Much of the film was shot on location in and around Chicago between July and October 1979, including Joliet Correctional Center in nearby Joliet, Illinois and Wauconda, Illinois, where the car crashes into the side of Route 12. Made with the cooperation of Mayor Jane M. Byrne, it is credited for putting Chicago on the map as a venue for filmmaking. Nearly 200 movies have been filmed in Chicago. "Chicago is one of the stars of the movie. We wrote it as a tribute", Dan Aykroyd told the "Chicago Sun-Times" in an article written to mark the film's 25th-anniversary DVD release.
Locations
The Blues Brothers (film)
The Blues Brothers (film) | Locations
Majorly in Chicago and few scenes in Wauconda, Illinois When not on the set, he went out to his familiar Chicago haunts such as Wrigley Field and the Old Town Ale House. In and around Chicago. Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context.
how much did the blues brothers movie cost to make
user
More than $17.5 million
assistant
who directed it?
user
John Landis
assistant
who did its background score?
user
By rhythm and blues (R&B), soul, and blues singers James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Chaka Khan, and John Lee Hooker
assistant
who starred in this film?
user
John Belushi and Dan Aykroy
assistant
what is this r&b refers to?
user
Rhythm and blues,  is a genre of popular music that originated in African American communities in the 1940s
assistant
and the next one of r&b?
user
Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the 1950s and early 1960s
assistant
you have mentioned a list of singers; is the first one related to any band?
user
Yes. The Famous Flames
assistant
is this band involved in any controversy?
user
Yes when James Brown was one of the Hall of Fame's first charter members to be inducted
assistant
did he first start the concept of concert?
user
Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context.
assistant
what other works has he done in his career?
user
He made public speeches in schools and continued to advocate the importance of education in school.
assistant
can you name any other song used in the aforementioned film?
user
Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context.
assistant
where was it filmed?
user
The Lake Freeway (North) was a planned but not completed six-lane freeway, and I-794 contained an unfinished ramp off which the Nazis drove. Several Milwaukee skyscrapers are visible in the background as the Bluesmobile flips over, notably the U.S. Bank Center. The Palace Hotel Ballroom, where the band performs its climactic concert, was at the time of filming a country club, but later became the South Shore Cultural Center, named after the Chicago neighborhood where it is located. The interior concert scenes were filmed in the Hollywood Palladium.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Locations
The film's score includes "God Music" (instrumental with choir vocalese) composed by Elmer Bernstein, who previously had worked with John Landis on "National Lampoon's Animal House". Other songs in the film include:
The Blues Brothers (film) | Other songs in the film
Brunner). It is featured in the 1980 film "The Blues Brothers", where it is performed by James Brown with the Rev. James Cleveland Choir. It also appears on the film's soundtrack album.
Let Us Go Back to the Old Landmark | Introduction
The Blues Brothers is a 1980 American musical comedy film directed by John Landis. It stars John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as "Joliet" Jake and Elwood Blues, characters developed from "The Blues Brothers" recurring musical sketch on the NBC variety series "Saturday Night Live". The film is set in and around Chicago, Illinois, where it was filmed. The film's screenplay was written by Aykroyd and Landis. It features musical numbers by rhythm and blues (R&B), soul, and blues singers James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Chaka Khan, and John Lee Hooker. It features non-musical supporting performances by Carrie Fisher, Henry Gibson, Charles Napier and John Candy.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Introduction
Meanwhile, the last two band members, Matt "Guitar" Murphy and "Blue Lou" Marini, who now work in a soul food restaurant, rejoin the band against the advice of Murphy's wife and restaurant owner, Aretha Franklin. The reunited group obtain instruments and equipment from Ray's Music Exchange in Calumet City, and Ray, "as usual", takes an IOU.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Plot
The other chase scenes included lower Wacker Drive, Lake Street, and Richard J. Daley Center. In the final car chase scene, the production actually dropped a Ford Pinto, representing the one driven by the "Illinois Nazis", from a helicopter at an altitude of about 1,200 feet—and had to gain a Special Airworthiness Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration to do it. The FAA was concerned that the car could prove too aerodynamic in a high-altitude drop, and pose a threat to nearby buildings. The shot leading up to the car drop, where the "Illinois Nazis" drive off a freeway ramp, was shot in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, near the Hoan Bridge on Interstate 794.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Locations
The stars had a private bar, the Blues Club, built on the set, for themselves, crew, and friends. Carrie Fisher, Aykroyd's girlfriend at the time, said most of the bar's staff doubled as dealers, procuring any drug patrons desired.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Filming
Much of the film was shot on location in and around Chicago between July and October 1979, including Joliet Correctional Center in nearby Joliet, Illinois and Wauconda, Illinois, where the car crashes into the side of Route 12. Made with the cooperation of Mayor Jane M. Byrne, it is credited for putting Chicago on the map as a venue for filmmaking. Nearly 200 movies have been filmed in Chicago. "Chicago is one of the stars of the movie. We wrote it as a tribute", Dan Aykroyd told the "Chicago Sun-Times" in an article written to mark the film's 25th-anniversary DVD release.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Locations
A number of regular Blues Brothers' members, including saxophonist Tom Scott and drummer Steve Jordan, perform on the soundtrack album, but are not in the film. According to Landis in the 1998 documentary "The Stories Behind the Making of 'The Blues Brothers", filmed musical performances by Franklin and Brown took more effort, as neither artist was accustomed to lip-synching their performances on film. Franklin required several takes, and Brown simply rerecorded his performance live. Cab Calloway initially wanted to do a disco variation on his signature tune, "Minnie the Moocher", having done the song in several styles in the past, but Landis insisted that the song be done faithful to the original big-band version.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Soundtrack
