Wild Chicago
Encyclopedia
Wild Chicago was a television
series that aired on Chicago's WTTW
(a local PBS affiiliate) from 1988 to 2006. The show took viewers on a trip through Chicago's "urban jungle", highlighting hundreds of offbeat and unusual people, places, and events in the metropolitan area
. Subjects included the Chicago Herpetological Society; singing taxicab
drivers; floatation tanks; an Ancient Astronaut society
; the Inkin' Lincoln Tattoo and Piercing Jamboree; an interstate pierogi
festival; a squirrel
lovers' club; the Playboy
Advisor; a cookie jar
museum; and the Polka Music Hall of Fame
.
Wild Chicago was created by Ben Hollis and John Davies. The series won numerous local Emmy Awards over the course of its run, as did several of the show's hosts. Emmy Award winners for their individual work include Hollis, the show's original host, and his replacements upon taking an extended hiatus in 1992, Laura Meagher and Will Clinger. When, after two years, Meagher left the show to work for Fox Television, then to launch and be featured on Barry Diller's independent channel, WAMI in Miami, Wild Chicago changed to a multiple correspondent/contributor format, a trend in such television magazine shows of the mid 1990s. Contributors included local actors Mindy Bell, Cassy Harlo, Tava Smiley
, Sarah Vetter, Denise La Grassa, Choky Lim, and Dick O'Day (portrayed by Richard Knight, Jr.—the show's only correspondent to appear in character). The new slate of correspondents continued to win individual Emmys as did the show itself.
As the program entered its second decade, Wild Chicago-style shows were produced making visits to out-of-town locales that included Branson
, Las Vegas
, and Tokyo
. Clinger, a local actor who played "Guy on Bench" in a 1997 episode of Early Edition and "Smitty" in an episode of the television series ER in 2005 hosted the "on-the-road" version of the show and ultimately carried the Wild Chicago host torch longer than any of the other hosts; he held the job from 1992 to 2003 and earned 14 local Emmys during his 11 years with the program. In 2001 Clinger also emceed the "12 on 11," Wild Chicago anniversary special (another Emmy winner) taped at WTTW in front of an audience that featured some of the show's wildest guests.
After being off the air for over 2 years, Wild Chicago made a brief return in spring 2006 with a seven-part special called Wild Chicago's Illinois Road Trip. This final incarnation of the show was hosted exclusively by original host Ben Hollis, and explored oddities throughout the entire state of Illinois, such as ghost tours in Alton
and a Beatles
-themed bed and breakfast
in Benton
.
With its tremendous popularity and long television run, Wild Chicago served well the careers of some of its hosts and correspondents. Tava Smiley
, who lived on the west coast during the run of the show and flew to Chicago to tape her segments, has probably garnered the most renown nationally. From 1999 to 2001 she played a recurring character on the long-running soap opera General Hospital
. In 2006 she became host of "World Premiere", a series of featurettes taped on the red carpet for the Fox Movie Channel. Smiley also hosted several programs for HGTV, another cable network, that same year.
Laura Meagher realized a lifelong dream when she moved to Paris in 2001. Happily putting her Wild Chicago experience to use, she created and currently hosts the website Parisfromher.com.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series that aired on Chicago's WTTW
WTTW
WTTW channel 11 is one of three Public Broadcasting Service member public television stations serving the Chicago, Illinois market; the others are WYCC and WYIN. WTTW began broadcasting on September 6, 1955 and it is owned and operated by Window to the World Communications, Inc., a not-for-profit...
(a local PBS affiiliate) from 1988 to 2006. The show took viewers on a trip through Chicago's "urban jungle", highlighting hundreds of offbeat and unusual people, places, and events in the metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
. Subjects included the Chicago Herpetological Society; singing taxicab
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
drivers; floatation tanks; an Ancient Astronaut society
Ancient astronaut theory
Some writers have proposed that intelligent extraterrestrial beings have visited Earth in antiquity or prehistory and made contact with humans. Such visitors are called ancient astronauts or ancient aliens. Proponents suggest that this contact influenced the development of human cultures,...
