A Wedding: Robert Altman Film with a Lake Bluff Backdrop

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A Wedding: Robert Altman Film with a Lake Bluff Backdrop

A Wedding promotional poster, 1978.

The three-story Georgian-style mansion, set on five acres of Lake Michigan and designed by David Adler, has 11 bathrooms and 19 fireplaces. Pop singer Richard Marx bought the mansion in 1997 for $4.7 million.

The three-story Georgian-style mansion, set on five acres of Lake Michigan and designed by David Adler, has 11 bathrooms and 19 fireplaces. Pop singer Richard Marx bought the mansion in 1997 for $4.7 million.

Legendary director Robert Altman’s 1978 comedic film was shot almost exclusively over an eight-week period in the Lester Armour estate in Lake Bluff. The then-owner, Alexandra Armour, his widow, initially refused to grant permission to film on her property, according to news accounts, but when the Chicago Rehabilitation Institute asked her to raise $300,000 for their charity, she negotiated with the production company. Lion’s Gate Films agreed to donate $40,000 to the charity and promised to hold the world premiere as a charity benefit for the Institute.The film features an ensemble cast that included Desi Arnaz, Jr., Carol Burnett, Paul Dooley, Vittorio Gassman, Mia Farrow, and Lillian Gish, among others. The plot encompasses a single day during an extravagant wedding which sees the uniting of a Southern family with a Chicago family that has potential mob connections.