Mavis Staples

Today he's known as the "Godfather of Gore" and has a cult following among horror fans. But in the 1960's and 70's, Herschell Gordon Lewis was a Chicago guy with a Ph.D from Northwestern University. When he tried to get rich making low budget movies overflowing with blood and gore, he didn't know he was creating a genre.

When Babe Ruth raised his arm before hitting a home run during Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, he probably didn’t realize that he’d spark a controversy that would be debated for decades. Did he call the shot?

How does Al Capone figure into the Jay's Potato Chip story? If you're from the Chicago area, you probably grew up eating Jay's Potato Chips. But the story may surprise you.

Is there another hot dog that has generated more cultural icons? There's the Wienermobile, Little Oscar, Wiener Whistles, and the songs! "Oh I wish I were an Oscar Meyer Wiener…" Jay takes a ride on the Wienermobile and meets Little Oscar's little sister.

Vivian Maier took over 100,000 photographs in her lifetime, but never showed them to anyone. Now, after her death, some rank her among the best street photographers of the 20^th century. This episode tells the story of the Chicago man who stumbled on her negatives at a storage locker sale, and what we are now learning about the life of this remarkable photographer.

Ladies and gentlemen, we give you the delightful Bindy Bitterman and her amazing and eclectic little shop.

Tucked away in an Evanston alley, Roger Carlson’s bookstore was a beloved institution for over 30 years. The shop was filled with rare and used books and decorated with unique antiques. 

A Barrington Hills collector became so enthusiastic about his hobby that he made his mansion bigger to accommodate it. Now the 44,000 square foot estate holds a world-class collection of antique technological wonders.

Rick Rann is a suburban police officer who may have the world’s largest collection of 1933 Chicago World’s Fair memorabilia.

Mike Powell was a champion wrestler at Oak Park and River Forest High School. He came back to the school as head wrestling coach, but since he was diagnosed with polymyositis, he faces the toughest match of his life. 

For many people with physical or developmental disabilities, riding horses can be beneficial for a number of reasons. Jay visited a stable in Lockport to find out more about therapeutic riding.

Dr. Lisa Lau is a fourth-generation herbal medicine doctor in Chicago's Chinatown.  The herbal teas she prescribes for her devoted patients are very different from the "herb tea" you might get at Whole Foods. 

The death of a newborn can devastate a family. One couple says they were helped in their healing by the work of local photographer Todd Hochberg.

Artist Henry Darger’s large body of work was discovered only after his death in the 1970’s. People are still trying to understand it, and one place to start is his apartment – it’s on permanent display at the Intuit Gallery in Chicago.  

For three decades, Peggy Macnamara has served as the Field Museum’s artist-in residence, spending her time entrenched among the museum’s vast collection of bones, stuffed specimens, and figurines.