Sarnoff and Serena take on Chicago

Here is me and my David Sarnoff flat celebrating my birthday (in case you are wondering why I have a small tiara on).  If you look closely, you might be able to see the party hat Sarnoff is wearing.  

Love and Marriage, Love and Marriage... who doesn't think of the show Married with Children, when seeing the Buckingham Fountain?  I know I do.  Buckingham Fountain was used in the opening credits of Married with Children, which was broadcast on Fox from 1987-1997.  The Buckingham Fountain is one of Chicago's biggest tourist attractions.  

Sarnoff and I made a stop outside of the Billy Goat Tavern, the location that was parodied by John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and Bill Murray on Saturday Night Live.  According to the http://www.billygoattavern.com/legend/snl/ Belushi and Murray knew of the Billy Goat from their days with Second City, which is a comedy club, theatre, and improv school located right here in Chicago.  You can visit the website I provided to see a clip of the famous skit.  

Here, Sarnoff and I are outside of The Renaissance Blackstone Chicago Hotel building, which has been used as a filming location for many movies and the television show Early Edition.  The main character of the show, Gary Hobson lived in the hotel during the first season.  All four seasons of the show were filmed in the Chicago area before it was cancelled by CBS in 2000.

I have walked by this corner downtown hundreds of times but I never really paid attention to the Honorary street signs.  The northeast corner of Dearborn and Monroe is dedicated to Newton N. Minow.  He held the Federal Communications Commissions Chair during the Kennedy era and made major contributions to television including the Educational Televisions Facilities Act of 1962, which established federal aid to public broadcasting.

Fun Fact: The boat in Gilligan's Island, the S.S. Minnow was named after Newton N. Minnow because the producer believed that Minow had ruined television.

Here is Sarnoff and me at the Nielson Building located at 200 W Jackson Blvd.  We've all heard of Nielsen Ratings and how it is used to measure the audience of a television show.  The Nielsen Ratings of a show, particularly in the demographic age range of 18-49 is especially important to advertising companies.  

 

This is Sarnoff and me (and my daughter in the purple there) in front of the Original Playboy Mansion, which is located in Chicago's Gold Coast.  This beautiful mansion was the original home of Playboy magazine creator and host of Playboy's Penthouse variety show, Hugh Hefner.  The Playboy Playmates show, which was broadcast from 1959-1961, was used as tool to spread interest of the Playboy magazine by reaching a broader audience.

Right down the street from the Playboy Mansion, is the home used in the show Webster.  Webster had a similar premise to the show Different Strokes.  A wealthy white family adopts a little black boy.  Although the show is based to have happened in Chicago, shots of the exterior of this home for instance were used, but the filming took place in California.  

I really liked exploring Chicago with my Sarnoff flat.  I'm sure that flat of Philo Farnsworth is crazy with jealousy that I didn't chose him.  If I were to include any additional locations, not already on the list, it would have been Gibson's Bar and Steakhouse on Rush St. and the firehouse located at 1360 S Blue Island Ave.  The exterior of Gibson's is used in the FX show The League as character's main hangout and the firehouse is used by the show Chicago Fire films ALL THE TIME.  I have rarely watched that show but I drive past that location a lot and the film crew is there frequently.  

Thanks for following Sarnoff and me on our little adventure.
Serena

Spring 2016 Sarnoff & Farnsworth Project Part II

1058 W. Washington was home to Harpo Studios, as of December 2015 the studio was closed. A private owned company owned by Oprah Winfrey. (Fun fact, Harpo is Oprah spelled backwards) In this exact space, Oprah hosted her very successful talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show from 1990 until 2011. According to NBC 5, Oprah is credited for transforming the neighborhood from an industrial area to a more hip, family oriented, and trendy neighborhood. There is a lot to do around the area, some popular clubs and trendy restaurants are just blocks from the Harpo Studios.

Also, some of the audience chairs just recently went to auction!

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Oprah-Harpo-Studios-to-Close-in-December-Report-294852241.html

There are nine Billy Goat Tavern locations across Chicagoland, getting to this one was a challenge since it was tucked away on Michigan Ave’s Lower Level. The restaurant was purchased in 1934 for $205. It is notorious for the 1945 Billy Goat curse on the Chicago Cubs and its Cheezborger's. 

So the history behind the Blackstone Hotel was new to me. The hotel was used in Early Edition which aired from 1996 to 2000 on CBS. When a Chicago stockbroker was dumped by his wife, he moved into one of the hotel rooms. It is located between other popular hotel brands, The Hilton and Congress Plaza Hotel on Michigan Ave. Its location made it a little awkward to photograph in because as you can imagine, Michigan Avenue was very busy with pedestrians, traffic, and tourists.

Across the street from the Blackstone Hotel was Buckingham Fountain and my last stop! It was a windy day (as you can see) but Mr. Farnsworth managed to channel his inner Al Bundy.  The fountain is an icon to Chicago’s history and has been opened since 1927. It was featured in the opening credit for the television show Married with Children. Growing up I disliked the television show because of Peggy’s, Al Bundy’s wife, nagging. I preferred her role in Sons of Anarchy!

Spring 2016- Sarnoff & Farnsworth Project

                Hey guys, Chicago is filled with historic television history, throughout the remainder of the quarter I will be exploring some of those television landmarks. Accompanying me is none other than Mr. Philo Farnworth, dressed appropriately in Chicago Cubs attire.

                My first stop was global marketing company, Nielsen. Nielsen Corp., was established by Arthur Charles Nielsen. The Chicago native along with his family business sought ways to measure radio stations’ audiences, subscription data for magazine, and track oil and gas wells in the U.S and Canada. The company still stands on the twenty seventh floor on 200 W. Jackson Blvd. It continues to research consumers watching and buying habits in more than 100 countries. My selfie is outside their office doors since they were closed (Saturday).

Carter, Bill. "A.C. Nielsen Jr., Who Transformed Research Firm, Dies At 92". Nytimes.com. N.p., 2011. Web.

                1340 N. State Parkway is the location for the Original Playboy Manson. Hugh Hefner’s television series Playboy’s Penthouse was filmed there. The television series aired in 1959, it was one of the first national programs which incorporated whites and blacks together and “partying” as equals. The television show overall was very different when compared to others due to its “delivery and outspoken views on race, religion, and politics”. In regards to the building, in 1984 Playboy Enterprises leased the mansion to the School of Art Institute (at $10 a year) and it served as student dorms until 1990. It was later sold and since has been converted into condos. I have also included some images of what the Mansion looked like before and Hefner himself in his bedroom/office on the 2nd floor.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

"Playboy After Dark / Playboy's Penthouse / Hugh Hefner On Tvclassic TV". Tvparty.com. N.p., 2016. Web.

Tribune, Chicago. "A Playboy's Guide To Hugh Hefner's Chicago". chicagotribune.com. N.p., 2016. Web.

                  

 

               Down the block, literally, from the Original Playboy Mansion is the house from television show Webster. For 9.5 million the historic house could be yours since it just hit the market! The television show also aired through Chicago stations Me-TV and WMEU-CD, also known as “The U too”.

                After walking throughout Navy Pier a couple times, I found The Bob Newhart statue tucked away at the east end of the pier. I have actually taken pictures with Bob’s status in the past and at his previous location however, did not know who he was. This life size statue fits perfectly in the city since the Bob Newhart Show, based on a Chicago psychologists, was also set in Chicago.

Davis, David et al. "The Bob Newhart Show (TV Series 1972–1978)". IMDb. N.p., 2016. Web. 18 May 2016.

Stay tuned for more of my journey!