''Wild Chicago'' is a

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

series that aired on Chicago's

WTTW WTTW (channel 11) is a PBS member television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Owned by not-for-profit broadcaster Window to the World Communications, Inc., it is sister to commercial classical music radio station WFMT (98.7 FM). The ...

(a local

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

affiliate) from 1989 to 2003. 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 A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

. Subjects included the Chicago Herpetological Society; singing

taxicab A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a 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; flotation tanks; an Ancient Astronaut society; the Inkin' Lincoln Tattoo and Piercing Jamboree; an interstate

pierogi Pierogi are filled dumplings made by wrapping unleavened dough around a savory or sweet filling and cooking in boiling water. They are often pan-fried before serving. Pierogi or their varieties are associated with the cuisines of Central, Easter ...

festival; a

squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...

lovers' club; the ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. 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. K ...

'' Advisor; a

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museum; and the Polka Music Hall of Fame. ''Wild Chicago'' was created by

Ben Hollis Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( h ...

and John Davies. The series won numerous local

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

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. After two years, Meagher left the show to work for

Fox Television The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations and ...

. After Ben's departure in 1992, Harvey Moshman, the original editor of the series, became the series producer for the remaining 11 seasons. The show continued with Will Clinger as host and a number of "Wild Correspondents". They included local actors Mindy Bell, Cassy Harlo,

Tava Smiley Tava Michelle Smiley (born October 19, 1971) 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 Indepen ...

, Sarah Vetter, Denise La Grassa, Choky Lim,

Aaron Shure Aaron Shure is an American television writer, director, and producer. He is known for his work on several comedy series, including ''The Office'', ''Everybody Loves Raymond'', ''Lucky Louie'', ''George and Leo'', ''and The New Adventures of Old ...

, 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. In addition to the regular series, Moshman produced several Road Trip episodes to destinations including

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, The Indy 500,

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Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

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, and The Wisconsin Dells as well as the studio-based "12 on 11" Anniversary Special, an overdue celebration of the show's 10th anniversary, that Clinger emceed. The extravaganza accounts for one of more than a dozen local Emmy awards the show received. The anniversary celebration also featured appearances by Ben Hollis & John Davies and many of the show's unusual performers including Midnight Circus, The Rope Warrior, and Mark Faje-the Human Salad Shooter. Wild Chicago Anniversary Special hosted by Will Clinger

Wild Chicago Anniversary Special hosted by Will Clinger

The series ran continuously for 14 years on WTTW until 2003. After being off the air for over two 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 Ben Hollis and feature ghost tours in

Alton Alton may refer to: People *Alton (given name) *Alton (surname) Places Australia *Alton National Park, Queensland * Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne Canada * Alton, Ontario *Alton, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Alton, New Zealand, ...

and a

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

-themed

bed and breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...

in Benton, among other Illinois oddities. In 1990, a segment of the program entitled ''Dumb Questions'' features then-

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

student

Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...

and his friend

Paul Dinello Paul E. Dinello (born November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, actor, and writer, best known for his collaborations with Stephen Colbert and Amy Sedaris. He portrayed Geoffrey Jellineck on Comedy Central's ''Strangers with Candy'', and later b ...

. In 2016, Moshman and Clinger paired up to create ''Wild Travels'', now seen on PBS stations in 170 markets across 48 states.

References

External links

WTTW.com–Wild Chicago
*{{IMDb title, 0420469 Television series by WTTW 1989 American television series debuts 2003 American television series endings 1980s American documentary television series 1990s American documentary television series 2000s American documentary television series English-language television shows