The Blues Brothers (1980)

Director:

John Landis

Writers:

Dan Aykroyd (written by) &
John Landis (written by)

Release Date:

20 June 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Music | Musical

Tagline:

They'll never get caught. They're on a mission from God.

Plot:

Jake Blues, just out from prison, puts together his old band to save the Catholic home where he and brother Elwood were raised.

Plot Keywords:

Band | Prison | Catholic | Nun | Church

Awards:

1 win

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

John Belushi	...	'Joliet' Jake Blues (as Jake)
Dan Aykroyd	...	Elwood Blues (as Elwood)
James Brown	...	Reverend Cleophus James
Cab Calloway	...	Curtis
Ray Charles	...	Ray
Aretha Franklin	...	Mrs. Murphy
Steve Cropper	...	Steve 'The Colonel' Cropper
Donald Dunn	...	Donald 'Duck' Dunn
Murphy Dunne	...	Murphy 'Murph' Dunne
Willie Hall	...	Willie 'Too Big' Hall
Tom Malone	...	Tom 'Bones' Malone
Lou Marini	...	'Blue Lou' Marini
Matt Murphy	...	Matt 'Guitar' Murphy
Alan Rubin	...	Alan 'Mr. Fabulous' Rubin
Carrie Fisher	...	Mystery Woman

Also Known As:

Runtime:

133 min | USA:148 min (extended version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (magnetic prints) | Mono (optical prints)

Certification:

Finland:K-11 (DVD rating) | UK:AA (original rating) | South Korea:12 | Brazil:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

22 W. Van Buren Street, The Loop, Downtown, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The receipt that is stamped by the tax assessor clerk (played by 'Stephen Spielberg'), is #6829, dated August 9, 1979, and correctly reflects that $5000 cash for St. Helen of the Blessed Shroud Orphanage was received from "Jake & Elwood Blues" with an address of 1060 West Addison, Chicago. The receipt is signed "R. J. Daley" - a reference to Mayor Richard J. Daley for which the plaza they drove through (with the Picasso sculpture) was named.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the middle of the Triple Rock Church scene, Elwood and Jake "get religion" and start to dance at the back of the church. When they cut away to a high shot that shows the entire congregation, you can clearly see Elwood and Jake at the back of the church just standing there. When they return the shot to the two of them, they are dancing wildly again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Prison Guard #1:Yeah, the Assistant Warden wants this one out of the block early. Wants to get it over with fast.
Prison Guard #2:Okay, let's do it.
[rattling the bars with his baton]
Prison Guard #1:Hey come on, it's time to wake up.
Prison Guard #2:Wake up. Let's go, it's time.
[striking the sleeping Jake with his baton]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Jackie Chan's First Strike (1996)

Soundtrack:

GIMME SOME LOVIN'

An Eccentric Cult Classic

This definitive cult classic combines two of the pioneers of Saturday Night Live in a hilarious comedy, indulging into their characters from the show. John Belushi and Dan Akroyd are Jake and Elwood Blues, two eccentric brothers who are "On A Mission From God". They seem to inevitably find themselves in large amounts of trouble. The most fun is living vicariously through them as they stick it to the police and other authority figures and evade the consequences. Blues fans will rave over the fantastic soundtrack full of classic blues tunes from the biggest stars. This film is one that will have you quoting lines, singing along, and quite possibly dancing like Elwood. By the way, sunglasses can be worn at all times, black never goes out of style, and dry white toast is quite possibly the world's perfect food.