The Blues Brothers | Canadian First Time Watching | Movie Reaction | Movie Review | Movie Commentary

Simone & George are reacting to The Blues Brothers for the first time! Canadians React!
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00:00 - Intro
01:31 - The Blues Brothers
31:38 - Discussion
Artwork by Jay McQuirns
@jaymcquirns - Instagram
www.jaymcquirns.com
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[@Ghost8386]

RIP Alan Rubin, Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway, Carrie Fisher, Charles Napier, Donald Dunn, Henry Gibson, James Brown, Jeff Morris, John Belushi, John Candy, Kathleen Freeman, Matt Murphy, and Ray Charles.

[@Madbandit77]

Also John Lee Hooker and Paul Reubens.

[@felipeaguena5289]

Jesus, this movie is a parade of dead stars

[@jimbass1664]

I see dead people! That'll happen when the movie is over 40 years old.

[@Hexon66]

@@felipeaguena5289 Wanna know another one? Wizard of Oz. Every single one, dead as Dillinger.

[@Serai3]

@@Hexon66 Everybody in The Jazz Singer is dead, too.

[@robertmartin9029]

"The use of unnecessary violence in apprehension of the Blues Brothers…has been approved." - Best quote in the movie.

[@FINNSTIGAT0R]

My favorite is Elwood: It's 106 miles to Chicago, we have a tank full of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses. Jake: Hit it!

[@alfje5492]

@@FINNSTIGAT0R That used to be my Win95 startup sound :)

[@SnabbKassa]

haz BIN approved!

[@kevinhayes1656]

And John Goodman Takes John Belushi‘s place

[@kevinhayes1656]

Cab Calloway is passed away in that one also

[@awsomehog1]

The band wasn’t just actually musicians, they’re all essentially legends in their own way. Some of the greatest house-band members of all time

[@Stay_at_home_Astronaut81]

​@jimblondukBooker T and the MG's, Otis Redding, just about everyone on the Stax Volt label.

[@ravensdark99]

@jimblondukDonald Duck Dunn was the most epic on his instrument ever

[@jonathanteshola9064]

Absolutely, well said.

[@YolandaAnneBrown95726]

All of the musicians (James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Lee Hooker, Ray Charles, etc) ended up getting career resurgences once this film came out. And it was truly deserved.

[@markmosley3547]

This film arguably reintroduced the nation to blues as a genre and changed it from a niche interest into a more vibrant artform.

[@treetopjones737]

Aretha was the woman in the diner singing her iconic song "R.E.S.P. E. C. T." Simone said Danny has good knees ( dancing ), that was 1980, he'd be a bit less lively dancing now. BTW Danny is originally a Canadian.

[@melenatorr]

@@treetopjones737 Aretha is definitely the woman! That scene is one of my favorites. The song is "Think" -- though "R.E.S.P.E.C.T." would definitley have fit too.

[@nellgwenn]

You forgot Joe Walsh.

[@lampad4549]

​@@markmosley3547to bad that's the only good thing about this movie

[@Stabby666]

Missed one of the most iconic lines from the film: "What kind of music do you usually play here?" "Oh we have both kinds: Country AND Western!"

[@HauntSlider]

Yes.. the band members were actually real musicians. The band was actually formed and called "The American Band" by Belushi and Aykroyd to be able to perform based on the skit they did on SNL. The actually opened for The Grateful Dead. The band and the skit on SNL actually led to the movie.

[@pete_lind]

Also most black future TV and movies stars were in this , Mr T , as random guy on sidewalk at some point , dancing scene on front of that music shop . Spielberg at end as office clerk and trashing a mall (that was already closed) and bunch of cop cars , why not , it's a bit of spoof of all those 1970s chase movies .

[@LordVolkov]

One of the best parts of both BB movies (yes, even the much maligned 2000) is how many musical greats they get together on screen. And Robert K. Weiss...

[@Madbandit77]

​@@pete_lind There's also James Avery (Uncle Phil from "Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air").

[@Reefism]

The Blues Brothers were the Tenious D of their era!

[@kwydjebo]

@@LordVolkov As a huge BB fan (Since the late 80s) I would say that malignation of BB 2000 was well deserved (Never was I so disappointed in a film...although I had such high hopes, it likely seems worse than it probably was) but I do agree, the music they highlighted in both films, and stellar soundtracks are to commended (My thoughts, Enjoy this film, ignore the second, but listen to both soundtracks)

[@88wildcat]

Not only did Belushi do his own singing, he did his own backflips as well.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

The Dodge did its own stunts too.

[@MoominDoogie]

We would all be doing backflips with the amount of party pharmaceuticals John was on.

[@gehtdichnixan3200]

they toured with that band

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

Good to know.

[@mildredpierce4506]

Dan and John were actually singing. Dan Aykroyd was actually playing the harmonica. These two weren’t just comedic actors. They were both actually fans of the blues and R&B such as Sam and Dave The original singers of soul man

[@artboymoy]

And their rendition of "Soul Man" can be found on Saturday Night Live clip. Dan Ackroyd does the best dancing.

[@BammerD]

The mall was an actual mall called "Dixie Square Mall," which closed down in November, 1978. John Landis rented the mall for 8 weeks to shoot the scene of destruction. After filming, the production crew just left everything as it was and the mall was completely abandoned and shuttered shortly after. The mall was finally demolished in 2012.

[@GasparGa]

That's some great behind the scenes stuff, thanks for sharing!

[@LogicalNiko]

The mall was actually a blight on the city for quite a while. Prior to the movie it was used as a temporary school while new buildings were built. After this it became a haven for homeless, drug dealers, and it multiple dead bodies were found in it over the years. In 2010-2012 the Abandoned places video trend was just kicking off, and several people were able to capture the state on video before it was finally bulldozed. Really worth watching.

[@tonysawyer3754]

I was wondering if anyone else would post this. I did too. I lived right next to that mall in the late 60s haha

[@merchillio]

Fun unnamed cameo: the tax clerk at the end is Steven Spielberg

[@andreallaodeazevedo8101]

I was about to say that, until I scrolled the comments and found this! Thanks, man!

