What someone should have told you before you started the movie is that "everyone" in the movie, even with a small cameo part and a couple of the extras, is famous. All star cast. Even the guitar and bass player in the Blues Brothers band - Steve Cropper and Donal Duck Dunn from Booker T and the MGs. Chaka Khan was in the choir, Joe Walsh from The Eagles jumps on a table and dances in the final prison scene. And John Lee Hooker singing in the street scene. The leader of the Illinois Nazis was a famous comedian, Henry Gibson, from the television show Laugh In. And Cab Calloway from the Cotton Club!!! And Twiggy in the convertible sports car!! Most famous model from the 60s. And factually the biggest car chase scene ever in a movie.
The singer who sang Minnie the Moocher was the legendary Cab Calloway III. Also, as much as I LOVE this movie, I get a little sad when I realize how many of the cast, the band and the cameos are no longer with us.
I named my dog Minnie the Moocher, because my former dog Heidi loved it when I sang her that song. My other dog is named Belushi. Can you guess my favorite movie?
I watched this movie with my daughter when she was about 14. After the James Brown scene she said "I want to go to a church like that!" and I said "Baby, everyone wants to go to a church like that"
I had a similar experience with my mother! I had never been to church and asked my mom (raised in the Mormon Church) if church was like that? She said, “If it was, I’d go back in a heartbeat.”
This is one of my dad's favorite movies. I'm autistic and always ended up bored in church due to the lack of stimulation, so I told him that if church was more like that, I wouldn't mind going.
I'm blessed. My home is surrounded by God literally! There's synagogue adjacent to my backyard. Around the corner is a AME church. Walking to my Catholic church, I pass a Baptist church. Around the corner from my Catholic church, is another AME church and yet another Baptist Church. A Greek Orthodox, a Episcopalian, a Lutheran Church. I could continue. The city is Charleston, SC. Known as the "Holy City" because if you walked or better yet biked through downtown, you would see churches everywhere!
I was 12 years old when in 1980 I kept nagging my parents to allow me to go see a movie because Princess Leia was in. They allowed me to go see it on my own... And from the very opening notes of Matt "Guitar" Murphy droning that A# and the section coming in The Blues Brothers changed my life. I took a hammer to m piggy bank that very night and bought the soundtrack the next day. I took up guitar lessons a week after and to this day 40 years later I'm still playing the blues. So thank Carrie Fisher for taking that role, without her I'd have become a square.
John Belushi found all the original artists for each song they recorded for this and three albums and transferred all the profits and royalties to them. This movie revitalized a lot of thier careers and reawakened america to check out blues. It also created the chain of House of Blues music halls
I'm for all those that John Belushi did to help their careers and helped the three albums and transferred all the profits and royalties to them. It really makes me feel good to see John Belushi was doing this movie to help others besides himself. Thanks for sharing that information.
@@angelacarleton9575 there's an issue of Rolling Stone filled with these stories in a tribute to his life. He was a humble and generous person that shone a little too bright
@@angelacarleton9575 John genuinely fell in love with the blues after meeting a local blues singer in Oregon while filming Animal House. This was all about love for the music and keeping it alive ❤
If anyone's interested, "Blue Lou" Marini (the fry cook) is alive and well and still killing it. I saw him a month ago playing for James Taylor. Incredible musician.
And he is EVERYWHERE... if you watch a band with a sax player... gray hair/gray moustache... it is Blue Lou.... and a graduate of the University of North Texas (used to be North Texas State University) and member of the NTSU 1 O'Clock Lab Band.....
One of the best films ever to see in a theater. Oh, Aretha. Seeing her in this movie was a shock. Her stage presence was always really big, with huge glittery outifts and big-ass hats. She was THERE on stage, so seeing here like this - no makeup, no costume, no HAT - singing in a dingy diner took some mental downsizing! But as soon as she started singing, WOW. The Queen Of Everything, Ever and Ever.
Dan Akroyd loved the blues, and this movie was a love letter to all these musicians he respected deeply and thought deserved their flowers at a time when the US was in the midst of the metal backlash against the disco and R&B of the 70s. As everyone else has said, they're _all_ famous. The cameos in this movie are legendary. Everything about this movie is legendary. They _actually_ dropped a car out of the sky. They held the world record for most vehicles destroyed in a chase scene for a long time, too. This movie was my introduction to the blues, and the beginning of my love for it, and it is still, hands down, the best cheer up movie for a bad day in my book. Always happy to see new people enjoying it for the first time! And seriously, just go buy the whole soundtrack.
@@Phantomsbreath I read about this on another reactor's channel from another commenter - if I recall correctly, in order to drop a car from that altitude, it literally HAS be checked out by the FAA. Exactly WHY something that is NOT flying. Is not DESIGNED to fly. Is - in fact - going to drop like a stone - would need FAA Clearance was unclear to me. At a guess - it may have more to do with the "airworthiness" of the Pinto as it's slung under the helicopter BEFORE it's dropped? (Shrug)
I think the most interesting part of this movie is that there was no CGI involved in this movie. The mall scene was them driving through a mall. The back flips and dancing were done by the actors.
@@robyfiorili He became a movie star and international star with the Sergio Leone movies, but Rawhide got up to the #6th most watched show in the country in 1960-61, so still think he became a star as far as American audiences go. Definitely not a musical star though. th-cam.com/video/cp8VapvSZdE/w-d-xo.html
1. "She Caught the Katy" The Blues Brothers with lead vocals by Jake Blues 4:10 2. "Peter Gunn Theme" The Blues Brothers Band 3:46 3. "Gimme Some Lovin'" The Blues Brothers with lead vocals by Jake Blues 3:06 4. "Shake a Tail Feather" Ray Charles with the Blues Brothers (Jake and Elwood, backing vocals) 2:48 5. "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" The Blues Brothers (Jake Blues, lead vocals; Elwood Blues, harmonica and vocals) 3:21 6. "The Old Landmark" James Brown and the Rev. James Cleveland Choir (additional choir vocals by Chaka Khan credited in the film) 2:56 7. "Think" Aretha Franklin & the Blues Brothers with backing vocals by Brenda Corbett, Margaret Branch, Carolyn Franklin, Jake, and Elwood 3:13 8. "Theme from Rawhide" Elwood, Jake, and the Blues Brothers Band 2:37 9. "Minnie the Moocher" Cab Calloway with the Blues Brothers Band 3:23 10. "Sweet Home Chicago" The Blues Brothers with lead vocals by Jake Blues (dedicated to the musician Magic Sam) 7:48 11. "Jailhouse Rock" Jake Blues & the Blues Brothers (Over the closing credits in the film, verses are sung by James Brown, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and "crew")
The blues riff at the start in prison is "Somebody Loan Me a Dime" by Fenton Robinson, and John Lee Hooker's "Boogie Chillen" is used twice in the film. There was a fourth song performed at Bob's Country Bunker but it was removed from the final cut, the band played "Sink the Bismarck".
Just realised this list is just the soundtrack so it's missing "Boom Boom" by John Lee Hooker, "Soothe Me" and "Hold On, I'm Coming" by Sam and Dave, "Quando, Quando, Quando" and "Just the Way You Are" by Murph and the Magictones, "Stand By Your Man" performed by the Blues Brothers...ok I could keep listing songs all day but I have to go to work, there's a lot more 😅
Fun fact: the officer in the opening scene that returns Jake’s property is none other than the great and powerful Frank Oz. Director of “Analize This” “The Score” and many others. He has cameos in all of John Landis’s movies. He is most famous as voice actor of several Muppet and Sesame Street characters as well as the voice of Yoda in Star Wars. There is a reference to Miss Piggy at a toy store. Frank Oz also does the voice of Miss Piggy
Fozzie Bear & Yoda as well, which was hilarious to me as a small boy since I'd watched a ton of the muppet show before seeing yoda for the first time in empire and instantly recognised the voice.
I hate to nitpick, but Harold Ramis was the director of “Analyze This”. Frank Oz did direct “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”, “Bowfinger”, and “Little Shop of Horrors” as well as “The Score”
Dan Ackroyd and producer John Landis , kept blues alive with this film and kept guys in work as blues artists throughout the world through the 80s and into the 90s . That is the legacy of the film, they did it again in 2000 God bless um
Jay, the actor you thought was Jim Belushi was actually the fabulous John Candy! Another comedian we lost far too early. You guys will LOVE Planes, Trains and Automobiles. One of John Candy's best movies, though he had a number of great ones.
Please please PLEASE do this movie for Thanksgiving! I mean, I know life is crazy around holidays, so a week before, week after, hey it's all good. But you'll love it to pieces.
"Sorry folks, the park's closed! The moose out front should have told you. " "Take this quarter, go downtown and have a rat gnaw that thing off your face!" Two of the greatest Candy lines ever.
For non-motorheads......when an engine "throws a rod", it breaks a connecting rod. A connecting rod connects the piston to the crankshaft. The rod is usually sent sideways through the block, shooting out oil and sometimes coolant with it. They were running on 7 cylinders and losing oil. But, they were on a mission from god, so they made it.
@@leewriter4656 That is a push rod. I have only seen those drill their way through the rocker arm and stay there, because they moved beyond the reach of the valve lifter. Lobe lift seldom exceeds .338" on a stock engine from the time period. Pretty short throw, compared to a 3.75" stroke crankshaft, moving at 2X the speed of the camshaft.
The movie's director, John Landis, said that he wanted to create a car chase that was "bigger and better" than anything that had been seen before. He also wanted to show the Blues Brothers as being "outlaws" who were willing to do whatever it took to get what they wanted. The car chase scene in "The Blues Brothers" is now considered to be one of the most iconic car chases in movie history.
It's too bad we lost John Belushi at such a young age. He was a star on the original Saturday Night Live program that started in the mid-1970s. One other movie that I loved him in was a Steven Spielberg film called "1941." It made me laugh so much I was almost in pain at the end of the movie. Unfortunately, 1941 was considered to be a flop and it's rarely shown - but I LOVED it!
I LOVE 1941..........Belushi is absolutely manic in it.the movie is absolutely crazy but its so watchable because you are literally constantly wondering just what on earth is going to happen next......
Forever grateful for the Minnie the Moocher sequence that showcases the legendary Cab Calloway in high fidelity but also having the phenomenal trumpet of Alan Rubin in this mix is another gem as well...The musicianship of the Blues Brothers is on full display in this film which is more than a comedy with Police car chases.
He's so iconic, they had to talk him into doing Minnie The Moocher and the Zoot suit because he thought that that was too old fashioned and in the past.
@@BobSoltis1 John Landis talks about it in the 2012 documentary "Cab Calloway: Sketches". Cab wanted to do his 'modern' Disco version of the song, which was released just prior to the start of shooting. He and Landis had a bit of an argument over it, in the end he did the classic version but wasn't really happy about it.
