Chuck Olin Collection

Collection Items

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Bunker Ramo Composite
Film
Bunker Ramo Composite
1970s
Pete Bensinger "Cook County Sheriff Campaign Ad"
Film
Pete Bensinger "Cook County Sheriff Campaign Ad"
1974
A.B. Dick Company “Machines”
Film
A.B. Dick Company “Machines”
circa 1965
A.B. Dick Company “Machines”
Film
A.B. Dick Company “Machines”
circa 1965
A.B. Dick Company “Salesman”
Film
A.B. Dick Company “Salesman”
circa 1966
A.B. Dick Company “Salesman”
Film
A.B. Dick Company “Salesman”
circa 1966
AC Spark Plugs
Film
AC Spark Plugs
1968
Alert Soap “ The Perfect Bar of Soap”
Film
Alert Soap “ The Perfect Bar of Soap”
1969
Allstate Insurance Company “Santell”
Film
Allstate Insurance Company “Santell”
1967
American National Bank “Dennis O’Neal”
Film
American National Bank “Dennis O’Neal”
1970s
American National Bank “Gastineau”
Film
American National Bank “Gastineau”
circa 1976
American National Bank “Jack Katz”
Film
American National Bank “Jack Katz”
circa 1976
American National Bank “Jim Carlson”
Film
American National Bank “Jim Carlson”
circa 1976
American National Bank “Nightmares”
Film
American National Bank “Nightmares”
1968
American National Bank “Tycoon”
Film
American National Bank “Tycoon”
1968
Chicago American “Trucks”
Film
Chicago American “Trucks”
1967
Blue Cross Blue Shield “Breakfast”
Film
Blue Cross Blue Shield “Breakfast”
1967
Blue Cross Blue Shield “Breathing Bag”
Film
Blue Cross Blue Shield “Breathing Bag”
1967
Donald P. Moore “Justice”
Film
Donald P. Moore “Justice”
1971
Exchange National Bank “Bandit”
Film
Exchange National Bank “Bandit”
1968
Blue Cross Blue Shield “We Need Each Other”
Film
Blue Cross Blue Shield “We Need Each Other”
1972
Flavor-Kist Cookies “Crunch”
Film
Flavor-Kist Cookies “Crunch”
1967
Vets’ Dog Food “Dachshund”
Film
Vets’ Dog Food “Dachshund”
1967
Thank You Pudding “Laboratory”
Film
Thank You Pudding “Laboratory”
1968
Aunt Jemima “Farm Family”
Film
Aunt Jemima “Farm Family”
1967
Chicago Tribune “Folksinger”
Film
Chicago Tribune “Folksinger”
1968
Quaker Oats Shredded Wheat “Wager”
Film
Quaker Oats Shredded Wheat “Wager”
1968
Thank You Pudding “Chocolate Pudding”
Film
Thank You Pudding “Chocolate Pudding”
1967
Thank You Pudding “Interrogator”
Film
Thank You Pudding “Interrogator”
1967
Minnie Pearl’s Chicken "Fried Chicken"
Film
Minnie Pearl’s Chicken "Fried Chicken"
1968
Sunday Dinner HD
Film
Kentucky Fried Chicken “Sunday Dinner”
1968
Sears, Roebuck and Company “Racing Track”
Film
Sears, Roebuck and Company “Racing Track”
1968
Kentucky Fried Chicken "Finger Lickin' Good"
Film
Kentucky Fried Chicken "Finger Lickin' Good"
1968
Blue Cross Blue Shield “Turn Blue”
Film
Blue Cross Blue Shield “Turn Blue”
1968
American Medical Association “Venereal Disease”
Film
American Medical Association “Venereal Disease”
1970
AMF "Homko Mowers"
Film
AMF "Homko Mowers"
1968
Illinois Bell Telephone “Amigo”
Film
Illinois Bell Telephone “Amigo”
1967
Sears, Roebuck and Company "Perma Prest Courduroy Slacks"
Film
Sears, Roebuck and Company "Perma Prest Courduroy Slacks"
1968
Purify Breath Mints “Wrestling”
Film
Purify Breath Mints “Wrestling”
1966
Commonwealth Edison “O’Hare”
Film
Commonwealth Edison “O’Hare”
Aunt Jemima “Pouring Container”
Film
Aunt Jemima “Pouring Container”
1967
Sara Lee “Beef Stroganoff and Shrimp Creole”
Film
Sara Lee “Beef Stroganoff and Shrimp Creole”
1966
Sara Lee “Beef Casserole and Chicken Casserole”
Film
Sara Lee “Beef Casserole and Chicken Casserole”
1966
Sara Lee “Chicken Noodles and Sara Lee Chicken”
Film
Sara Lee “Chicken Noodles and Sara Lee Chicken”
1966
Sara Lee “Cheese Dumplings and Macoroni Floretine”
Film
Sara Lee “Cheese Dumplings and Macoroni Floretine”
1966
Coco Wheats “Kid’s Toys”
Film
Coco Wheats “Kid’s Toys”
1968
Bernard Carey “Endorsement”
Film
Bernard Carey “Endorsement”
1972
Vets’ Dog Food "Tug of War"
Film
Vets’ Dog Food "Tug of War"
1967
Satin Plus Paints “Trilogy”
Film
Satin Plus Paints “Trilogy”
1968
Vets’ Dog Food “Jump Out”
Film
Vets’ Dog Food “Jump Out”
1968
Vets' Dog Food "Racecar"
Film
Vets' Dog Food "Racecar"
1967
Montgomery Ward “Eskimo Snow Tires”
Film
Montgomery Ward “Eskimo Snow Tires”
1972
Sears, Roebuck and Company “Recording Studio”
Film
Sears, Roebuck and Company “Recording Studio”
1968
Montgomery Ward “Fencing”
