Windy City Ballyhoo

In spring 1946, after years of battling censors, The Outlaw finally premiered in Chicago at the Oriental Theater, with star Jane Russell headlining a stage revue alongside the film. The engagement lasted seven weeks and grossed a record-breaking $400,000 ($6.6 million today).

STEP OUT and ENJOY LIFE...It's the LIVELY SEASON at the MOVIES!

In March 1996, two iconic Hong Kong imports arrived in Chicago: Rumble in the Bronx, Jackie Chan's breakout in America, enjoyed a wide release at several Chicagoland theaters, while Wong Kar-wai's Chungking Express opened with an exclusive engagement at Fine Arts.

@VincentCadena Could be the best movie marquee in Chicago.

@WCBallyoo That theater looked awesome

A snapshot of the Chicago Fire Department responding to a call in The Loop near the United Artists Theatre in August 1982, which was screening the newest slasher sequel, Friday the 13th Part III, in vivid 3-D.

On March 11, 1966, the Clark Theatre presented the "magic of MASTROIANNI" series, which featured Divorce Italian Style (1961), Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958), 8½ (1963), Bell' Antonio (1960), Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963), and The Miller's Beautiful Wife (1955).

"You too can be a movie mogul, if you BEAT SISKEL!" Fifty years ago, Chicago Tribune readers had the chance to beat film critic Gene Siskel in predicting that year's Academy Award winners, with the top prize being shares of stock in nine movie companies.

Seventy years ago, Don Siegel's classic Cold War parable Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) landed in The Loop at the Roosevelt Theatre, sharing a double feature with Lon Chaney Jr.'s Indestructible Man (1956).

"I was with Pia Zadora last year in Cannes. This year, it could be you!" In 1985, the Chicago Sun-Times challenged readers to beat Roger Ebert in predicting the winners for the 57th Academy Awards, with a meal for two at the Cannes Film Festival as the top prize.

Ninety years ago, Balaban and Katz pulled out all the stops and presented the "BIGGEST" show in The Loop—Hollywood superstar Wallace Beery headlined a live stage revue alongside Harold Lloyd's latest comedy, The Milky Way (1936).

45 years in The Loop, moviegoers received free Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris posters when they purchased a ticket for The Warrior Within and The House That Vanished at the Woods, while McVickers hosted the triple feature of The Assassin, The Dragon on Fire, and The 18 Bronzemen.

Enjoying a remarkable six-month run in The Loop at the Ziegfeld Theatre, Henri-Georges Clouzot's horror-thriller Diabolique was the undisputed sleeper hit of 1956. Its influence would be felt in the following years, with Hammer, William Castle, and Alfred Hitchcock taking notes.

Captured in The Loop during the winter of 1974, these photos document a group of pro-life protesters picketing near the State-Lake Theatre while The Exorcist screened inside. It's unclear if the film influenced their actions, but it makes for a nice tableau.

Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver premiered at Chicagoland theaters on February 27, 1976. Gene Siskel gave the film a positive review but wished it focused less on violence and more on De Niro and Shepherd's romance. While Ebert's review actually shows an understanding of the film.

NEW TO THE BALLYHOO ARCHIVES: A 1982 special edition poster from Plitt Theaters INC., featuring a stylized image of the glowing Chicago Theatre marquee—the crown jewel of their chain. Sad to think the venue would stop showing movies in the following years.

Ninety years ago, after five years without a new Charlie Chaplin film opening in Chicago, Modern Times (1936) premiered in The Loop at the United Artists Theatre.

NEW TO THE BALLYHOO ARCHIVES: an original postcard handed out at the McVickers Theatre during its engagement of the Cinerama film Circus World (1964). Let’s normalize movie theaters handing out free postcards again. #chicago #cinerama #moviememorabilia #film #cinema

Celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of @thefilmsociety tomorrow night at the @musicboxtheatre with a special screening of Written on the Wind! When Douglas Sirk's masterpiece opened in Chicago, it was the first film featured on the stunning, new marquee at the United Artists.

After Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) opened at the United Artists in The Loop, it was eventually added to a triple bill alongside Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter and Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, better known as the Tommy Jarvis trilogy today. #fridaythe13th

Seventy-five years ago, Samuel Fuller's Korean War masterpiece first hit The Loop, sharing a double feature with fellow Poverty Row quickie Bandit Queen. Fuller's film was the first Hollywood feature about the ongoing conflict and became a sizable hit.