Who Was Billy Sunday?

Curious City

WBEZ Chicago

Society & Culture, Education, Public, Chicago, Arts, City, Radio, Curious, Investigation

4.8 • 642 Ratings

🗓️ 4 March 2021

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week on the Curious City podcast we dig back into the archives to share one of our favorite stories about the song made famous by Frank Sinatra, “Chicago (That Toddling Town).” The song pays homage to the partying and excess of the roaring 20’s during Prohibition. It also contains a lyric about a man who tried to save the soul of Chicago. Who was he and how did he end up in the song? Plus, we hear from several small businesses about what they’ve been doing to keep their businesses going- and some of the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, I'm Curie City Digital and Engagement Producer Maggie Sivitt.
0:04.0	Today on the podcast, the story of a man who tried and failed to save the soul of Chicago.
0:10.0	Civilization and society rests on morals. Morals rests on religion.
0:15.0	Religion rests on the Bible and faith in God and in Jesus.
0:19.0	He really probably couldn't change things as much as some people wanted him to.
0:24.0	Plus, we've been hearing from a lot of small business owners about how they've been making it through the pandemic.
0:29.6	Later in the show, we'll check in with a few of them to hear how they're coping.
0:32.8	I think it really put everyone's feet to the fire and forced innovation. That's all coming up.
0:44.1	If you're already a WBEZ member, thank you. Right now, you have the power to do even more. If every
0:53.2	high fidelity member increase their monthly
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1:00.6	that's currently at risk. Your increased support will help offset that potential loss and
1:05.6	keep this people-powered newsroom thriving for years. Start or increase your monthly gift by $3 today at WBEZ.org
1:13.6	slash donate. Planet Money helps you understand the economy. We find the people at the center of the
1:20.1	story. Garbage in New York. That was like a controlled substance. We show you how money influences
1:26.0	everything. Tell me what you like by telling me how you
1:30.1	spend your money. And we dig until we get answers. I had a bad feeling you're going to bring that up.
1:34.9	Planet Money finds out. All you have to do is listen. The Planet Money podcast from NPR.
1:40.7	Today we're dipping into the Curie City Archive to share one of our favorite stories.
1:45.0	This one begins with an iconic piece of Chicago pop culture.
1:49.0	Chicago, Chicago, that toddled in town.
1:54.0	Frank Sinatra's Chicago, one of his most popular songs.
	...

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