Film
Montgomery Ward “Fencing”
1970
William G. Clark "William G. Clark for U.S. Senator"
Film
William G. Clark "William G. Clark for U.S. Senator"
1968
Karoll's Department Stores “Santa Claus”
Film
Karoll's Department Stores “Santa Claus”
1969
Project Straight Dope “Pollution”
Film
Project Straight Dope “Pollution”
1971
Thank You Pudding “Palumbo”
Film
Thank You Pudding “Palumbo”
1968
Project Straight Dope “Peter”
Film
Project Straight Dope “Peter”
1970
Sears, Roebuck and Company “Fire Truck”
Film
Sears, Roebuck and Company “Fire Truck”
1968
Kenner Products “Dune Buggy Jr”
Film
Kenner Products “Dune Buggy Jr”
1968
Kelvinator Corporation “Measure of Quality”
Film
Kelvinator Corporation “Measure of Quality”
1972
People’s Gas Company “Recipes”
Film
People’s Gas Company “Recipes”
1972
United Airlines “Party”
Film
United Airlines “Party”
1971
People's Gas Company “Youth Motivation”
Film
People's Gas Company “Youth Motivation”
1972
WBKB “Yawn”
Film
WBKB “Yawn”
Sears, Roebuck and Company “Crawling Baby Doll"
Film
Sears, Roebuck and Company “Crawling Baby Doll"
1968
Impressionism to Cubism in 9 Minutes
Film
Impressionism to Cubism in 9 Minutes
1973
GATX Corporation "GATX"
Film
GATX Corporation "GATX"
1969
Dunbar Sales Film
Film
Dunbar Sales Film
circa 1970
WLS
Film
WLS
circa 1969
Park Band
Film
Park Band
circa 1965
Commonwealth Edison "The Hidden Resource: A Report on Recycling"
Film
Commonwealth Edison "The Hidden Resource: A Report on Recycling"
1972
Eli Lilly and Company "Identi-dose"
Film
Eli Lilly and Company "Identi-dose"
1965
Matter of Opportunity, A
Film
Matter of Opportunity, A
1968
Matter of Opportunity, A
Film
Matter of Opportunity, A
1968
8 Flags for 99 Cents
Film
8 Flags for 99 Cents
1970
Murder of Fred Hampton, The [Trailer]
Film
Murder of Fred Hampton, The [Trailer]
1969
American Revolution 2 [Trailer]
Film
American Revolution 2 [Trailer]
1969
Across the Great Divide (excerpt)
Film
Across the Great Divide (excerpt)
1972
Box of Treasures
Film
Box of Treasures
1983
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To request more information about the items in this collection, please contact the archive at info@chicagofilmarchives.org.
Items with Viewable Media
Collection Identifier
C.2005-05
Extent of Collection
74 reels of 16mm film totaling 41,146 feet, 9 DVCAM videotapes, 7 Betacam SP videotapes, 6 VHS videotapes, and 1 folder of photographs
Language Of Materials
English
Custodial History
The objects in this collection were created by Chuck Olin and others at two production companies: the Film Group/Mike Gray Associates and Chuck Olin Associates. The films were stored by Olin at his home and office. They were donated to Chicago Film Archives after Olin's death in 2005.
Related Materials
The Film Group Collection at Chicago Film Archives includes preservation and access elements of the Urban Crisis films and a small paper collection of documents related to the Film Group. The University of Illinois at Champaign Urbana has digitized copies of the interviews Olin conducted for the making of IN OUR OWN HANDS and IS JERUSALEM BURNING. See http://www.library.illinois.edu/hpnl/Olin/ for more information.
Related Collections
Access Restrictions
This collection is open to on-site access. Appointments must be made with Chicago Film Archives. Due to the fragile nature of the films, only video copies will be provided for on-site viewing. The videotapes in Series II: Subseries II are not currently accessible. The photos in Series II: Subseries III are not processed but are accessible on-site.
Use Restrictions
Most of the films in this collection were made as works for hire. As such copyright was not transferred to Chicago Film Archives and remains with original copyright holder. Determination of copyright for these materials for reproduction is the responsibility of the user. Rights for Olin's two films on Chagall - THE GIFT and PALETTE OF GLASS - as well as his film IN OUR OWN HANDS remain with his estate, which is managed by his widow Nancy Olin.
Creators
Olin, Chuck (was created by)
Charles “Chuck” Olin (January 11, 1937-January 20, 2005) grew up in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood. After graduating from Harvard University in 1959, he returned to Chicago to work at the family business, Goldenrod Ice Cream.

