Movie Club: Blues Brothers

Community Introductions & Off Topic
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WELCOME EVERYBODY TO THE RELAUNCHED DISCUSSION THREAD OF THE NEW MOVIE CLUB, DESIGNED TO RUN PARALLEL WITH R.O.C.K.S.
A big thanks to everyone that are joining us through all of this.

This week’s movie is another one I’ve never seen, “The Blues Brothers” - picked by Mark M.
Remember any ideas for films to discuss are most welcome, and should be made on the Movie Club Introduction thread (the sticky one).

Just a friendly reminder to everyone that, whilst fans are obviously welcome to passionately discuss and give their views on these episodes, please remember to keep things on a friendly footing and respect your fellow posters.
Also, please do not post where or how to find the full movie online. And do not post asking others to PM it to you. You are however allowed to watch the movie in whatever manner you want.

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I love this movie. Definitely one of my favourites.
This is one of the first movies I seen that I wasn’t really old enough to watch. But I was allowed to watch this as it only had a couple bits of swearing in it.

I really dislike watching a movie if I miss the start of it but TBB is another exception as it is so good even if I miss the start I end up watching until it finishes.

It has a really great cast an a lot of cameos from various actors. Carrie Fischer (Princess Leia), Frank Oz (Miss Piggy, Kermit, Yoda), James Brown, John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Twiggy, Charles Napier, Paul Rubens (Pee Wee Herman), Henry Gibson (The 'Burbs) and John Candy (Uncle Buck
A few weeks back I was quite surprised when I read that Mr. T has a cameo in it as an extra as he was working as a bodyguard for John Bellushi at the time before he found fame in Rocky 3.

Musically I like Metal and rock music but I have an eclectic taste so I enjoy all sorts. TBB has a wonderful soundtrack with some great hits. The Rawhide song is probably my favourite musical scene overall but Shake A Tail Feather and Everybody Needs Somebody are really enjoyable.

As for a favourite scene I am not sure. The car chase at the start through the shopping mall, the Nazis on the bride, impersonating The Good Ol’boys, Jake’s confrontation with his jilted fiancée and the prison concert are great but I am going to say my overall favourite is the big final car chase.

The overall message of being decent and doing the right thing is really nice in this movie. They grew up in an orphanage and ended up, aside from being musicians, getting involved in a life of crime. Upon getting released from prison they visit the orphanage and offer to help get the money the orphanage needs so it can stay open. The Nun refuses to taking money that would be stolen etc…so after Jake gets to ‘‘see the light’’ they decide to get the money in a…slightly more honest way.
It’s really nice that they would go through all that they did to raise the money to help the nuns and orphanage that raised them when they were younger.

Obviously The Blues Brothers never had toys. Well there might be some more recent merchandise but there definitely wasn’t when the film was released or in the early 90’s when I got to see it. However I had a die-cast metal police car exactly/or pretty much the same as the ‘‘Blues Mobile’’ from the movie so I played with it quite a bit replicating the stunts and car chases from the movie. :smiley:

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This is one of my all time favorite movies! I watched it for the first time when I was 5 and I must have seen it 200 times since. I know every sound, dialogue, musical number by heart, I love it! I can highly recommend watching the extended version, as it fills a lot of gaps in the original release, like where they got that huge bullhorn on the Bluesmobile, why Elwood carries around a can of glue - “strong stuff…”- and lots more :slight_smile: I cant say enough great thing about this movie, its a masterpiece.

As for toys, I have a 1:18 Bluesmobile that has recently spiked in value, also the Mezco BB figures are extremely cool, but have become very expensive…

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I wasn’t aware there was different versions but it turns out my DVD is the extended version. :smiley:

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I have just watched this film for the first time in my life. I wasn’t quite sure what I was expecting, other than musical comedy, but this had a bit of everything.

The Blues Brothers themselves had a strong influence of Laurel & Hardy about them, especially visually - one tall and thin, one short and fat, both of them clad in suits and bowler hats. It was also noteworthy that they kept those suits and hats - and dark glasses - on for practically every minute of the film. The brief moments where any of these things were missing were enough to raise eyebrows because it was so unexpected.

The way they got in touch with all the other band members was itself an influence on “Still Crazy” in the 1990s - a great film and worth a watch if you haven’t seen it. They had different ways of persuading each of them to come back.

The cameos were fun, especially the singers, I recognised James Brown right away. I had to remember the fact that I’d read Carrie Fisher was in it. At first, I saw her, and I was thinking, “who is that? And why is she after them?”

Speaking of people being after them, it built up into a farce of epic proportions at the end. The car chase reminded me of The Italian Job. There was practically no person or group that wasn’t after their blood by the end of it. One can only speculate how much prison time they got! The end, where they’re playing Jailhouse Rock, was also reminiscent of a 1960s comedy film, this time The Producers (the original, starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder).