The Blues Brothers, started by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, began as a SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE sketch, incorporating the SNL band, then lead by Paul Schaffer. After the success of ANIMAL HOUSE (1978), Universal was looking to capitalize on John Belushi and John Landis, and they came to them with THE BLUES BROTHERS (1980) written by Dan. The boys and the band were real musicians and great fans of the blues, and this was their way of giving back to the music and artist they loved by featuring them, and in some cases (Like Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway) reviving their careers. It was the most expensive comedy ever made, at its time, costing $22 million dollars, and holds the record for the most cars crashed in a film.
It's a good line, but it's not even the best line in _this_ movie. After all, this is the same movie that features the line "It’s 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark... and we’re wearing sunglasses."
You speak great truth. This movie revitalized the careers of many great musicians and singers. It was far more than the sum of its parts. Hard to believe it's been 42 years.....
Watch Trains Planes and Automobiles. One of the best John Candy movies with Steve Martin. It’s a Thanksgiving movie, perfect timing to queue it up in a couple of months!
This movie was actually super important at reintroducing classic blues and R&B artists to the world. In 1980, most of the artists who got cameos in this film were really brought back to pop culture after a decade or more of being forgotten.
Yeah, the Blues Brothers as an act was started on SNL by John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd. Some were critical about the two white men "culturally appropriating" Black Music, but they popularized Otis Redding and other hardcore blues acts. Michael Jackson, Prince, Cee Lo Green, and Bruno Mars are heavily influenced by James Brown, Arethra Franklin, and Cab Calloway.
The little kid reaching for the guitar is De'voreaux White who would later play Argyle in Die Hard, the character that drives the limo with Bruce Willis around.
I can't think of any movie that does such a good job of low-key showcasing so many people that laid the foundation for American music the last 70 years or so. Just such a joy to watch.
@@MortenSjgren Animal House is second to the Blues Brothers, then Caddy Shack as to seen the most times... Die Hard, and then all of Clint Eastwood's spaghetti westerns
And it's true. Over the years I have lived near train tracks and you get used to the sound. If you pay attention you can tell the difference between passenger & freight but mostly it's just background noise. lol
I was on my honeymoon in Eugene, Oregon at this beautiful hotel. We went down for dinner and they had a show and it was the Blues Brothers. They were testing out their act before they did it on SNL. So much fun.
My personal favorite detail was how they were immune to damage or capture because they truly were on a "mission from God." Every single thing holds to that until it's no longer needed. Right up until the end, no enemy can catch or harm them. Their car doesn't give out until they're literally outside their destination to pay the $5,000, despite clearly pulling off impossible feats the entire movie. And the cuffs aren't put on them until a second after the payment receipt is stamped.
I love that you got that... the power of God cannot be denied and God`s will be done, all wrapped up in a comedy. Peace and brother love to you and all.
I saw the Blues Brothers in concert August 1, 1980 while on vacation in CA. Just by luck the concierge at our hotel had 2 tickets and couldn’t go and sold them to us at face value. Since March of 1969, 9 days before my 13 birthday, I have been to 191 concerts from every genre, and their show was by far the most entertaining and memorable. Their interaction with the audience and one another was spot on. In character the entire show. John really did cartwheels. And Dan really can play the harmonica that well.
The best musical comedy ever made. I don't know if it will EVER be possible again to bring together so so many musical superstars into one hilarious film. Enjoy it because you'll never see its like again
When they tried to make the sequel.....well...it didn't really work did it? The only joke I thought was mildly humorous was John Popper getting repeatedly blown off by Elwood. If it was banjos, it'd be exactly like Steve Martin in a comic role telling Earl Scruggs to "hey get lost old man".
@@professornuke7562 although Steve Martin does play a mean banjo in his own write. The only banjo player I have ever seen that's fast the Earl Scruggs is Mean Mary... th-cam.com/video/6CNB5OLUPM0/w-d-xo.html
Also, the Blues Brothers Band is LEGIT made up of some very fine musicians. They aren’t just actors pretending to play. Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn, Alan Rubin, Lou Marini …. Those guys are serious players for real. Highly respected in music circles.
This movie is a damn classic. This was back when SNL had the most talented comedians, and the fact that they got so many blues titans to cameo (and play main parts!) and sing and play just makes this movie such a fun experience. They don't make them like this anymore.
The song at 10:41 is “Sooth me” by Sam and Dave fallowed by “Hold on! I’m a comin’” (one of my favorite songs), also by Sam and Dave. 16:35 is “Let the good times roll” by Louis Jordan. 22:15 “Boom Boom” actually performed by John Lee Hooker. 26:36 “Boogie Chillen” also by John Lee Hooker. 28:02 “Your cheatin’ heart” by Kitty Wells. 34:03 “I’m walkin’” by Fats Domino.
Sam and Dave were part of the Memphis sound from Stax Records. "Play it, Steve" from the song "Soul Man" was said to Steve Cropper, the bearded guy in the band of this movie. "Duck" Dunn played bass in the band, and the Stax band agreed to a tour of Europe in '67 in part because they could get 2 free suits.
This movie will never get old. John is still missed so much. It was so sad losing him. No matter how many time you see it, it never gets old. The greats in this movie are amazing.
The bandleader in white was Cab Calloway - you reviewed his song “Jumpin’ Jive” with the amazing dancers The Nicholas Brothers from 1943’s Stormy Weather… so amazing! Oh, and the big blond guy with the cops was John Candy - a really great comedian in his own right.
The old man who performed Minnie the Moocher could legit be called a "OG" - he was one of the first people to do scat - Cab Calloway. He is so fundamental to so much modern music - he started in the 1920s. If Cab had not been around there never would been a Prince or a Micheal Jackson. Another neat fact - at the end of Cab's life, Micheal Jackson covered all his medical bills.
@@bobsylvester88my German Dad had just hit the States in ‘38 escaping the Nazis. The first thing he did was to go see Cab at The Savoy in Harlem. Very Blues Brothers!
1. 'She Caught the Katy' - The Blues Brothers 2. 'Peter Gunn Theme' - The Blues Brothers Band 3. 'Gimme Some Lovin'' - The Blues Brothers 4. 'Shake a Tail Feather' - Ray Charles and the Blues Brothers 5. 'Everybody Needs Somebody to Love' - The Blues Brothers 6. 'The Old Landmark' - James Brown 7. 'Think' - Aretha Franklin and The Blues Brothers 8. 'Theme from Rawhide' - The Blues Brothers 9. 'Minnie the Moocher' - Cab Calloway and The Blues Brothers Band 10. 'Sweet Home Chicago' - The Blues Brothers 11. 'Jailhouse Rock' - The Blues Brothers (the film version has verses by James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Cab Calloway) The film also had songs by Sam & Dave, Fats Domino, John Lee Hooker and Louis Jordan.
Thank You guys, for making me and my wife feel really OLD!! I'm 73 and she is 67, and we both were smiling and laughing at you two guys reactions. Priceless!!! Not knowing some, if not most of the Musicians/Stars. Being so young (to us you are young) and not knowing things that we just take for granted at our age was a great trip down memory lane. THANK YOU! LOVE you guys
One of the (many) great things about this film is that it featured almost EVERY form of music; from rock, to blues, soul, county, classical and more - even elevator music!
Yes! Being European, for me, one of the funniest things was Wagner in the background of Nazi's flying car... Not sure how much kids today know about him and his music.
A noter que dans l'ascenseur, c'est quand même "The Girl From Ipanema" qu'on entend, le morceau le plus communément répandu dans le monde de la musique brésilienne d'Antônio Carlos Jobim. C'est d'autant plus drôle que la "musique d'ascenseur" a plutôt une connotation péjorative habituellement.
When Can Calloway first performed Minnie the Moocher (in 1931) he forgot the chorus, so he did The Hidee Hidee Ho bit. It went over so well, he just kept it in there
Wow! I have performed Minnie the Moocher probably 30-40 times. I did it with a live band on a Carnival Cruise ship, when they used to have the passenger lack of talent night. I had 1600 people singing hidee hidee hidee ho..it was great. Everybody loves that song
These two started this act on Saturday Night Live. It was so popular that they branched out into this campy movie. There are mutiple cameos of famous people in this movie.
At the 22:05 mark, the street musician is the great John Lee Hooker. He was the very first real bluesman that I ever heard. Rock bands covered the blues but he was it. He released an album in 1971 with Canned Heat called Hooker n Heat. Phenomenal album, it's a 9:00 minute song but listen to the song Boogie Chillen #2. Blind Owl from Canned Heat plays incredible harmonica. John Lee said he was the best blues harp player he ever heard. Incredible guitar and John Lee's singer. After 50+ years I still listen to it all the time!
The street dancing while Ray Charles is singing highlights the point that in the 60s there was a new dance craze almost every week. You had to get to know each one as it came out so you could look cool showing it off on Friday and Saturday night at the dance hall. As for the magical car tricks, there was a deleted scene where Elwood is shown parking the car in a shed housing a big electrical transformer which is powering the elevated trains. The suggestion is that the car draws energy from the transformer which allows it to perform the unreal stunts.
Magician/Stuntman Jonathan Pendragon did the backflips in the Church Service for John Bulushi.This movie is a wonderful historic record for future generations to see the greatest Blues Musicans of this era. Sadly, some are already gone but they will live forever through this movie.
The ultimate irony: blues music and country music have shared roots. One of the most successful blues songs ever, "Move Int On Over," was written by Hank Williams, one of the fathers of country music.
The backing band, Cropper, Murphy, Dunn, all those guys were in and out of the Memphis Horns and Booker T and the MGs. They were the session musicians on some of the most famous blues, soul, and R and B records for decades.
The Blues Brothers was a top notch band with Jake and Elwood fronting. They started as a skit on Saturday Night Live, back when it was worth watching. And they just grew from there. They had a massive album they put out, Briefcase Full of Blues which i had and loved.
The film was shot from Joliet, Illinois (south of Chicago), through the south suburbs of Chicago, into Chicago, and out in the north suburbs (Skokie, for one). The mall they drove through was Dixie Square Mall in Harvey (south suburb). At the time, it had been closed for a few years. The production company stocked it with around $1 million of merchandise so they could drive through the mall and crash through everything. That's why the line "This place has everything!" is so funny to anyone who grew up around there. You talk to anyone who lived around Chicago, and they could probably point out some part in the film they recognized as being around their home.
I’m really surprised by the reaction to the mall scene. I guess you had to grow up with malls like this because I laughed hilariously at this scene. These two just seem to be more concerned about how much jail time somebody would do.
@@danor6812 i used to think that that was on Roosevelt by the old State street police station,, but my friend in Milwaukee told me the same as you said.. so.. cool...
