Illinois’ Record Year on Film
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Among the rerouted projects was Twentieth Century-Fox’s film adaptation of the play Prelude to a Kiss, which had been written specifically for New York and was hastily revised for Chicago. Universal Pictures’ Mad Dog & Glory, produced by Martin Scorsese, and Columbia Pictures’ Mo’ Money also wound up in Chicago rather than on the east coast. Most of these films are expected to be released in 1992, so filmgoers across the country and around the world will see plenty of Chicago on the silver screen in the months ahead.
The New York boycott brought more actual film activity to the state, but it also drew more film executives scouting locations. Not all those visits translated into projects, but they could pay off down the line. “Many of those who came in to look never had scouted in the state before,” says Kellett, “and they may return to film at a later date.”
When singer Jane Olivor comes to the stage at Park West for two performances February 18 and 19 after a hiatus of almost a decade, it’ll be an emotional moment for fans who closely followed her early career. Before she suddenly dropped out of sight in 1983, Olivor appeared frequently at a number of local venues, including Arnie’s Wicker Room, Park West, the Auditorium Theatre, the former Ivanhoe Theatre (now the Wellington), and the defunct MR Run Theatre. The late Aaron Gold, who wrote a Tribune gossip column, was one of Olivor’s earnest fans, and Olivor seemed to sense a strong support system here. When she dropped out of sight little was said about the reasons for her disappearance. But now Olivor says she was adversely affected by a number of things at the time, including a bad case of stage fright and deep despair over her husband’s death from cancer. An intense performer with a sort of an Edith Piaf singing style, Olivor Claims to have made no money from her four recordings due to a bad deal she cut. The last of her albums was a beautifully produced live recording taped in Boston.
