Friday night I enjoyed a great meal at Holt’s in Park Ridge, Illinois, followed by an interesting documentary at the legendary Pickwick Theatre.

Located a block from Holt’s, the historic Pickwick Theatre first opened in 1928 as a vaudeville stage and movie theater. In 1975 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was named for Samuel Pickwick, the title character in The Pickwick Papers, a novel by Charles Dickens.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was an iconic movie set in Chicago. I happened to be there when they filmed the big parade scene and probably am in the background among thousands of others. As the movie celebrates its 40th anniversary, Saving Ferris Butler adds another layer to the story.

An hour-long documentary, Saving Ferris Butler focuses on the life and career of the title character. Specifically, it focuses on Butler’s claim he was the inspiration for Ferris Bueller.

A comedy pioneer, Butler was a writer on Saturday Night Live, among other works. Through archived footage, interviews and talks with Butler, D.B. Frick examines Butler’s claim while reliving memorable moments from his life. Butler tells an amusing story involving Martin Scorsese, who taught him at New York University.

Tom “Bones” Malone recounted one such moment. A member of the Saturday Night Live Band, Malone spoke of SNL producer Lorne Michaels twice rejecting the idea of The Blues Brothers before begrudgingly giving it three minutes at the end of one show. The Blues Brothers went on to feature in a hit movie and record an album.

Throughout the documentary, Butler was sharp and quick with his wit and memory. Frick did a great job guiding Butler and the audience through his career.

In the end, I don’t know if Butler inspired Bueller, but Saving Ferris Butler was an interesting film, with great stories and footage. Like the character Bueller once said, “Life moves fast.” For Butler it has moved very fast, but this film captures the highlights.

— John Wroblewski, online writer