@@derrellstumpfel4363 That bridge sat unfinished for years. Because of this movie, they actually finished it. The movie brought publicity to the fact that the bridge sat unfinished for around 10 years.
The trumpet “cap” as is called a mute. That one specifically is a cup mute, traditionally most horn players use the end of a toilet plunger. There’s also a straight mute that gets inserted into the bell to made the higher, thinner sound.
@@joydawg - yep, I missed that one. I haven’t played in 20 years so I forget the name of that one. The plunger is more often used in place of a real wah-wah mute, but gives a similar sound.
So much reality in this - the mall was real (it was no longer open, but was a real mall), Maxwell Street was real (that market was shut down decades back, but the scene was accurate) - and shot without a permit. The prison is still standing, and is used in the Joliet minor league team's intros. This movie is as much a love letter to Chicago as to the blues and the musicians in the movie.
Being a Chicago native I've seen pretty much every location in this movie in person. I was a youngster when this came out, like 9. My mom was a huge fan of the Blues Brothers from Saturday Night Live, which is where they started as a skit and she took me to see this movie at least a dozen or more times and we also had the soundtrack on record and 8-Track, lol.
It's so ironic that I'm watching this today. This movie was one of my husband's favorites and today is his birthday. Unfortunately I lost him two years ago so this is bittersweet. That being said thank you for this reaction, it's made today a tiny bit easier. I am so glad you guys do this together and I think you have a beautiful family.
Steve Cropper was the dude who wrote “Knock on Wood” and “Midnight Hour” and co-wrote “Soul Man” and “Sitting at the Dock of the Bay”. Pure royalty here.
I was first introduced to Jake and Elwood by my late cousin around 1985 when I'd bought some replica B+L Wayfarers, she asked me "who'd you think you are? The Blues Brothers?". To this day, one of my favourite, go to, albums is "Briefcase Full Of Blues", not to mention this movie was the first time I heard many Blues classics - " Hold on, I'm comin'", "Can't turn you loose", and others. I think this movie held a long time record for the most cars destroyed in a movie.
The church scene is exactly as I remember it when I was growing up. My eldest sister was one of the nurses always present in case the Holy Ghost entered someone's body. This was back in the day when you went to Sunday School/Church on Sunday and Bible Study every Wednesday night. The church also prepared free lunches for kids during the summer. Man, I miss those days.😔
Forget everything else, Cab Calloway getting to perform "Minnie the Moocher" once more in his old age was the true gift this movie gave to us. Aretha was starting her rise. Ray Charles had just peaked. But this was Cab's last great chance to show us what he was all about. "Their demeanor is just so funny to me, that's why I like it." Yeah. The whole "Blues Brothers" thing originally started as a musical skit on Saturday Night Live from the very first season, and somehow it was both funny and awesome at the same time, so it worked somehow. Yeah, there's a lot of us who would have paid to see the Blues Brothers in concerts. But that's not a thing for any amount of money.
at one time this was the most expensive movie ever made......and with cameos from Twiggy, Steven Spielberg, John Candy, John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles, James Brown and Aretha Franklin, and Carrie Fisher among others, it couldnt fail! Crazy car chases, brilliant music, spectacular set piece dance routines and great comedy.........in case you hadn't noticed, I love this movie!!!!
This, without me knowing, was my favorite musical growing up. I thought it was a car chase movie, but when I got older I realized I was wrong. The old bluesman playing in the street was John Lee Hooker, the woman in the restaurant was Aretha Franklin & the older gentleman that looked like he might be the third Blues brother was Cab Calloway. This movie, while not the best ever, is a classic. Which is hard to do.
The blues brothers have the number one selling blues album to this day. Briefcase full of blues. They also revitalized a bunch of classic artists that were forgotten. Amazing movie.
I grew up in Chicago when this movie was made and released. Every scene in this movie is a familiar Chicago (or suburban) neighborhood. This movie went to the core of what it was like to be a Chicagoan in the 70s and early 80s.
Hear that! I grew up at the Electric Theater & & The Aragon "BRAWL " room. Also Wrigley Field.Spent more time there in the spring than in school.Grew up in Roger's Park.
@@petergeyer7584 I think we lived on Jefferson,in apts. on east side of Sheridan. Sorry,almost 70. Long time ago. 4 Heads head shop was right on the corner.
I was in the city when they did the car drop. My folks refused to believe when I told them what I saw. :) Also, one of my buddies (RIP Kurt) was one of the N*zis on the bridge. The whole thing isn't just a love letter to the music, but the entire Chicago area.
When they ran out of gas. ROUTE 59 . 1/4 MILE SOUTH OF 38. ROOSEVELT ROAD. MY SISTER DIED IN A CAR CRASH 5 MONTHS LATER. 1/4 MILE AWAY. TWIGGY WAS waiting at Westwind Motel. 1/2 mile east of there.
Great review. Although its silly, yet funny movie, it really is a tribute to Belushi and Akryod's love of the Blues and their heros. The look on their faces when they just stand and admire John Lee Hooker in the street. That's not acting. This movie really brought many of these great blues artist back into the spotlight that were starting to be forgotten including James Brown and Aretha.
Aretha Franklin, John Lee Hooker, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, BB King, James Brown, Steve Lawrence , Chaka Khan. So many great musicians in this movie. The soundtrack to this movie is full of superstars. What a hoot. Dan Akroyd and John Belushi are actually talented musicians. Just a classic. Next THE COMMITMENTS.Glad you enjoyed. Buckets of Maple Syrup love from Canada ❤️❤️ 🇨🇦 🇨🇦
YES, please watch the movie "The Commitments". One of my favorite movies of all time. Such great music throughout. Such an accurate depiction of how a band comes together and the trials of staying together. I have both albums from the soundtrack. Elvis said "please forgive my daddy".
I took my wonderful parents to see this in 1980. They didn’t care for the profanity but they enjoyed everything else. When Belushi died they knew who he was, and knew how much it would affect me. I miss them. 😢💔
Being born in Chicago and raised in the 1980s, this movie is so much of my identity. I know the dialogue and every song by heart! And a star you might have missed. Frank Oz (the inventory guy in jail) is Yoda in Star Wars 5 and 6.
So much talent in this movie. The Blues Brothers Band is essentially the musicians at Staxx records, part of Booker T and the MG's, that played in hundreds of hit records. And indeed you recognized some great stars, Cab Calloway is from a different generation, but i love his Minnie the Moocher.
This movie was credited with helping kick start the blues revival - and that led to a lot of the music being put on CDs when they became available years later. The Blues Brothers survived all those car chases because they were On a Mission from God. That's why the Bluesmobile didn't die until they no longer needed it. You can find the soundtrack on YT.
The actor checking Jake out of jail at 2 minutes and 10 seconds (bald head and mustache) is Frank Oz. The creator of Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and many more muppets.
They also sang the ultimate country song Stand By Your Man by 70’s Country Superstar Tammy Wynette she’s mostly known to sing with another country superstar George Jones
Y'all need to do some Tammy Wynette on your music station. Some of her other big hits (beside Stand By Your Man) are D-I-V-O-R-C-E, Apartment #9, Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad, and I Don't Wanna Play House. She was married for a time to George Jones and they puts out a lot of duets together.
We knew you would love it! I smiled the whole time. My youngest son has Asperger's Syndrome. He loves this movie and can pretty much quote it word for word. (Same thing with E.T.) Now I can't wait for you to see Coal Miner's Daughter. Alot of good music in that one, too.
I'm so happy that you guys did this movie. I had literally watched this movie hundreds of times while stationed overseas in 1984 and when I came back home I showed it to my Dad who had never seen it. He fell in love with it and would get on his feet and sing every time his favorite scene played, which was Aretha in the diner. Unfortunately, my Dad passed away the day before you guys did this movie reaction, so watching it now brings back amazing memories of my Dad blasting the volume while the movie played, my Mom telling him to turn it down, and my kids laughing at Poppa who's singing and dancing the whole time. Thank you for awakening the memory of what this movie means to me. Godspeed Pop. 😥
Back in the 80's, a group of us got together and decided this was the movie we'd put in a time capsule under "Comedy", because they really touched on every variation of comedy there is. There's subtle jokes, outrageous jokes, over the top jokes, action jokes. One of my all time favorites is when the Nazi driver turns to the Nazi leader when they're falling from the sky and says "I've always loved you." You know you're going to die, and these are the last words you'll hear on earth.
The nazis that wore those particular uniforms were called "Brown Shirts". They were massacred by the SS in an event called "The night of long knives". One of the reasons was their leader, Ernst Rohm, was said to be homosexual and Hitler didn't want them playing a prominent role in the Third Reich. Whether that was true or not is a matter of controversy. Homosexuals were also rounded up like The Jews, and forced to wear a pink triangle like The Jews had to wear a yellow Star of David.
Fun fact this movie was revolutionary in movie recording because they used sound tracks and lip singing prior to this but several of the cameos couldn't lip sing because they sing songs a little different every time, so the production team had to figure out how to record the performance in a single take.
@@vannederynen1 Hilarious! Either they are lying or you are mistaken. Where was the microphone? Her vocal volume doesn't vary one bit while she moves around. There is no way a mic boom could have captured it without variance. Another clue is the camera angles switched from one side of the room to the other and the cameras that took the shots were not in the frame so they must have been moved during the takes. Besides - you can find it on dozens of places on the internet where Landis talks about how difficult it was to get her to lip-synch and the number of takes it took. Landis: "I don't remember her being a diva or anything like that. I think she was kind of disappointed in the waitress costume --- we dressed her up in a faux Chanel suit for the sequel, which she was a lot happier about --- but she was actually a real soldier. The only complaint Aretha made was that there were too many takes and she had issues with lip-syncing. Like many great artists, she never sang a song the same way twice, so there were issues getting her to match her lips. But she pulled through." www.cinemablend.com/news/2455962/blues-brothers-director-reveals-what-aretha-franklin-was-like-on-set
The thing I love about this film is that Elwood is right. They ARE on a mission from God. From the moment they accept the calling at the church, nothing touches them. No matter how crazy the situation, they escape it, until they get the money in and get the receipt, THEN they get caught! LOL
@Raylan Givens Yes. The Pope declared it rich with 'Christian values'. I'm not a believer, but the fact that the Vatican gave it the proverbial thumbs up just floored me.
This was the first R-rated movie my parents let us kids watch. It's still a firm favorite of everyone in my family -- my brother, uncle and I just watched it for about the thousandth time a couple of weeks ago. It's a classic! Fun fact: Carrie Fisher was engaged to Dan Ackroyd when they were filming the movie.
