View Obscura: The Blues Brothers (1980) - John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd's Iconic Comedy

Friday, March 14, 2025

The Blues Brothers (1980) - John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd's Iconic Comedy | Retro Cinema Classics

The Blues Brothers, released in 1980, is a beloved musical comedy film that has become a cult classic. Directed by John Landis, the movie stars John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as "Joliet" Jake and Elwood Blues, two brothers on a "mission from God" to save the Catholic orphanage where they grew up. Jake and Elwood, characters originally developed from a musical sketch on Saturday Night Live, set out to reunite their old R&B band and organize a big concert to raise the $5,000 needed to pay the orphanage's property tax bill. Along the way, they are pursued by the police, the Illinois Nazi Party, and Jake's jilted fiancée (played by Carrie Fisher) trying to kill them, and Jake's jilted fiancée. The film is packed with unforgettable musical numbers featuring some of the biggest names in R&B, blues and soul, including electrifying performances by James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and John Lee Hooker. Set in and around Chicago, the movie also showcases the city's iconic architecture, neighborhoods and attractions as Jake and Elwood race through the streets in their signature Bluesmobile, a repurposed police car. With a star-studded cast rounded out by the likes of John Candy, Charles Napier, and Henry Gibson, The Blues Brothers is a wild, exuberant ride filled with sidesplitting laughs, incredible music, and unforgettable moments that have solidified its place as one of the greatest comedy films of all time.

The iconic characters of Jake and Elwood Blues were created by comedians John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd through their performances on Saturday Night Live. The name "The Blues Brothers" was actually Aykroyd's idea, inspired by Howard Shore. Aykroyd, working with story consultant Ron Gwynne, developed the fictional backstory and character sketches of the "blood brothers." As detailed in the liner notes of the band's debut album Briefcase Full of Blues, the brothers grew up in an orphanage, learned the blues from a janitor named Curtis, and sealed their brotherhood by cutting their middle fingers with a guitar string said to have belonged to Elmore James.

When Universal Studios decided to adapt The Blues Brothers into a film, Aykroyd took on the task of writing the screenplay, despite having no prior experience. His initial script ran a whopping 324 pages - three times the typical length. To soften the blow, Aykroyd playfully had the script bound in the cover of a Los Angeles phone directory before presenting it to producer Robert K. Weiss. Director John Landis was then brought in to edit Aykroyd's verbose script into a more workable screenplay.

The infamous "Bluesmobile" from the film The Blues Brothers was a 1974 Dodge Monaco. The production team used former police cars purchased from the California Highway Patrol, modifying them to resemble patrol vehicles from the fictional town of Mt. Prospect, Illinois. These cars featured the "cop tires, cop suspension and cop motor - a 440 cubic-inch plant" as described by the character Elwood in the movie. In total, 12 Bluesmobiles were used during filming, including one that was intentionally built to fall apart. While several replicas have been created by collectors over the years, one original Bluesmobile is known to exist and is owned by Dan Aykroyd's brother-in-law. Notably, the car was recorded reaching speeds up to 118 mph during the chase scene under the elevated train in Chicago. The producers rented the Dixie Square Mall in south suburban Harvey, Illinois to film the iconic mall chase, even though the mall had been closed for over a year. Despite rumors that the mall would be refurbished and reopened after filming, Universal was later sued for $87,500 for failing to return the property to its original condition as agreed. Today, most of the Dixie Square Mall remains, with only the Montgomery Ward anchor store and power plant having been demolished.

The Blues Brothers movie is filled with fun trivia. For instance, the scene where the band appears in a sauna, wearing only towels, is a nod to the cover photo of the 1973 Blood Sweat & Tears album "No Sweat," which featured the band in an identical sauna pose. Interestingly, two Blues Brothers band members, Lou Marini and Tom Malone, were also part of the Blood Sweat & Tears lineup and appear in both sauna scenes.

Elwood has some memorable moments too - he removes his hat three times in the film: when going to sleep, to break a window, and towards the end when the Bluesmobile falls apart. He also takes off his sunglasses once, when quitting his job at Cheez Whiz to "become a priest." Meanwhile, Jake only removes his sunglasses once, when talking to Carrie Fisher, and never takes off his hat.

Some other cool facts: 103 cars were wrecked during filming, setting a record at the time (until 104 were destroyed for Blues Brothers 2000). The tax receipt shown is dated August 9, 1979 and correctly lists a $5000 donation from "Jake & Elwood Blues" to the St. Helen of the Blessed Shroud Orphanage. And during filming, John Belushi briefly disappeared, only to be found napping on a local family's couch after asking for a sandwich and milk!

Overall, The Blues Brothers is packed with entertaining behind-the-scenes details that add to the charm of this classic film.