Backstory with Larry Potash

WGN Films presents a true crime special: Who Killed Jennifer? The murder of a college student in 1993 leads to a rush to a wrongful conviction. What did detectives miss? We examine the case that investigators are still trying to solve. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Catchy jingles. Pithy slogans. They help tell stories and sell products. But advertising wasn’t always colorful or memorable. The modern form of advertising came into existence in large part due to one man’s vision, Albert Lasker. In this piece for Backstory, Larry Potash unearths what we know about the man, and how he changed the course of business history.  Backstory with Larry Potash...

During World War II, the U.S. captured hundreds of thousands of German Soldiers. What to do with them all? House them in the United States, of course. In this piece for Backstory, Larry Potash looks at one such Prisoner-of-War camp nestled in Chicago’s tony North Shore, and the tavern that will forever be tied to it . Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart...

Toys are designed to be fun, but are rooted in reality. They mirror what is going on around us in the grown-up world. In this piece for Backstory, Larry Potash goes deep on some of the most popular toys ever made and what the future is for children’s toys in an increasingly digital world.  Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ ap...

One of the most famous and beloved films in history was never made. We’re talking about Walt Disney’s Bambi. During pre-production, there was a particular challenge that Disney and his team couldn’t quite figure out, until an artist named Tyrus Wong proposed an idea. Larry Potash profiles this immigrant artist who changed the course of cinematic history. Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunda...

There are currently at least 10,000 cults in the United States. Cults have been part of life here going back four centuries. Why is America such a breeding ground for these groups? Larry Potash goes deep in this Backstory piece.  Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app. For more, download the Backstory podcast wherever you get...

  It’s a question that anyone who loves movies wants to know. Who was the inspiration for James Bond? In this episode of Backstory, Larry Potash looks at one possibility from Ian Fleming’s life, his wartime wingman, former NFL player, White House insider, and America’s first WWII spy, Ernest Cuneo.  Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on t...

Even intelligent people fall victim to faulty thinking, especially when it comes to science. Some try to use it to validate their spiritual beliefs. In this piece for Backstory, Larry Potash delves into the history of pseudoscience, and what it can tell us about our present era. Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app. For more...

  In a world where everything is explained, magic still offers two increasingly rare commodities--wonder and mystery. Larry Potash does a deep dive on the history of magic in this piece for Backstory, including a profile of two Chicago magicians plying the trade today. Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app. For more, download...

Larry Potash looks at the backstory of what is for some, more than just a board game, but a way of life. See how the 1980s pop culture phenomenon Dungeons and Dragons is thriving a quarter of the way into the 21st century. Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app. For more, download the Backstory podcast wherever you get your po...

Science fiction is everywhere in our 21st century culture, from superheroes to spaceships. But there was a time it was an odd subculture. But those in what was an eccentric circle of literary pioneers were visionaries, who gave people a glimpse into the future, and perhaps timeless lessons on how to build a better life. Larry Potash gives us a short history of science fiction in thi...

Ray Bradbury is perhaps the bridge between the early visionaries of science fiction and our currently catalogue of Marvel and Star Wars. And it all started just north of Chicago, in Waukegan, Illinois. Larry Potash unearths the true genius of Ray Bradbury in this piece for Backstory. Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app. For more...

In 1974, Dan Walker is shot and killed on a desert highway in the Mojave Desert. After nearly four decades, a break in the case leads Dan’s brother Doug to meet a key witness. Has he solved the case? Larry Potash brings us this cold case story for Backstory. Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app. For more, download the Backstory podcas...

He’s been called the “Mexican Lindbergh.” In this piece for Backstory, Larry Potash profiles Emilio Carranza, the famous Mexican aviator who was renowned for his long-distance flights and 1928 goodwill mission to the United States, and his tragic final flight. Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app. For more, download the Backstory podc...

In this piece for Backstory, Larry Potash asks the question, how does journalism survive?   Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app. For more, download the Backstory podcast wherever you get your podcasts, go to WGNtv.com/backstory, or follow Larry Potash on your favorite social media. Click  here  to see how to download t...

Crossing the Atlantic in the 15th century was no easy feat. But the Vikings did it 500 years earlier. Larry Potash unearths this story about a replica ship that took the world by storm at Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair and is still captivating the imagination to this very day. Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app. For more, download...

Once upon a time in suburban Chicago, there was a fairly ordinary suburb, with an ordinary high school, with an ordinary janitor. But it turns out the janitor’s backstory was quite extraordinary. He maintained a secret, one that would bring about worldwide manhunt to American cities in pursuit of justice. Larry Potash has the story of Oak Park and a man named Reinhold Kulle in this segment for Bac...

The Chicago Film Archive is on a mission to preserve. Archiving film footage shot in Chicago and all over the Midwest, preserving not just celluloid memories, but saving history. From protests to politics to home movies, Larry Potash profiles this unique organization in this segment for Backstory. Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app....

Most everyone collects something. Coins. Baseball cards. Stamps. For some people, it’s not just a hobby, it’s a passion. But why? In this segment for Backstory, Larry Potash talked to a collector, who is also a neurologist to explore the psychology of collecting. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Few Americans have captured our attention as much as Abraham Lincoln. More books have been written about him than any other American, and many of them are at a small bookshop in the River North neighborhood of Chicago. In this segment for Backstory, Larry Potash meets a Lincoln expert whom some might call ‘obsessed’ with our 16th President, and explores the numerous Lincoln artifacts in his p...

So often history class is a bunch of names and dates we’re perhaps remember long enough for test day and then forgotten. But history is rich with stories and too often we get those stories wrong. One professor came up with a new strategy—he teaches history through a video game. Larry Potash reports for Backstory. Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart...

  Where and how did the game of golf get its start? And how pivotal was Chicago in the game’s rise in popularity? Larry Potash has the Backstory. Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app. For more, download the Backstory podcast wherever you get your podcasts, go to WGNtv.com/backstory, or follow Larry Potash on your favorite social...

In this segment for Backstory, Larry Potash digs into his own family tree and ancestral DNA. What did he learn? Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app. For more, download the Backstory podcast wherever you get your podcasts, go to WGNtv.com/backstory, or follow Larry Potash on your favorite social media. See Privacy Policy at https://ar...

Secrets and wartime are common pairings. But what happens when the secret could end a career and alter lives? In this segment for Backstory, Larry Potash profiles a U.S. Army psychologist caught between two worlds. Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on smart TVs on the free WGN+ app. For more, download the Backstory podcast wherever you get your podcasts,...

The Michael Jordan Statue. Some argue this sculpture of the G.O.A.T., unveiled in 1994, ushered in a golden era of monuments to our heroes on the field. Larry Potash has the backstory on it, as well as other Chicago sports legends immortalized in bronze, and asks the question, what if statues aren’t history, but archaeology? Backstory with Larry Potash airs Sunday nights at 11 on WGN-TV and on sma...