I’m so glad to see that new people are watching this classic movie for so many reasons. The first SNL movie (when it actually was a good show with talented people on it), the comedy is gold, the music is actually done by real musicians (😮), etc. This was one of my dad’s favorites, and ages like wine
As bonkers as this movie is, the stories behind the making of it are even crazier. A real rabbit hole to read about how some of the scenes were filmed in real life (before computer effects!) right in the heart of downtown Chicago. Nearly every person with dialog is a music and/or movie legend from back in the day. So much fun watching you guys seeing for the first time. 😎👍
I read at the time the Mall they destroyed was scheduled for demolition so they used it. I mean, they had to pay to use the mall so the developers wouldn't have minded.
The one that blows my mind is the shot of the red Pinto falling past the Chicago skyline. I naturally assumed it was a scale model and a matte painting...nope! They dropped a goddamned Pinto from a helicopter (multiple times, to prove to aviation authorities the car wasn't going to sail off and land in the middle of the city instead of the target zone). Unreal.
@@knoahbody69 Yeah, they basically took a derelict shell, built it back up again, dressed all the stores and filled them with product, then trashed it. No wonder this movie cost nearly $30 million at a time when the average production was less than one third that amount.
If you watch the movie credits, it usually has all of the songs in the movie listed near the end. So depending on how you're watching it, you can just fast forward through most of the credits. The credits on older movies are not as long as current ones anyway. The further in decades you go back, the shorter they are.
The band members were all the real musicians first, playing under their real names here in the movie. Yes that was Arethra, and the guy playing the guitar on the street was John Lee Hooker, a blues legend. And if you didn't recognize the Cook County tax office clerk, it was Steven Speilberg Carrie Fisher was actually briefly engaged to Dan Akroyd after they made this movie. and was close friends with John Belushi, they both had lots of struggles with drugs, which they bonded over. Carrie actually hosted SNL in 1978, and the Blues Brothers were the music guest (Dan and John were cast members at the time) John Candy - Uncle Buck, Planes Trains and Automobiles, SPaceballs) The head of the IL Natsees is Henry Gibson - who was in a lot of stuff at the time.
Chicago! Still has a drawbridge or two over the river. The Aretha Franklin diner scene is worth the price of admission. This all grew out of Dan and John's shared love of blues music, an SNL skit they created, and the rest is history. They toured as the Blues Brothers, and even put out an album. The heavy set guy is John Candy, not Jim Belushi, and the bandleader is Cab Calloway.
The Blues singer in the street was my favorite bluesman, the Legendary John Lee Hooker doing his hit song “Boom Boom”, and I believe they also featured another great hit of his called “Boogie Chillen” shortly after that scene as they drive up to the Country & Western bar. You guys have heard him covered by George Thoroghgood doing “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer”. I’d love to see you guys react to some of his tunes, even at of those in the film as John Lee Hooker was an irreplaceable blues singer and musician, as was really ALL of the performers in this film. James Brown really deserves a deeper listen as well cause he has a lot of Superbad funky jammin’ tunes like “Get On The Good Foot”, “I Got The Feeling”, “I Can’t Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)”, “Hot Pants” and “Get On The Good Foot”. Loved your react to his intense and over the top ballad “Try Me”., and for more of that kind of JB passion, I’d really encourage you to check out “Lost Someone”, as the studio version itself is just a pure blast of solid power.
I really, REALLY got into the blues because of The Blues Brothers. When I heard John Lee Hooker, that was it for me. I looked up everything I could find by him and was kind of surprised about how many songs I've heard George Thoroghgood do that Hooker sang decades before. One of my favorites is I'm In the Mood for Love. th-cam.com/video/2MOL7Hjeys8/w-d-xo.html Then I find the one with Hooker and Bonnie Raitt. Oh man, different but every bit as good. th-cam.com/video/Si0teRtHY8o/w-d-xo.html&start_radio=1
The Blues Brothers Band, in case you're wondering, are some legendary musicians as well. The guitarists were Steve Cropper (Booker T and the MGs) and Matt Murphy (Chicago session player), Bass was Donald Duck Dunn (Also Booker T and the MGs), drummer was Willie Hall (The Bar-Kays), and the rest of the band was from the original Saturday Night Live band.
And the original keyboardist (the one you hear playing on the soundtrack, but not on film) was Paul Shaffer, whom they've seen before, playing keys on Earl Scruggs and Friends' "Foggy Mountain Breakdown." He wasn't available for the film due to contractual obligations or something.
Blue Lou Marini played sax on the Kennedy Center honors Led Zeppelin; Stairway to Heaven song with the Wilson (heart) sisters. You can see him in the background.
@@32202masterj Nah, he didn't team up with Letterman until Late Nite started, 3 years later. Paul was still at SNL when this was made. John dropped him the film.
So glad to see your reaction to one of my all-time fav movies. One of the absolute funniest to come out of the ‘80s. There are other really good movies with great soundtracks, but none as outrageously funny. You should check out “Hard Day’s Night” (The Beatles), “The Wall” (Pink Floyd), “Quadrophenia” (The Who), “Tommy” (The Who), “Saturday Night Fever” (The Bee Gees), and “Yellow Submarine ” (The Beatles). You guys are awesome, keep up the great work!
I saw Tommy in theaters @ 13 years old. (And then several more times later.) Much of that music I can still sing. Yellow Submarine I saw in 1969 when I was 6 or 7. 'Twas a better movie when I grew up. The premise for the D&D Portable Hole is from this movie.
What someone should have told you before you started the movie is that "everyone" in the movie, even with a small cameo part and a couple of the extras, is famous. All star cast. Even the guitar and bass player in the Blues Brothers band - Steve Cropper and Donal Duck Dunn from Booker T and the MGs. Chaka Khan was in the choir, Joe Walsh from The Eagles jumps on a table and dances in the final prison scene. And John Lee Hooker singing in the street scene. The leader of the Illinois Nazis was a famous comedian, Henry Gibson, from the television show Laugh In. And Cab Calloway from the Cotton Club!!! And Twiggy in the convertible sports car!! Most famous model from the 60s. And factually the biggest car chase scene ever in a movie.
Also the prison guy at the start was Frank Oz the voice and operator of Yoda and the guy at the end who they paid was Steven Speilberg
Frank Oz is the man of a thousand voices... Yoda, Miss Piggy, Grover, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam the Eagle,...
You forgot Frank Oz,the cop who let him out at the beginning.
Also Steven Spielberg at the end who processes the payment.
Don't forget Ray Charles as the pawn shop owner, and Aretha Franklin as the diner owner.
The singer who sang Minnie the Moocher was the legendary Cab Calloway III.
Also, as much as I LOVE this movie, I get a little sad when I realize how many of the cast, the band and the cameos are no longer with us.
Figured this was your movie, since yall did Cab Calloway reaction
It is sad how many artists we have lost, but this film immortalizes their performances.
Ya'll have reacted to Cab Calloway & the Nicholas Brothers. The one thar sang Minnie the Moocher.
I named my dog Minnie the Moocher, because my former dog Heidi loved it when I sang her that song. My other dog is named Belushi. Can you guess my favorite movie?
Cab sang in several Bette Boop cartoons from the 30's
I watched this movie with my daughter when she was about 14. After the James Brown scene she said "I want to go to a church like that!" and I said "Baby, everyone wants to go to a church like that"
I had a similar experience with my mother! I had never been to church and asked my mom (raised in the Mormon Church) if church was like that? She said, “If it was, I’d go back in a heartbeat.”
This is one of my dad's favorite movies. I'm autistic and always ended up bored in church due to the lack of stimulation, so I told him that if church was more like that, I wouldn't mind going.
Church is not entertainment
I'm blessed. My home is surrounded by God literally! There's synagogue adjacent to my backyard. Around the corner is a AME church. Walking to my Catholic church, I pass a Baptist church. Around the corner from my Catholic church, is another AME church and yet another Baptist Church. A Greek Orthodox, a Episcopalian, a Lutheran Church. I could continue. The city is Charleston, SC. Known as the "Holy City" because if you walked or better yet biked through downtown, you would see churches everywhere!
I was 12 years old when in 1980 I kept nagging my parents to allow me to go see a movie because Princess Leia was in. They allowed me to go see it on my own... And from the very opening notes of Matt "Guitar" Murphy droning that A# and the section coming in The Blues Brothers changed my life. I took a hammer to m piggy bank that very night and bought the soundtrack the next day. I took up guitar lessons a week after and to this day 40 years later I'm still playing the blues. So thank Carrie Fisher for taking that role, without her I'd have become a square.
Cool.
I loved your story.
John Belushi found all the original artists for each song they recorded for this and three albums and transferred all the profits and royalties to them. This movie revitalized a lot of thier careers and reawakened america to check out blues. It also created the chain of House of Blues music halls
I'm for all those that John Belushi did to help their careers and helped the three albums and transferred all the profits and royalties to them. It really makes me feel good to see John Belushi was doing this movie to help others besides himself. Thanks for sharing that information.
@@angelacarleton9575 there's an issue of Rolling Stone filled with these stories in a tribute to his life. He was a humble and generous person that shone a little too bright
@@angelacarleton9575 John genuinely fell in love with the blues after meeting a local blues singer in Oregon while filming Animal House. This was all about love for the music and keeping it alive ❤
@@osovagabundo1 I love this comment, so many people just see him as a sleezy drug addict and he was so much more than that ❤
its people from the original SNL band
If anyone's interested, "Blue Lou" Marini (the fry cook) is alive and well and still killing it. I saw him a month ago playing for James Taylor. Incredible musician.
💯💯💯💯💯
and donald "duck" dunn is on like 509 jazz albums. this cast was stacked
And he is EVERYWHERE... if you watch a band with a sax player... gray hair/gray moustache... it is Blue Lou.... and a graduate of the University of North Texas (used to be North Texas State University) and member of the NTSU 1 O'Clock Lab Band.....
He was in the Lincoln center Led Zepplin tribute in Stairway to Heaven with Heart too
@@markmyers6472 Tom Malone (trombone player) played with Lou Marini in the One O'Clock Lab Band at North Texas.
One of the best films ever to see in a theater.
Oh, Aretha. Seeing her in this movie was a shock. Her stage presence was always really big, with huge glittery outifts and big-ass hats. She was THERE on stage, so seeing here like this - no makeup, no costume, no HAT - singing in a dingy diner took some mental downsizing! But as soon as she started singing, WOW. The Queen Of Everything, Ever and Ever.
Oh, okay. They could've done it like a dream sequence but maybe they didn't have time or it was Aretha's Choice to do it that way.
poor horn player, he worked hard so learn the step the back up singers were doing, then got cut because he was too high on the diners counter
One of my favorite scenes in the movie!!!!
And here she was wearing a stained waitress dress, and slip-on slippers.
@@knoahbody69 No, it was in the script. It's part of the story. You know, the plot of the movie?