In 1965 Olin began working in film production as an associate director on a film by Philip Kaufman. From 1966 to 1973 he worked in a variety of capacities for the Film Group, a Chicago film production company that made television commercials and a series of documentaries on the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the local chapter of the Black Panther Party. At first Olin worked as the salesman, but he later moved to directing sponsored films including Eight Flags for 99 Cents and A Matter of Opportunity, both 1970. For more information on the Film Group see the finding aid for the Film Group Collection.

In 1974, after the dissolution of the Film Group, Olin created his own film production company, Chuck Olin Associates. Over its 30 year existence the company made sponsored and educational films for clients including Encyclopaedia Brittanica, Coronet Films, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum, the University of Chicago Hospitals, the National Safety Council, the Chicago Police Department, the Illinois Housing Authority, the U’Mista Cultural Center, and the Hoover Presidential Library. Highlights from these sponsored films include 1983’s Box of Treasures, The Gift (1974): Four Seasons of Marc Chagall (1974), Parkside: A Neighborhood Fights Back (1982), and the two part Roadmap for Change: The Demming Approach (1984 and 1986).

Olin continued to make independent documentaries on a wide variety of subjects. In 1991 he released Out of the Silence: Fighting for Human Rights that contrasted the successful revolutions in Eastern Europe with the plight of Guatemalans living under a repressive regime. In 1998 and 2001 he made two films on the Jewish Infantry Brigade in World War II: In Our Own Hands: The Hidden Story of the Jewish Brigade in World War II and Is Jerusalem Burning? Myth, Memory and the Battle of Latrun.

In 2000 Olin and his wife Nancy moved to Stinson Bay, California. Olin worked on a documentary on activists fighting to protect a river estuary from pollution. He died from complications from amyloidosis, a bone marrow disease, before he could finish the film. Nancy and co-producer Bill Chayes finished the project. The film, Call it Home, had its premiere in 2008.
Gray, Mike (was created by)
Michael “Mike” Gray (1935-2013) was born and grew up in Darlington, Indiana. After graduating from Purdue University in 1958 he worked at Aviation Age magazine and advertising agencies in Chicago.