[@FrancisXLord]

Yeah Landis and Spielberg were once good friends... then Twilight Zone: The Movie happened.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

@@FrancisXLord I love Creedence!

[@vellaropedart9190]

Another unnamed cameo....Joe Walsh. He's the first prisoner to jump on the table and start dancing when they're playing Jailhouse Rock at the end.

[@frozenlake1215]

Dan Aykroyd's original script was actually massive. Like, Lord Of The Rings scale epic. He wrote up full back stories for every single member of the band, fully developing where they had been prior to the band's reunion.

[@Madbandit77]

It was 324 pages long. John Landis had to trim it down. If you notice any film Dan has written, it's always with a co-writer or two. He has a wild imagination.

[@taylorkeating6884]

The same thing happened with Ghostbusters. Dan isn't the most concise of writers.

[@chrisbiebel6205]

And there was even a story-line explaining why the car seemed to have magical powers. It had to do with it being stored beneath some kind of power plant.

[@taylorkeating6884]

@@chrisbiebel6205 The scene showing that is in the extended edition, but not overly stated.

[@taerdrop]

I would love to read that. Lol

[@Serai3]

I got to see these guys at the Universal Amphitheater, opening for Steve Martin. That was a hell of a night. They performed just as they do in the movie, with an amazing amount of physical movement. Ackroyd really did dance like that, and Belushi did flips onstage. Fantastic band.

[@treetopjones737]

Danny should've pushed him to get into rehab, he later died of OD from an injected "speedball", heroin mixed with cocaine.

[@Kasino80]

Is that the "made in America" album?

[@suprstng6]

Some cameo appearances you may not have known: At the beginning you see the Police guard who gives Jake his belongings back before leaving Joliet. That was Frank OZ: Voice of Yoda, many muppets and was in Trading Places (as another police man). The police officer who says, "They broke my watch" is John Landis. When they go to Chez Paul restaurant, the waiter who suggests the Dom Parigon is Pee Wee Herman. The owner of Bobs Country Bunker is Jeff Morris, and is Cowboy in Kelly's Heroes. The girl at the gas station is Twiggy. The guy eating his sandwich to give them their receipt, is Stephen Speilburg. Enjoy your movie reactions.

[@johnglue1744]

I found out today Chaka Khan is in the scene at the church.

[@suprstng6]

@@johnglue1744 Correct, she is the soloist

[@raymondsmith5653]

Also a young Bill Murray at the mall asking the clerk if they have a Miss Piggy doll.

[@suprstng6]

@@raymondsmith5653 no way, thats really him? Now I gotta look again

[@davidmckie7128]

Frank Oz was also in An American Werewolf In London as a consular official.

[@martinholt8168]

When this movie was being made, Chicago PD was in the process of replacing its entire fleet of police cruisers. Landis bought the entire fleet, for the sole purpose of making the best chase scene since BULLITT.

[@alanflor703]

If I recall correctly, around 200 vehicles were destroyed.

[@user-qv2ur2bw3z]

The original Gone in 60 seconds had a really good car chase in it like 40 mins long and destroyed over 90 cars. The car chase Bullitt was really good.

[@andrewhafey1909]

@@user-qv2ur2bw3z Blues Brothers 2000 still has the record for the most cars destroyed in in sequence on film

[@djashley2002]

I believe that the movie held the record for the most cars destroyed for some years afterwards.

[@snowdenwyatt6276]

My vote for "best chase scene since Bullitt" would go to The French Connection. I'm pretty sure one of the scenes in this film (when they're under the elevated tracks) is a direct nod to that film.

[@kinokind293]

The music played as the Blues Brothers climb out of the rubble and resume their mission is the theme from the old Peter Gunn TV series, by Henry Mancini. The Dixie Square mall was located in a Chicago suburb, closed when it was only about 15 years old due to high crime in the area, and left abandoned after filming for over 30 years until it was demolished just a few years ago. Oh, and the Illinois Nazis thing was based on a real event where a Nazi group wanted permission to march in Skokie, Illinois. The local people were not pleased. Apparently neither were The Blues Brothers.

[@mgordon1100]

We were scared, to be honest.

[@Britcarjunkie]

I remember it well: they did, in fact, win a court case over free speech, and promptly went on the march. Nowadays, their form of free speech is considered hate speech - but in the States, the Constitution makes no exceptions for that. Private platforms can decide what can and cannot be said but the government cannot...doesn't mean people have to listen, though.

[@mgordon1100]

@Britcarjunkie I was ten years old that summer. It was scary when I was told they were coming. When they won their case, they never came back. Instead, it opened the door for them to hold their demonstration downtown Chicago, which previous blocks had led them to try out Skokie. Our pushback was just as strong, though. I think winning the constitutional right was the main goal, and they didn't care much about Skokie at all. The film Skokie is here on KZbin for free.

[@treetopjones737]

No-one except Trumpites and the Klan likes Nazis.

[@johnmiller7682]

Every single musician you saw in this movie, either in the band or anywhere else, is a real musician.

[@MaikeruNeko]

The changes of visual tone in the film is because you watched an extended cut with additional scenes inserted. While I love the movie, I find the extended cut really slows down the pace of the movie. The theatrical cut is better.

[@stobe187]

Yeah, the theatrical cut is far superior.

[@MrGittz]

You watched the extended cut which is from an inferior print which is why the visuals change. This is one of the movies where the extended cut isn’t as good.

[@KimForsberg]

Huh, don't think I've ever seen the extended cut. Might have to watch it once just for the sake of having watched it.

[@Travelinmatt1976]

The one bit of deleted scene I like is parking the Blues Mobile in the electrical transfer station and the car starts to glow. It's a fun explanation why the car is able to do everything in the movie.

[@DCComicsGamer]

I had NO idea there even WAS an extended cut.

[@pwmel1]

Yes, it's totally Carrie Fisher. 🙂 And, yes, they're all real musicians. In fact, they're all legendary musicians.

[@robertmartin9029]

Carrie Fisher was dating Dan Akroyd when the movie was being filmed, so they added her in to it.

