Usually when stage and screen star John Mahoney shows up at Oak Park’s Lake Theatre, he’s literally larger than life, a projection on one of the seven screens housed in the art deco Classic Cinemas movie house. On Feb. 25, the actor arguably best known for playing the acerbic, prickly father on “Frasier,” will be there in the flesh.
As the headliner of a $1 million fundraising effort by the Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest, Oak Parker Mahoney will be fielding questions, signing autographs and taking in a tribute to a career that criss-crosses continents (the Tony-winner and Steppenwolf ensemble member has worked on stages from Broadway to Galway) and includes countless appearances on screens large (“Barton Fink,” “Primal Fear,” “Dan in Real Life”) and small (the aforementioned “Frasier,” “Hot in Cleveland,” the upcoming “Foyle’s War”).
“These tributes, they’re always a little embarrassing,” says Mahoney, 74, “but when it’s for such a good cause, I don’t even think about it. I just say ‘Yes.’ “
Kicking off at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.) “From Harlem Avenue to Hollywood Boulevard” is part of a campaign by the historical society to gut the empty building at Lombard Avenue and Lake Street and remake it into a museum/research facility where students, residents, scholars and historians can peruse the trove of records maintained by the organization.
Oak Park and River Forest’s history is rich, and punctuated by a rather astonishing array of cultural notables. The two suburbs have been home to Frank Lloyd Wright, Ernest Hemingway, Bob Newhart, mobster kingpin Sam Giancana, “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me” host Peter Sagal and Homer Simpson voice Dan Castellaneta, among others.
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“There are so many people here who are so accomplished in so many fields,” says Frank Lipo, Historical Society President and 25-year Oak Park resident. “I can’t count the number of people who’ve told me they were watching TV or a movie and all of a sudden they realize, ‘Hey, I went to high school with that guy.’ “
Keeping track of the entwined cultural and historical lore of Oak Park and River Forest takes many forms at the historical society. For years, the organization’s headquarters has been at Home Avenue’s Pleasant Home, where more than a century’s worth of records, photos and exhibits are crammed into a couple of former bedrooms. People visit those rooms for a variety of reasons, Lipo says.
“We’ll get school kids working on research projects. Business owners who want to blow up vintage photos to display. Homeowners who want to know about the history of their neighborhood,” Lipo said. “Local history can be very narrow, but there are many layers here, so many local ties to national events. I see John as part of that. People from all over the world know his work.”
Working all over the world is terrific, says Mahoney, so long as he can return to his Oak Park home.
“I have the best neighbors in the world. Everyone in our complex does this cocktail thing once a month — we all get together. I love things like that. I want an ordinary lifestyle. I’m not looking for glamour. I’m not looking to go out partying every night. I want a nice, normal Midwestern life,” he says.
‘From Harlem Avenue to Hollywood Boulevard: An Evening with John Mahoney’
moderated by film critic Doug Deuchler
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25
The Lake Theatre, 1022 Lake St., Oak Park
$25; $20 members of the Historical Society of Oak Park & River Forest
(708) 848-6755; Oprfhistory.org