Among the pantheon of great action movie stars through the years, Harrison Ford is a name which often gets missed, perhaps because he dallies in adventure movies more often. But, it’s worth remembering that he’s carried out many high-octane stunts in his career, including a thrilling chase through an actual parade in Chicago during the filming of the ‘90s movie The Fugitive.
In The Fugitive, Ford stars as Dr. Richard Kimble, a man who is wrongly accused of killing his wife and sentenced to death. After managing to escape, Ford’s character goes on the run and tries to hunt down the real killer. The thriller movie also stars Tommy Lee Jones, as the man responsible for capturing Kimble.
According to a story from the archives of the Chicago Tribune, the climactic chase scene between Ford and Tommy Lee Jones was filmed during the actual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Chicago. Funnily enough, the production for The Fugitive wasn’t the only one working in that exact spot on that exact day, adding more chaos to an already hectic event.
Not only did crowds in Chicago get to witness two massive movie stars running through their streets, but they also may have caught sight of the cast and crew of the 1994 movie Blink.
According to Charles Geocaris, then head of the Chicago Film Office, the fact that two movies were shooting at the same time during the parade did cause a few complications.
“The two camera crews ran into each other,” Geocaris recalled. “We hooked up their location managers and production managers with the parade people. The two groups worked out the logistics.”
“People on the parade route were laughing as Tommy Lee Jones chased Harrison Ford,” Geocaris mused. “It was a fun thing for them.” We have to say, we’re pretty jealous that the Chicagoans of 1993 got to see Han Solo himself racing through their neighbourhoods.