[@maceomaceo11]

Not just musicians, legendary ones. And yes, Belushi sang everything. The movie is the first built off of a Saturday Night Live bit, that turned into a monster. A hit on television, the movie screen and the album was a big seller that they toured on. John Belushi was a rare talent.

[@bigredtlc1828]

The clerk at the end was Steven Spielberg, the director. I think this movie holds the record for the most crashed cars. The Blue Brothers was an SNL skit. They did a couple of albums. Pretty good music! Great blues classics. The movie was filled with musicians (the band was made up of all musicians). Crazy movie!

[@bobblowhard8823]

Ironically, the Blues Brothers sound track, which was released after the film, was the biggest selling rhythm and blues album of all time.

[@OutcastBOS]

It *did* hold the record, but was eventually beaten out...by The Blues Brothers 2000

[@bobblowhard8823]

@@OutcastBOS If that's true, then that's horrible, as Blues Brothers 2000 was absolutely horrible.

[@artboymoy]

Jane Byrne the mayor of Chicago at the time and the state of IL gave the production a huge tax break and let them trash all the squad cars for the production to buy the city new ones.

[@LordVolkov]

"There was an earthquake! A terrible flood! Locusts! It wasn't my fault I swear to god!!!" Jake begging for his life is my favorite scene in a movie full of hilarity. The way his voice breaks at the end 🤣🤣🤣 and then the eyebrow tip to see if it worked is perfect. Combined with Carrie Fisher having no dialogue until she confronts Jake 🤣🤣🤣 Reading the manual while her nails dry is iconic. RIP to Belushi and Fisher.

[@robertlovlie5194]

I Love that her beauty salon is named "Curl up and dye".

[@YolandaAnneBrown95726]

And when he took off his sunglasses and gives her that look? PRICELESS!

[@fredfinks]

Never underestimate locusts. I didnt do my assignment, didnt mow the lawn, ate too much KFC, smoked too much marijuana and forgot to do the dishes because of those goddamn pesky locusts.

[@Britcarjunkie]

@@fredfinks This time of year, parts of Nevada, Utah, Oregon, and Colorado, suffer from massive swarms of "Mormon Crickets: kinda strange to drive down a highway, and all of a sudden the pavement changes color & almost appears to be moving - because it is!

[@timhibbard4226]

George, you are not too far off with your “cartoony source material” theory. The Blues Brothers is actually the first (of many) movie that was adapted/based on characters from a recurring Saturday Night Live sketch. Belushi and Akroyd created the characters for SNL and wrote and performed all of the sketches together.

[@heyheyjk-la]

That original sketch they did on SNL was amazing.

[@donrichards271]

I think the success of the album Briefcase Full Of Blues they put out after the SNL bits may have had something to do with getting this film a green light also.

[@curtismartin2866]

The Blues Brothers act was "inspired by" Curtis Salgado and the Stilletos. They were a club band that performed up the road from where Belushi filmed Animal House.

[@mikewoodrow5878]

@@curtismartin2866 yes and the other main influence was The Downchild Blues Band! It was Dan that got John into the blues groove, then John voraciously ate it up.

[@leonh.kalayjian6556]

Carrier Fischer hosted SNL. I'll bet they pitched her the Blues Bros script soon after.

[@ChrisBridges23]

Dan Ackroyd was (is) a massive blurs fan and turned Belushi onto it. They worked hard to convince the artists to be in the movie but everyone playing it singing in the movie was an absolute giant. Even the guys in the Blues Brothers Band, many of whom played in the SNL house band, were famous studio musicians on platinum albums. James Brown has credited this movie as bringing blues back to a new generation and reviving the careers for himself and many others.

[@charlieeckert4321]

The American Nazis sued the village of Skokie, IL. The case went to the Supreme Court and it became a landmark case on free speech (decided in 1977). The scene was included because it was timely.

[@LadyIarConnacht]

Mayor of Chicago Jane Byrne allowed dozens of crazy scenes involving cops, firefighters and the National Guard to be filmed in her city, helping to create an iconic film and opened the way for other film makers to operate there. There are more cameos in this film than you would probably catch. Everybody wanted to get in on the action - why? Because the Blues Brothers was already an iconic recurring skit from Saturday Night Live, which was going strong in 1979, and everybody knew about Jake and Elwood. Car chase and crash movies were extremely popular in the 70's, many of them involving huge casts. Sometimes the stunt man credits went on for several minutes.

[@merchillio]

The mall was scheduled to be demolished. The director had the green light to go crazy in it

[@unklemichael]

Didn't they get sued over the destruction they caused?

[@njt2347]

Ironically due to a bunch of legal issues, the mall was not demolished as planned and stood for several years before it's eventual demolition.

[@Chasmodius]

And I think it wasn't actually demolished until fairly recently. You can find pictures online of people visiting it, 20+ years after abandonment.

[@KimForsberg]

Well... not quite. It was a failed and closed mall, hoping to re-open at some point. The film production had a deal with the owners to do some basic filming but no destruction. Of course, what you see in the movie is what happened instead. They dressed it up and crashed it instead. The mall never reopened and was only demolished as late as in late 2010's finally after many attempts and some repurposing as other businesses. Now scheduled to be replaced with some housing units I think, or might have already been built already.

[@rccraig7580]

The Dixie Sqaure Mall in Harvey IL

[@warner13faulk28]

People don't remember how huge John Belushi was. He had the #1 TV show SNL #1 album Briefcase Full of Blues #1 movie Animal House.

[@treetopjones737]

Animal House doesn't age well, one character rapes an unconscious girl and leaves her in a grocery cart in front of her parents house. SMH

[@mistermovies918]

​@@treetopjones737 What the fuck are you talking about? He doesn't rape her. She fall asleep drunk and then there is the all ''angel vs devil'' scene, he choose not to do anything and brings her home.

[@Jar0fMay0]

​@@treetopjones737you mean aged perfectly

[@hellomark1]

@@treetopjones737 He doesn't rape her, but he does have an angel/devil on each shoulder debating whether he should while she's passed out drunk. The angel wins out. Later she reveals herself to be 13 as well. A LOT of 70s/80s movies have this real rape culture thing going on for sure, including this one. They also mention a guy getting raped in jail at the end.

