More than 30 years since its release, “Home Alone” remains one of the country’s most popular holiday films.
And for residents of Chicago’s North Shore, the movie is more than just something they enjoy once a year: It’s a part of local history.
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Each holiday season, people flock to north suburban Winnetka to see the real red-brick home made famous in the Christmas classic. But that’s not the movie’s only connection to the quiet community of around 12,000 residents along Lake Michigan.
A 2019 episode of Netflix’s series “The Movies That Made Us,” which provides a behind-the-scenes look at the film, dives into “Home Alone’s” inception, director John Hughes’ vision and hurdles encountered during the filming process.
The mansion along Lincoln Avenue was too small for all the crew members to fit inside, director Chris Columbus explained, so the team had to come up with a different solution. They still used the home for exterior shots — but actually shot the indoor scenes at New Trier Township High School after it closed due to declining enrollment in 1981.
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Hughes had an entire two-story sound stage constructed in the school’s gymnasium.
The basketball court was where the airplane cabin set was built, and the basement was actually constructed in the pool to accomodate a large number of water scenes.
A number of other scenes were filmed in Winnetka. In fact, the entirety of the movie was shot in Illinois, despite the plot revolving around a trip Kevin McAllister’s had taken to Paris.
Kevin’s visit to Santa’s workshop was filmed at Chestnut Court, adjacent to the Winnetka Village Hall, according to the Pioneer Press. The Grand Food Center along Green Bay Road is where Kevin shops for groceries, while the pharmacy he visits is along the same street.
Only a small part of the movie was filmed in Chicago: the airport scenes.
Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport served as the filming location for both the Chicago and Paris airport scenes, posing as France’s Orly Airport. Other locations seen in the movie were Trinity United Methodist Church in Wilmette and Grace Episcopal Church in Oak Park.
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So, why was so much of the movie filmed in the North Shore?
Hughes, the director, lived in the area during his high school years and graduated from Glenbrook North High School. An acclaimed director who is credited with reinventing the teen movie through his coming-of-age films, he did film some movies elsewhere — but time and time again came back to the Chicago area.
Most of the locations for another one of his classics, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” are in and around the region as well. The school where Bueller attended and faked being sick to spend a day exploring downtown Chicago was Glenbrook North High School.
Of course, a number of Chicago landmarks made an appearance, including the Willis Tower, the Sears Tower at the time, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Another Hughes’ film that stayed true to his North Shore roots was “Sixteen Candles.” The homes the high schoolers lived in were located in Evanston, Highland Park and Northbrook. Glenbrook North High School was where the teens attended, and nearby Glencoe Union Church was where Sam found her crush, Jake Ryan, waiting for her.
Other John Hughes movies filmed in the Chicago area include “The Breakfast Club,” “She’s Having a Baby,” “Uncle Buck” and “Weird Science.”
Source: https://t-tees.com
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