The Blues Brothers (1980)

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

Director:

John Landis

Writers:

Dan Aykroyd, John Landis

Stars:

John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Cab Calloway

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 (as 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

Storyline

After the release of Jake Blues from prison, he and brother Elwood go to visit "The Penguin", the last of the nuns who raised them in a boarding school. They learn the Archdiocese will stop supporting the school and will sell the place to the Education Authority. The only way to keep the place open is if the $5000 tax on the property is paid within 11 days. The Blues Brothers want to help, and decide to put their blues band back together and raise the the money by staging a big gig. As they set off on their "mission from God" they seem to make more enemies along the way. Will they manage to come up with the money in time?

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Plot Keywords:

parolee | band | money | catholic | prison | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Music

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 June 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Return of the Blues Brothers

Filming Locations:

1623 S. 51st Court, Cicero, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$27,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$54,200,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min 148 min (extended)

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When riding up the elevator at the courthouse near the end of the movie to the 11th floor, the camera shows the buttons. They go 11 then 13, whereas many buildings do not have a 13th floor.

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Goofs

Quantity and content of trash on dash of Elwood and Jakes' car during final chase scene.

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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]

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Crazy Credits

As the film ends with the Blues Brothers and band playing "Jailhouse Rock", there are several cuts starting with the second verse that feature the castmembers who are professional singers singing lines of the song with their names on the screen.

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Connections

References Animal House (1978)

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Soundtracks

SHAKE A TAIL FEATHER
(uncredited)
Written by Otha Hayes, Andre Williams and Verlie Rice
Performed by Ray Charles and the Blues Brothers Band with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi

User Reviews

Great all round movie!

This is an excellent movie, rich with comedy and music. It's about 2 corrupt brothers, who wish to help a nun. The story starts with Jake (John Belushi) being released from prison, where Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) picks him up. The story proceeds with them trying to honestly earn 5,000 dollars. They start by getting a little "churching up" and then try to put "the band" back together. With them continuing, and playing shows for meager amounts of money, finally get a break, and make a huge gig in a fancy hotel! While avoiding hundreds (literally) of cops, and "They can't catch us--we're on a mission from God". While making friends (and enemies) along the way, providing a side-busting movie! A must have for all good DVD collections!