[@fuzzzone]

@@treetopjones737 I don't think you're accurately remembering the movie. She passes out while she's straddling him making out; he's tempted, yes, but doesn't touch her after that except to get her home.

[@pythoscheetah2553]

My brother and his college roommate were the exact same height and weight as Belushi and Aykroyd, which led them to cosplay and perform as the Blues Brothers on multiple occasions. They won one scifi con costume contest by performing the full choreography of the two songs from the concert while lipsyncing, including leaving the room and then crawling across the stage in the background during another person's presentation (with that person's knowledge that it was going to happen)

[@joshhubbard-yg1tv]

I'm so glad you recognized Cab Calloway. He is a true legend. 😁

[@alexmacdougall5700]

The "oh we have both kinds of music" line has literally stuck with me my entire life. Watched it with my dad at 10 and that line pops into my head at least once a month.

[@garrhettroebuck8402]

Country AND Western!

[@NoTechThieve]

Same. I don't even know how many times I've said part of the line or the whole thing to people who just stared blankly in return.

[@jculver1674]

My dad is a country fan and quotes that line all the time.

[@cgbleak]

@@garrhettroebuck8402 Another great line that they didn't bother to include in the reaction. Hmm, maybe this movie is more well written than I give it credit for.

[@adaddinsane]

Frequently repeated in our family...

[@jamesfischer2427]

The song you are hearing is called "Peter Gunn by Henry Mancini, and it was the theme song for a tv show about a private investigator. The music means that they are hunting down the band members.

[@andrewbairstow8600]

The number of incredible musicians in this movie. James Brown, Booker T & the MG's, Cab Calloway, Aretha 🎼🎷

[@emmanuelpaquette3310]

Ray charles😂😂😂

[@Kasino80]

John Lee Hooker

[@davidyoungsr753]

A young Chaka Khan singing in the choir

[@wargboyz]

This movie actually held the record for most cars destroyed in a film. I believe it was only passed by Smokey and the Bandit 2, which was specifically out to break the record.

[@jaredragland4707]

Landis showed the speedometer in the Bluesmobile hitting 100 not because it's a movie stunt cliche that they're driving at 39 and showing a speedometer cranking into triple digits, but because they were really driving in Chicago at over a hundred miles per hour

[@landail5681]

It is true that The Blues Brothers held the Guinness record for most cars crashed on film with 103 cars, but the record wasn't broken until they filmed Blues Brothers 2000, where they purposely crashed 104. 😂

[@Phi1618033]

When I first saw this movie, I thought it was very weird that there was no music over the opening. But when the song kicked in as they came face-to-face, I realized it was brilliant, because it made the music all the more in-your-face.

[@ink-cow]

The Blues Brothers were actually a thing back then. They created the act for Saturday Night Live, but legitimately cut albums and did live performances. Their first album went double platinum, and they once opened for the Grateful Dead. Even after Belushi died, the band lived on in different formulations. They were influential on pop culture in many ways. One example, an imitation of them appeared in the Super Nintendo game Earthbound (Mother 2) from Japan, as the Runaway Five, even though there were six in all. Two frontmen (clones of Jake and Elwood) and four musicians, and they play a key role in the plot, along with a stranded bus. At one point in the game you attend one of their concerts, and there's no mistaking the Blues Brothers-type performance. And of course they've been endlessly imitated in commercials, Halloween costumes, etc.

[@TheFalconerNZ]

Whenever you are feeling down watch this movie, the jokes may run dry but the music will always lift you up. Outrageously fun movie with a stellar cast (sadly most of whom have passed on)

[@canadianscratcher7834]

The "One soiled" line was delivered by Frank Oz who voiced Yoda in Star Wars and several characters on The Muppets.

[@lala_sparkles8035]

and Miss Piggy...can't listen to Yoda the same way after I learned Frank voiced both.

[@LordVolkov]

I love looking for Frank's cameos in John Landis movies, and it's great that he gets to open the movie with such vitriol for Jake.

[@scalefree]

@@LordVolkov Frank Oz played a similar character in Trading Places with Dan Ackroyd. he's the surly desk sergeant when Louis (Dan) gets arrested.

[@kingsleydamper2592]

Correction, he performed Yoda and all the Muppets, not just the voice!

[@pardwayne]

@@lala_sparkles8035 When I first saw "The Empire Strikes Back," I thought Yoda sounds an awful lot like Grover.

[@jimtatro6550]

In 1980 I was a 13 year old boy obsessed with John Belushi and saw this theatrically on day one…. I walked out in love with a genre of music I never knew existed. So many wonderful artists are in this film.

[@kendric2000-q3d]

Same here. My parents wondered why I was listening to rhythm and blues suddenly. LOL.

[@OneThousandHomoDJs]

Did I write this?

[@goldenageofdinosaurs7192]

@@OneThousandHomoDJsIt could’ve just as easily been me (except I was 12 at the time, not 13).

[@stygggian]

My dad had this album, and he used to play it all the time. I didn't actually see the movie for a long time after though 😂

[@OneThousandHomoDJs]

@@goldenageofdinosaurs7192 There were quite a lot of us, weren't there? :) It would be interesting to note which blues artists we all got into in the ensuing years. For me, it was SRV, John Lee Hooker, Lightnin Hopkins, and Albert King. And I can trace most of that budding fanaticism for blues back to this movie, and to Led Zeppelin.

[@snowdenwyatt6276]

If your question about recognizing someone from the bar scene is about the leader of the Good Ol' Boys, that's Charles Napier. He was a prolific character actor but you probably recognize him as one of the guards that Hannibal Lecter kills when he escapes in Silence of the Lambs.

[@waylandblack]

He was also a hippie musician in a 'Star Trek The Original Series' episode "The Way To Eden" in 1969, possibly his first role. 😎

[@vellynis]

"Nobody gets injured in this movie." "oww" That timing was amazing.

