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.
Introduction
The Blues Brothers (film)
The Blues Brothers (film) | Introduction
John Landis John Landis. John Landis John Landis.
how much did the blues brothers movie cost to make
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More than $17.5 million
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who directed it?
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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 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
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
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 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
The film grossed a little over $14 million in box office sales in North America.
Blues Brothers 2000 | Box office
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
Director John Landis mentioned this to Candy, who improvised the exchange.
Orange Whip | "The Blues Brothers"
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
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
It also featured the screen debuts of John Belushi, Karen Allen and Kevin Bacon. In 1980, Landis co-wrote and directed "The Blues Brothers", a comedy starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. It featured musical numbers by R&B and soul legends James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and John Lee Hooker. It was, at the time, one of the most expensive films ever made, costing almost $30 million (for comparison, Steven Spielberg's contemporary film "1941" cost $35 million). It is speculated that Spielberg and Landis engaged in a rivalry, the goal of which was to make the more expensive film.
John Landis | 1978–1981
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
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
"The Blues Brothers" opened on June 20, 1980, with a release in 594 theaters. It took in $4,858,152, ranking second for that week (after "The Empire Strikes Back") and 10th for the entire year. Over the years, it has retained a following through television and home video. The film in total grossed $57,229,890 domestically and $58,000,000 in foreign box offices for a total of $115,229,890. By genre, it is the ninth-highest grossing musical and the 10th-highest earner among comedy road movies. It ranks second, between "Wayne's World" and "Wayne's World 2", among films adapted from "Saturday Night Live" sketches. Director John Landis claimed "The Blues Brothers" was also the first American film to gross more money overseas than it did in the United States.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Box office
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
"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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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"
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
"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
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"
Belushi had become a star in 1978 as a result of both the Blues Brothers' musical success and his role in "National Lampoon's Animal House". At one point, he managed the triple feat of being the star of the week's top-grossing film, top-rated television show, and singing on the number-one album within a year. When Aykroyd and Belushi decided they could make a Blues Brothers film, the bidding war was intense. Universal Studios narrowly beat Paramount Pictures for the project. John Landis, who had directed Belushi in "Animal House", was aboard as director. However, the project had neither a budget nor a script.
The Blues Brothers (film) | Origins
The film was financed independently by Elliot Kastner. Kastner told Robert Boris he had between $2–3 million available to make a film in England and wanted to know if Boris had any projects which might be suitable. Boris pitched him the movie and Kastner paid him to develop a script. Kastner liked the script and financed the film, although he did not give Boris the funds the director requested to shoot additional films. Lowe suggested Princess Stephanie of Monaco for the role of Lady Victoria as he had a crush on her. Enquiries were made but no response was received.
Oxford Blues | Production
Although the film was well received during its previews, it was derided by critics upon release and underperformed at the box office. In 2009, in an interview with WGN America, Jane Seymour stated that, "It was just a little movie... "The Blues Brothers" came out the same week and it was a $4 million budget, so Universal didn't really support it. There was also an actors' strike, so Chris [Reeve] and I weren't allowed to publicize it. And they barely put it out because I don't think anyone really believed in it."
Somewhere in Time (film) | Reception
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 Farrelly Brothers had been trying for years to get their first movie made. Director Peter Farrelly's agent encouraged him to make a movie himself, alongside his brother Bobby. The Farrelly Brothers didn't know who Jim Carrey was, they were only told that he was "The White Guy" on "In Living Color". Only after a screening of Carrey's first major acting role, "", did they realize they had struck gold. Based on the box-office success of Ace Ventura, Carrey was able to negotiate a salary of $7 million for this film. Jeff Daniels was only paid around $50,000. New Line Cinema originally did not want Daniels in the film, as he was known only for his dramatic work at the time.
