Kankakee, Illinois

==In popular culture== 
*The movie ''[[The Accountant (2016 film)|The Accountant]]'' (2016) showcases Kankakee by directly mentioning the town as well as displaying Kankakee High School hats on some of the actors.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.daily-journal.com/life/too-many-bullet-holes-in-accountant/article_ddd8bf5c-dddd-5ffc-b573-11a146bc4390.html |title=Too many bullet holes in Accountant|date=October 14, 2016 |access-date=December 2, 2022}}</ref>
*The movie ''[[The Unborn (2009 film)|The Unborn]]'' (2009) was partially filmed in [[Kankakee State Hospital|Samuel H. Shapiro Developmental Center]] in Kankakee. Other movies to have been filmed in Kankakee County are ''[[The Hunter (1980 film)|The Hunter]]'' (1980) and ''[[Child's Play (1988 film)|Child's Play]]'' (1988).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kirkbridebuildings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=1263 |title=Kirkbride Buildings Forum • View topic – Movies Filmed at Kankakee |publisher=Kirkbridebuildings.com |date=April 28, 2008 |access-date=October 17, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928014605/http://www.kirkbridebuildings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=1263 |archive-date=September 28, 2011}}</ref>
*Kankakee is mentioned in several songs:
**"Innocent Bessie Brown", words and music by [[Irving Berlin]], written in 1910, sung by the Broadway performer Ethel Green<ref>Sheet Music Art Of Irving Berlin / Thomas Inglis. – Atglen, PA : Schiffer Pub., c2003 (p. 21 & 23)</ref>
**"[[City of New Orleans (song)|City of New Orleans]]", words and music by [[Steve Goodman]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/search/songs/city+of+new+orleans|title=Song Search for "city of new orleans"|website=AllMusic|access-date=April 29, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023012316/https://www.allmusic.com/search/songs/city+of+new+orleans|archive-date=October 23, 2017}}</ref>
**"[[Lydia the Tattooed Lady]]", words and music by [[Yip Harburg]] and [[Harold Arlen]]<ref name=AS>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-ENtazHbVc4C&pg=PA160 |page=160 |title=America's songs|author=Philip Furia |author2=Michael L. Lasser |isbn=978-0-415-97246-8 |date=May 12, 2006}}</ref> A song first appearing in the [[Marx Brothers]] movie ''[[At the Circus]]'' (1939) and became one of [[Groucho Marx]]'s signature tunes.
**"[[Took Her to the O]]" by [[Chicago hip hop|Chicago rapper]] [[King Von]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://genius.com/King-von-took-her-to-the-o-lyrics|title=King Von – Took Her to the O Lyrics - Genius|website=Genius}}</ref>
* In 1999, the city was mocked on the ''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]'' after being named America's worst place to live. As a gag, [[David Letterman]] donated two gazebos to the city in the hopes it would proclaim itself as "The home of the world famous twin gazebos." In 2015, the gazebos were torn down and a rocking chair was built from the wood, and was sent to Letterman for his retirement. This was organized by Kankakee students who felt the gazebos were symbols of a past they wanted to forget.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-03-27 |title=David Letterman thanks Kankakee for gazebo-turned-rocking chair |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2015/3/26/18422797/david-letterman-thanks-kankakee-for-gazebo-turned-rocking-chair |access-date=2022-10-15 |website=Chicago Sun-Times |language=en}}</ref>
*''[[This American Life]]'' on April 10, 2015, analyzed Kankakee and its title of the worst city in America.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/554/not-it|title=554: Not It! |website=thisamericanlife.org|date=April 10, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150408024539/http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/554/not-it|archive-date=April 8, 2015}}</ref>