I have only lived in the Windy City for the first six years of my life and I've only visited the Second City (what it used to be referred as) occasionally till about 1986 when I was still in my teens. Still, many of the sights that still exist to this day as seen on film during the '40s was quite a sight to see on film while watching this on Facebook just now. So the Field Museum was called the Chicago Museum of Natural History during this time, huh? That place was where I saw the King Tut exhibition back in 1977. And nice to know where the name Buckingham Fountain came from. What a great sight to end the film on and what great memories I had of watching it in person whenever I visited the place where I was born! So on that note, Chicago, the Beautiful is very much worth a look.

Chicago the Beautiful (1948) ** 1/2 (out of 4) MGM's TravelTalk entry taking a look at the various landmarks in Chicago with James A. FitzPatrick once again doing the narration. Having been to Chicago a few times for some concerts, I was a bit more interested in this short since you get to see how the city was so many years ago. This one also stands out a bit more because of the countless gangster movies that took place in Chicago so we can see some of the actual locations. This short does a good job at showing off all the historic stuff in the city from various skyscrapers to some of the more famous hotels. We also get a look at some of the smaller stuff that includes all the fisherman off Lake Michigan and I must admit that I was shocked to see how clear the water was back then. Another nice sequence shows us what survived the 1871 fire.

A quick look at Chicago landmarks is essentially what this short subject in the TravelTalk series by James A. FitzPatrick offers.It starts with what the narrator calls a picturesque skyline and a glimpse of some of Chicago's great hotels, the aquarium, the huge museum and library, and goes on to show the Chicago Tribune's skyscraper building and the enormous Merchandise Mart.Lake Michigan is featured prominently, the source of commercial shipping and private boating pleasures.Chicago has 40 railroads which we get a fleeting look at and a view of the colorful and busy theater district along Randolph Street; the Marshall Fields shopping center along State Street; the Gold Coast, an exclusive section for wealthier citizens along the waterfront beaches;fishermen along the wharf; and finally, mention of several surviving landmark buildings from the 1871 Chicago exposition, as well as surviving structures from the great fire of Old Chicago.It closes with a view of the Buckingham Fountain, which looks like it belongs at a World's Fair exposition as the sunset settles on the horizon.

An MGM TRAVELTALK Short Subject.Our whirlwind trip into CHICAGO, THE BEAUTIFUL will take us along State Street & Lake Shore Drive. We'll travel the Chicago River & see vast Lake Michigan. The Wrigley Building, the Palmer House and the grand Merchandise Mart are just a few of the mighty edifices we pass on our way, before looking at some survivors from the Great Fire of 1871.This is one of a large series of succinct travelogues turned out by MGM, beginning in the 1930's. They featured Technicolor views of beautiful & unusual sights around the globe, as well as vivid, concise commentary. These films were produced & narrated by James A. FitzPatrick.