The start of filming was delayed when Aykroyd, new to film screenwriting, took six months to deliver a long and unconventional script that Landis had to rewrite before production, which began without a final budget. On location in Chicago, Belushi's partying and drug use caused lengthy and costly delays that, along with the destructive car chases depicted onscreen, made the final film one of the most expensive comedies ever produced.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Introduction
While not all members appeared in the original film, the full band included:
The Blues Brothers | Original lineup
In addition to the soundtrack, there are songs that appear in the film as background music that do not feature on the soundtrack. They include:
Blues Brothers 2000 (soundtrack) | Other songs in the film
The film used 13 different cars bought at auction from the California Highway Patrol to depict the retired 1974 Mount Prospect, Illinois Dodge Monaco patrol car. The vehicles were outfitted by the studio to do particular driving chores; some were customized for speed and others for jumps, depending on the scene. For the large car chases, filmmakers purchased 60 police cars at $400 each, and most were destroyed at the completion of the filming. More than 40 stunt drivers were hired, and the crew kept a 24-hour body shop to repair cars. For the scene when the Blues Brothers finally arrive at the Richard J.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Bluesmobile
O Brother, Where Art Thou? is the soundtrack album of music from the 2000 American film of the same name, written, directed and produced by the Coen Brothers and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, and John Goodman. The film is set in Mississippi during the Great Depression. The soundtrack, produced by T-Bone Burnett, uses bluegrass, country, gospel, blues, and folk music appropriate to the time period. With the exception of a few vintage tracks (such as Harry McClintock's 1928 single "Big Rock Candy Mountain"), most tracks are modern recordings. The soundtrack was reissued on August 23, 2011, with 14 new tracks that were not included in the original album, "including 12 previously unreleased cuts from music producer T-Bone Burnett's "O Brother" sessions."
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (soundtrack) | Introduction
"Blues Brothers 2000" made it into the Guinness Book of Records for the biggest car pile-up, a record previously held by the original film. 63 cars were used in the scene after Elwood says to the band, "Don't look back." Inevitably, everyone looks back and sees the massive pile-up. Portions of this scene were filmed in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The movie held the record for Most Cars Destroyed in the course of production for nine years at 104, one more than was wrecked in "The Blues Brothers", until "" surpassed it in 2009 with 112 cars destroyed.
Blues Brothers 2000 | Production
In 1980, The Blues Brothers, directed by John Landis, was released. It featured epic car chases involving the Bluesmobile and musical performances by Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles and John Lee Hooker. The story is set in and around Chicago, Illinois. It is a tale of redemption for the paroled convict Jake Blues and his brother Elwood, who after a visit to Sister Mary Stigmata (Kathleen Freeman), otherwise known as "The Penguin" at the Catholic orphanage where they grew up, choose to take on a "mission from God" and reform their old blues band in order to raise funds to save the orphanage.
The Blues Brothers | "The Blues Brothers"
One day after the editing was done, Wasserman invited Landis up to his office to speak with Ted Mann, head of the Mann Theatres chain, which dominated film exhibition in the Western United States. He told Landis that he would not book the film at any theaters in predominantly white neighborhoods, such as Westwood. Not only did Mann not want black patrons going there to see the film, he surmised that white viewers were unlikely to see a film featuring older black musical stars. Ultimately "The Blues Brothers" got less than half the bookings nationwide for its initial release than a typical big-budget studio film of the era, which did not bode well for its success at the box office.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Post-production
The song was later recorded by The Blues Brothers for a scene in the movie, "The Blues Brothers", but was cut out.
Sink the Bismark | Blues Brothers recording
In the 1980 film "The Blues Brothers", beach scenes were filmed along the shores of Bangs Lake.
Bangs Lake | Introduction
The sixth member, "Mr. Fabulous", turns them down as he is the maître d' at expensive restaurant "Chez Paul", but the brothers behave obnoxiously in the restaurant until he relents. On their way to meet the final two band members, the brothers find the road through Jackson Park blocked by an "American Socialist White People's Party"—"the Illinois Nazis"—demonstration on a bridge. It is mentioned that "The Nazis" won their court case, likely a reference to The Skokie Affair. Elwood runs them off the bridge, forcing them to jump into the East Lagoon. The commander orders a subordinate to record the car's license number.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Plot
The Blues Brothers: Original Soundtrack Recording (later re-released as The Blues Brothers: Music from the Soundtrack) was released on June 20, 1980 as the second album by the Blues Brothers Band, which also toured that year to promote the film. "Gimme Some Lovin'" was a Top 20 "Billboard" hit, peaking at number 18. The album was a followup to their debut, the live album, "Briefcase Full of Blues". Later that year they released a second live album, "Made in America", which featured the Top 40 track, "Who's Making Love". The songs on the soundtrack album are a noticeably different audio mix than in the film, with a prominent baritone saxophone in the horn line (also heard in the film during "Shake a Tail Feather", though no baritone sax is present), and female backing vocals on "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love", though the band had no other backup singers, besides Jake &/or Elwood, in the film.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Soundtrack
He recruits some new singers, Mighty Mack (John Goodman) and Cab (Joe Morton), a policeman who was Curtis' son. All the original band members are found, as well as some performers from the first film, including Aretha Franklin and James Brown. There are dozens of other guest performers, including Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Junior Wells, Lonnie Brooks, Eddie Floyd, Wilson Pickett, Isaac Hayes, Sam Moore, Taj Mahal and Jonny Lang, Blues Traveler, as well as an all-star supergroup led by B.B. King called the Louisiana Gator Boys. On the run from the police, Russian mafia and a racist militia, the band eventually ends up in Louisiana, where they enter a battle of the bands overseen by a voodoo practitioner named Queen Moussette (Erykah Badu).
