murder in a Mist Trailer (1980)

01 January 1980

Lisa Gottlieb's Oscar-winning spoof of misogynist film noir.

Hey Girls Trailer (1990)

01 January 1990

Based on a comic Heather McAdams created for the Chicago Reader, the short comedic film was made by Tom Palazzolo's 1990 film production class at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Labor Day: East Chicago Trailer (1979)

01 January 1979

Tom Palazzolo films the goings-on at Labor Day festival in East Chicago.

Marquette Park (Part I) Trailer (1976)

21 August 1976

A film by Tom Palazzolo and Mark Rance documenting neo-Nazi activity in the Marquette Park neighborhood of Chicago on August 21, 1976.

Costumes on Review Trailer (1976)

01 January 1976

Campaign Trailer (1968)

28 August 1968

Chicago was the host for the 1968 Democratic Convention, and the surrounding hype and horror that resulted.

Ricky and Rocky Trailer (1972)

01 January 1972

The two filmmakers use the style of direct cinema to film the Italian/Polish backyard wedding shower of a young couple, Ricky and Rocky.

Vermin of the Vortex Trailer (1996)

01 January 1996

Alienation in academia beneath the chandeliered opulence of a political correctional facility that caters to clashing cultures with chicken fajitas and carefully worded alphabet soup.

Hot Nasty Trailer (1972)

13 November 1972

Hot Nasty is a humorous documentary short set entirely inside a Chicago massage parlor called Big Bertha’s.

The Bride Stripped Bare Trailer (1967)

15 August 1967

Palazzolo's cameras are there as Mayor Richard Daley reveals the Picasso gifted to the city from the famed artist.

Sarah's 6th BDay Trailer (1976)

14 March 1976

Home movie capturing the 6th birthday party thrown for Palazzolo's daughter, Sarah Marie, who was born in 1972.

Tattooed Lady of Riverview Trailer (1967)

16 August 1967

The once teeming Riverview Park was shut down in 1967. The Tattooed Lady of Riverview is a portrait of its final occupant, Jean Furella, the titular tattooed lady of Riverview's sideshow.

Jay Elvis Trailer (1991)

23 May 1991

A profile of Chicago's greatest Presley impersonator, Jay Elvis

Vivian Maier Photographer Trailer (2012)

22 June 2012

Chicago filmmaker Tom Palazzolo turns his lens to film a very different portrait of Vivian Maier, the mysterious Chicago photographer whose work was only discovered posthumously.

America's in Real Trouble Trailer (1967)

01 January 1967

Tom Palazzolo's rapid-fire, seemingly spontaneous documentary style captures Chicago with pizazz. For more than ten years, Palazzolo has been delivering to us his captured visions – body builders, senior citizens, erotic parlours, weddings, deli owners, and the like – as if he had harnessed them in a cinematic butterfly net.

Tom Chicago on Location Trailer (1990)

01 January 1990

The nom d'art 'Tommy Chicago' reflects independent filmmaker Tom Palazzolo's unique status within the Chicago film community.

Another Millionaire Trailer (1973)

01 January 1973

A documentary about a man who wins a million dollars in the Illinois lottery. Takes place at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, IL.

Your Astronauts Trailer (1970)

11 March 1970

On August 13, 1969 thousands of Chicagolandians flocked to downtown Chicago to get a glimpse of the first humans on the Moon (Neil A.

Sneakin' and Peekin' Trailer (1976)

21 August 1976

We traveled to Indiana back roads to see and shoot the annual Miss Nude Universe Contest held at a “notorious” nudist camp.

Baton Lounge Trailer (1974)

10 April 1974

Footage documenting a toy drive – “Toys for Tots” – held at a leather bar / motorcycle club in Chicago, called the Baton Lounge.

Our Wedding 12-68 / Marcia & Tom Trailer (1968)

07 March 1968

Silent home movie capturing the marriage of Tom Palazzolo and Marcia Daehn on December 22, 1968.

80s Pilsen Backyard Circus Trailer (1983)

14 March 1983

Silent footage of an amateur circus performance in a backyard in the Chicago neighborhood of Pilsen in the 1980s.

Caligari's Cure Trailer (1983)

11 March 1983

Set in a bizarro St. Louis and populated with characters from Palazzolo’s boyhood memories, Caligari’s Cure is an irreverent retelling of Palazzolo’s youth that is both absurd and tender.

He Trailer (1966)

01 January 1966

Surreal film melding documentary footage of Chicago and its residents, featuring fast paced montage sequences set against a rollicking 1960s musical backdrop.

Bat Colum Pix Mag Trailer (1977)

25 April 1977

A portrait of the spectators and press covering the dedication of Claes Oldenburg's "Batcolumn" sculpture on April 14, 1977, outside of the newly-built Social Security Administration Center at 600 West Madison Street in downtown Chicago.