[@LordEriolTolkien]

The 'Cheese Whiz' line is not reference afaik, it's just an odd line that i think is supposed to show an aspect of Jake's character: that he is thoughtful and helpful and keeps his word. It is one of my favourite lines and character details. Such a funny and silly little touch that would not have been missed if it hadn't been added, but is all the more glorious for its oddity. There are several little touches in the movie that are memorable but ultimately trivial. If a movies greatness is measured in memorable lines, this ranks as an all time great musical classic

[@treetopjones737]

Cheese flavored urethane. 🤮

[@waylandblack]

The man who requested the Cheese Whiz was 'Shotgun' Britton, the makeup artist for this movie and many many others (his Hollywood career started in 1939). An odd bit of extra texture for the film, and a nod of respect to another legend. 😎

[@tylerfoster6267]

FYI, yes, George is correct. The changes in picture quality denote the additional footage added for the Extended Version. The Extended Version is not complete; the movie was originally envisioned as a full three-hour movie with an intermission. Sometime during the video era, they discovered a print that had some of the deleted footage in it and released it on VHS and DVD. A later DVD, the Blu-ray, and 4K UHD versions have all included both the tighter theatrical cut alongside the Extended Version. I think the theatrical version is probably a better movie, but I also grew up watching this version so there's definitely some additional bits that I love. All the members in the band aside from Aykroyd and Belushi are real musicians, and the Blues Brothers, including Aykroyd and Belushi, did a successful tour and album (recorded when they opened for Steve Martin). Between the hit album and the national stardom that "SNL" granted its cast in those early years, that's what got the movie made. Aykroyd is Canadian, so his real accent is whenever he says "sorry" and you can hear the Canadian "o" in it. He had never written a movie when he wrote this. The traditional rule of thumb is that one page is roughly equivalent to one minute of screen time, but Aykroyd's first draft was over 300 pages and featured a complete backstory for every member of the band. As a self-deprecating joke about the length of what he'd written, he took the cover off a copy of a phone book and put the script into it. The "Who are you going to call, Jake?" line is pretty funny because Ghostbusters wasn't made until 1984. It was originally conceived as another vehicle for Aykroyd and Belushi, but Belushi died in 1982, and it took Aykroyd a few years to come back to it and try and configure it with someone else in mind. The characters came about because Aykroyd and Belushi were both genuine fans of blues. The movie provided sort of an excuse for them to meet and work with artists they idolized, like James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, and many others. It turned out to be a mutually beneficial project, as all of the artists, who were struggling at the time, had their sales revitalized by the movie introducing their music to a new generation, and they all cited the movie as a key turning point in the later half of their careers. Aykroyd and Fisher were engaged to be married for awhile, and she spent a good portion of the period between Star Wars in 1977 and Empire Strikes Back in 1980 hanging out with the "SNL" crowd. Elwood just works at a general canning factory that produces aerosol cans. So the glue, the stuff he puts in the tires, and the Cheez Whiz his neighbor asks for are all from his job, as they all come in spray cans. The kid who tries to steal from Ray's Music Exchange, De'voreaux White, would go onto play limo driver Argyle in Die Hard. There are definitely lots of examples of movies appearing as a joke in another movie. One that comes to mind is Halloween III, which is the one entry in the series that is more like a spin-off than a sequel. Since it takes place in a world where Michael Myers doesn't exist, they play the Halloween trailer on TV at one point. Pretty sure it really is Aykroyd and Belushi doing all of their own dancing. It might even be Belushi doing the backflips. The Cook County Assessor at the end is played by Steven Spielberg. Also, you're thinking of John Lasseter, not John Landis (re: Pixar). You previously watched the next Landis/Aykroyd collaboration, Trading Places, on the channel. There is a sequel to The Blues Brothers, and it is quite bad, and I don't think anyone will recommend you watch it.

[@BigRiggBlues]

I would only recommend that they watch Blues Brothers 2000 for the music, and only if they actually know who the musicians involved are. It’s definitely not a movie for everyone.

[@misterno-ice-guy8082]

I recommend everyone see bad movies along side of good movies to round out one's cultural palate, running the full sequel gamut, as well as having a reference for to compare good movies to.. (also, us older folk who lived through the good ol' days also had to live through the drivel-films, and why should we be the only ones to 'suffer'?)

[@tylerfoster6267]

@@misterno-ice-guy8082 I think there are interesting sequels that had a mixed and/or negative reception (Terminator 3, for example). Blues Brothers 2000 just stinks in the most unremarkable way, which doesn't seem particularly enriching.

[@misterno-ice-guy8082]

@@tylerfoster6267 I always rank movies on a scale from -5 points to 100.. partially because anything below -5 is a must see BECAUSE it's so bad, and becomes a positive number again. I can relate to your claim of "unremarkably bad", and I fully support it. However, I say watch, but don't react/post on yt, (bc of Blues Bros iconicness)

[@BigSleepyOx]

"All the members in the band aside from Aykroyd and Belushi are real musicians". Aykroyd is actually a good harmonica player, so... (He also was part of the chor in We Are The World, FWIW lol)

[@crappleindusuries]

Fun fact about this: when it was first released it broke 2 world records, one for the longest car chase filmed and the other for most cars destroyed in a car chase.

[@Shawn-bo6lv]

All singing and dancing performed by Jake and Elwood was indeed Jim Belushi and Dan Akroyd. Its from their SNL skits.

[@kathyastrom1315]

This movie was such a big part of my teens. It came out the summer before I started high school in my home town of Joliet, Illinois. Since it was a locally set film, I was already going to love it, but the music and comedy made it a multiply-viewed movie that summer. That September, my Catholic high school’s homecoming theme was “We’re on a mission from God,” and we had a “Dress Like a Blues Brother Day” that week. When I went to college in Milwaukee four years later, my roommate’s father was a Mt. Prospect police officer and his old car had been one of the Bluesmobiles. Also, my drama professor had played the shorter of the two guards escorting Jake across the Collins Street prison in the start of the film-his name, Gerald Walling, SJ, is right above John Belushi’s in the closing credits.