Dan Akroyd loved the blues, and this movie was a love letter to all these musicians he respected deeply and thought deserved their flowers at a time when the US was in the midst of the metal backlash against the disco and R&B of the 70s. As everyone else has said, they're _all_ famous. The cameos in this movie are legendary. Everything about this movie is legendary. They _actually_ dropped a car out of the sky. They held the world record for most vehicles destroyed in a chase scene for a long time, too. This movie was my introduction to the blues, and the beginning of my love for it, and it is still, hands down, the best cheer up movie for a bad day in my book. Always happy to see new people enjoying it for the first time! And seriously, just go buy the whole soundtrack.
John Belushi did to thats why they started the group.
That Pinto was FAA Approved even!
@@Phantomsbreath I read about this on another reactor's channel from another commenter - if I recall correctly, in order to drop a car from that altitude, it literally HAS be checked out by the FAA. Exactly WHY something that is NOT flying. Is not DESIGNED to fly. Is - in fact - going to drop like a stone - would need FAA Clearance was unclear to me. At a guess - it may have more to do with the "airworthiness" of the Pinto as it's slung under the helicopter BEFORE it's dropped? (Shrug)
I think the most interesting part of this movie is that there was no CGI involved in this movie. The mall scene was them driving through a mall. The back flips and dancing were done by the actors.
Fun fact, the movie that broke the car record was blues brothers 2000 and it still holds that record
The "Theme to Rawhide" was the actual theme to the tv western classic (1959 to 1965) that made a star out of a very young Clint Eastwood.
Well, Clint Eastwood became a star with Sergio Leone's western movies, after Rawhide
I watch rawhide every Saturday with my husband at breakfast.
Am I the only person who loves the RAWHIDE theme? 😃🙄😃
@@robyfiorili He became a movie star and international star with the Sergio Leone movies, but Rawhide got up to the #6th most watched show in the country in 1960-61, so still think he became a star as far as American audiences go.
Definitely not a musical star though.
th-cam.com/video/cp8VapvSZdE/w-d-xo.html
1. "She Caught the Katy" The Blues Brothers with lead vocals by Jake Blues 4:10
2. "Peter Gunn Theme" The Blues Brothers Band 3:46
3. "Gimme Some Lovin'" The Blues Brothers with lead vocals by Jake Blues 3:06
4. "Shake a Tail Feather" Ray Charles with the Blues Brothers (Jake and Elwood, backing vocals) 2:48
5. "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" The Blues Brothers (Jake Blues, lead vocals; Elwood Blues, harmonica and vocals) 3:21
6. "The Old Landmark" James Brown and the Rev. James Cleveland Choir (additional choir vocals by Chaka Khan credited in the film) 2:56
7. "Think" Aretha Franklin & the Blues Brothers with backing vocals by Brenda Corbett, Margaret Branch, Carolyn Franklin, Jake, and Elwood 3:13
8. "Theme from Rawhide" Elwood, Jake, and the Blues Brothers Band 2:37
9. "Minnie the Moocher" Cab Calloway with the Blues Brothers Band 3:23
10. "Sweet Home Chicago" The Blues Brothers with lead vocals by Jake Blues (dedicated to the musician Magic Sam) 7:48
11. "Jailhouse Rock" Jake Blues & the Blues Brothers (Over the closing credits in the film, verses are sung by James Brown, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and "crew")
Thanks for taking the time to put this list in!!!
Where's John Lee Hooker's number before they visit Ray Charles?
The blues riff at the start in prison is "Somebody Loan Me a Dime" by Fenton Robinson, and John Lee Hooker's "Boogie Chillen" is used twice in the film.
There was a fourth song performed at Bob's Country Bunker but it was removed from the final cut, the band played "Sink the Bismarck".
legend for typing it out i was about to do it haha
Just realised this list is just the soundtrack so it's missing "Boom Boom" by John Lee Hooker, "Soothe Me" and "Hold On, I'm Coming" by Sam and Dave, "Quando, Quando, Quando" and "Just the Way You Are" by Murph and the Magictones, "Stand By Your Man" performed by the Blues Brothers...ok I could keep listing songs all day but I have to go to work, there's a lot more 😅
Fun fact: the officer in the opening scene that returns Jake’s property is none other than the great and powerful Frank Oz. Director of “Analize This” “The Score” and many others. He has cameos in all of John Landis’s movies. He is most famous as voice actor of several Muppet and Sesame Street characters as well as the voice of Yoda in Star Wars. There is a reference to Miss Piggy at a toy store. Frank Oz also does the voice of Miss Piggy
Oz directed Little Shop of Horrors - another must see!!
He has an awesome cameo as the estate lawyer in Knives Out.
Fozzie Bear & Yoda as well, which was hilarious to me as a small boy since I'd watched a ton of the muppet show before seeing yoda for the first time in empire and instantly recognised the voice.
He also did the voice Grover, the toy the customer was holding
I hate to nitpick, but Harold Ramis was the director of “Analyze This”. Frank Oz did direct “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”, “Bowfinger”, and “Little Shop of Horrors” as well as “The Score”
I’ve always loved the line,”We’ve got both kinds, Country and Western”😅
So, so, so HORRIBLE, yet funny all the same. I get shivers up my spine every time I hear it.
its a legendary line i stole from that movie that i used all the time around my peers to make them laugh if they complained about any kind of music!
Dan Ackroyd and producer John Landis , kept blues alive with this film and kept guys in work as blues artists throughout the world through the 80s and into the 90s . That is the legacy of the film, they did it again in 2000 God bless um
Dan also opened the House of Blues, restaurants that continue that great traditions of rhythm and blues music.
@@vapoet Absolutely, well said
@@vapoet He also did a House of Blues radio show to showcase great Blues.
They did more than keep it alive, they brought American Blues back to life.
@@beaux2585 That's the problem with the F.. internet Go back and read my post again or ask someone to explain it to you.
Jay, the actor you thought was Jim Belushi was actually the fabulous John Candy! Another comedian we lost far too early. You guys will LOVE Planes, Trains and Automobiles. One of John Candy's best movies, though he had a number of great ones.
Every time I watch that movie I laugh until my jaws hurt.
Then I keep laughing.
Please please PLEASE do this movie for Thanksgiving! I mean, I know life is crazy around holidays, so a week before, week after, hey it's all good. But you'll love it to pieces.
Uncle Buck
SCTV
"Sorry folks, the park's closed! The moose out front should have told you. "
"Take this quarter, go downtown and have a rat gnaw that thing off your face!"
Two of the greatest Candy lines ever.
For non-motorheads......when an engine "throws a rod", it breaks a connecting rod. A connecting rod connects the piston to the crankshaft. The rod is usually sent sideways through the block, shooting out oil and sometimes coolant with it. They were running on 7 cylinders and losing oil. But, they were on a mission from god, so they made it.
No, they were on a mission from"Gyad".
:Ga'ad"
Teach!
Wait, I thought that "throwing a rod," referred to the rod that is pushed up by the cam that lifts a rocker arm. It gets shot through the valve cover.
@@leewriter4656 That is a push rod. I have only seen those drill their way through the rocker arm and stay there, because they moved beyond the reach of the valve lifter. Lobe lift seldom exceeds .338" on a stock engine from the time period. Pretty short throw, compared to a 3.75" stroke crankshaft, moving at 2X the speed of the camshaft.
The movie's director, John Landis, said that he wanted to create a car chase that was "bigger and better" than anything that had been seen before. He also wanted to show the Blues Brothers as being "outlaws" who were willing to do whatever it took to get what they wanted. The car chase scene in "The Blues Brothers" is now considered to be one of the most iconic car chases in movie history.
Well, it's less of a chase and more of a.... demolition derby. But still
The mall in the start of the car chase was scheduled to be demolished, so they let the film crew trash it by running cars through it.
It's too bad we lost John Belushi at such a young age. He was a star on the original Saturday Night Live program that started in the mid-1970s. One other movie that I loved him in was a Steven Spielberg film called "1941." It made me laugh so much I was almost in pain at the end of the movie. Unfortunately, 1941 was considered to be a flop and it's rarely shown - but I LOVED it!
I LOVE 1941..........Belushi is absolutely manic in it.the movie is absolutely crazy but its so watchable because you are literally constantly wondering just what on earth is going to happen next......
HOLLYWOOOOOD!!!!
Don't forget his performance in "Animal House"
Dan Akroyd too was a star on SNL.
I freaking love 1941 !! Even Spielberg himself won’t sand up for it 😏 Great film
Forever grateful for the Minnie the Moocher sequence that showcases the legendary Cab Calloway in high fidelity but also having the phenomenal trumpet of Alan Rubin in this mix is another gem as well...The musicianship of the Blues Brothers is on full display in this film which is more than a comedy with Police car chases.
He's so iconic, they had to talk him into doing Minnie The Moocher and the Zoot suit because he thought that that was too old fashioned and in the past.
@@Eis_Bear Really? I've never heard that. Can you provide a credible source for that claim?
@@BobSoltis1 John Landis talks about it in the 2012 documentary "Cab Calloway: Sketches". Cab wanted to do his 'modern' Disco version of the song, which was released just prior to the start of shooting. He and Landis had a bit of an argument over it, in the end he did the classic version but wasn't really happy about it.
@@Eis_Bear - Thanks for the info!
I recently learned that Cab was Ja'net Dubois's father.
The Blues Brothers, started by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, began as a SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE sketch, incorporating the SNL band, then lead by Paul Schaffer. After the success of ANIMAL HOUSE (1978), Universal was looking to capitalize on John Belushi and John Landis, and they came to them with THE BLUES BROTHERS (1980) written by Dan.
The boys and the band were real musicians and great fans of the blues, and this was their way of giving back to the music and artist they loved by featuring them, and in some cases (Like Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway) reviving their careers.
It was the most expensive comedy ever made, at its time, costing $22 million dollars, and holds the record for the most cars crashed in a film.
And the less said about the 1998 sequel the better
@@RYMAN1321 The sequel is not good but the music in it is.
I remember the original bee outfits... Ray-Ban Wayfarers are better.... ;-)
@@RYMAN1321 Admittedly the sequel was not a good movie, but it did have some really good music in it.
"This is car 55. We're in a truck."
Best line in movie history ever.
It's a good line, but it's not even the best line in _this_ movie. After all, this is the same movie that features the line "It’s 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark... and we’re wearing sunglasses."
Call out to the old show "Car 54,Where are you?"
Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING about this movie is genius. Arguably one of the best films in American cinema history
You speak great truth. This movie revitalized the careers of many great musicians and singers. It was far more than the sum of its parts.
Hard to believe it's been 42 years.....
@@xaenon they were on a mission from God.
Jesus. It's tedious. I'll grant that it's a showcase of stars, but the rest is tedious.
