Holly Marihugh decided to use her free time during the pandemic constructively, launching production of what would come to be the documentary “Making the Movie Home Alone.”
“It was during the worst part of the pandemic,” said Marihugh, president of the Winnetka Historical Society. “I did the interviews on Zoom. We contacted the Abendshiens, and they signed right on.”
The then-owner of the Winnetka house in which much of the blockbuster film “Home Alone” was shot, John Abendshien, and his daughter, Lauren, are the centerpieces of a 32-minute documentary the historical society plans to screen at North Shore Country Day School at 5 p.m. on Dec. 18.
Tickets are $15 and include a screening of the film, a trivia contest about “Home Alone” and other films shot on the North Shore, snacks and beverages, said Mary Trieschmann, executive director of the historical society. Tickets are available at winnetkahistory.org.
“(Viewers) will hear scintillating stories from family members who lived in the house during the shoot, as well as local actors and extras, and view unique footage shot by a neighbor,” Trieschmann said.
Among the stories are the memories of Lauren Abendshien, who was 6 when the film was shot and is today a partner in a law firm, Marihugh said. Abendshien developed a relationship with Kieran Culkin, who appeared in the film alongside his brother Macaulay, the star and main character, she said.
“Her memories are extremely fond,” Marihugh said. “She has the best anecdotes of having the Culkin brothers in her house. They used her room as a study haven when they had to be tutored. She talks about the connection she made with the cast and crew.”
The historical society chose to make the film with John Newcombe, an independent filmmaker who grew up in Winnetka, because of the longstanding appeal “Home Alone” engenders in its fans, she said.
“It remains popular 30 years later,” Marihugh said. “It means a lot to the village to have a story be so enduring and have our village portrayed in a light that shows community and gathering together around holidays and family and all the important things they show so strongly in the movie.”
The film has international appeal, she said. Chicago-based students from Russia and Kyrgyzstan know “Home Alone” well and refer to it as “the Kevin movie,” after Macaulay Culkin’s character, Marihugh said.
In a scene in the documentary, John Abendshien tells the story of a Japanese man arriving at the house, 671 Lincoln Ave., in a limousine to take photos. The man turned out to be the president of the Bank of Tokyo, Abendshien said.
“The whole point is this movie has universal appeal,” Marihugh said. “We all have love and annoyance relationships with family. We love them to death. We squabble and fight, but then we miss them when they’re gone, because we all know there is no other connection like that.”
The Abendshiens share stories about their experiences living in the house while the film was being made. John Abendshien talks of two scenes in which stunt doubles were used, including one in which the stuntman was “knocked out cold” on the first take, woke up and said, “Let’s do it again.”
Lauren Abendshien describes having to crawl below window level in the home so she wouldn’t be seen from outside when scenes were being shot at night. She also describes the construction of a replica of the interior of the family’s home that was built at then-vacant New Trier West High School to shoot some scenes.
Marihugh said one of her favorite stories about the film’s popularity is when two 20-something men pulled in front of the Lincoln Avenue house in a truck from Wyoming, while she was walking her dogs.
“They got out of the truck and they turned into boys,” she said. “They started laughing and joking. They came up to me and said, ‘This is the ‘Home Alone’ house, right? Would they mind if we knock on the door?’ That’s the power of this movie. It brings out the kid in people.”
