The Summer Northwestern

In a summer when blockbusters like Spider-Man 2 and the latest installment of Harry Potter reign in the theaters, about 20,000 Chicagoans revisited an old classic beneath the sky Tuesday night at the onset of the fifth Annual Chicago Outdoor Film Festival in Grant Park.

Despite the foreboding storm clouds hovering above the skyline, families, friends and couples of all ages unfurled a patchwork of blankets at dusk for the first weekly film in the 2004 series, “His Girl Friday, ” starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. Moviegoers munched on free popcorn and watched the sunset cast shades of pink and blue on the dark clouds as they waited for the movie to begin.

Classic films are played for free every Tuesday at sunset through August 24th on a huge 50-by-34-foot screen. In years past, the crowd has ranged from 20,000 to 40,000 people for each film, said Ann Sylvester, program development coordinator with the Mayor’s Office of Special Events.

This year, the festival pays homage to a lineup of timeless actors, including Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003); Gregory Peck (1916-2003); Cary Grant, who would have been 100 years old this year; and the recently deceased Marlon Brando, who was 80 years old. In addition, the festival pays tribute to one more movie icon by running a Mickey Mouse comic short before each week’s film in celebration of the famous mouse’s 75th anniversary.

“There’s an entire kind of process for determining the films chosen each year,” Sylvester said. “We want to honor those icons in the movie industry and provide the audience with a variety of films. We try to cater to many different crowds so people feel the need to come out.”

The film festival commenced with an introduction by well-known movie critics Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper, hosts of “Ebert and Roeper at the Movies.” The pair answered questions from the audience and bantered about Ebert’s recent weight loss.

“I’m like the DVD now instead of the widescreen movie version,” Ebert joked.

The seasoned critic — made famous by his “thumbs up” rating system — has made an appearance at the film festival every year.

“People need to be reminded of the past. Too many moviegoers only pay attention to what’s new at Blockbuster,” Ebert said. “(His Girl Friday) was made in the ’30s, but it’s a fast, wise-cracking, screwball comedy. It’s great to see films that I love to watch out here for all these people to enjoy.”

The Chicago Outdoor Film Festival originated five years ago to honor the death of Ebert’s colleague, movie critic Gene Siskel. “Having Siskel and Ebert in Chicago, and having so many filmmakers in Chicago, we wanted to do something to celebrate Chicago as a mecca for film,” Sylvester said.

The audience cheered as the credits rolled, gleeful from the film’s lively banter and having eluded the predicted rain. The crowd walked in hordes down Jackson Boulevard and East Monroe Street, past children cooling off in the new multi-colored Millennium Park fountains.

“People keep coming back, year after year, because of the unique atmosphere that’s created here,” Sylvester said. “They get to watch these films on a huge screen with the glowing Chicago skyline behind it. It’s classic.”

Scene reporter Lauren Murrow is a Medill junior. She can be reached at [email protected].

Film Schedule

July

20 The Birds

27 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

August

3 Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

10 Invasion of the Body Snatchers

17 Roman Holiday

24 Guys & Dolls