NORTH CENTER — Pay close attention to the "choking scene" in "Groundhog Day."
Not because it offers an excellent demonstration of how to perform the Heimlich Maneuver but because it features a slice of neighborhood history.
Though much of the movie, starring Bill Murray and directed by Harold Ramis, was shot in far north suburban Woodstock — itself a stand-in for Punxsutawney, Pa. — the key choking scene was filmed in North Center at George Hessberger's Heidelberger Fass restaurant, 4300 N. Lincoln Ave.
Don't recognize the location?
That's because Hessberger's closed in 1996 ("Groundhog Day" was released in 1993) and the building is now home to the Bad Apple, where staff confirmed the link to the movie.
A postcard featuring the old Hessberger's. [Illinois Digital Archives]
Hessberger's opened in 1945, one of a cluster of German restaurants on the North Side. Longtime residents may remember the restaurant's Weinstube, Alpine Room and Student Prince Room, on full view in the film.
The neighborhood may have changed in the last 20 years, but thanks to "Groundhog Day," a little piece of it will always stay the same.