The Blues Brothers | "Blues Brothers 2000"
Some of the film took place in Delmar, New York and Glenmont, New York. Including scenes of Empire State Building, New York Public Library, Metropolitan Museum of Art and Central Park.
Dorian Blues | Filming locations
Principal photography began in July 1979, with the film's budget still not settled. For the first month, things ran smoothly on and off the set. When Weiss saw the supposedly final $17.5 million budget, he reportedly joked, "I think we've spent that much already." In the next month, the production began falling behind schedule. Much of the delay was due to Belushi's partying and carousing. When not on the set, he went out to his familiar Chicago haunts such as Wrigley Field and the Old Town Ale House. People often recognized him and slipped him cocaine, a drug he was already using heavily on his own, hoping to use it with him.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Filming
Along the way, the brothers are targeted by a "mystery woman" (Carrie Fisher) and chased by the Illinois State Police, a country and western band called the Good Ol' Boys, and "Illinois Nazis". The film grossed $57 million domestically in its theatrical release, making it the 10th highest-grossing movie of 1980, and grossed an additional $58 million in foreign release. It is the second-highest grossing film based on a "Saturday Night Live" sketch and ninth-highest grossing musical film.
The Blues Brothers | "The Blues Brothers"
The film was shot on location in Montgomery, Alabama. Their collaborations also include "Love Song" (2000), "Brothers of the Borderland" (2004) for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio and "Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl" (2016).
David Claessen | Films
In a March 2011 interview with "Ain't it Cool News", Landis also mentioned he had approved the Blu-ray's remastered transfer. On May 19, 2020, the movie was given a 4K UHD release, it has a new 4K remaster from the original negative and the extended footage was remastered from the same archived print as well.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Home media
The Dixie Square Mall, an abandoned shopping mall in Harvey, was the setting for filming of the car chase scene in "The Blues Brothers". Although the mall had been closed since November 1978, filmmakers persuaded the city to permit them to shoot the scene. The filmmakers paid to remodel part of the mall and have apparent retail activity for two days in order to shoot the scene. After filming was completed, the mall was boarded up and closed again.
Harvey, Illinois | Representation in other media
When the film was first screened for a preview audience, a producer demanded that director Landis cut 25 minutes from the film. After trimming 15 minutes, it was released in theaters at 132 minutes. It was first released on VHS and Betamax from MCA Videocassette Inc. in 1983. A Laserdisc from MCA Videodisc was released the same year. It was re-released on VHS, Laserdisc, and Betamax in 1985 from MCA Home Video, and again in 1990 from MCA/Universal Home Video. It was also released in a 2-Pack VHS box set with "Animal House". The film's original length was restored to 148 minutes for the "Collector's Edition" DVD and a Special Edition VHS and Laserdisc release in 1998.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Home media
The film was shot in Atlanta.
Blues for Willadean | Production
Director John Landis mentioned this to Candy, who improvised the exchange.
Orange Whip | "The Blues Brothers"
The Blues Brothers Show is a live show attraction located at Universal Studios Florida. The show debuted at the Florida park in March 1991 in the New York area. The show is based on the 1980 film "The Blues Brothers", and features the title characters of Jake and Elwood performing classic Rock & Soul songs from the film. The current Orlando iteration of the show includes songs on a rotating show schedule. Five shows are performed daily and the songs include; Everybody Needs Somebody, Flip Flop Fly, Gimme Some Lovin', Hey Bartender, Rubber Biscuit, Rawhide, Sweet Home Chicago, Jailhouse Rock, Think, Respect, Shake a Tailfeather, Soul Man, and Shout.
The Blues Brothers Show | Introduction
"The Blues Brothers" has become a staple of late-night cinema, even slowly morphing into an audience-participation show in its regular screenings at the Valhalla Cinema, in Melbourne, Australia. John Landis acknowledged the support of the cinema and the fans by a phone call he made to the cinema at the 10th-anniversary screening, and later invited regular attendees to make cameo appearances in "Blues Brothers 2000". The fans act as the members of the crowd during the performance of "". In August 2005, a 25th-anniversary celebration for "The Blues Brothers" was held at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. Attendees included Landis, former Universal Studios executive Thom Mount, film editor George Folsey, Jr., and cast members James Brown, Henry Gibson, Charles Napier, Steve Cropper, and Stephen Bishop.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Cult-film status
During a song by the Blues Brothers (a Caribbean number called "Funky Nassau"), a character played by Paul Shaffer asks to cut in on keyboards, which Murph allows. This marks the first time in a film that the Blues Brothers play with their original keyboardist.
The Blues Brothers | "Blues Brothers 2000"
Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles was a regular haunt for the original Blues Brothers in the early days of the band. Belushi and Aykroyd became fixtures at the recording studio, while fellow Blues Brother Steve Cropper called Cherokee his producing home. Whenever they needed a bass player, they were joined by another Blues Brother, Donald "Duck" Dunn. During this time, Cropper, along with producing partner and Cherokee owner Bruce Robb, worked on a number of music projects with the two comedians/musicians, including Belushi's favorite band, Fear, and later Aykroyd's movie "Dragnet".