@@bobbabai you're deluded
Watch Trains Planes and Automobiles. One of the best John Candy movies with Steve Martin. It’s a Thanksgiving movie, perfect timing to queue it up in a couple of months!
I just thought of this movie last night when I was in the airport Parking lot and heard a train nearby, lol
Those aren’t pillows!
no, but i do have 2 dollars and a casio...
We laughed so much the first time we saw PTA!
@@williamswiniuch7527 How bout them bears?
This movie was actually super important at reintroducing classic blues and R&B artists to the world. In 1980, most of the artists who got cameos in this film were really brought back to pop culture after a decade or more of being forgotten.
Yeah, the Blues Brothers as an act was started on SNL by John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd. Some were critical about the two white men "culturally appropriating" Black Music, but they popularized Otis Redding and other hardcore blues acts. Michael Jackson, Prince, Cee Lo Green, and Bruno Mars are heavily influenced by James Brown, Arethra Franklin, and Cab Calloway.
The little kid reaching for the guitar is De'voreaux White who would later play Argyle in Die Hard, the character that drives the limo with Bruce Willis around.
Wait? Seriously?! Dude! I didn’t know that!
I can't think of any movie that does such a good job of low-key showcasing so many people that laid the foundation for American music the last 70 years or so. Just such a joy to watch.
I think I’ve watched this movie over a hundred times. It never gets old. Glad to see younger people enjoy it.
The only movie I've seen more times is Back to the Future
@@MortenSjgren Animal House is second to the Blues Brothers, then Caddy Shack as to seen the most times... Die Hard, and then all of Clint Eastwood's spaghetti westerns
That was Sam and Dave
This movie has one of my favorite lines ever. "How often does the train go by?" "So often you won't even notice it."
And it's true. Over the years I have lived near train tracks and you get used to the sound. If you pay attention you can tell the difference between passenger & freight but mostly it's just background noise. lol
It's like being in the RAF. You get to sleep through the 0200 take off and landings, cuz you get so used to the noise.
My favorite: it’s a 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark, and we’re wearing sunglasses. Hit it!
I was on my honeymoon in Eugene, Oregon at this beautiful hotel. We went down for dinner and they had a show and it was the Blues Brothers. They were testing out their act before they did it on SNL. So much fun.
My personal favorite detail was how they were immune to damage or capture because they truly were on a "mission from God." Every single thing holds to that until it's no longer needed. Right up until the end, no enemy can catch or harm them. Their car doesn't give out until they're literally outside their destination to pay the $5,000, despite clearly pulling off impossible feats the entire movie. And the cuffs aren't put on them until a second after the payment receipt is stamped.
I love that you got that... the power of God cannot be denied and God`s will be done, all wrapped up in a comedy. Peace and brother love to you and all.
I saw the Blues Brothers in concert August 1, 1980 while on vacation in CA. Just by luck the concierge at our hotel had 2 tickets and couldn’t go and sold them to us at face value. Since March of 1969, 9 days before my 13 birthday, I have been to 191 concerts from every genre, and their show was by far the most entertaining and memorable. Their interaction with the audience and one another was spot on. In character the entire show. John really did cartwheels. And Dan really can play the harmonica that well.
Cool
That's awesome. That story makes my heart smile!
Oh, I envy you for that...
Saw them in Denver that same year. They were amazing and, yes, Belushi did cartwheels ,
The best musical comedy ever made. I don't know if it will EVER be possible again to bring together so so many musical superstars into one hilarious film. Enjoy it because you'll never see its like again
When they tried to make the sequel.....well...it didn't really work did it? The only joke I thought was mildly humorous was John Popper getting repeatedly blown off by Elwood. If it was banjos, it'd be exactly like Steve Martin in a comic role telling Earl Scruggs to "hey get lost old man".
@@professornuke7562 although Steve Martin does play a mean banjo in his own write. The only banjo player I have ever seen that's fast the Earl Scruggs is Mean Mary... th-cam.com/video/6CNB5OLUPM0/w-d-xo.html
Also, the Blues Brothers Band is LEGIT made up of some very fine musicians. They aren’t just actors pretending to play. Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn, Alan Rubin, Lou Marini …. Those guys are serious players for real. Highly respected in music circles.
RIP DUCK
Tom "Bones" Malone, Blue Lou Marini, Willie "Too Big" Hall, Matt Guitar Murphy, Murphy Dunn
The Stax Records house band, AKA the MGs of Booker and the MGs. Played the instruments on hundreds of records in some combination or another.
Duck was a huge influence on my playing.
@@nathanwahl9224I saw them backing Otis Redding at the Monterey Pop Festival!
This movie is a damn classic. This was back when SNL had the most talented comedians, and the fact that they got so many blues titans to cameo (and play main parts!) and sing and play just makes this movie such a fun experience. They don't make them like this anymore.
The song at 10:41 is “Sooth me” by Sam and Dave fallowed by “Hold on! I’m a comin’” (one of my favorite songs), also by Sam and Dave. 16:35 is “Let the good times roll” by Louis Jordan. 22:15 “Boom Boom” actually performed by John Lee Hooker. 26:36 “Boogie Chillen” also by John Lee Hooker. 28:02 “Your cheatin’ heart” by Kitty Wells. 34:03 “I’m walkin’” by Fats Domino.
"Hold on! I'm a comin'" is such an amazing song.
Sam and Dave were part of the Memphis sound from Stax Records. "Play it, Steve" from the song "Soul Man" was said to Steve Cropper, the bearded guy in the band of this movie. "Duck" Dunn played bass in the band, and the Stax band agreed to a tour of Europe in '67 in part because they could get 2 free suits.
This movie will never get old. John is still missed so much. It was so sad losing him. No matter how many time you see it, it never gets old. The greats in this movie are amazing.
It is a classic
The bandleader in white was Cab Calloway - you reviewed his song “Jumpin’ Jive” with the amazing dancers The Nicholas Brothers from 1943’s Stormy Weather… so amazing! Oh, and the big blond guy with the cops was John Candy - a really great comedian in his own right.
I was wondering why they said they didn't know him lol
1980 was a great year, the year I graduated high school. “The Blues Brothers”, “Caddyshack”, and “Airplane!”
Same!!
I graduated in ‘81 and my high school years were filled with some of the best movies ever! Classics!
The Empire Strikes Back.
"I would pay to see this band!" As anyone should; that band was full of legends.
The old man who performed Minnie the Moocher could legit be called a "OG" - he was one of the first people to do scat - Cab Calloway. He is so fundamental to so much modern music - he started in the 1920s. If Cab had not been around there never would been a Prince or a Micheal Jackson. Another neat fact - at the end of Cab's life, Micheal Jackson covered all his medical bills.
There has never been, nor will ever be, someone as incredible as Cab Calloway.
Yes he led a Swing Band during the Big Band era in the late 1920s early 1940s era. So influential on what came after.
@@bobsylvester88my German Dad had just hit the States in ‘38 escaping the Nazis. The first thing he did was to go see Cab at The Savoy in Harlem. Very Blues Brothers!
1. 'She Caught the Katy' - The Blues Brothers
2. 'Peter Gunn Theme' - The Blues Brothers Band
3. 'Gimme Some Lovin'' - The Blues Brothers
4. 'Shake a Tail Feather' - Ray Charles and the Blues Brothers
5. 'Everybody Needs Somebody to Love' - The Blues Brothers
6. 'The Old Landmark' - James Brown
7. 'Think' - Aretha Franklin and The Blues Brothers
8. 'Theme from Rawhide' - The Blues Brothers
9. 'Minnie the Moocher' - Cab Calloway and The Blues Brothers Band
10. 'Sweet Home Chicago' - The Blues Brothers
11. 'Jailhouse Rock' - The Blues Brothers (the film version has verses by James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Cab Calloway)
The film also had songs by Sam & Dave, Fats Domino, John Lee Hooker and Louis Jordan.
Thank You guys, for making me and my wife feel really OLD!! I'm 73 and she is 67, and we both were smiling and laughing at you two guys reactions. Priceless!!! Not knowing some, if not most of the Musicians/Stars. Being so young (to us you are young) and not knowing things that we just take for granted at our age was a great trip down memory lane. THANK YOU! LOVE you guys
One of the (many) great things about this film is that it featured almost EVERY form of music; from rock, to blues, soul, county, classical and more - even elevator music!
But NO Caribbean.
Country _and_ Western.
Yes! Being European, for me, one of the funniest things was Wagner in the background of Nazi's flying car... Not sure how much kids today know about him and his music.
A noter que dans l'ascenseur, c'est quand même "The Girl From Ipanema" qu'on entend, le morceau le plus communément répandu dans le monde de la musique brésilienne d'Antônio Carlos Jobim. C'est d'autant plus drôle que la "musique d'ascenseur" a plutôt une connotation péjorative habituellement.
When Can Calloway first performed Minnie the Moocher (in 1931) he forgot the chorus, so he did The Hidee Hidee Ho bit. It went over so well, he just kept it in there
My dad saw him do it in Harlem in ‘38!
Wow! I have performed Minnie the Moocher probably 30-40 times. I did it with a live band on a Carnival Cruise ship, when they used to have the passenger lack of talent night. I had 1600 people singing hidee hidee hidee ho..it was great. Everybody loves that song
These two started this act on Saturday Night Live. It was so popular that they branched out into this campy movie. There are mutiple cameos of famous people in this movie.
At the 22:05 mark, the street musician is the great John Lee Hooker. He was the very first real bluesman that I ever heard. Rock bands covered the blues but he was it. He released an album in 1971 with Canned Heat called Hooker n Heat. Phenomenal album, it's a 9:00 minute song but listen to the song Boogie Chillen #2. Blind Owl from Canned Heat plays incredible harmonica. John Lee said he was the best blues harp player he ever heard. Incredible guitar and John Lee's singer. After 50+ years I still listen to it all the time!
I know every line, every scene every song and every dance move. I still do the dances to this day since I first saw it on the big screen.
The street dancing while Ray Charles is singing highlights the point that in the 60s there was a new dance craze almost every week. You had to get to know each one as it came out so you could look cool showing it off on Friday and Saturday night at the dance hall. As for the magical car tricks, there was a deleted scene where Elwood is shown parking the car in a shed housing a big electrical transformer which is powering the elevated trains. The suggestion is that the car draws energy from the transformer which allows it to perform the unreal stunts.
Magician/Stuntman Jonathan Pendragon did the backflips in the Church Service for John Bulushi.This movie is a wonderful historic record for future generations to see the greatest Blues Musicans of this era. Sadly, some are already gone but they will live forever through this movie.
The ultimate irony: blues music and country music have shared roots. One of the most successful blues songs ever, "Move Int On Over," was written by Hank Williams, one of the fathers of country music.
