"Swingtown" Friends with Benefits (2008)

Having attended high school with the creator (he was two years behind me, though we never met), I thought I might share a few references alluded to in FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS for those who might be wondering.

Lunch at the Berghoff - The Berghoff was a legendary Loop restaurant that closed in 2006 after more than one hundred years of business. (A café has since opened by Carlyn Berghoff, daughter of Herman and Jan). What is of particular interest here is that The Berghoff didn't serve women until 1969. The notion of women going to The Berghoff seven years later was, probably, still 'statement making.'

Mr. Stone - Though Roger was a salesman for Mutual of Omaha, I found it interesting that his boss was Mr. Stone. W. Clement Stone was an insurance magnate who founded Combined Insurance Company of America and resided in Winnetka, IL in a mansion on Sheridan Road a few blocks from New Trier High School. (NB: In the summer of 1976, it still would have been known as New Trier High School, but by the fall it would be known as New Trier East as the school district split in two; New Trier West was open for a mere 16 years in Northfield, IL.)

Fell's - When Janet mentioned she stopped by Fell's to rent a tux for Roger to wear to the fund-raiser, she was speaking of the late, venerable Fell Company of Winnetka. Fell's was an independent clothier with roots so deep in the community, its closing is something that still brings emotions from residents today. (NB: The name has been sold and the new owners, not family members, I don't believe, are working with the Village to reopen the Winnetka store; no word that I have seen about trying to reopen the three other store locations.) Fell's was best known by area students as the ONLY place to go for your tuxedo rental, be it for the prom or graduation. It's also likely to have been the place one got their first chinos or topsiders.

Lake Crest Country Club - There are many country clubs on the North Shore: Westmoreland, Michigan Shores, Lake Shore and Indian Hills being the most prominent. Hard to say which one this was supposed to allude to, but if I were wagering, my money would be on Indian Hills -- certainly the one I thought was the most exclusive as I was growing up.