Dan Aykroyd | The Blues Brothers
Selected songs in the film reflect the possible spectrum of musical styles typical of the old culture of the American South: gospel, delta blues, country, swing and bluegrass. The use of dirges and other macabre songs is a theme that often recurs in Appalachian music ("O Death", "Lonesome Valley", "Angel Band", "I Am Weary") in contrast to bright, cheerful songs ("Keep On the Sunny Side", "In the Highways") in other parts of the film.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? | Music
At Aykroyd's demand, soul and R&B stars James Brown, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin were cast in speaking parts to support musical numbers built around them. This caused friction between Landis and Universal later in the production, as its costs far exceeded the original budget. Since none of them except Charles had had any hits in recent years, the studio wanted the director to replace them with – or add performances by – younger acts, such as Rose Royce, whose "Car Wash" had made them disco stars after its use in the 1976 film of that name. Other musicians in the cast include Big Walter Horton, Pinetop Perkins, and John Lee Hooker (who performed "Boom Boom" during the Maxwell Street scene).
The Blues Brothers (film) | Casting
The Belic brothers shot the film with two Hi8 camcorders and edited it themselves. They were allowed to edit the film during nighttime at a professional editing facility. It took them three and a half years to finish the film after they shot it. All this time they lived on $500 a month in an apartment above an auto repair shop. Christopher Nolan, a longtime friend of the brothers, is credited for his "editorial assistance".
Genghis Blues | Production
It featured a press conference, a panel discussion where Dan Aykroyd joined by satellite, and a screening of the original theatrical version of the film. The panel discussion was broadcast direct to many other cinemas around the country. The popularity of the film has also spread overseas. The film was an inspiration for Japanese companies Studio Hibari and Aniplex, which led to the creation of the manga and anime franchise Nerima Daikon Brothers, which contain heavy references to the film.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Cult-film status
The Blues Brothers use the Bluesmobile to evade pursuers in a number of high-speed chases throughout the film, culminating in a police pursuit / race to Chicago after the band's performance north of the city. Even though the car throws a connecting rod during this pursuit, they are still able to outrun both the police and a group of Neo-Nazis in a pair of Ford station wagons. After they crash through the Richard J. Daley Center and arrive at the Cook County Building to pay the property taxes on the orphanage where they grew up, the car falls to pieces on the sidewalk.
Bluesmobile | Chase scenes
They gained further notoriety after spawning a Hollywood comedy film in 1980, "The Blues Brothers". After Belushi's death in 1982, the Blues Brothers continued to perform with a rotation of guest singers and other band members. The band reformed in 1988 for a world tour and again in 1998 for a sequel film, "Blues Brothers 2000".
The Blues Brothers | Introduction
"Time" magazine's Richard Corliss wrote, ""The Blues Brothers" is a demolition symphony that works with the cold efficiency of a Moog synthesizer gone sadistic". Janet Maslin of "The New York Times" criticized the film for shortchanging viewers on more details about Jake and Elwood's affinity for African-American culture. She also took director Landis to task for "distracting editing", mentioning the Soul Food diner scene in which saxophonist Lou Marini's head is out of shot as he dances on the counter. In the documentary, "Stories Behind the Making of The Blues Brothers", Landis acknowledges the criticism while stating “Everybody has his opinion”, and Marini recalls the dismay he felt at seeing the completed film.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Critical reception
Music was originally conceived as a major component of the film, not merely as a background or a support. Producer and musician T Bone Burnett worked with the Coens while the script was still in its working phases and the soundtrack was recorded before filming commenced. Much of the music used in the film is period-specific folk music, including that of Virginia bluegrass singer Ralph Stanley. The musical selection also includes religious music, including Primitive Baptist and traditional African American gospel, most notably the Fairfield Four, an "a cappella" quartet with a career extending back to 1921 who appear in the soundtrack and as gravediggers towards the film's end.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? | Music
Lenoir and James. Because James had not been filmed before the 1960s, Keith B. Brown played the part of the young James in the documentary. James' song "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" was featured in the 2000 film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and included on the soundtrack album.
Skip James | Rediscovery and legacy
Landis' difficulties continued even after principal photography was completed. The first cut of the film lasted two and a half hours, with an intermission. After one early screening, Wasserman demanded it be shortened, and 20 minutes were cut. The film's final budget was $27.5 million (equivalent to $ million in ), $10 million over its original budget. Prospects for a successful release did not look good. Aykroyd and Belushi had left "SNL" at the end of the previous season, reducing their bankability. Belushi's fame had taken a further hit after the commercial and critical failure of "1941" at the end of the year.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Post-production
The first traffic stop was in Park Ridge, Illinois. The shopping mall car chase was filmed in the real, albeit shuttered, Dixie Square Mall, in Harvey, Illinois. The bridge jump was filmed on an actual drawbridge, the 95th Street bridge over the Calumet River, on the southeast side of Chicago. The main entrance to Wrigley Field (and its sign reading "Save lives. Drive safely, prevent fires.") makes a brief appearance when the "Illinois Nazis" visit it after Elwood falsely registers the ballpark's location, 1060 West Addison, as his home address on his driver's license. (Elwood's Illinois driver's license number is an almost-valid encoded number, with Aykroyd's own birth date embedded.) Jake's final confrontation with his girlfriend was filmed in a replica of a section of the abandoned Chicago freight tunnel system.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Locations
This never-shown film was found in the basement of the National Film Center in Tokyo. Completely shot in Vietnam over 850 kilometers in the midst of the war. Location is Huế, Hải Vân Gorge, Road No. 1, Long Hải and Saigon.