I love it when the younger generation discovers classic gold like this.
The backing band, Cropper, Murphy, Dunn, all those guys were in and out of the Memphis Horns and Booker T and the MGs. They were the session musicians on some of the most famous blues, soul, and R and B records for decades.
Jake: "How often do the trains come by?"
Elwood: "So often you won't even notice."
The Blues Brothers was a top notch band with Jake and Elwood fronting. They started as a skit on Saturday Night Live, back when it was worth watching. And they just grew from there. They had a massive album they put out, Briefcase Full of Blues which i had and loved.
The film was shot from Joliet, Illinois (south of Chicago), through the south suburbs of Chicago, into Chicago, and out in the north suburbs (Skokie, for one). The mall they drove through was Dixie Square Mall in Harvey (south suburb). At the time, it had been closed for a few years. The production company stocked it with around $1 million of merchandise so they could drive through the mall and crash through everything. That's why the line "This place has everything!" is so funny to anyone who grew up around there. You talk to anyone who lived around Chicago, and they could probably point out some part in the film they recognized as being around their home.
I’m really surprised by the reaction to the mall scene. I guess you had to grow up with malls like this because I laughed hilariously at this scene. These two just seem to be more concerned about how much jail time somebody would do.
And the bridge that the Nazi's drive off, is in Milwaukee. It sat unfinished by the Summerfest grounds for years.
@@danor6812 i used to think that that was on Roosevelt by the old State street police station,, but my friend in Milwaukee told me the same as you said.. so.. cool...
Joliet . A testament to the first French explorer's to that land .
@@derrellstumpfel4363 That bridge sat unfinished for years. Because of this movie, they actually finished it. The movie brought publicity to the fact that the bridge sat unfinished for around 10 years.
The trumpet “cap” as is called a mute. That one specifically is a cup mute, traditionally most horn players use the end of a toilet plunger. There’s also a straight mute that gets inserted into the bell to made the higher, thinner sound.
A “wa-wa” mute?
@@joydawg - yep, I missed that one. I haven’t played in 20 years so I forget the name of that one. The plunger is more often used in place of a real wah-wah mute, but gives a similar sound.
So much reality in this - the mall was real (it was no longer open, but was a real mall), Maxwell Street was real (that market was shut down decades back, but the scene was accurate) - and shot without a permit. The prison is still standing, and is used in the Joliet minor league team's intros. This movie is as much a love letter to Chicago as to the blues and the musicians in the movie.
Being a Chicago native I've seen pretty much every location in this movie in person. I was a youngster when this came out, like 9. My mom was a huge fan of the Blues Brothers from Saturday Night Live, which is where they started as a skit and she took me to see this movie at least a dozen or more times and we also had the soundtrack on record and 8-Track, lol.
Yuppers!
It's so ironic that I'm watching this today. This movie was one of my husband's favorites and today is his birthday. Unfortunately I lost him two years ago so this is bittersweet. That being said thank you for this reaction, it's made today a tiny bit easier. I am so glad you guys do this together and I think you have a beautiful family.
Steve Cropper was the dude who wrote “Knock on Wood” and “Midnight Hour” and co-wrote “Soul Man” and “Sitting at the Dock of the Bay”. Pure royalty here.
Damn- I had no idea! And to think teen me saw him and Duck backing up Otis in Monterey!
He was also on Booker T and the MGs, who did the song “Green Onions.”
I was first introduced to Jake and Elwood by my late cousin around 1985 when I'd bought some replica B+L Wayfarers, she asked me "who'd you think you are? The Blues Brothers?". To this day, one of my favourite, go to, albums is "Briefcase Full Of Blues", not to mention this movie was the first time I heard many Blues classics - " Hold on, I'm comin'", "Can't turn you loose", and others. I think this movie held a long time record for the most cars destroyed in a movie.
The church scene is exactly as I remember it when I was growing up. My eldest sister was one of the nurses always present in case the Holy Ghost entered someone's body. This was back in the day when you went to Sunday School/Church on Sunday and Bible Study every Wednesday night. The church also prepared free lunches for kids during the summer. Man, I miss those days.😔
Forget everything else, Cab Calloway getting to perform "Minnie the Moocher" once more in his old age was the true gift this movie gave to us. Aretha was starting her rise. Ray Charles had just peaked. But this was Cab's last great chance to show us what he was all about.
"Their demeanor is just so funny to me, that's why I like it." Yeah. The whole "Blues Brothers" thing originally started as a musical skit on Saturday Night Live from the very first season, and somehow it was both funny and awesome at the same time, so it worked somehow.
Yeah, there's a lot of us who would have paid to see the Blues Brothers in concerts. But that's not a thing for any amount of money.
Cab Calloway is seemingly God or an angel in this film. What a perfect choice for God in a musicians movie.
at one time this was the most expensive movie ever made......and with cameos from Twiggy, Steven Spielberg, John Candy, John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles, James Brown and Aretha Franklin, and Carrie Fisher among others, it couldnt fail! Crazy car chases, brilliant music, spectacular set piece dance routines and great comedy.........in case you hadn't noticed, I love this movie!!!!
They demolished a mall.
💯% agree
You beat me to it!
This was the first movie out of the SNL crew Most of the band was from the show and it's one of the best movies ever
This, without me knowing, was my favorite musical growing up. I thought it was a car chase movie, but when I got older I realized I was wrong. The old bluesman playing in the street was John Lee Hooker, the woman in the restaurant was Aretha Franklin & the older gentleman that looked like he might be the third Blues brother was Cab Calloway. This movie, while not the best ever, is a classic. Which is hard to do.
Aretha's the goddess of music. Love her so much in this movie! ❤
its a masterpeice of 70s 'soul music'
Ray Charles at Rays Music Exchange
Gotta love that Steven Spielberg cameo at the end. I absolutely love this film.
Rawhide TV series 1959..... early role for Clint Eastwood as Rowdy Yates
The blues brothers have the number one selling blues album to this day. Briefcase full of blues. They also revitalized a bunch of classic artists that were forgotten. Amazing movie.
I grew up in Chicago when this movie was made and released. Every scene in this movie is a familiar Chicago (or suburban) neighborhood. This movie went to the core of what it was like to be a Chicagoan in the 70s and early 80s.
Hear that! I grew up at the Electric Theater & & The Aragon "BRAWL " room. Also Wrigley Field.Spent more time there in the spring than in school.Grew up in Roger's Park.
@@kevinsmith4429 That's funny. I was born in Roger's Park and lived there until I was 7. Half a block from the lake. Great place to be a kid.
@@petergeyer7584 I think we lived on Jefferson,in apts. on east side of Sheridan. Sorry,almost 70. Long time ago. 4 Heads head shop was right on the corner.
I was in the city when they did the car drop. My folks refused to believe when I told them what I saw. :) Also, one of my buddies (RIP Kurt) was one of the N*zis on the bridge. The whole thing isn't just a love letter to the music, but the entire Chicago area.
When they ran out of gas. ROUTE 59 . 1/4 MILE SOUTH OF 38. ROOSEVELT ROAD. MY SISTER DIED IN A CAR CRASH 5 MONTHS LATER. 1/4 MILE AWAY. TWIGGY WAS waiting at Westwind Motel. 1/2 mile east of there.
Great review. Although its silly, yet funny movie, it really is a tribute to Belushi and Akryod's love of the Blues and their heros. The look on their faces when they just stand and admire John Lee Hooker in the street. That's not acting. This movie really brought many of these great blues artist back into the spotlight that were starting to be forgotten including James Brown and Aretha.
Aretha Franklin, John Lee Hooker, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, BB King, James Brown, Steve Lawrence , Chaka Khan.
So many great musicians in this movie.
The soundtrack to this movie is full of superstars. What a hoot. Dan Akroyd and John Belushi are actually talented musicians. Just a classic. Next THE COMMITMENTS.Glad you enjoyed. Buckets of Maple Syrup love from Canada ❤️❤️ 🇨🇦 🇨🇦
YES, please watch the movie "The Commitments". One of my favorite movies of all time. Such great music throughout. Such an accurate depiction of how a band comes together and the trials of staying together. I have both albums from the soundtrack. Elvis said "please forgive my daddy".
Yes….The Commitments is a must watch!
The Commitments --- YES YES YES!!
Hell ya for the Commitments. Irish Humor and killer music.
I took my wonderful parents to see this in 1980. They didn’t care for the profanity but they enjoyed everything else. When Belushi died they knew who he was, and knew how much it would affect me. I miss them. 😢💔
Being born in Chicago and raised in the 1980s, this movie is so much of my identity. I know the dialogue and every song by heart! And a star you might have missed. Frank Oz (the inventory guy in jail) is Yoda in Star Wars 5 and 6.
The clerk taking the money at the end was none other than Steven Spielberg.
So much talent in this movie. The Blues Brothers Band is essentially the musicians at Staxx records, part of Booker T and the MG's, that played in hundreds of hit records. And indeed you recognized some great stars, Cab Calloway is from a different generation, but i love his Minnie the Moocher.
This movie was credited with helping kick start the blues revival - and that led to a lot of the music being put on CDs when they became available years later.
The Blues Brothers survived all those car chases because they were On a Mission from God. That's why the Bluesmobile didn't die until they no longer needed it.
You can find the soundtrack on YT.
Yup, why they survived the bazooka, flame thrower and full magazine from a machine gun.
@@jeffreywillis4258 Fully automatic rifle, NOT a "machine gun". There's a difference.
The actor checking Jake out of jail at 2 minutes and 10 seconds (bald head and mustache) is Frank Oz. The creator of Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and many more muppets.
They also sang the ultimate country song Stand By Your Man by 70’s Country Superstar Tammy Wynette she’s mostly known to sing with another country superstar George Jones
Y'all need to do some Tammy Wynette on your music station. Some of her other big hits (beside Stand By Your Man) are D-I-V-O-R-C-E, Apartment #9, Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad, and I Don't Wanna Play House. She was married for a time to George Jones and they puts out a lot of duets together.
"Stand by Your Man", voted the #1 County song of all time by the assembled members of the Grand Ol' Opry.
Amber - You need todo Tammy Wynette for FF
might as well go full late 80's/ early 90's.... KLF with Tammy Wynette singing Justified and Ancient .. great song
We knew you would love it! I smiled the whole time. My youngest son has Asperger's Syndrome. He loves this movie and can pretty much quote it word for word. (Same thing with E.T.)
Now I can't wait for you to see Coal Miner's Daughter. Alot of good music in that one, too.
Though very, very different than Blues Brothers, Coal Miner's Daughter is another of my favs. I love Loretta!
