1959 Chicago, Illinois

Danny Tzakis

Born 1939

Chicago, Illinois

Interviewed on February 6, 2026

by Abby Asmuth

What is the first movie that you remember seeing?

Yes, it was North by Northwest by Alfred Hitchcock.

How old were you approximately when you saw it? 

I was about 18 years old, and this was in 1959, at a premiere in Chicago.

Do you remember the theater it played at?

Yes, it was the United Artist Theater in the Chicago Loop, 45 North Randall Street, Chicago, Illinois.

Were there ushers?

Yes, there were. And they had the red uniforms and their red caps, like those captain hats.

What do you remember about the movie?

Honey, it was a great movie. First of all, the suspense of the movie! The way they mistake him [Cary Grant] for the guy — I think his name was Kaplan. They kidnapped him. They abducted him. And they took him to this state, and they really kind of messed them up. 

And then [laughs] part of the funny thing is, he called his mother! Evidently, you know, this is Cary Grant, he was quite the party boy. His mother, you know, he called his mother, and she said, you know, something like, “oh, I don’t believe you’re doing this again.” Okay? And then he was trying to prove to his mother that he was really abducted. And of course, the people who abducted him, they changed the house, and they covered everything up. And he took the police over there too, along with his mother. He says, “This is the room where they had me. You know, this is where they had all the booze.” They opened the drawers, and there was nothing. But I think there were books in there. 

And then the female actress, Eva Marie — she was so good. And she tried to help him out and everything. She was trying to tell him that, you know, he should not have anything to do with her, because she was involved with this other guy. 

There was a chase in there, out on a cornfield, they were spraying him, and there was a scene at Mount Rushmore. It was really a great movie. I remember, I was really impressed by it.

Were there any favorite characters, actors, or moments in the story that really stuck out to you?

Yes, Carrie Grant was fantastic. And the girl Eva Marie, she was, she was great, the way she played the part… The movie was partially filmed at the Ambassador East, which has a very, very special place in my heart — the famous pump room in Chicago. This is a famous bar and restaurant that I used to take your grandmother to all the time. We used to go there and party and drink and have breakfast. 

So I was not familiar with the Ambassador East when I first saw the movie, because I was 18 years old and I didn’t have any money or anything like that. But after I re-saw the movie, it brought all these memories back, the times that your grandmother and I and the rest of my friends went in there, and I took your Aunt Sophie and George in there.

When you first saw North by Northwest, was there anyone there with you?

Yes, I had a good, good friend. His name was Tom Worth, from my high school. We took Lake Street L, that’s what they call it. It’s still running, by the way, it’s Lake Street. L, we took it, and we got off on Randall Street, and we went to watch the movie.

Was there a concession stand? Did you have any favorite candy or conession?

Yes, honey, there was a big concession stand, and I have some popcorn and coke. I did not have any candy. I was not much of a candy guy.

Leaving the theater, what were your thoughts on the film? Did you enjoy it enough to want to go back to the theater?

Yes. I was so impressed by the movie.  I did not know much, honey. You know, I was kind of naive, if you will, but it really raised my curiosity. I was kind of tense sitting there watching the movie. I didn’t want anybody to get hurt. When they were spraying him in a cornfield, they were trying to kill him. So that was tense, yeah. And then there was this big scene on Mount Rushmore — they were up there, they were being chased and everything else. And there was a typical Alfred Hitchcock thing where somebody slipped, and it was, it was just very intense, and it really kept me at the edge of my seat.

The magic of the movies! As you continued to see more films, what were your favorite movies?

 I don’t remember when we first started having a TV… okay, but believe it or not, The Three Stooges were my favorite movies. Okay, you know, I still remember Moe saying [impersonates Moe, laughs] and he’s taking the two fingers into Larry’s eyes and all that. 

Another movie that I remember was Exodus. And, you know, going to the drive-in at the time was a big thing, you know, when, when I was growing up. I remember I had a date with this beautiful girl, and I was watching Exodus, and then when I saw the people, you know, with the leprosy and all this stuff, I started crying, and I was so embarrassed. I mean, I still remember how embarrassed I was. But it really touched me, you know, seeing the people and all that stuff. So Exodus is another movie that left a big impression on me.

And then, you know, I like John Wayne movies. I had the pleasure and the honor of meeting John Wayne at Aspen, Colorado. As a matter of fact, I have his picture in my office! I got an autographed picture of John Wayne. I met him at Aspen, Colorado, and he was holding a little grandchild, you know, in his arms, and he was a big man…  I don’t know if it was a boy or girl, but it seemed like… it seemed like a doll John Wayne’s hand.

Another movie that left a big impression on me was the West Side Story, with the Jets and the Sharks, and the things that they were going through. And you know, to me being a young man at the time, [the Sharks] meant a lot to me… of the struggles that people have had to overcome. So you really it was right up my alley, if you will, about a lot of the things that I had to overcome.

As an immigrant to the US, how did the movies inform your understanding of American culture?

Always to this day, I like the strife of the underdog — like Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront and what he had to go through. I’m getting goose pimples while I’m talking to you. It’s just all the struggles that I had to go through: I was always for the underdog, okay? It’s just really what life is all about. 

I know that the movie producers and everything, they always put their own twist in there. If I read the book and then I watch the movie, it’s totally different than what’s in the book, okay? Because the producer has to make it attractive as a movie. But there’s a lot of truth in all that stuff [the movies].

Danny Tzakis is my maternal grandfather. He immigrated to the United States from Greece in 1954.