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Chicago History

This Week in Chicago History: 'Home Alone' Premiers

Posted on November 7, 2021   |   Updated on September 30, 2025
Sidney Madden

Sidney Madden

The "Home Alone" house at 671 Lincoln Ave. in Winnetka, Illinois. (Ben Schumin / Flickr)

The "Home Alone" house at 671 Lincoln Ave. in Winnetka, Illinois. (Ben Schumin / Flickr)

On Nov. 10, 1990, “Home Alone” premiered in Chicago ahead of its national release, becoming one of the highest-grossing comedies ever.

And that’s all thanks to filmmaker John Hughes’ anxiety at the thought of leaving a kid behind on a family trip in 1989, his son James wrote for Chicago magazine. Hughes worked on the script two weeks after coming home.

More than a year later, Kevin, the Wet Bandits, and the rest of the McAllisters were on our screens, running around the North Shore in the Christmas comedy.

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