I'm so happy that you guys did this movie. I had literally watched this movie hundreds of times while stationed overseas in 1984 and when I came back home I showed it to my Dad who had never seen it. He fell in love with it and would get on his feet and sing every time his favorite scene played, which was Aretha in the diner. Unfortunately, my Dad passed away the day before you guys did this movie reaction, so watching it now brings back amazing memories of my Dad blasting the volume while the movie played, my Mom telling him to turn it down, and my kids laughing at Poppa who's singing and dancing the whole time. Thank you for awakening the memory of what this movie means to me.
Godspeed Pop. 😥
Nice 🙂
Awwww. I'm sorry he's gone, he sounds like a real great bloke. I'm glad you'll always be able to remember him through this movie.
@@Tolly7249 thank you very much.
I bet he's in a better place still singing and dancing to it. Peace and blessings to you and him.
Steve Cropper was the A and R guy on and co writer of Dock of the Bay. He gave Ottis Redding his break. He was part of Booker T and the MGs
Back in the 80's, a group of us got together and decided this was the movie we'd put in a time capsule under "Comedy", because they really touched on every variation of comedy there is. There's subtle jokes, outrageous jokes, over the top jokes, action jokes. One of my all time favorites is when the Nazi driver turns to the Nazi leader when they're falling from the sky and says "I've always loved you." You know you're going to die, and these are the last words you'll hear on earth.
The nazis that wore those particular uniforms were called "Brown Shirts". They were massacred by the SS in an event called "The night of long knives". One of the reasons was their leader, Ernst Rohm, was said to be homosexual and Hitler didn't want them playing a prominent role in the Third Reich. Whether that was true or not is a matter of controversy. Homosexuals were also rounded up like The Jews, and forced to wear a pink triangle like The Jews had to wear a yellow Star of David.
@@knoahbody69 It's True!
For me, it’s Animal House and Some Like it Hot that go in the time capsule. But no argument if you put BB’s in there
And they were driving a Pinto! So funny! 🤣
Yeah it's a peak line in a movie full of em.
Joliet Jake--played by John Belushi, the star of "Animal House"--the 1978 classic comedy that's got its raunchy moments, but is absolutely hilarious.
*Smashes guitar*
...sorry.
Fun fact this movie was revolutionary in movie recording because they used sound tracks and lip singing prior to this but several of the cameos couldn't lip sing because they sing songs a little different every time, so the production team had to figure out how to record the performance in a single take.
It's lip sync, short for lip synchronization = matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with prerecorded vocals.
Nonsense. They lip all lip-synched except for James Brown.
@@BobSoltis1 and Aretha Franklin couldn't either according to the special features interview on the DVD
@@vannederynen1 Hilarious! Either they are lying or you are mistaken.
Where was the microphone? Her vocal volume doesn't vary one bit while she moves around. There is no way a mic boom could have captured it without variance.
Another clue is the camera angles switched from one side of the room to the other and the cameras that took the shots were not in the frame so they must have been moved during the takes.
Besides - you can find it on dozens of places on the internet where Landis talks about how difficult it was to get her to lip-synch and the number of takes it took.
Landis: "I don't remember her being a diva or anything like that. I think she was kind of disappointed in the waitress costume --- we dressed her up in a faux Chanel suit for the sequel, which she was a lot happier about --- but she was actually a real soldier. The only complaint Aretha made was that there were too many takes and she had issues with lip-syncing. Like many great artists, she never sang a song the same way twice, so there were issues getting her to match her lips. But she pulled through."
www.cinemablend.com/news/2455962/blues-brothers-director-reveals-what-aretha-franklin-was-like-on-set
As an Englishman this film was my education on rhythm & Blues music
The thing I love about this film is that Elwood is right. They ARE on a mission from God. From the moment they accept the calling at the church, nothing touches them. No matter how crazy the situation, they escape it, until they get the money in and get the receipt, THEN they get caught! LOL
Well said.. I never quite thought of it like that.. thanks!
Not only that, but how many movies are there where people say they're on a Mission from God, and DON'T KILL ANYONE! (the nazi's did it to themselves)
Correct. And God is Cab Calloway.
@Raylan Givens Yes. The Pope declared it rich with 'Christian values'.
I'm not a believer, but the fact that the Vatican gave it the proverbial thumbs up just floored me.
Please watch “Animal House” John Belushi was a giant talent we lost way too young.
I love Animal House!
Classic!
YES! Please react the Animal House!
This was the first R-rated movie my parents let us kids watch. It's still a firm favorite of everyone in my family -- my brother, uncle and I just watched it for about the thousandth time a couple of weeks ago. It's a classic!
Fun fact: Carrie Fisher was engaged to Dan Ackroyd when they were filming the movie.
21:45 --- I miss that sound.. Big V 8 engines sucking a whole room full of air when you nailed the throttle and all four barrels opened wide...🔧
This band is so tight, all legendary musicians,and the cameos are great.
The cop was the late great John Candy
"Orange Whip? Orange whip? Three Orange Whips!" - John Candy
I’m so glad to see that new people are watching this classic movie for so many reasons. The first SNL movie (when it actually was a good show with talented people on it), the comedy is gold, the music is actually done by real musicians (😮), etc. This was one of my dad’s favorites, and ages like wine
As bonkers as this movie is, the stories behind the making of it are even crazier. A real rabbit hole to read about how some of the scenes were filmed in real life (before computer effects!) right in the heart of downtown Chicago. Nearly every person with dialog is a music and/or movie legend from back in the day. So much fun watching you guys seeing for the first time. 😎👍
I read at the time the Mall they destroyed was scheduled for demolition so they used it. I mean, they had to pay to use the mall so the developers wouldn't have minded.
Did they ever make a doc about the making of this movie? I would paid to see that on the big screen.
The one that blows my mind is the shot of the red Pinto falling past the Chicago skyline. I naturally assumed it was a scale model and a matte painting...nope! They dropped a goddamned Pinto from a helicopter (multiple times, to prove to aviation authorities the car wasn't going to sail off and land in the middle of the city instead of the target zone). Unreal.
@@knoahbody69 Yeah, they basically took a derelict shell, built it back up again, dressed all the stores and filled them with product, then trashed it. No wonder this movie cost nearly $30 million at a time when the average production was less than one third that amount.
@@ResidentPetrolhead It was totally worth it.
If you watch the movie credits, it usually has all of the songs in the movie listed near the end. So depending on how you're watching it, you can just fast forward through most of the credits. The credits on older movies are not as long as current ones anyway. The further in decades you go back, the shorter they are.
The band members were all the real musicians first, playing under their real names here in the movie.
Yes that was Arethra, and the guy playing the guitar on the street was John Lee Hooker, a blues legend. And if you didn't recognize the Cook County tax office clerk, it was Steven Speilberg
Carrie Fisher was actually briefly engaged to Dan Akroyd after they made this movie. and was close friends with John Belushi, they both had lots of struggles with drugs, which they bonded over. Carrie actually hosted SNL in 1978, and the Blues Brothers were the music guest (Dan and John were cast members at the time)
John Candy - Uncle Buck, Planes Trains and Automobiles, SPaceballs)
The head of the IL Natsees is Henry Gibson - who was in a lot of stuff at the time.
John Candy - Uncle Buck, Planes Trains and Automobiles, SpaceBalls All must see. Also Armed and Dangerous was hilarious
Chicago! Still has a drawbridge or two over the river. The Aretha Franklin diner scene is worth the price of admission. This all grew out of Dan and John's shared love of blues music, an SNL skit they created, and the rest is history. They toured as the Blues Brothers, and even put out an album. The heavy set guy is John Candy, not Jim Belushi, and the bandleader is Cab Calloway.
The Blues singer in the street was my favorite bluesman, the Legendary John Lee Hooker doing his hit song “Boom Boom”, and I believe they also featured another great hit of his called “Boogie Chillen” shortly after that scene as they drive up to the Country & Western bar.
You guys have heard him covered by George Thoroghgood doing “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer”. I’d love to see you guys react to some of his tunes, even at of those in the film as John Lee Hooker was an irreplaceable blues singer and musician, as was really ALL of the performers in this film.
James Brown really deserves a deeper listen as well cause he has a lot of Superbad funky jammin’ tunes like “Get On The Good Foot”, “I Got The Feeling”, “I Can’t Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)”, “Hot Pants” and “Get On The Good Foot”.
Loved your react to his intense and over the top ballad “Try Me”., and for more of that kind of JB passion, I’d really encourage you to check out “Lost Someone”, as the studio version itself is just a pure blast of solid power.
I really, REALLY got into the blues because of The Blues Brothers. When I heard John Lee Hooker, that was it for me. I looked up everything I could find by him and was kind of surprised about how many songs I've heard George Thoroghgood do that Hooker sang decades before. One of my favorites is I'm In the Mood for Love. th-cam.com/video/2MOL7Hjeys8/w-d-xo.html
Then I find the one with Hooker and Bonnie Raitt. Oh man, different but every bit as good. th-cam.com/video/Si0teRtHY8o/w-d-xo.html&start_radio=1
The Blues Brothers Band, in case you're wondering, are some legendary musicians as well. The guitarists were Steve Cropper (Booker T and the MGs) and Matt Murphy (Chicago session player), Bass was Donald Duck Dunn (Also Booker T and the MGs), drummer was Willie Hall (The Bar-Kays), and the rest of the band was from the original Saturday Night Live band.
And the original keyboardist (the one you hear playing on the soundtrack, but not on film) was Paul Shaffer, whom they've seen before, playing keys on Earl Scruggs and Friends' "Foggy Mountain Breakdown." He wasn't available for the film due to contractual obligations or something.
@@Fishmorph Probably busy with David Letterman.
Blue Lou Marini played sax on the Kennedy Center honors Led Zeppelin; Stairway to Heaven song with the Wilson (heart) sisters. You can see him in the background.
@@32202masterj Nah, he didn't team up with Letterman until Late Nite started, 3 years later. Paul was still at SNL when this was made. John dropped him the film.
So glad to see your reaction to one of my all-time fav movies. One of the absolute funniest to come out of the ‘80s. There are other really good movies with great soundtracks, but none as outrageously funny.
You should check out “Hard Day’s Night” (The Beatles), “The Wall” (Pink Floyd), “Quadrophenia” (The Who), “Tommy” (The Who), “Saturday Night Fever” (The Bee Gees), and “Yellow Submarine ” (The Beatles).
You guys are awesome, keep up the great work!
Yellow Submarine would be a great one to get the kids into as well.
The Wall from Pink Floyd would be too much for them. Lol I would love to see there reaction though.
I saw Tommy in theaters @ 13 years old. (And then several more times later.) Much of that music I can still sing.
Yellow Submarine I saw in 1969 when I was 6 or 7. 'Twas a better movie when I grew up. The premise for the D&D Portable Hole is from this movie.
This is one of my favorite movie reactions I’ve seen. You two do a great job !!