I’ve spent a lot of time likening this film to other things, I suppose I ought to specify here that I did enjoy it for itself. It was perhaps a little bit long, but still very well done. At the start, it’s clearly a deliberate thing that we don’t get to see John Belushi’s face until he’s free and out. And as for Dan Aykroyd, he looks very different to when he played Ray in Ghostbusters just 4yrs later. But his voice is recognisable. And is it just me or does Belushi look and sound just a little bit like Bill Murray? Actually so does his brother, James Belushi - I remember when I first watched K-9 I thought it was Bill Murray at first.

Overall? Yes, I did like it.

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Actually Liam. In Ghostbusters, the character of Peter Venkman was written for Bellushi to play but he passed away so Bill Murray was cast nstead. I read that Slimer as a joke was based on and a tribute to John Bellushi.
Akroyd and Bellushi starred together in an odd comedy called Neighbours. It wasn’t as good as Blues Brothers.

From what I read about the sequel Blues Brothers 2000, they got 18 years. At least that’s what Elwood got and upon his release discovers Jake has passed away.
From what I have read the sequel was not very well received. Akroyd wanted James Bellushi to star in it as another brother but due to some conflicting contract he was not allowed to be in it so they had to change the script quite a bit.

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I wasn’t aware of a sequel.

Certainly, the idea that Belushi was meant to be Peter Venkman originally does sound plausible.

Also, I don’t know if you ever saw the sitcom “2point4 Children” in the 90s, but there was an episode of that where they did a Blues Brothers performance.

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The name is definitely familiar but I don’t recall ever seeing it.

The Blues Brothers always reminded me of the Smith’s Tube and Loops crisps. This is the only picture I could find o them. I could be wrong but I believe they changed the look of the characters on the front to wear sunglasses. I could be wrong on that. Maybe I am getting mixed up with those dancing coke cans with the sunglasses. Regardless though the movie reminds me of these crisps. I wish they still made them, they were really nice.
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I remember I was in my teens when I saw it. It was for some school performance. Gary Olsen and John Pickard (Ben and David, the father and son of the family) appeared on the stage in a car, done up as Jake and Elwood, and then suddenly, out of the back appeared daughter Jenny (Clare Buckfield, about whom I had a massive thing), who started singing “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love”.

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I will have to look it up sometime and see if I recall seeing it. I do recall hearing/reading the name of the show.

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It was pretty big back in the 90s, ran for about 8 series.

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Interesting. I had a look at it but I can’t I am too familiar with any of the cast names aside from Liz Smith.

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The late Gary Olsen also starred in another sitcom during that time, “Health & Efficiency”, set in a hospital, alongside Roger Lloyd Pack (Trigger in Only Fools & Horses), Victor McGuire (Ron in Goodnight Sweetheart), Felicity Montagu (all sorts, including radio sitcoms Old Harry’s Game and Revolting People), and Deborah Norton (a few episodes of Yes Prime Minister).

Sandra Dickinson was in The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy (the TV series I think), and now voices Grandma in the new Thunderbirds.

I have a friend who’s seen Belinda Lang on stage.

But back to the film though. I was talking about it to a friend in town today. We were both agreed that it’s a little bit too long, but it’s tricky to work out exactly where to cut. Maybe trim a few scenes here and there.

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Yes some scenes could definitely be trimmed down a bit.

As for Mr. T’s appearance as an extra in the film. It’s harder to find Mr. T in the Blues Brothers than it is the find the A-team. :wink:

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I was only half looking for that.

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Recently re-watched The Blues Brothers & wanted to add that this is one of the best comedies - and films - ever made. There are too many highlights to go over here, but every scene/sequence was great, including:

-The incredible amount of cameos by well-known actors/actresses/film-makers/musicians/etc. including Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman), Steven Spielberg, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, etc.

  • My favorite musical performance in the film was by Cab Calloway, who performed his iconic song “Minnie the Moocher”. Great performance, and fantastic song/music.

  • The room shaking every time a train went past - this is so true - LOL. I used to visit Chicago on a regular basis years ago (one of my now ex-gf’s lived there), and used their great train system for getting around town, and the train (above street level) travels very closely to some of the apartments in the area.

-Carrie Fisher finally catching up with Jake after stalking him & trying to kill him throughout the film - and, when cornered, Jake giving her every excuse in the book (most of which contradicted each other) as to why he stood her up at the altar - hilarious :slight_smile:

And, yes, I used to sometimes get John Belushi confused with Bill Murray. They somewhat resembled each other when they were younger. I also think that Bill Murray seems to sometimes “channel” the late John Belushi re: his humor.

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In Ghostbusters, Bill Murray’s character Peter Venkman was originally written and intended for John Belushi to play the role.

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And when I saw K-9, I thought James Belushi was Bill Murray first off!