Chicago 'L' - in Popular Culture

In Popular Culture

Movies and television shows use establishing shots to orient audiences to location. For media set in Chicago, the 'L' is a common feature because it is such a distinctive part of the city. Some of the more prominent films they identify as shooting on and around the 'L' include The Fugitive (1993), The Sting (1973), and The Blues Brothers (1980). Running Scared (1986) shows a car chase taking place on the 'L' tracks. The sounds of the 'L' are also distinctive and thus also used to establish location.

The 'L' is referenced in Lynda Hull's poem Black Mare, published in 1990 in her book Star Ledger. It also appears in the credit sequence for The Bob Newhart Show.

Read more about this topic:  Chicago 'L'

Famous quotes containing the words popular and/or culture:

    It is among the ranks of school-age children, those six- to twelve-year-olds who once avidly filled their free moments with childhood play, that the greatest change is evident. In the place of traditional, sometimes ancient childhood games that were still popular a generation ago, in the place of fantasy and make- believe play . . . today’s children have substituted television viewing and, most recently, video games.
    Marie Winn (20th century)

    As the twentieth century ends, commerce and culture are coming closer together. The distinction between life and art has been eroded by fifty years of enhanced communications, ever-improving reproduction technologies and increasing wealth.
    Stephen Bayley (b. 1951)