The second in a series of free films presented by The Evelyn Burrow Museum at Wallace State Community College will impart the history of how the city of Chicago, Ill., impacted the advertising industry and ultimately the lives of Americans.

“The City That Sold America” is the next film to be featured in South Arts’ 2019-2020 Southern Circuit Tour of Independent for which the museum is a screening partner. The screening will be on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 6 p.m. in the Burrow Center Recital Hall.

The 67-minute documentary tells the story of a melting pot of adventurous immigrants, creative mavericks, and freedom-seeking African Americans who shaped consumerism as we now know it. “The City That Sold America” reveals, with intriguing insights and wistful nostalgia, the confluence of Chicago’s creative talent, business savvy, grit, and determination that changed the country and our relationship with popular culture. For the first time, the film explores how Chicago introduced groundbreaking, behavior-changing ideas like fast food chains, orange juice, soap operas, African-American beauty products, late night talk shows, toothpaste, and Kleenex.

“The City That Sold America” uncovers the origins of beloved icons like Tony the Tiger, the Jolly Green Giant, Charlie Tuna, the Budweiser’s Clydesdales, and the Pillsbury Dough Boy—all of whom have made lasting impressions upon generations of Americans. As print and broadcast media evolved, Chicago’s centralized location and Midwestern approach helped expand the reach of advertisers, giving rise to the enduring practices of product placement, spokespeople, market research, and conscious branding.

Filmmaker Mary Warlick, an award-winning documentarian, will be on hand to introduce the film and answer questions after the viewing.

Warlick is President of A&C Film Distribution LLC., an independent film company specializing in documentaries, content for television, and web broadcast.

All of the films will be screened at 6 p.m. in the Recital Hall of the Burrow Center for the Fine and Performing Arts. Admission is free to all of the screenings.