; the Inkin' Lincoln Tattoo and Piercing Jamboree; an interstate pierogi
Pierogi
Pierogi are dumplings of unleavened dough - first boiled, then they are baked or fried usually in butter with onions - traditionally stuffed with potato filling, sauerkraut, ground meat, cheese, or fruit...
festival; a squirrel
Squirrel
Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
lovers' club; the Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
Advisor; a cookie jar
Cookie jar
Cookie jars are utilitarian or decorative ceramic or glass jars often found in American and Canadian kitchens. In the United Kingdom, they are known as biscuit barrels or biscuit jars. If they are made out tin, they are called biscuit tins...
museum; and the Polka Music Hall of Fame
International Polka Association
The International Polka Association, IPA is located in Chicago, Illinois and dedicated to the study and preservation of polka music and the cultural heritage of Polish Americans who have made this music tradition part of their heritage. The IPA hosts an annual festival and convention as well as its...
.
Wild Chicago was created by Ben Hollis and John Davies. The series won numerous local Emmy Awards over the course of its run, as did several of the show's hosts. Emmy Award winners for their individual work include Hollis, the show's original host, and his replacements upon taking an extended hiatus in 1992, Laura Meagher and Will Clinger. When, after two years, Meagher left the show to work for Fox Television, then to launch and be featured on Barry Diller's independent channel, WAMI in Miami, Wild Chicago changed to a multiple correspondent/contributor format, a trend in such television magazine shows of the mid 1990s. Contributors included local actors Mindy Bell, Cassy Harlo, Tava Smiley
Tava Smiley
Tava Michelle Smiley is an American actress and television host.Smiley was born in Theodosia, Missouri. Smiley's first name is her mother's maiden name. She is a 1989 graduate of William Chrisman High School in Independence, MO...
, Sarah Vetter, Denise La Grassa, Choky Lim, and Dick O'Day (portrayed by Richard Knight, Jr.—the show's only correspondent to appear in character). The new slate of correspondents continued to win individual Emmys as did the show itself.
As the program entered its second decade, Wild Chicago-style shows were produced making visits to out-of-town locales that included Branson
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
, Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. Clinger, a local actor who played "Guy on Bench" in a 1997 episode of Early Edition and "Smitty" in an episode of the television series ER in 2005 hosted the "on-the-road" version of the show and ultimately carried the Wild Chicago host torch longer than any of the other hosts; he held the job from 1992 to 2003 and earned 14 local Emmys during his 11 years with the program. In 2001 Clinger also emceed the "12 on 11," Wild Chicago anniversary special (another Emmy winner) taped at WTTW in front of an audience that featured some of the show's wildest guests.
After being off the air for over 2 years, Wild Chicago made a brief return in spring 2006 with a seven-part special called Wild Chicago's Illinois Road Trip. This final incarnation of the show was hosted exclusively by original host Ben Hollis, and explored oddities throughout the entire state of Illinois, such as ghost tours in Alton
Alton, Illinois
Alton is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 27,865 at the 2010 census. It is a part of the Metro-East region of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area in Southern Illinois...
and a Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
-themed bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
in Benton
Benton, Illinois
Benton is a city in Franklin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,087 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Franklin County. The city is part of the Metro Lakeland area.- History :...
.
With its tremendous popularity and long television run, Wild Chicago served well the careers of some of its hosts and correspondents. Tava Smiley
Tava Smiley
Tava Michelle Smiley is an American actress and television host.Smiley was born in Theodosia, Missouri. Smiley's first name is her mother's maiden name. She is a 1989 graduate of William Chrisman High School in Independence, MO...
, who lived on the west coast during the run of the show and flew to Chicago to tape her segments, has probably garnered the most renown nationally. From 1999 to 2001 she played a recurring character on the long-running soap opera General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
. In 2006 she became host of "World Premiere", a series of featurettes taped on the red carpet for the Fox Movie Channel. Smiley also hosted several programs for HGTV, another cable network, that same year.
Laura Meagher realized a lifelong dream when she moved to Paris in 2001. Happily putting her Wild Chicago experience to use, she created and currently hosts the website Parisfromher.com.
External links
- WTTW.com–Wild Chicago
- Wild Chicago at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Will Clinger at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Laura Meagher at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Laura Meagher Bio
- Dick O'Day
- Tava Smiley
- Cassy Harlo
- Denise La Grassa
- Parisfromher.com