[@michaelhoward142]

I've always thought the "over the top" obstacles (the police, ex-girlfriend, Nazis, etc) the Brothers faced was to emphasize their "mission from God" and how they had divine protection. Awesome reaction! Love you two! 🤗

[@Madbandit77]

If they had divine protection, how the hell did they end up in jail?! 😮

[@michaelhoward142]

@@Madbandit77 Once they'd paid the taxes on the orphanage, their mission was over and they were on their own again. 😉

[@JoeFF85]

This divine protection angle is also supported by the fact that the car made it through so much, then fell to pieces the moment it had gotten them where they needed to go.

[@michaelhoward142]

@@JoeFF85 Absolutely.

[@heavycritic9554]

7:10 I love how the dialogue syncs up with the song here. 🙂 "Shit!" "What?" "Rollers..." "No!" "Yeah!" "Shit!"

[@robertpearson8798]

The idea for the characters was inspired by a Toronto band that Akroyd used to like to see in Ottawa called the Downchild Blues Band. Akroyd took Belushi to see them and got him interested in the blues. Yes, that was actually Belushi singing as well as Akroyd. Also, that was really Belushi doing the backflips in the church. He was pretty agile and did them a few times on SNL. Downchild actually played a concert in my high school gymnasium one day after someone at the school had won the concert on a radio contest.

[@DB-zp9un]

That amount of musical legends that are in this movie is just unreal..

[@elijahvincent985]

One of the very, very few R rated films that can be played to a PG audience. It's an absolute classic!

[@sntxrrr]

One of the best comedies of the era, an absolute classic with amazing cameos and music.

[@davidbenson94]

Lots of cameos also. Two of note are Frank Oz (Muppets: Miss Piggy, Grover & Yoda from Star Wars) who signed Jake out of prison and Steven Spielberg who collected the tax assessment at the end.

[@skepticcritic4995]

Great reaction guys! FUN FACT: the fact Carrie Fisher's character was hunting down the Blues Brothers solely for her own personal vendetta against Jake, the funny irony is.. She was dating and engaged to... Dan Aykroyd (Elwood Blues) during the movies production.. After the production wrapped up.. they broke it off while on a trip to Martha's Vineyard

[@raymondgilbert1341]

Also, another favorite of mine, which also stars the Candy-Belushi-Akroid trio, is the WW II comedy 1941, done by Spielberg and considered to be the loudest movie ever made. It has the same manic energy as this movie, so it makes little sense, but you will laugh all the way through it.

[@jorgiotoldo8636]

Steven Spielberg is the Chicago court room officer who gives them the received for the 5000$ so they already knew each others in 1980. didnt remember of this cameo.

[@_FH.]

Love that George used a real picture for the thumbnail & no photoshop was used for once

[@vincentsaia6545]

The prison guard giving John Belushi his stuff back in the beginning of the movie is played by Frank Oz who voiced Miss Piggy and the clerk at the county assessors office was played by Steven Spielberg. And, yes, John Belushi did his own singing

[@Murdo2112]

Not only are the band real musicians, many of them were the musicians who played on the original versions of many of the songs in the show, back in the '60s. The bass player and the guitarist with the beard (Duck Dunn and Steve Cropper) were part of Booker T and the MGs, and as the house band at Stax records, played on all of Otis Redding's hits, among many others. Cab Calloway, who sings Minnie the Moocher, had the original hit with that song, back in the 1930s. The whole movie is a homage to classic blues and soul music. The characters of Jake and Elwood Blues began as recurring characters on Saturday Night Live. They went out and toured, until Belushi's death. They were the real deal.

[@ryokinor6223]

I got to see the Blues Brothers perform live. All the members of the band where there and the crowd was on their feet and everyone was dancing. It was great. The next day a friend of mine saw the Blues Mobile diving down the street doing a promotion for the concert. He even got photos (this was before smart phones but he had his camera with him).

[@vilefly]

Oh, you lucky bastard.

[@PatternRecsc2]

During the mall chase scene George asked if there were movies that had cameos from other movies in the background and I immediately thought Ralph and Mortimer from Trading Places showing up as their characters briefly in a scene in Coming to America (both movies also directed by John Landis)

[@Jay-ln1co]

Fun fact: Mr. T is an extra in the crowd during the last scenes of the brothers driving to get the money to the tax place. I believe he can be seen as they drive past a fountain.

[@lucakellu3781]

John candy mentioned, must suggest uncle Buck!

[@Kamenari37]

The Blues Brothers was a comedy bit done on SNL back in the early days of the show's run. The show was fairly avant-garde back in its early days, and people who had broader talents took on many roles such as John and Dan both being able to sing and dance. Yes, they both sang and did their own bits in the film, they're just that good. The band is also played by the actual SNL band who would perform with them live on stage during filming of the show and broadcast. You could sort of consider this movie the precursor to what would become the traditional Saturday Night Live-inspired movie. As a followup to the film, John Belushi was slated to play Dr. Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters but would die from complications due to drug and alcohol use before he could fulfill the role. Bill Murray was given the role instead so one must wonder what the world might have been like with John Belushi as a Ghostbuster. Something cut from the film but explained by the writers was how the Blues Mobile had its inexplicable supernatural ability to drive. The high voltage room Elwood parked it in at night was going to be given some more depth as an explanation to what gave the car its power, but it didn't make the cut. Some notable and missed "Oh my gosh that's..." moments were missing Frank Oz, aka Fozzy Bear, aka Yoda, aka Ms. Piggy, played the prison quartermaster at Jake's release. You also have the legendary screen director himself Steven Spielberg playing the role of the county clerk at the end of the film. I got to be part of one of the coolest marching bands during my high school days. I already know how that sounds, but shut up, it's true. We played some of the jazziest sets and had some wild times. Jungle Boogie, Vehicle, 25 or 6 to 4, Let's Groove, way more than the boring fare other bands played. In my Junior year the teacher approached with a conundrum having not been able to come up with an idea for the show that year and we settled on doing The Blues Brothers as our theme, we already knew all the songs anyway.

[@asterix7842]

At the time, the shopping mall scene was the most expensive scene ever filmed. The found an abandoned mall, rebuilt and stocked the stores, and destroyed it. The members of the band (Steve Cropper, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Matt "Guitar" Murphy, etc) were all accomplished and highly respected studio musicians. They've all played with everyone who was anyone in the music industry.