Number Ten Blues | Reception
Blues Brothers 2000 is a 1998 American musical comedy film that is a sequel to the 1980 film "The Blues Brothers", written and produced by John Landis and Dan Aykroyd. Directed by Landis, the film stars Aykroyd and John Goodman, with cameo appearances by various musicians. The film is dedicated to John Belushi, Cab Calloway, and John Candy, cast members from the original film who had died prior to the sequel's production, as well as Junior Wells, who died one month before it was released.
Blues Brothers 2000 | Introduction
The characters, Jake and Elwood Blues, were created by Belushi and Aykroyd in performances on "Saturday Night Live". The name "The Blues Brothers" was the idea of Howard Shore. The fictional back story and character sketches of blood brothers Jake and Elwood were developed by Aykroyd in collaboration with Ron Gwynne, who is credited as a story consultant for the film. As related in the liner notes of the band's debut album, "Briefcase Full of Blues", the brothers grew up in an orphanage, learned the blues from a janitor named Curtis, and sealed their brotherhood by cutting their middle fingers with a steel string said to have come from the guitar of Elmore James.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Origins
That night, state troopers attempt to arrest Elwood for driving with a suspended license. After a high-speed chase through the Dixie Square Mall, the brothers flee to the flophouse where Elwood lives, miraculously escaping a rocket launcher attack by a mysterious woman. The next morning, as the police arrive at the house, the woman detonates a bomb that demolishes the building, but somehow leaves Jake and Elwood unharmed, and saves them from being apprehended. Jake and Elwood begin tracking down members of the band. Five of them are playing a Holiday Inn lounge as "Murph and the Magic Tones," and quickly agree to rejoin.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Plot
This is the first official release to feature John Goodman after his first performance with the band at the House of the Blues in Los Angeles in 1995.
Blues Brothers 2000 (soundtrack) | Introduction
Made in America is the third album by The Blues Brothers. The second live album by the band, it was released in December 1980 as a followup to their hit film released that year, "The Blues Brothers". To support the film, the band embarked on a 22 dates tour in North America, culminating with seven dates at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles. Keyboardist and musical director Paul Shaffer, sax player Tom Scott and drummer Steve Jordan, who were absent in the film and the soundtrack due to scheduling conflicts, reprised their roles as full-fledged band members. Drummer Willie Hall was let go but the band decided to retain Murphy Dunne, who had replaced Shaffer in the film, as additional keyboards player.
Made in America (The Blues Brothers album) | Introduction
A successful sharp shooting act is threatened when a gold-digging blues singer attempts to split them up.
His Brother's Keeper (1940 film) | Synopsis
The story is a tale of redemption for paroled convict Jake and his blood brother Elwood, who set out on "a mission from God" to save from foreclosure the Catholic orphanage in which they were raised. To do so, they must reunite their R&B band and organize a performance to earn $5,000 needed to pay the orphanage's property tax bill. Along the way, they are targeted by a homicidal "mystery woman", Neo-Nazis, and a country and western band—all while being relentlessly pursued by the police. Universal Studios, which had won the bidding war for the film, was hoping to take advantage of Belushi's popularity in the wake of "Saturday Night Live", "Animal House", and the Blues Brothers' musical success; it soon found itself unable to control production costs.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Introduction
The film was released in March 2001 and grossed almost $30 million at the box office, which quintupled the movie's production cost of $6 million. The movie was nominated for NAACP Image Awards and Black Reel Awards. The film was shot at various locations in Los Angeles, Orlando, Florida and Miami Beach, Florida.
The Brothers (2001 film) | Introduction
The film was shot in Jacksonville, Florida.
Her Chum's Brother | Production notes
Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" gave the film three out of four stars, praising it for its energetic musical numbers and "incredible" car chases. Ebert further noted "Belushi and Aykroyd come over as hard-boiled city guys, total cynics with a world-view of sublime simplicity, and that all fits perfectly with the movie's other parts. There's even room, in the midst of the carnage and mayhem, for a surprising amount of grace, humor, and whimsy." In his review for "The Washington Post", Gary Arnold criticized Landis for engorging "the frail plot of "The Blues Brothers" with car chases and crack-ups, filmed with such avid, humorless starkness on the streets of Chicago that comic sensations are virtually obliterated".
The Blues Brothers (film) | Critical reception
The little town of Coal City was mentioned in the classic comedy "The Blues Brothers". Elwood Blues (as played by Dan Aykroyd) explains that his brother Jake (John Belushi) was in prison for holding up a gas station, and then says "He pulled that job to pay for the band's room service tab from that Kiwanis gig in Coal City." For years residents of Coal City wondered if Aykroyd really said "Coal City" or said "Cal City" (a nickname for Calumet City, a much bigger city in Illinois). However, when watching the DVD of Blues Brothers with subtitles on, the text says "Coal City." The Steve Martin and John Candy comedy, "Planes, Trains & Automobiles", was partially filmed in Coal City and other nearby towns.
Coal City, Illinois | References in popular culture
Gillian Welch, who contributed to the soundtrack, appears as a record store customer asking for a copy of the Soggy Bottom Boys' record.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? | Cast
Blues Brothers 2000: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the third studio album by The Blues Brothers, their twelfth release, overall. It is a soundtrack album to the 1998 film, "Blues Brothers 2000", the sequel to the 1980 film, "The Blues Brothers". In addition to tracks by the Blues Brothers Band performed with guest artists such as Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Dr. John, Lonnie Brooks, Junior Wells, Eddie Floyd and Wilson Pickett, there are songs by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Blues Traveler as well as an all-star blues supergroup, the Louisiana Gator Boys, featuring B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Bo Diddley, Charlie Musselwhite, Doctor John, Lou Rawls, Koko Taylor, Isaac Hayes, Billy Preston and other artists.
