Editing Blue Island, Illinois (section)

==In popular culture==
=== Writers and literature ===
[[File:Massey House Blue Island August Fiedler.png|thumb|A [[Shingle Style]] house in Blue Island's "Silk Stocking" district by the architect August Fiedler, circa 1890.<ref>From the architect's drawings</ref>]]

Over the years, Blue Island has provided the setting for the works of at least a couple of writers. In 1935, for example, the Chicago playwright and [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning author [[Margaret Ayer Barnes]] (1886-–1967) wrote the novel ''Edna, His Wife, an American Idyll'', using Blue Island as the first locale of the four that make up her story (the other three being Chicago, [[Washington, D.C.]], and [[New York City]]). The book chronicles the life of the title character who spent her formative years in Blue Island but leaves after she marries, becoming increasingly unhappy as she leads a more sophisticated life elsewhere while "...remain[ing] a Blue Island girl at heart." The book was later adapted into a one-woman play by [[Cornelia Otis Skinner]], and her opening night performance of it at the [[Harris and Selwyn Theaters|Harris Theater]] was enthusiastically received by Chicago society, which was pleased to "...have a chance to see a Chicago play in a Chicago theater..."<ref>{{cite news |last=Collins| first=Charles| title=Miss Skinner Tells a Novel in Monologs – Edna His Wife| newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune|date=January 18, 1938 | pages=13}}</ref>

Twelve years later, ''Gus the Great'', the [[Book of the Month Club]] selection for September 1947, was published. The book was a runaway best seller, and its author, [[Thomas William Duncan|Thomas W. Duncan]], is reputed to have earned $250,000 ({{inflation|US|250000|1947|r=-3|fmt=eq}}) in royalties from it, including $100,000 ({{inflation|US|100000|1947|r=-3|fmt=eq}}) from Universal Studios for the movie rights. It is the story of the life and adventures of Gus Burgoyne, a circus owner of questionable character.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,798192,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615031049/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,798192,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 15, 2009|title=Books: Fool's Paradise Lost|date=22 September 1947|magazine=Time}}</ref> Duncan was a college friend of Hill Lakin, the editor of the Blue Island ''Sun-Standard'', and, after a visit to the town's industrial section, he was inspired to use it for several scenes for his book.

=== Music ===
[[File:Blue Island Blues.JPG|thumb|right|Sheet music cover for "Blue Island Blues", 1923, featuring Jack Chapman and his [[Drake Hotel (Chicago)|Drake Hotel]] Orchestra]]

Because of the wide popularity of performers such as [[W. C. Handy]], the [[blues]] became a popular musical genre during the [[Roaring Twenties]]. It is not surprising, then, that when [[Wendell Hall]], Harry Geise and Emory O'Hara were looking for a title for their 1923 composition, they hit upon the name "Blue Island Blues"<ref>[https://www.loc.gov/jukebox/recordings/detail/id/9540/ Library of Congress – National Jukebox – "Blue Island Blues"]. Retrieved 9/27/2011</ref> The sheet music for it was published that year by Waterson, Berlin & Snyder Co. Described by ''[[The New York Times]]'' art critic John S. Wilson as a "striking and colorful original composition",<ref>{{cite news| url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D07EFDF1731F932A1575BC0A967948260&scp=2&sq=%22blue+island+blues%22&st=nyt | newspaper=The New York Times | first=John S. | last=Wilson | title=Jazz: George Shearing | date=August 21, 1981}}</ref> it is a plaintive love song about a man who is missing his girl and "...has a ticket to Chicago..." that will be used to help him "...&nbsp;lose – those Yesterday's – Blue Island Blues". It was performed in 1923 by Hall with The Virginians on the [[Victor Talking Machine Company]] (now [[RCA Records]]) record label and again in 1929 by [[Tiny Parham]]. An instrumental version is currently available on the CD by [[George Shearing]] and [[Brian Torff]] entitled ''Lullaby of Birdland: Blues Alley Jazz/On a Clear Day'' which was released by [[Concord Records]] in 2000.

=== Television and film ===
[[File:United Breweries 1911.jpg|thumb|right|Layout of the United Breweries facilities]]
This layout is from a 1911 Sanborn map<ref>{{cite book |title= Sanborn Map Company – Insurance Maps of Chicago, Illinois, Volume Eleven |year= 1911|publisher= The Sanborn Map Company|location= New York|page= sheet 27 }}</ref> Founded in 1856 as the Busch and Brandt brewery<ref name="The First Hundred Years – 1835–1935"/>{{rp|48}} and consolidated with United Breweries in 1898,<ref>{{cite news | title=United Breweries' Bond In – Isador Baumgarth Gives Formal Notice of the Consolidation of Thirteen Concerns| newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune|date=August 23, 1898| pages=3}}</ref> this was one of four such establishments that operated in Blue Island for many years. The long narrow building marked "Stable in Bst" was afterwards owned by the Klein Elevator Co., who used it until c.1990, at which time it was demolished.

Because of its picturesque nature, Blue Island has been used for [[Filming location|location shots]] in several movies and television series:
* Scenes from the 1987 film ''[[Light of Day]]'', starring [[Michael J. Fox]], were filmed there, including the scenes at the arcade "The Video Zone," which. for many years after filming was completed, served as a Big Boy submarine sandwich shop until it was demolished in June 2009.
* Scenes from the 2006 [[Paramount Pictures]] film ''[[Flags of Our Fathers (film)|Flags of Our Fathers]]'', directed by [[Clint Eastwood]], were filmed in Blue Island.
* Scenes from the 2008 [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]] film ''[[The Express: The Ernie Davis Story]]'', the story of [[Ernie Davis]], who was the first black football player to win the [[Heisman Trophy]], were also filmed here.
* Scenes from the 2008 film [[The Lucky Ones (film)|''The Lucky Ones'']] were filmed in Blue Island.
* On October 21, 2010, leaves were plucked from trees and artificial snow fell as [[New Line Cinema]] prepared to film exterior shots for the film ''[[The Rite (2011 film)|The Rite]]''.<ref>{{cite web | title = Movie Filming in Blue Island! | publisher = The City of Blue Island | date = October 20, 2010 | url = http://www.blueisland.org/category/news/page/2/ | access-date =2011-02-06}}</ref>

Blue Island also appeared regularly in the television show ''[[Cupid (TV series)|Cupid]]'', and two episodes of the TV series ''[[Early Edition]]'' were filmed there.