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| The Biograph today |
The Biograph attained notoriety in gangland history when on July 22, 1934 Public Enemy Number One, bank robber, John Dillinger, attended a performance of Manhattan Melodrama with the Lady in Red, Anna Sage. He was gunned down outside by FBI agents led by Melvin Purvis. In 2008, while filming the movie Public Enemies, the theater and all the immediate surrounding businesses were redressed to look as they did on that night. I was fortunate enough to be able to see movies in the Biograph before it was closed in 2001 and subsequently renovated for live theater. It was a treat and a thrill sitting right near where Dillinger watched his last film. They say his spirit even checks out some of the current productions as the Biograph is on many a Chicago ghost tour.
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| The Biograph the night Dillinger was shot |
Come on to Chitown and I'll take you here as well as some other infamous gangland sites. Happy A to Z ing with my fellow awesome challengers. Click on the image at the top right or here to visit them.
It's also time for the Insecure Writers Support Group. My insecurity this month is boredom. I struggle in the middle of my stories and get really bored with my characters. It's enough to make me scream and dive into a bottle of wine. I get sick of them and really wish they would hurry up and get out of trouble soon so I can move on to another part of the adventure. But it's all my fault that they are stuck!! I also get very bored with edits and rewrites sometimes. I just want to put the story away and never look at it again. Do you all ever get bored with your writing? I feel like a loser here.
Theater is a hundred years old now. Cool you saw a movie there before it switched to live performances.
ReplyDeleteI'm more bored with the first part - I pick up steam as I write. Although my current one has been a struggle because I've not had the time to devote hours a day to it, so I'm behind.
It is a hundred years old and still going strong. I mis it being a movie palace, though.
DeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one who gets bored at a certain point.
I love that old photo of it. B&W is so cool.
ReplyDeleteSkip ahead to the next fun scene and play connect the dots later. That's what I always do.
It is a very cool pic. I love B&W!
DeleteI'm going to try that, thanks. :)
I'm having the same problem - struggling with my WIP because I'm bored and irritated with it. I keep feeling like I can't get to the fun stuff I have in my head because I'm stuck on laying the groundwork.
ReplyDeleteI'd love a ghost tour in Chicago, how fun.
Exactly, Julie!! It feels so good to know I'm not alone.
DeleteThe ghost tours here are awesome!
I love theaters! Swoon...pass the popcorn! YOU need an Art Date-
ReplyDeletehang in there~
I love going to the theater, too. Especially the old ones. I do need an art date...Desperately. :( Thanks, Ella!
DeleteI like old historic buildings. They have such atmosphere, and stories to tell. As for my writing, I do get stuck sometimes, but I get more frustrated with it then bored. I, too, want to hurry up and get to the good stuff.
ReplyDeleteJuneta at Writer's Gambit
Hi Juneta! Thank for stopping by. I love old buildings as well. They have such character and history.
DeleteThanks for sharing/ It makes me feel better about my situation to know I'm not alone.
Oh, Chicago! Fortunately some theaters are either maintaining or being restored to that time period. A lot happened in old Chicago.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan! Thanks for visiting. I'm glad some of the old theaters are getting a new lease on life.
DeleteChicago does have an amazing history. :)
Another amazing destination in the Windy City - made even cooler by the tour guide!
ReplyDeleteAwww...Thanks, Craig! You and your awesome wife need to come here for a grand tour.
DeleteVery cool legends about the theater. I don't get bored with my characters and if a part of my plot starts to bore me I know I need to fix it.
ReplyDeleteYou are certainly right about fixing the manuscript. I guess my boredom sets in when I've been at it for a while and it starts to get tedious for me.
DeleteThere are a lot of cool legends in Chicago for sure. :)
I think all writers struggle with losing focus in the middle of the book. You generally know how it's going to begin and end. But maintaining tension, breaking tension, creating new fresh complications... it's not easy. Editing is hard. It really is. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHi Christina!! Thank you so much for visiting and sharing. It is not easy maintaining tension in that saggy middle for sure.
DeleteI have an upcoming trip to chi-town and hope I can make it there!
ReplyDeleteHi Shauna, thank you for visiting. I hope you can make it there too. It is worth a trip. Have fun in Chitown and if you have any questions you can email me melbwrites@gmail.com
DeleteLove old theatres that seem to have more character, whether haunted or not! Liked the now and then photo comparison, Melissa.
ReplyDeleteThank you, D.G.! Old theaters are awesome and I am very happy that I got to experience the Biograph as a movie theater.
DeleteLoving your posts about Chicago. And as for my writing, I get impatient. I'm very much an Instant Gratification girl. So, it isn't that I get bored. I would much rather snap my fingers and have it all out on paper.
ReplyDelete