Entertainment

'Swingtown' Creator Talks About Show's Inspiration

WINNETKA, Ill. (CBS) ― The CBS show "Swingtown" has a lot of people asking questions about the real story that inspired the show.

CBS 2 Entertainment Reporter Bill Zwecker reached out to the show's creator Mike Kelley, and his Chicago-area family to help separate fact from fiction and to see what they remember from those times.

Without question, "Swingtown" has caused lots of buzz this summer, mainly thanks to all the spouse-swapping showcased in the series, set on the North Shore back in 1976.

It was an era filled with political upheaval, disco-dancing, big hairstyles and the freedom to do whatever.

But it was also a time of innocence and hope. The Vietnam War was over, AIDS had yet to strike and international terrorism was still in the future.

"Swingtown" creator Mike Kelley's sister, Karrie Gottschild remembers those uncomplicated days.

"That was a great time to be a kid," Gottschild said. "It was a very safe point in our history and we were just getting on our bikes and leaving and coming back for dinner."

Kelley's street and house where he grew up in Winnetka inspired "Swingtown." But how much is fact and how much is fiction?

Kelley's mother Marcia Arnold, wants to be very clear about the "swinging" her son wrote into the series.

"No, I'm not naïve enough to think…maybe it was going on someplace," Arnold said. "And kids have a way of knowing things that their parents don't know about. But no, personally, I do not know anything about that."

So what does the author himself say?

"It raised a few eyebrows here and there and all I could say is, you know, it comes from imagination, for the most part," Kelley said.

But his memories were definitely inspiration. The red Cadillac really existed.

"There's dear old dad with his pride and joy," Kelley said, pointing to a picture. "We had many family trips in that car."

Other pictures in the family photo album also helped him capture the time.

"They threw amazing parties, all theme parties," Kelley said. "This is a New Year's Eve party. We use a lot of the parties that I remember specifically from the day."

Kelley's mother recalls a specific incident from real life that made it on to the big screen.

"The wallpaper incident… we actually did that," Arnold said. "We were going to redecorate and we were having a party and I thought, 'Gee, why don't we just write on the walls? It would be fun.'"

And while much of "Swingtown" is Kelley's invention, his mom admits the show reminds her of life in Winnetka in the 1970s.

"The characters are conglomerations of people he knew and we all knew," Arnold said.

"Yeah it's really provocative, but in a good way, and getting people talking always is good," Kelley said.

"Swingtown" is scheduled to air on Thursdays through August.

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