Blues Brothers 2000 (soundtrack) | Introduction
On the former issue, Universal head Lew Wasserman thought the film could be made for $12 million; the filmmakers wanted $20 million. It would be impossible to settle on a specific amount without a screenplay to review, and after Mitch Glazer declined to help him, Aykroyd wrote one on his own.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Origins
The members of The Blues Brothers Band were themselves notable. Steve Cropper and Donald Dunn are architects of the Stax Records sound (Cropper's guitar can be heard at the start of the Sam & Dave song "Soul Man") and were half of Booker T. & the M.G.'s. Horn players Lou Marini, Tom Malone, and Alan Rubin had all played in Blood, Sweat & Tears and the "Saturday Night Live" band. Drummer Willie Hall had played in The Bar-Kays and backed Isaac Hayes. Matt Murphy is a veteran blues guitarist. As the band developed at "Saturday Night Live", pianist Paul Shaffer was part of the act and was cast in the film.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Casting
A movie set resembling a rural radio station was constructed west of Valley Park in order to film a scene for the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" (2000). In the movie, the "Soggy Bottom Boys" recorded "Man of Constant Sorrow" at radio station "WEZY". Only the mast tower remains at this location: .
Valley Park, Mississippi | Film set
Daley Center, a mechanic took several months to rig the car to fall apart. At the time of the film's release, it held the world record for the most cars destroyed in one film until it was surpassed by its own sequel.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Bluesmobile
Parts of this film used the grounds at Old Chicago of Bolingbrook, Illinois, a now-defunct amusement park. The scene at the hotel when Kirk Douglas escapes the agents took place in a room at the now-defunct Plymouth Hotel, the same room and hotel used in the 1980 film "The Blues Brothers". Other filming locations included the Water Tower Place, Lincoln Park, and Navy Pier. The PSI headquarters was a Georgian-style mansion in Lake Forest. The opening sequence was shot in Caesarea, Israel. The interiors were filmed at Stage 5 of 20th Century Fox studios in Century City. In an interview with The Talks, De Palma said that he had 8 or 9 high-speed cameras to film Cassavetes exploding in the film's conclusion.
The Fury (film) | Production
"Blues Brothers 2000" was screened out of competition at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.
Blues Brothers 2000 | Release
The Blues Brothers band toured to promote the film, which led to a third album (and second live album), "Made in America", recorded at the Universal Amphitheatre in 1980. The track "Who's Making Love" peaked at No 39.
John Belushi | Expansion into films
The 1998 sequel, "Blues Brothers 2000", had similar traits to the original, including large car-chase scenes and musical numbers. Landis returned to direct the film and Aykroyd reprised his role, joining John Goodman, Joe Morton, and 10-year-old J. Evan Bonifant as the new Blues Brothers. Franklin and Brown were among the celebrities returning from the first film. There were also musical performances by Sam Moore, Wilson Pickett, Paul Shaffer, B.B. King, and Eric Clapton, among others. Dozens of artists were packed into an all-star band called The Louisiana Gator Boys. Even with many returning cast members, the film was considered a box-office failure, only generating a little over $14 million in sales, and critics' reactions were negative.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Sequel
As with most other records by the band, the album was recorded live. Along with regular numbers from the Blues Brothers repertoire, it features material never performed before by the band like "Hold On, I'm Comin'", (which, in its original rendition by Sam & Dave, was part of the Blues Brothers film soundtrack), "In the Midnight Hour", "The Thrill Is Gone", and two Eddie Floyd signature tunes, "Knock on Wood" and "Raise Your Hand". The album was produced by Tom Malone.
The Blues Brothers Band Live in Montreux | Introduction
"The Blues Brothers" received mostly positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 84% "Certified Fresh" rating, based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 7.08/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Too over the top for its own good, but ultimately rescued by the cast's charm, director John Landis' grace, and several soul-stirring musical numbers." It won the Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing and Sound Effects, is 14th on "Total Film" magazine's "List of the 50 Greatest Comedy Films of All Time" and is number 69 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies". Metacritic gave the film a score of 60 based on 12 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
The Blues Brothers (film) | Critical reception
The 95th Street bridge over the Little Calumet River is the one used for the "Draw Bridge Jump" scene in Blues Brothers at the beginning of the film.
95th Street (Chicago) | Movie history
The film was almost entirely shot on location in Oxford.
Oxford Blues | Production
Brothers is an album by American blues singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Taj Mahal. It was recorded in August 1976 at Conway Recorders Co. in Hollywood and released the following year by Warner Bros. Records. It is the soundtrack to the 1977 film "Brothers", with songs that music critic Richie Unterberger described as being "in the mode that Mahal was usually immersed in during the mid-1970s: bluesy, low-key tunes with a lot of Caribbean influence, particularly in the steel drums."
Brothers (soundtrack) | Introduction
Credits are adapted from AllMusic.
Brothers (soundtrack) | Personnel
The film received mixed reviews, averaging a 46% positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes based on 46 reviews, and a critical consensus that reads "Braving onward without the late John Belushi, "Blues Brothers 2000" gets the band back together with a spirited soundtrack, but a mission that's far less divine". It earned a D score from Entertainment Weekly. Roger Ebert gave the film 2 stars, saying, "The film is lame comedy surrounded by high-energy blues (and some pop, rock and country music)." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B-" on an A+ to F scale.