Dumb and Dumber | 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 brothers paid each salesman $100, along with their expenses. During production, the crew consisted of Albert Maysles shooting and lighting and David Maysles doing sound. Albert Maysles never prompted anyone for the film, except when he asked Brennan to describe his fellow salesmen. In determining whom and what they would film, the Maysles brothers consulted the salesmen's schedules. Throughout production, the Maysles brothers sent footage to Zwerin, who viewed it and provided feedback. When post-production began, David Maysles and Zwerin tried to structure a story about the four salesmen, but found they did not have the material. Instead, they realized that they were dealing with a story about Brennan.
Salesman (1969 film) | Production
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
Its cost was estimated at $80,000. The movie was acquired by Milestone Films, restored by the Pacific Film Archive at the University of California, Berkeley, and digitally reedited by Burnett.
Charles Burnett (director) | "My Brother's Wedding" (1983)
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
"Blues Brothers 2000" was screened out of competition at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.
Blues Brothers 2000 | Release
The film earned an estimated $9,050,000 in North American rentals in 1973.
Lady Sings the Blues (film) | Box office
"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
While not all members appeared in the original film, the full band included:
The Blues Brothers | Original lineup
"The James Brothers of Missouri" was budgeted at $164,986 although the final negative cost was $164,757 (a $229, or 0.1%, under spend). It was filmed between 6 July and 27 July 1949. The serial's production number was 1705.
The James Brothers of Missouri | Production
Brothers is a 1913 American drama film directed by D. W. Griffith.
Brothers (1913 film) | Introduction
According to Warner Bros. records, the film earned $1,243,000 in the U.S. and $583,000 elsewhere.
Navy Blues (1941 film) | Box office
The director estimated this method would increase the filming schedule by only eight to ten days and production costs by only 10 to 15 percent. The budget for both films was $373,445. It is estimated that deferred costs came to nearly $500,000 but in return United Artists gave the producers Herbert and Preminger 75% of the profits, 20% of which they gave to William Holden.
The Moon Is Blue | Production
The film was shot in Atlanta.
Blues for Willadean | Production
Written and directed by Charles Burnett, this film presents the tale of a young boy traveling to Mississippi to visit relatives. He is caught between the pressures of his religious mother and gospel music, and the eagerness of his blues-loving uncle. The film includes performance by
The Blues (film series) | "Warming by the Devil's Fire"
The Blues Brothers is a book written by Crawdaddy! reporter Miami Mitch (Glazer) and published in 1980. The novel was based on the original version of "The Blues Brothers" screenplay written by Dan Aykroyd and John Landis. However, the original script that was used for the basis of the novel evolved so dramatically into what was used in the film that the two works only scantly resemble each other. The book contains eight glossy pages of black-and-white stills from the film, two per page. Scene breaks are marked by two pairs of sunglasses. This title is currently out of print.
The Blues Brothers (novel) | Introduction
Carradine was paid $9,333.32. Eugen Schufftan was uncredited as cinematographer due to union restrictions at the time of this film. Instead, he is listed on some prints as "production designer". The art director Paul Palmentola, a veteran of low-budget films, designed the sets.
Bluebeard (1944 film) | Production
In producing the movie, Nagesh Kukunoor invested the money he made from his engineering career in the United States. It was made on a shoe-string budget of Rs. 1.7 million (roughly equivalent to U.S. $ 40,000) and shot in 17 days entirely in Hyderabad, India.
Hyderabad Blues | Production
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
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).
List of Saturday Night Live feature films | Introduction
Belushi's friend John Landis, who directed the actor in the films "National Lampoon's Animal House" (1978) and "The Blues Brothers" (1980), refused to have his name incorporated into "Wired" and threatened to sue for invasion of privacy, causing the producers to label a generic name on the film director who appears in the film. As played by Jon Snyder, the director is an obvious lookalike of Landis during the "Blues Brothers" sequence, and in the scene where he is walking across the movie set, a helicopter can be heard in the background (a reference to the fatal helicopter accident that occurred when Landis filmed "").