It's This Way at Deel Ford Trailer (1980)

01 January 1980

This film follows a film crew as they make a TV spot for a Ford new/used car dealer who (even though he is dressed in white) is not the kind of person you'd buy anything from.

Pigeon Lady Trailer (1966)

12 February 1966

Pigeon Lady is an observational documentary centered around the everyday comings and goings of an elderly woman in Chicago, Clara Miller.

Amy's 4th or 5th B-Day Trailer (1979)

07 March 1979

Home movie documenting birthday celebrations for Palazzolo's daughter, Amy Louise, who was born in 1974.

Chicago 1966 Peace March Trailer (1966)

06 March 1966

Chicago, 1966. Artists assemble at Domenico Di Meo's loft to prepare banners and artwork for an anti-Vietnam War demonstration led by Dr.

I Was A Zero In City 2000 Trailer (2003)

09 January 2003

The story of Tom Palazzolo's efforts to get his photographs included in the City 2000 exhibition, a show featuring images of Chicago from throughout that year.

Roger the Dodger Trailer (1974)

03 January 1974

A fascinating and touching portrait of isolation in big cities, Roger the Dodger features an extended interview with a man who was arrested by the police for loitering near a train station.

Marquette Park (Part II) Trailer (1978)

05 December 1978

A documentary on a Neo-Nazi rally in Marquette Park, Chicago, on July 9, 1978 features footage from inside the Neo-Nazi headquarters in Chicago (led by Frank Collin) and protesters in Marquette Park.

Chicago Nazis Trailer (1990)

01 January 1990

VHS compilation of two Tom Palazzolo documentaries - Marquette Park (1976) and Marquette Park II (1978) - about the American Nazi party and its leader Frank Collin.

Shell Game at Maxwell Street Trailer (1984)

01 January 1984

A short film by filmmaker Tom Palazzolo with his students of an informal illegal gambling type of game on a sidewalk of the Maxwell Street Market.

Lily's World of Wax Trailer (1986)

15 January 1986

Lillie Santangelo had for most of the 20th century owned and operated a wax museum at New York's Coney Island.

The First Annual Miss Illinois Bikini Contest Trailer (1974)

01 December 1974

Documentary about the first annual Miss Illinois Bikini Contest, held by the Amateur Athletic Union at a theater on Chicago's south side.

Practice Wedding Trailer (1972)

08 January 1972

An awkward wedding rehearsal at which the in-laws meet

Pets on Parade Trailer (1971)

01 January 1971

“Primarily a pet parade for children.”

Bleach Yr Old Sox (Comiskey Park Revisited) Trailer (1975)

08 January 1975

I've always been interested in recording Chicago's history, particularly its offbeat and unofficial aspects.

Rita on the Ropes Trailer (2001)

01 January 2001

Rita, a young high school student, recounts and reflects on her life in a monologue played over footage of her wandering through various beautiful and often strange Chicago locations.

Venus and Adonis Trailer (1966)

01 January 1966

Venus and Adonis offers a playful retelling of the Classical myth. Filmed at Chicago's North Avenue Beach, filmmaker Tom Palazzolo plays the handsome young Adonis who is seduced by Venus, the goddess of love, depicted by Natalie Jarnstedt.

Campaign & Last Day at Comiskey Park Trailer (1995)

11 January 1995

An impressionistic view of the 1968 Democratic National Convention featuring appearances by Abbie Hoffman, Alan Ginsburg, Mayor Richard J.

At Maxwell Street Trailer (1984)

01 January 1984

A portrait of the Chicago street market.

Down Clark Street Trailer (1995)

01 January 1995

Tom Palazzolo takes us on a tour of the Chicago neighborhood where he lived in the 1960s, stretching down Clark Street from Chicago Avenue to the Chicago River.

The El Trailer (1978)

01 October 1978

An experimental silent film by Tom Palazzolo documenting the comings and goings of Chicago's "El" rapid transit system in the 1970s.

O Trailer (1967)

01 January 1967

"Fears and thrills... Part structure (the centerpoint): part improvisation."

Sharie Holeb's Prom Night Trailer (1978)

27 March 1978

Tom Palazzolo's 1978 film "Sharie's Prom" is a documentary that captures the experiences of Sharie Holeb and her friends during their prom night in Chicago.

Added Lessons Trailer (1990)

01 January 1990

ADDED LESSONS is an absurdist fever dream that follows young Francis (Liam Hayes) as he's bounced between maternal demands, burgeoning sexual desires, the church, and pretensions of the art world.

Todd Summer 77 / Halloween S-A&T with friends / Todd Dance 77-78 Halloween Trailer (1977)

08 March 1977

Sound home movie depicting the Palazzolo family's 1977 Halloween outing.