[@thinkbolt]

"Ya got my cheese whiz, boy?" "They still owe you money, fool!" This movie is so quotable. And I'm so glad George caught on early that it's a CARTOON!

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

"I bet they got SCMODS."

[@bradmcmahon3156]

Cab Calloway recorded Minnie The Moocher in 1931, making the song 92 years old. As big fans of blues and R & B from the '50s and '60s, Ackroyd decided to honor those musicians by wearing the attire of many black bluesmen of that time, and well, of the general male black community, the black suit, tie, hat and Ray-Bans.

[@wratched]

One of the weirdest experiences I ever had watching TV was hearing Hugh Laurie as Bertie Wooster singing "Minnie the Moocher" and realising that the guy who recorded it sang it in "The Blues Brothers" 50 years later.

[@davidtosado336]

I remember going to see the Empire Strikes Back as a kid and this movie, Blues Brothers, was one of the previews in the theater. When it showed Carrie Fisher in the preview, everyone cheered. My parents took me to see it when it came out. It was the first R rated movie that I ever saw, haha

[@goldenageofdinosaurs7192]

Yep, I remember my dad taking me to see this & The Shining in the same 2-3 week period. For the Shining, my baseball team had just won our little league championship (13-0, baby!) & my dad took me & a couple of my friends/teammates to Pizza Hut, then to the movies. Well, apparently my friends were a little less evolved, movie-wise, than me. They were completely freaked out by the movie & told their parents how scary it was. Those parents then called my dad, yelling at him for terrifying their children🤣🤣 That was a good summer!

[@kosh6612]

The shining.. 'Here's Johnny" on a drive-in screen in Twister, s it smashed through the screen. Such a great film, especially being from Chicago and having been to most of the locations in the film. Yes they are real musicians, my dad knew them quite from the Blues scene in Chicago... this movie got played A L LOT in our household.... and such great driving music as a rep on the road! Moved to Australia only to have a 'Blues Mobile" parked on my street. It used to show up to a monthly screening at a local cinema/theater where the crowd always got dressed up and danced on stage along with the movie. A MUST have soundtrack in any music collection, right alongside Pulp Fiction, Good Morning Vietnam and Reality Bites. Fun Fact: The mall was meant to be renovated, but through a series of events it wasn't and eventually demolished... so yeah, they destroyed a real mall for this movie

[@idiot_city5244]

The last 20-30 min chase is so damn hilarious, and pretty impressive with how many stunts and extras there are

[@RickLeMon]

As I recall, the credits for the stunt performers goes on and on.

[@kendric2000-q3d]

I saw this in the theater when I was 13....then saved up my allowance and bought the soundtrack on vinyl. Epic soundtrack.

[@steved1135]

Total brilliance. Still quote this daily. John Candy: orange whip, orange whip ? All that and an amazing soundtrack.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

"Uh oh. Rollers."

[@adamwarlock1]

One fun "film inside a film": In "Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back", they walk through the shooting of Scream 3. In Scream 3, Jay & Silent Bob come through a scene for no apparent reason.

[@TheDaringPastry1313]

A couple fun facts about this movie: That Dixie Square Mall was shut down, so they bought it to film that scene after renovating pieces of it and at the time this film set the record for most cars wrecked in a movie at 104. The sequel beat it by one, but now it is something ridiculous like 500+. Also this movie was based on an SNL skit originally. I think it was like 30M to film and made 115-120M in theaters.

[@zmarko]

This movie is just brilliant. If you just let your analytical self go, and accept what's happening is insanity, it's an amazing ride. There are so many hilarious parts to this film, and the cameos are unmatched Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Carrie Fisher, Frank Oz, John Candy, Henry Gibson - the head n*zi, and countless famous musicians. A total classic.

[@stevejolly8231]

Some fun cameos you may have missed. The cop in the prison who gave him his stuff back was Frank oz, and the tax guy at the end was Steven Spielberg

[@erich.1355]

I'm glad you guys got to experience this movie; it's a love letter to the legends of Rhythm & Soul, and to the city of Chicago. James Brown, Aretha Franklin, John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles... they're not just name-drops, they are progressing the plot through their performances (eh, mostly). This might be the most talented a cast a "musical" has ever had. The Blues Brothers Band themselves were accomplished studio musicians, individually, and moderately successful, together. Growing up in Chicago-land in the 70s & 80s, this move connects me to a time & place in a way no other really can, and it's cool to see a new generation appreciate it! Thanks

[@koreanforrabbit]

Hudson Hawk is the ultimate "sing songs while you do crimes" movie. It's one of my favorites, and I think that, someday, it'll be considered a cult classic It's so weird, and funny, and weird. ❤

[@daveautzen9089]

This…so much this! So many people think I’m crazy for liking Hudson Hawk. Nice to find another fan!

[@TGSpectre1]

I've been hooked on the Hawk since I was a kid. I can't say it's a good film with a straight face. But it's nuts enough to coast on by.

[@jaredragland4707]

​@@TGSpectre1That movie is so bad, it's art.

[@8104587]

@@daveautzen9089 There are dozens of us ...

[@djashley2002]

Some would say that the ultimate crime is the movie itself, but I do have a soft spot for it.

[@matthewfike4491]

This movie makes my Top 3 favorite movies of all time list. Thanks for reacting to it. You guys seemed to get the humor of it better than most reactors.

[@giuliogrifi7739]

The scene at the restaurant surely was inspired by another comical scene at the restaurant...in a film called "...CONTINUAVANO A CHIAMARLO TRINITA'" - 1971.....well done John Landis !!!

[@DaleKingProfile]

The Blues Brothers was born put of Ackroyd's passion for Blues music. He hosted a radio show on the blues as Elwood for like 25 years and started the House of Blues chain of restaurant/music venues

[@BryanAlaspa]

That was a real prison there. The Joliet penitentiary is now closed to prisoners and I think is now open for tours. This movie was pretty notorious for destroying portions of the city - like Daley Plaza near the end. I think the city of Chicago sued to get some money back saying they wrecked more than they said it would. Also, John Belushi was known for being incredibly athletic for being sort of a large man. In Chicago, at about this time the movie came out, there was a Nazi organization that sued to hold a parade in Skokie, IL, a very heavily Jewish suburb. So, that Nazi stuff was pretty timely when this came out. Also, Rawhide was a TV show from late 50s - mid 60s, and got Clint Eastwood his start. And, finally, the clerk at the end - Stephen Spielberg because he was friends with director John Landis.

