Movies Filmed in Chicago 1896 to 1931

Chicago's history of filmmaking is almost as old as movies themselves. The first motion picture camera was manufactured around 1895, and by 1897 William Selig, a former magician, was producing and showing films in Chicago.

Below is a list of movies filmed or made (all or in part) in Chicago and the state of Illinois between 1896 and 1931. The companies who produced them follow in parentheses.

Source: The Illinois Film Office

Click here to see the List of Movies Made in Chicago from 1959 to 1989.

Click here to see the List of Movies Made in Chicago from 1990 to 2006.

1896 Tramp and the Dog (Selig Polyscope)

1897 Corner Madison and State Streets, Chicago (Eaison Mfg).

1898
A Chicago Street (American Muroscope)
Illinois Central Terminal (American Muroscope)
Soldiers at Play (Selig Polyscope)

1900
Lincoln Park (American Muroscope & Biograph)

1901
Chicago Police Parade (Selig Polyscope)
Dewey Parade (Selig Polyscope)
Gans-McGovern Fight (Selig Polyscope)

1903
Chicago Firecats on Parade (Selig Polyscope)
A Hottime on a Bathing Beach (Selig Polyscope)
Business Rivalry (Selig Polyscope)
Chicago Fire Run (Selig Polyscope)
The Girl in Blue (Selig Polyscope)
Trip Around the Union Loop (Selig Polyscope)
View of State Street (Selig Polyscope)

1904
Humpty Dumpty (Selig Polyscope)
The Tramp Dog (Selig Polyscope)

1906 The Tramp and the Dog (Selig Polyscope)

1907
An Awful Skate or The Hobo on Rollers (Essanay)
The Grafter (Selig)
The Dancing Nig (Essanay)

1908
The Confession (Essanay)
The Baseball Fan (Essanay)
Gotch-Hackenschmidt Wrestling Match (W.W. Wittig)
The Count of Monte Cristo (Selig)

1909
Hunting Big Game in Africa (Selig Polyscope)
Ten Nights in a Barroom (Essanay)
The Magic Melody (Essanay)

1910
Levi's Dilemma (Essanay)
Gotch-Zyyszko World's Championship Wrestling Match (Essanay)
Henry's Package (Essanay)
The Wizard of Oz (Selig Polyscope)
Hank and Lack: Lifesavers (Essanay)
World's Championship Series (Essanay) (Cubs vs. Phil Athletics)
A Voice from the Fireplace (Essanay)
The Squaw and the Man (American Film Mfg.)
C-H-I-C-K-E-N Spells Chicken (Essanay)

1911
The COming of Columbus (Selig Polyscope)
Winning an Heiress (Essanay)

1912
Nebata the Greek Singer (Essanay)
Brotherhood of Man (Selig Polyscope)
The Starbucks (American Film Mfg.)

1913
Famous Illinois Canyons and Starved Rock (American Film Mfg.)

1914
The Jungle (All Star Feature Co.)
The Pit (Wm. A. Brady Picture Plays, World Film)
Joliet Prison, Joliet, IL (Industrial Moving Picture, Abo Feature Film)
Chicago Herald Movies (Chicago Herald News)
The Adventures of Kathlyn (Serial from Selig Polyscope)
Golf Champion "Chick" Evants Links with Sweede (Essanay)

1915
Many "Dreamy Dud" films were made here during 1915 by Essanay. They included:
A Visit to Uncle Dudley's Farm
At the Old Swimmin' Hole
Cowboy
He Goes Bear Hunting
He Sees Charlie Chaplin
He Goes Bear Hunting
In King Koo Koo's Kingdom
In Lost in the Jungle
In Love [brIn the Swim
Resolves Not to Smoke
Up in the Air
Visits the Zoo
His New Job
Resolves Not to Smoke
Up in the Air
Dud Visits the Zoo

The Crimson Wing (Essanay)
Graustark (Essanay)
A Black Sheep (Selig Polyscope)
In the Palace of the King (Essanay)
The Whirl of Life (Cort Film Corp.)
The House of a Thousand Candles (Selig Polyscope)
Should a Woman Divorce (Ivan Film Prodns)
The End of the Road (American Film Mfg.)

1916
Dreamy Dud: Has a Laugh on the Boss (Essanay)
Dreamy Dud: In hte African War Zone (Essanay)
Dreamy Dud: Joyriding with Princess Zlim (Essanay)
Dreamy Dud: Lost at Sea (Essanay)
Cousin Jim (Van Dee Producing Co. of Chgo.)
The Misleading Lady (Essanay)
Power (Essanay)
The Right to Live (United Photo Plays)
The Sting of Victory (Essanay)
The Truant Soul (Essanay)
Uncle Sam Awake (Laurence Rubel/Imperial Film Mfg.)
Three Pals (American Film Co./Mutual Films)
The Little Girl Next Door (Essanay/State Rights)
Vernon Howard Bailey's Sketch Book of Chicago(Essanay)
Two Knights in Vaudeville (Ebony Pictures)

1917
Cracked Ice (Essanay)
The Frozen Warning (Commonwealth Pictures)
The Baseball Revue of 1917 (Athletic Feature Films)
The Penny Philanthropist (Wholesome Films)
The Small Town Guy (Essanay/Perfection Pictures)
Ghosts (Ebony Pictures)
The Porters (Ebony Pictures)
Some Baby (Ebony Pictures)
Wrong All Around (Ebony Pictures)

1918
Mercy, the Mummy Mumbled (Ebony Pictures)
And the Children Play (Veritas Photoplay)
The Birth of a Race (Photoplay)
The City of Purple Dreams (Selig Polyscope)
Movie Marionettes (Essanay/General Film)
Are Working Girls Safe? (Ebony Pictures)
A Busted Romance (Ebony Pictures)
Barnacle Bill (Ebony Pictures)
Black Sherlock Holmes (Ebony Pictures)
Billy the Janitor (Ebony Pictures)
The Bully (Ebony Pictures)
The Comeback of Barnacle Bill (Ebony Pictures)
Fixing the Faker (Ebony Pictures)
Good Luck in Old Clothes (Ebony Pictures)
A Milk Fed Hero (Ebony Pictures)
The Painters (Ebony Pictures)
A Reckless Rover (Ebony Pictures)
Spying the Spy (Ebony Pictures)
Spooks (Ebony Pictures)
When You Hit, Hit Hard (Ebony Pictures)
When You're Scared, Run (Ebony Pictures)

1919
The Challenge of Chance (Continental Pictures)
Where Mary? (Essanay/Syndicate)
Through Hell and Back With the Men of Illinois (U.S. War Dept.)
Breed of Men (Wm. S. Hart Productions/Artcraft)
The Homesteader (Micheaux Film Corp.)

1920
In the Depths of our Hearts (Royal Gardens Film Co. of Chgo.)
Within our Gates (Micheaux Film Corp.)
Do the Dead Talk? (Ebony Pictures)

1923
Adam's Rib (Famous Players, Lasky Paramount)
Gentle Julia (Fox Film Corp.)
The Little Girl Next Door (Blair Coan Prodns)

1926
International Eucharistic Congress (Fox Film Corp.)
Sweet Adeline (Chadwick Pictures)

1927
Faith of Millions (Chester Productions)
Lightning (Tiffany Prodns/F.B.O.)

1928
Chicago After Midnight (F.B.O. Pictures)

1929
King of the Rodeo (Universal Pictures)

1931
Three Girls Lost (20th Century Fox)
The Exile (Micheaux, Frank Schiffman)