Southside With You (2016)

Michelle Robinson (Tika Sumpter) lives on the south side of Chicago with her mom (Vanessa Bell Calloway), and her dad (Phil Ed Van Leer).  She is a second year associate with Sidley & Austin, a huge law firm in the downtown area.  Her parents tease her as she primps for what their daughter claims is not exactly a date.  Her dad asks the name of the young man whom she's going to see.  "Barack", she answers.  Her dad says, "Bar-what?"

Barack Obama is a summer associate at the law firm for whom Michelle acts as an advisor.  He has invited her to a community interest meeting, but she is dismayed to discover that it won't take place for several hours.  Barack suggests that they fill the time with other activities -- a visit to an art collection, lunch in the park, a walk along the lakefront -- before the meeting.  "This is not a date," Michelle insists, explaining that it wouldn't look good at the office for her to date him.  "Okay, it's not a date. . . .until you say it is," Barack smiles.

This is a quiet romantic film about two people getting to know each other better.  Yes, we know what happens to the characters later after the events of the film.  They get married several years later and have two daughters.  Oh, and Barack becomes the President of the United States, and Michelle becomes the First Lady.  But this film shows them as typical twenty-somethings, still deciding what they want to make out of their lives.  There so many nice moments where their conversations reveal their thoughts, as well as reveal things about the people we know them as now.

Singer John Legend produced the film, which takes place in 1989.

Chicago On TV

Recently, I came across a newspaper article detailing the TV series that were set in and near Chicago.  Some of them I was familiar with, others I were not.  How many of them do you know?

M Squad (1957-1960)
The Untouchables (1959-1963)

The Bob Newhart Show (1972-1978)
Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974-1975)
Good Times (1974-1979)
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979-1980)

Webster (1983-1989)
E/R (1984-1985)
Punky Brewster (1984-1988)
Crime Story (1986-1988)
The Hogan Family (originally titled Valerie) (1986-1991)
Perfect Strangers (1986-1993)
Married. . .with Children (1987-1997)
Roseanne (1988-1997)
Generations (1989-1991)
Family Matters (1989-1998)
Life Goes On (1989-1993)

Sisters (1991-1996)
Biker Mice From Mars (1993-1996)
Chicago Hope (1994-2000)
ER (1994-2009)
Early Edition (1996-2000)
Kenan & Kel (1996-2000)
The Steve Harvey Show (1996-2002)
Two of a Kind (1998-1999)

Soul Food (2000-2004)
According to Jim (2001-2009)
Life With Bonnie (2002-2004)
Still Standing (2002-2006)
Wild Card (2003-2006)
Barbershop (2005)
Boondocks (2005-2010)
Prison Break (2005-2009)
The Loop (2006-2007)
My Boys (2006-2010)
The Dresden Files (2007)
Trust Me (2009)
The Beast (2009)
The Forgotten (2009-2010)
The Good Wife (2009-present)
Mike and Molly (2010-present)
Shake It Up (2010-present)
The Chicago Code (2011-present)
Shameless (2011-present)

"The M Squad" (1957-1960)

A lot of people wondered what the M in "The M Squad" meant.  Actor Lee Marvin, the lead on the show, stated that it was just a name, that it meant nothing in particular.  As his character, Lt. Frank Ballinger, explained at the top of each episode, M Squad was a special division of the Chicago Police Department.  The police officers in that department could and would be assigned to various cases, everything from fraud to murder.  Ballinger was a tough guy who usually worked alone, and took orders more or less from Captain Grey (Paul Newlan).

It appears that the interior scenes were filmed in California, but many of the outdoor shots were filmed on location in Chicago.  Marvin explained that the exterior scenes had to be done quickly and on the sly.  Richard M. Daley was mayor of Chicago at the time, and he had a problem with "The M Squad" having some story lines about corrupt cops.  Mayor Daley was not crazy about having film crews around in general, and for decades, not much was filmed in the city.  Many city shots show Ballinger driving down State Street, Wacker Drive or Michigan Avenue.  He's also seen hanging out on Lake Shore Drive, walking in and out of the Chicago Tribune building on Michigan Avenue, or walking near the Wrigley Building.  I smiled when during the end of one episode, Ballinger got on the Red Line (the subway train) in front of the old Marshall Field's building.  The scripts make reference to places around Chicago, as well as out in the suburbs and small towns. 

Marvin had been in several films before appearing in this TV series which is rarely re-run.  The series helped further his movie career after it ended.  Marvin went on to appear in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence (1962) with John Wayne, and he won an Oscar for Cat Ballou (1965).  Like most old TV shows, many familiar faces appeared on their way to bigger and better things.  Actors guest starring on "The M Squad" included Don Rickles, Angie Dickenson ("Police Woman"), Charles Bronson (the Death Wish movie series), Marion Ross ("Happy Days"), and Leonard Nimoy ("Star Trek").