Blues Brothers 2000 | Critical reception
While staring at the camera, he flips the cards as the song plays. There are intentional misspellings and puns throughout the clip: for instance, when the song's lyrics say "eleven dollar bills", the poster says "20 dollar bills". The clip was shot in an alley close to the Savoy Hotel in London. Ginsberg and Neuwirth are briefly visible in the background. For use as a trailer, the following text was superimposed at the end of the clip, Dylan and Ginsberg are exiting the frame: "Surfacing Here Soon | Bob Dylan in | Don't Look Back by D. A. Pennebaker". The Savoy Hotel has retained much of its exterior as it was in 1965, and the alley used in the film has been identified as the Savoy Steps.
Subterranean Homesick Blues | Promotional film clip
Many of these films were produced by Paramount Pictures. The films based on "The Blues Brothers" were produced by Universal Studios, which merged with NBC in 2004 to form NBC Universal (Universal also has a joint venture with Paramount for international distribution of the two studios' films).
Saturday Night Live | Films
Brothers Blue (Italian: "Blu Gang - E vissero per sempre felici e ammazzati") is a 1973 Italian spaghetti western film directed by Luigi Bazzoni. For this film Tony Renis won the Nastro d'Argento for Best Score.
Brothers Blue | Introduction
Calloway performed the song in the movie "Rhythm and Blues Revue" (1955), filmed at the Apollo Theater. Much later, in 1980 at age 73, Calloway performed the song in the movie "The Blues Brothers". Calloway's character Curtis, a church janitor and the Blues Brothers' mentor, magically transforms the band into a 1930s swing band and sings "Minnie the Moocher" when the crowd becomes impatient at the beginning of the movie's climactic production number. According to director John Landis in the 1998 documentary "The Stories Behind the Making of "The Blues Brothers"", Calloway initially wanted to do a disco variation on his signature tune, having done the song in several styles in the past, but Landis insisted that the song be done faithful to the original big band version.
Minnie the Moocher | Films
The film was shot primarily at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, England, but many other locations throughout the United Kingdom were used, such as Edlesborough, Eaton Bray, Weymouth, Wool, Lulworth Cove, St Albans, Borehamwood and Bushey Heath.
The Boys in Blue | Filming locations
However, due to contractual obligations with "SNL", he was unable to participate, so actor-musician Murphy Dunne (whose father, George Dunne, was the Cook County Board President) was hired to take his role. Fisher, Freeman, Gibson, and Candy were cast in non-musical supporting roles. The film is also notable for the number of cameo appearances by established celebrities and entertainment-industry figures, including Steve Lawrence as a booking agent, Twiggy as a "chic lady" in a Jaguar convertible whom Elwood propositions at a gas station, Steven Spielberg as the Cook County Assessor's clerk, John Landis as a state trooper in the mall chase, Paul Reubens (before Pee-wee Herman) as a waiter in the Chez Paul restaurant scene, Joe Walsh in a cameo as the first prisoner to jump up on a table in the final scene, and Chaka Khan as the soloist in the Triple Rock choir.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Casting
You still have to play the blues. In this case, we don’t want to reinvent the wheel.” Filming took place in Atlanta, where Gentry and Motlagh grew up. The film never mentions Atlanta, but it does show the city's skyline at the very end. Gentry told Radio and TV Talk, "There are things shown that makes it clear it's Atlanta if you know Atlanta." One of the characters, Madison, also makes reference to flying a stylist in 3,000 miles from Los Angeles, making it evident that the film is set somewhere on the East Coast. Gentry added, "We [also] wanted to make it every city, not too region specific.
My Super Psycho Sweet 16 | Production
The following are some of the revelations the book makes within this continuity: All copies of the book came with a detachable poster that was a replica of the posters used to promote the band's gig at the Palace Hotel Ballroom in the film "The Blues Brothers".
Blues Brothers: Private | Introduction
The DVD and Laserdisc versions included a 56-minute documentary called "The Stories Behind the Making of The Blues Brothers". Produced and directed by JM Kenny (who also produced the "Animal House" Collector's Edition DVD the same year), it included interviews with Landis, Aykroyd, members of The Blues Brothers Band, producer Robert K. Weiss, editor George Folsey Jr., and others involved with the film. It also included production photographs, the theatrical trailer, production notes, and cast and filmmaker bios. The 25th-anniversary DVD release in 2005 included both the theatrical cut and the extended version. The film was released on Blu-ray on July 26, 2011, with the same basic contents as the 25th-anniversary DVD.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Home media
In addition to the Savoy Hotel clip, two alternate promotional films were shot: one in a park (Embankment Gardens, adjacent to the Savoy Hotel) where Dylan, Neuwirth and Ginsberg are joined by Dylan's producer, Tom Wilson, and another shot on the roof of an unknown building (actually the Savoy Hotel). A montage of the clips can be seen in the documentary "No Direction Home". The film clip was used in September 2010 in a promotional video to launch Google Instant. As they are typed, the lyrics of the song generate search engine results pages.
Subterranean Homesick Blues | Promotional film clip
"Every blue-collar Joe wants his John Belushi story", said Smokey Wendell, who was eventually hired to keep it away from the star. As a result of his late nights and drug and alcohol use, Belushi would often miss unit calls (the beginning of a production day) or go to his trailer after them and sleep, wasting hours of production time. One night, Aykroyd found him crashing on the sofa of a nearby house, where Belushi had already helped himself to food in the refrigerator. Cocaine was already so prevalent on the set (like many other film productions of that era) that Aykroyd, who used far less than his partner, claims a section of the budget was actually set aside for purchases of the drug during night shooting.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Filming
"Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" was shot throughout Oregon: Portland, Terrebonne, Sisters, and Bend.