[@Charsept]

I saw this as a kid so I never realized how many huge musicians/singers were in this. Wow.

[@cstowe81]

I so hope you guys recognized the Queen herself, Aretha Franklin in the diner scene,.. "You Better Think!" 🙌😃 One of the greatest collaborative soundtracks ever!

[@deborahcohen7025]

I saw no indication that they recognized Aretha Franklin.

[@randybass8842]

Aretha was spontaneous and couldn't lip sync to the recorded song, so they had to set up a series of overhead microphones to record her live as she danced around.

[@ptittannique5621]

So, yes - the band are all real musicians. For instance, the two bearded guys (Steve Cropper, guitar, and Donald Dunn, bass guitar and pipe) are from the MGs ("Memphis Group"), which were the house band at Stax records, and recorded (and wrote) with the likes of Otis Redding, Booker T Jones, Sam & Dave...

[@caseymoe816]

“That’s Steve Cropper!!! The world’s greatest Blues guitarist!!!” Love that line.

[@linkloudenback8359]

John Belushi actually sang he also did the back flips too. Even though he looks out of shape he was very athletic. The scenes that were poorly visible are added recently this version must be a director cut. All the scenes that are visible good was the original movie cut or theatrical movie. The car chase at the end was for comic relief because a lot of studios at the time wanted some sort of car chase in movies much like Blazing Saddles was a western it’s making fun of how studios would pressure film makers to do things that had nothing to do with the movie. The county clerk was Stephen Spielberg and the officer who was given Jake his property back was Frank Oz.

[@Crazyivan777]

TBF it wasn't just that he was athletic. He had a self-destructive nature that inspired him to literally throw himself into stunts, even if they'd hurt him, for the attention he'd get.

[@flintarizaga1433]

@@Crazyivan777 All the cocaine he was on helped.

[@RajkoK]

I have this film on blu-ray and was very confused by your comments about the changing look of the film, but then I noticed you watched the extended cut. I've never seen this version but this would explain why the film changed in quality throughout, especially if they didn't have the original negatives for the extra footage. The extended cut is 13 minutes longer and includes a longer version the James Brown song, which is when you first noticed the film quality change.

[@glenkamerling5333]

I looked it up when I got the digital version and later releases outside of the anniversary edition dvd the extra scenes were not cleaned up to match the visual quality of the rest of the movie.

[@mariagrenat6147]

I don’t think you realize just how many legends were involved in this movie. So many.

[@chrismonroe8582]

I have only ever watched your fantastic reactions here on KZbin so it is condensed. I have noticed, even with much less content to observe, that you are seeing more than what was the original U.S. version(s) of some movies. Carrie shown in the salon with the picture was not in the original for example. There was at least one other expansion in this version but I'm high and can't recall just now. Love your show. George possesses an extra nerd gene I believe. Simone, you are lovely

[@jasonnewman3355]

If you grew up in Chicagoland this movie was basically a piece of regional gospel.

[@jayconant3816]

Totally!

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

I've heard _The Fugitive_ is also played for newcomers to the city.

[@ariconsul]

Yaay! One of my all time favorites, especially once I learned how special the cast is. The cameos from Cab Calloway to Carrie Fischer are amazing.

[@straak]

The Blues Brothers - Dan Akroyd and John Belushi, began as a segment on SNL in the early 70s. While meant to be comedic, the band was the house band at SNL, lead by Paul Schaffer and started because of Dan's love of Blues music. THE HOUSE OF BLUES is an off-shoot of The Blues Brothers. The movie itself is a "diegetic musical" and was directed by John Landis. The budget (a record at the time) was $22,000,000. It helped revive the careers of Aretha Franklin and Cab Calloway. It holds the record for the most cars crashed in a movie.

[@x_warhog_x8701]

The Blues Brothers still play to this day Jim Belushi, John's brother took up the mantle after his brothers death and they still do show's to this day.

[@hanskneesun123]

I've had the pleasure of introducing friends and family to this fantastic movie over the decades, there's so much music though... so I'm expecting lots of chatter from you :)

[@iKvetch558]

"This movie is weirdly slow!" George at 4:28 Um...it picks up speed, just a bit, if you wait just a little while. 💯😂👍

[@captainchaos3667]

The sequel, Blues Brothers 2000, is not nearly as bad as everyone will tell you. Worth watching.

[@OklasoonaHomer]

Especially worth watching for the battle of the bands at the end.

[@cashflowhustles]

Strictly for the music. The movie SUCKS but the music is awesome.

[@markcorl2022]

It’s fun to watch your reactions. The Blues Brothers were an actual band and would perform on the original SNL and toured, so yes, everybody was doing their own singing and playing instruments.. The musicians in the band were the actual band that they toured with in the late ‘70s, with Paul Shaffer being replaced by Murphy Dunne. As for the cameos in the film…. So many musicians and singers in the film. Also Frank Oz was the clerk at the prison, Paul Reubens was a waiter at the restaurant, and Steven Spielberg was the clerk they paid the money to at the end. A great over-the-top comedy!

[@jamest684]

As for the movie reference within the movie, yes this one has that as well, which most younger reactors miss on this one: man in the toy store asks if they "have a Miss Piggy" and the officer who did the release papers was the puppeteer of Miss Piggy, Frank Oz.

[@Cheepchipsable]

He meant scenes from other film occurring in the background.

[@Foxtrot369]

You should do your next intro by saying _"Hello & welcome to Cinebinge, where we do both kinds of music, Country and Western"_ 😆

[@mildredpierce4506]

When they were ordering food at the café, the type of food they were ordering with a code for the other band member to know that they were there.

[@SteamboatW]

I like it when he asks for a Miss Piggy at Toys'R'Us, when Miss Piggy played the corrections officer with the mustache in the beginning!