WTTW/Chicago Movie Trailers

Hidden Turkey Trailer (2021)

26 September 2021

Hidden Turkey is a one-hour television special produced, hosted, and narrated by CBS News Travel Editor Peter Greenberg.

Soundstage Blues Summit In Chicago: Muddy Waters And Friends Trailer (1974)

12 November 1974

In July 1974, a group of Chicago based blues artists who had already achieved legendary status gathered together with some of their younger "blues brethren" from all over the country to pay tribute to the man most responsible for bringing blues from the Mississippi Delta upriver to Chicago, Muddy Waters.

When We Were Young: Growing Up on the Silver Screen Trailer (1989)

02 December 1989

A documentary about the careers of child stars of the '40s in Hollywood, featuring movie clips with Shirley Temple, Margaret O'Brien, and numerous others along with interviews.

Gordon Lightfoot - Live From Soundstage '79 Trailer (1979)

08 September 1979

Chicago Mysteries with Geoffrey Baer Trailer (2024)

16 April 2024

Did a UFO fly over O’Hare Airport? How did the alligator later named "Chance the Snapper" suddenly appear in Chicago’s Humboldt Lagoon? Is Hull House haunted? Why don’t Chicagoans put ketchup on their hot dogs? WTTW award-winning host/writer/producer Geoffrey Baer sets out to solve these and other puzzlers in WTTW’s CHICAGO MYSTERIES.

Tarantella Trailer (1989)

12 September 1989

"Tarantella" was an early Super 8 short film directed by Christopher Nolan with his childhood friend Roko Belic.

Nelson and Jeanette: America's Singing Sweethearts Trailer (1992)

01 January 1992

A look at the screen triumphs and private lives of the screen's number-one singing team.

John Prine: Live on Soundstage Trailer (1980)

01 January 1980

Grammy Award-winning folk singer John Prine performs his early classics such as "Angel from Montgomery" and "Hello in There" in this 1980 concert filmed for the PBS series "Soundstage," featuring special guest Billy Lee Riley.

Blondie: Live at Soundstage Trailer (2017)

26 January 2017

Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, Blondie is still putting out new music and rocking out for fans everywhere!

Lamb Chop's Special Chanukah Trailer (1995)

17 December 1995

Shari Lewis, Lamb Chop, and the gang discover the true meaning of Chanukah in this special holiday program.

Adland Trailer (1974)

01 January 1974

TVTV turns its critical eye to the world of advertising in Adland, subtitled Where Commercials Come From.

John Hiatt & The Goners: Beneath This Gruff Exterior Trailer (2003)

01 September 2003

Inventive performer and poignant songwriter John Hiatt captures the attention of fans and critics alike.

Irish Chicago Trailer (2009)

15 March 2009

The colorful stories of Irish-American immigrants and their descendants who lived the history and exemplify the repeated cycle of the outsider becoming the ultimate Chicago citizen-insider.

Aretha Franklin Live from Chicago Trailer (2008)

20 May 2008

Angels Too Soon Trailer (2003)

01 December 2003

On December 1, 1958, fire swept through Our Lady of the Angels school on Chicago's west side, killing 92 children and three nuns.

Biking the Boulevards Trailer (2014)

26 August 2014

In Biking the Boulevards, Geoffrey Baer bikes his way across Chicago, using the city's network of boulevards.

The Book of Chapin Trailer (1974)

03 December 1974

Soundstage Original Series 1974-1985 The man who drove his "Taxi" to the top of the music charts entertains.

Cheap Trick: Live at Chicagofest Trailer (1981)

05 August 1981

Illinois Power Pop gods rock Chicago's Navy Pier during Chicagofest 1981. A monumental performance that solidified their standing as one of the USA's greatest Rock bands of all time.

Dislocation Trailer (2005)

17 November 2005

In February 2002, families living in the Robert Taylor Homes public housing development were given a 180 day notice of eviction.

Remembering Chicago Trailer (1994)

27 November 1994

A nostalgic yet energetic look at a bygone chapter in Chicago history: the 1920s and '30s, when city life was far less threatening than it is today.

Koko Taylor: Queen of the Blues Trailer (1991)

24 February 1991

Known fondly as the "Queen of the Blues," Koko Taylor began singing in Chicago blues clubs in the 1950s.

Only the Ball Was White Trailer (1980)

21 February 1980

Throughout the 1900's, before Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier in 1946, black baseball talent blossomed in the Negro Leagues.

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers: Live in Concert Trailer (2003)

10 June 2003

Taped for a two-part PBS Soundstage, Petty employs the Chicago locale as an entry into the blues and R&B that are at the foundation of rock & roll, and to a lesser extent, his music.