Wired (film) | Family and friends' reactions
Steve Taylor pitched the film to investors for four years until two investors, one from Seattle and one from Los Angeles, agreed to sign on for $250,000 each. The day before pre-production, the Los Angeles investor backed out and the film was scratched. When Donald Miller posted on his personal blog that the film was to be cancelled, however, two readers from Tennessee announced that they would raise the remaining required funds by way of the Kickstarter website. According to Yancey Strickler, one of the founders of Kickstarter, only six films have ever raised more than $100,000 through the website as of May 2011.
Blue Like Jazz (film) | Production
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
"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
Brothers is a 1977 American drama film directed by Arthur Barron and produced by Edward Lewis and Mildred Lewis. It stars Bernie Casey, Vonetta McGee, Ron O'Neal, John Lehne, Stu Gilliam, Renny Roker, Owen Pace, Dwan Smith and Martin St. Judge in the lead roles. This film's music is composed by Taj Mahal.
Brothers (1977 film) | Introduction
The film's budget grew to an astronomical $900 thousand, and, on its release, did not fare well at the box office. Its underperformance is believed to have been a contributing factor in the 1939 bankruptcy of Grand National. Following "Something to Sing About", Cagney returned to Warner after reaching a better deal with them. At his brother's insistence, he took Brown's story with him and presented it to the studio. Warner acquired the story and then asked a number of directors to take on the project. LeRoy was the first, and although he showed interest, he was unable to commit because he was making films for MGM; Warner then asked Brown, who showed no interest at all; and finally, Michael Curtiz, who accepted their offer.
Angels with Dirty Faces | Development
Director John Sayles has described "The Brother from Another Planet" as being about the immigrant experience of assimilation. Extras from the film described it as "The Black E.T. movie." Sayles spent part of his MacArthur Fellows "genius" grant on the film, which cost $350,000 to produce.
The Brother from Another Planet | Production
Big City Blues is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and distributed by Warner Bros. The film is based on the play "New York Town" by Ward Morehouse and stars Joan Blondell and Eric Linden, with uncredited early appearances by Humphrey Bogart and Lyle Talbot. Original prints and copies of the motion picture are preserved in the collections of the Library of Congress, the UCLA Film and Television Archive, and in other major film repositories.
Big City Blues (1932 film) | Introduction
The film opened second at the North American box office making $10.3 million USD in its opening weekend.
The Brothers (2001 film) | Box office
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
Written and directed by Wim Wenders, the film explores the musical careers of blues musicians Skip James, Blind Willie Johnson and J. B. Lenoir.
The Blues (film series) | "The Soul of a Man"
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"
Brothers is a 1930 American Pre-Code crime film directed by Walter Lang.
Brothers (1930 film) | 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
The film began when Elia Kazan optioned an unproduced play by Edwin Gilbert called "Hot Nocturne" and began retooling it for Broadway. He eventually sold the rights to Warner Bros. who gave the script to Robert Rossen to complete. After initially retitling it "New Orleans Blues", the studio named it after its principal musical number "Blues in the Night", which later became a popular hit. Kazan agreed to give up his screenwriting credit and appeared as a clarinetist in the film. He later remarked that after acting in the film he became convinced he could "direct better than Anatole Litzvak".
Blues in the Night (film) | Production
Filming took place in October 1934. According to news articles from the 1930s, some scenes of the film were filmed at the port of San Pedro, Los Angeles. The scenes were reportedly directed by William Shea, who is credited as the second unit director. There are some contradictions in the credits of the film. The pressbook of the film mentions Grover Jones among the screenwriters, but not all sources agree. Idwal Jones also reportedly worked on the script. Most sources credit the art direction of the film to Hans Dreier and Robert Usher. However, another source does not mention Usher's involvement.
Limehouse Blues (film) | Shooting
The title was inspired by the 1980 movie "The Blues Brothers", which starred Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi.
Connie McBooker | Introduction
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"
It credits the art direction to Hans Dreier and Roland Anderson.
Limehouse Blues (film) | Shooting
Blues Busters is a 1950 comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on October 29, 1950 by Monogram Pictures and is the twentieth film in the series.