In 1964 he and photographer Lars Hedman created Hedman Gray Inc. as a television commercial production company. Clients at the time included AB Dick Copier, Eli Lilly, and Montclair cigarettes. In 1966 the company added documentary filmmaker Mike Shea and changed its name to Hedman Gray and Shea. The name change corresponded with a move to a larger production facility. Hedman left by the end of 1966 and the company changed its name to the Film Group. Gray worked as the director until Shea’s departure in 1967 at which point Gray took over camera duties. In these capacities Gray worked on commercials until 1972 for clients such as Hills Bros. Coffee, Mogen David, Sara Lee, All State, Aunt Jemima, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Illinois Bell, Quaker Oats, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Sears.

In September of 1966 Gray and Shea filmed a civil rights march in Cicero, Illinois led by an associate of Dr. King, Robert Lucas. The film was eventually released in 1969 as Cicero March. In August of 1968 Gray and the other members of the Film Group recorded the tumultuous events at the Democratic Convention. They enlist editor Howard Alk to help them whittle down their raw footage of the Convention into a documentary feature. Alk, however, suggested that they build off of their Convention footage and investigate the larger political atmosphere in Chicago. With this in mind, they began filming the activities of the Chicago chapter of the Black Panthers that resulted in two films: American Revolution II (1969) that included their Convention footage and The Murder of Fred Hampton (1971). The latter film was included in the civil rights case against the police officers accused of killing Hampton and fellow Panther Mark Clark. Based on this, along with the provocative title of the film and statements to the press by Gray accusing the Chicago Police and City of a cover-up, Gray and the other members of the Film Group (which since 1969 was called Mike Gray Associates) felt intense pressure by the city government – including attempts to seize the Hampton footage. As a result Gray and his wife Carol moved to California. By 1973 he had essentially shut down Mike Gray Associates.

In California Gray began working in feature films and network television. He wrote the original screenplay for The China Syndrome (1979), which was nominated for an Academy Award. He also wrote and directed Wavelength (1983), and worked as a screenwriter on Code of Silence (1985), episodes of the TV series Starman (1986-1987) and Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994). He also worked as a producer for one year each on the latter two shows. He worked as a second unit director on The Fugitive (1993). American Revolution II and The Murder of Fred Hampton were both released on DVD by Facets in 2007. Cicero March was added to the National Film Registry in 2013.

Outside of filmmaking Gray has worked as a journalist and non-fiction author. His books include The Warning: Accident at Three Mile Island (1982) with Ira Rosen, Angle of Attack: Harrison Storms and the Race to the Moon (1992), Drug Crazy: How We Got Into This Mess and How We Can Get Out (1998), Busted: Stone Cowboys, Narco-Lords, and Washington’s War on Drugs (2002), and The Death Game: Capital Punishment and the Luck of the Draw (2003).
 
Film Group (was created by)
Over its approximately ten-year existence from 1964-1973 the company went through a variety of name, location, and personnel changes. Mike Gray and Lars Hedman created Hedman Gray Inc. in 1964 and were located at Hedman’s photography studio on 3325 West Huron. In early 1966 they added photographer Mike Shea. They changed the name of the company to Hedman Gray Shea Inc. and opened an 11,000 square foot state of the art production facility at 430 West Grant Place and soon after changed their name to the Film Group. At that point Hedman was the president, Shea was the director of photography, and Gray was the writer/producer. Right after the move to Grant Place they hired James Dennett as a production manager, William Cottle as the business manager and financial backer, and Chuck Olin as salesman. Hedman left the company by the end of 1966 and Shea left in 1967. Gray then took over as cameraman. Cottle left in 1969 and the company changed its name to Mike Gray Associates and moved to 120 West Kinzie. The company was dissolved in 1973 with Gray’s move to California.

From 1965 to 1972 they made TV commercials for national and local clients including Eli Lily, Montclair cigarettes, Hills Bros Coffees, Mogen David, Sara Lee, WBIB TV, Sara Lee, Aunt Jemima, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Illinois Bell, Quaker Oats, Chicago Tribune, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Sears. They also made longer sponsored films for clients that are closer to their documentary work including A Matter of Opportunity (1970) and 8 Flags for 99 Cents (1970).

Their documentary films include the two features American Revolution II (1969) and 1971’s The Murder of Fred Hampton. The two films are closely related and document the unrest 1968 Convention, follow the Chicago chapter of the Black Panthers, and refute the city of Chicago’s media cover up on Hampton’s death. In 1969 they released a seven part educational film series Urban Crisis and the New Militants in an attempt to update the educational film genre.