Chicago Works with Geoffrey Baer Trailer (2025)

09 December 2025

Chicago is known, famously, as “the city that works.” But who keeps it working? In a new 60-minute special, CHICAGO WORKS, Geoffrey Baer meets (and helps) the industrious workers across the city and suburbs who operate the Chicago’s moveable bridges, deliver millions of packages, care for the city’s animals, process recycling, operate the Wrigley Field scoreboard, and more.

Remembering Chicago Again Trailer (1995)

26 November 1995

Memories and home movies of numerous Chicagoans bring the 1940s and '50s alive, from early Chicago television to the patriotic spirit of the war years when everyone pulled together.

Chicago Live on SoundStage Trailer (2004)

04 October 2004

One of the most loved bands in rock history, as well as one of the most commercially successful-with 50 hit songs in the U.

Touring the Lakefront with Geoffrey Baer Trailer (2025)

14 April 2025

Geoffrey Baer is back to traverse the length and breadth of Chicago’s world-famous “front yard” to explore everything from beloved birds to submerged secrets along Chicago’s lakefront.

Remembering Chicago: The Boomer Years Trailer (2007)

04 March 2007

Experience the pivotal 1950s-1960s period through the eyes of 20 Chicagoans as they relive the stories and events of their youth, coming of age, and the hallmarks that define them as Chicagoans and Baby Boomers.

Remembering Chicago: The '70s and '80s Trailer (2012)

26 November 2012

From the changing political landscape to the unforgettable era of Mr. Cub hitting 500, Sweetness and the football victory that made the whole country do The Super Bowl Shuffle, relive the events that shaped an entire generation through the eyes of a colorful collection of Chicagoans who lived through it.

Krakatoa Trailer (2005)

26 April 2005

On the morning of August 27, 1883, the rumbling volcano of Krakatoa stood more than 6,000 feet high, with a diameter of approximately 10 miles.

Marshall Field's Trailer (2025)

24 October 2025

Discover the rise and fall of the legendary department store Marshall Field’s.

Say Goodnight, Gracie Trailer (1983)

15 February 1983

A portrait of a generation at a turning point in 1976: With plans to attend their high school reunion, five members of the first Television Generation gather in an East Village, NYC, apartment where they discuss their dreams, insecurities, past events, and TV shows.

The Manhattan Transfer & Take 6 - The Summit Trailer (2018)

01 April 2018

Pop and jazz fusion vocal quartet The Manhattan Transfer is one of the most celebrated a cappella groups in history, with ten Grammys to their name.

House Music: A Cultural Revolution Trailer (2025)

01 January 2025

House music is a genre that connects, uplifts, and unites people. It resonates globally and is prevalent on the world’s biggest music stages.

Travis Tritt - Live at Soundstage Trailer (2004)

09 November 2004

Travis Tritt has dominated the charts for a decade performing the kind of country music that men identify with and females swoon over.

Sonic Youth: Live at Soundstage Trailer (2003)

18 September 2003

Quintessential alternative rockers, Sonic Youth, celebrate free-form experimentalism while reinforcing their performance-art driven tradition in this Soundstage performance, recorded on May 7, 2003 at WTTW Grainger Studio in Chicago.

Vito Trailer (1978)

30 August 1978

This 1978 documentary classic is an inside look at the old-style Chicago Machine politics of the Richard J.

Remembering Chicago & World War II Trailer (1997)

30 November 1997

Chicagoans of all stripes share their stories from a time when the city served as a major war production center and a hub for soldiers on their way to and from battle.

The Young Lords of Lincoln Park Trailer (2024)

22 November 2024

"There was a time, from the late 1940s through the 1960s, when the now-upscale Lincoln Park neighborhood served as the beating heart of Chicago’s huge Puerto Rican community, and the base of operations for a band of Puerto Rican revolutionaries known as the Young Lords.

The Most Beautiful Places in Chicago Trailer (2023)

07 March 2023

Chicago is full of places that take your breath away, from gilded lobbies to verdant parks and eye-bending skyscrapers to glorious sacred spaces.

All American Rejects: Live at Soundstage Trailer (2006)

01 July 2006

Power pop is arguably one of Americas greatest gifts, The All-American Rejects are champions of the genre.

DuSable to Obama: Chicago's Black Metropolis Trailer (2010)

15 June 2010

The history of Chicago's African-American community told like never before -- through the voices of its leading citizens, scholars, artists, politicians, and business leaders.

Czechs in Chicago Trailer (2022)

20 May 2022

The story of the Czech immigrant experience in Chicago, past and present. Spanning nearly two centura

How Chicago Rocked the 60s Trailer (2001)

19 November 2001

It all began when the Beatles landed in America, on February 7, 1964. Their arrival heralded the beginning of the "British Invasion," and rock and roll would never be the same.