Uncle Fun- Film Premiere on June 10

One of my favorite museums in the world is the Museum of Visionary Art in Baltimore, which is a museum dedicated to crazy art and art that is fantastic.  I don't get there very often, but it's one of my favorite places.  Their giftshop is also pretty amazing, full of crazy stuff, wondrous artifacts, and treasures you can't find anywhere else.  What's interesting is that I didn't know that the gift shop had a Chicago connection.

A photo of Ted Frankel, aka Uncle Fun

The gift shop (whose name is Sideshow) is the brainchild of Ted Frankel, who longtime Chicago residents will know as Uncle Fun.  It closed down in 2014 (read article in Tribune about it) Ted had a crazy novelty and toy store in Chicago for a very long time.  And, coming up on June 10, a documentary about Uncle Fun will be presented at the new Edgewater building of the Chicago Filmmakers Center.

Uncle Fun: You're The One is a loving and nostalgia-filled documentary about the late iconic Chicago novelty and toy store Uncle Fun and the man behind it, Ted Frankel. Made by first-time filmmaker Laura Scruggs, the film explores how the store began (as well as the store before it, Goodies); what the Uncle Fun store and Frankel have meant over the years to many devoted customers; Ted's unexpected tragedy; the closing of the store; other fun stores around the country that Uncle Fun inspired; and Frankel's current life as founder and operator of Sideshow, the gift shop at The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. Uncle Fun is a story about being happy, being yourself, following your heart, and having hope. (2018, 60 min, Digital Projection)

It sounds great, and I am looking forward to seeing it.

Tickets are $8

6/10 - Uncle Fun: You're the One Chicago Premiere
Date: Sunday, June 10, 2018
Time: 7:00 PM

Chicago Filmmakers Firehouse
5720 N Ridge Ave, Chicago
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