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (film) | Production
The Soggy Bottom Boys are the (fictional) musical group that the main characters form to serve as accompaniment for the film. The name is in homage to the Foggy Mountain Boys, a bluegrass band led by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. In the film, the songs credited to the band are lip-synched by the actors, except that Tim Blake Nelson does sing his own vocals on "In the Jailhouse Now". The band's hit single is Dick Burnett's "Man of Constant Sorrow", a song that had enjoyed much success prior to the movie's release. After the film's release, the fictitious band became so popular that the country and folk musicians who were dubbed into the film got together and performed the music from the film in a Down from the Mountain concert tour, which was filmed for TV and DVD.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? | Soggy Bottom Boys
Belushi bought an amplifier and they kept some musical instruments there for anyone who wanted to jam. It was at the bar that Aykroyd and Ron Gwynne wrote and developed the story which Aykroyd turned into the draft screenplay for the "Blues Brothers" movie, better known as the "tome," because it contained so many pages. It was also at the bar that Aykroyd introduced Belushi to the blues. An interest soon became a fascination, and it was not long before the two began singing with local blues bands. Jokingly, "SNL" band leader Howard Shore suggested they call themselves "The Blues Brothers".
The Blues Brothers | Origins
Blues vocalist and petty criminal "Joliet" Jake Blues is paroled on good behavior grounds from Joliet Correctional Center after serving three years of a five-year sentence, and is picked up by his blood brother Elwood in his Bluesmobile, a battered, decommissioned police car. Elwood demonstrates its capabilities by jumping an open drawbridge. The brothers visit the Roman Catholic orphanage where they were raised, and learn from Sister Mary "the Penguin" Stigmata and old friend Curtis that it will be closed unless $5,000 in property taxes is collected. Jake offers to steal the money, but Sister Mary is offended. During a sermon by the Reverend Cleophus James at the Triple Rock Baptist Church, Jake has another idea: they can re-form their band, the Blues Brothers, which disbanded while Jake was in prison, and raise the money to save the orphanage.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Plot
Much of the music used in the film is period folk music, including that of Virginia bluegrass singer Ralph Stanley. The movie was one of the first to extensively use digital color correction to give the film an autumnal, sepia-tinted look. The film received positive reviews, and the soundtrack won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2002 using American folk music. The country and folk musicians who were dubbed into the film included John Hartford, Alison Krauss, Dan Tyminski, Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, Chris Sharp, Patty Loveless, and others. They joined together to perform the music from the film in a "Down from the Mountain" concert tour which was filmed for TV and DVD.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? | Introduction
With Landis again directing, the sequel to "The Blues Brothers" was made in 1998. It fared considerably worse than its predecessor with fans and critics, though it is more ambitious in terms of musical performances by the band and has a more extensive roster of guest artists than the first film. The story picks up 18 years later with Elwood being released from prison, and learning that his brother has died. He is once again prevailed upon to save some orphans, and with a 10-year-old boy named Buster Blues (J. Evan Bonifant) in tow, Elwood again sets about the task of reuniting his band.
The Blues Brothers | "Blues Brothers 2000"
The music for the film includes, in a repeating refrain, the song "I Wish It Would Rain", written by Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield, and performed by The Temptations, courtesy of Motown Records. Other music includes the following:
Four Brothers (film) | Music
"Blues Brothers 2000" sought to outdo the original by including a number of outrageous stunts. The new Bluesmobile was depicted as having abilities such as functioning like a submarine in deep Mississippi water, having radio-control capabilities, and jumping about 300 feet over a road construction site. The new film claimed the world record for the highest number of cars destroyed at 104, beating the record set by "The Blues Brothers". In the film's major crash scene, 63 cars were destroyed. While filming another scene, stuntman Bob Minor suffered serious head injuries and a crew member required a leg amputation after a car rolled on to him.
Bluesmobile | Chase and crash scenes
Scenes of the film were shot on site in Lexington on the Institute's historic Parade Ground, and the baseball game scene was filmed at Alumni Memorial Field.
Brother Rat | Introduction
"Outlaw Blues" was filmed on location in Austin, Texas and Huntsville, Texas.
Outlaw Blues | Filming locations
During the 1960s, he used a nearly identical 1959 model, but it was outfitted with a rosewood fretboard. He was an avid user of thick La Bella flatwound strings, as was James Jamerson. While filming "The Blues Brothers," Dunn used a sunburst early ‘70s Fender Precision bass with a rosewood fretboard and a "tortoiseshell" pickguard. He also used a red 1966 Precision in some of the scenes; a bass stamped "Demo" on the back, which was later fitted with a late '60s Jazz Bass neck. It was a combination that was popular with other top-level players, including Carl Radle, and Billy Cox.
Donald &quot;Duck&quot; Dunn | Musical equipment
The film was originally intended to include Brother Zee Blues (Jim Belushi, brother of John Belushi). But due to an already existing television deal (Belushi had been cast in the ABC drama "Total Security"), Belushi was unable to appear and the script was altered to include Cab Blues (Joe Morton). This character was named Cabel as an homage to Cab Calloway, who died four years prior to the film's release. (His character Curtis was revealed to have died in the film along with Jake.) The Blues Brothers' original keyboardist, Paul Shaffer, had been committed to Gilda Radner's one-woman show on Broadway and was therefore unable to appear in the first film.
Blues Brothers 2000 | Casting
The film grossed a little over $14 million in box office sales in North America.
Blues Brothers 2000 | Box office
"Reprise-Flute" appears during the haunting Triangle Shirtwaist fire scenes in Ric Burns' documentary film, "".
Three Colors: Blue (soundtrack) | Other films in which these songs appear