Blues Busters | Introduction
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 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
After Allen had a son at the age of 18, the twins dropped out of high school and soon began working on music videos as teenagers, directing for artists like Tone Loc and Tupac Shakur. Their first feature film, 1993's "Menace II Society" premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Centering on black, disenfranchised youth, it was made on a budget of $3.5 million when they were 20 years old. Tyger Williams wrote the screenplay, and shared story credit with the brothers. It became a critical as well as a box office success and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature.
Hughes brothers | Career
Michael Balcon later claimed the film earned £1,041,000 at the UK box office of which £416,000 went on the entertainment tax, £375,000 went to exhibitors and £57,000 to the distributors, meaning the makers of the film did not recover their costs from the UK release.
My Brother Jonathan | Box Office
No one at Hearst could craft the kind of film we wanted." Over three days they shot 59,795 feet of film - more than 11 hours of material. It was edited by Blue down to 3,021 feet, for a running time of 33 minutes. The budget was $50,000. In addition to directing and editing, it was narrated by Blue, including released prints in Spanish and French. The March was made for the Motion Picture Service unit of the United States Information Agency, a government entity that made informational, some would say propaganda, films. At the time, by law, USIA films were only seen outside of the United States.
James Blue | The March
Two singles were released, "Rubber Biscuit", which reached number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "Soul Man", which reached number 14. In 1979, Belushi left "SNL" with Aykroyd to pursue a film career. They made three movies together, "1941" (directed by Steven Spielberg), "Neighbors" (directed by John Avildsen), and most notably "The Blues Brothers" (directed by John Landis). Released in the U.S. on June 20, 1980, "The Blues Brothers" received generally positive reviews. It earned just under $5 million in its opening weekend and went on to gross $115.2 million in theaters worldwide before its release on home video.
John Belushi | Expansion into films
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
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
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
Still his earnestness and the obvious regard he has for traditional jazz counts for something." Allen and his band played at the Montreal International Jazz Festival on two consecutive nights in June 2008. For many years he wanted to make a film about the origins of jazz in New Orleans. Tentatively titled "American Blues", the film would follow the different careers of Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet. Allen stated that the film would cost between $80 and $100 million and is therefore unlikely to be made.
Woody Allen | Music
On its opening weekend, the film opened #3 with $9,527,848 behind "" and "The Blind Side". Since its box office debut the film has grossed $43,318,349 worldwide.
Brothers (2009 film) | Box office
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
It was their first film with cinematographer Roger Deakins, a key collaborator for the next 25 years. "The Hudsucker Proxy" (co-written with Raimi) was released in 1994. In it, the board of a large corporation in 1958 New York City appoints a naive schmo as president (Tim Robbins) for underhanded reasons. The film bombed at the box office ($30 million budget, $3 million gross in the USA), even though it featured Paul Newman and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Frances McDormand appears in a brief uncredited role.
Coen brothers | 1990s
The film was originally intended as an extended family project, and was shot over five weeks in mid-2004 for less than US$1 million. Filming took place on location in New York City — where, according to Draper, the crew "would sneak into locations and run" — and at the Draper-Wolff family apartment in Manhattan. Draper wrote and directed the film, which was produced by Ken H. Keller, Caron Rudner, Jonathan Pillot, Michael Wolff and Draper herself. The film was co-produced by Fotene Trigonis and edited by Craig Cobb, who also served as the associate producer. The executive producers were Draper, Wolff, and Draper's brother, Tim, who oversaw the budget.
The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie | Filming
Undercover Blues is a 1993 action comedy film about a family of secret agents written by Ian Abrams and directed by Herbert Ross and starring Kathleen Turner and Dennis Quaid.
Undercover Blues | Introduction
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
Writer-director Brad Hayward was inspired by the success of the film "The Brothers McMullen" and made the original cut for $40,000. The film was subsequently picked up and distributed by Roadshow Entertainment, which paid for the post production work.
Occasional Coarse Language | Production
James Infirmary Blues" in the same costumes. Marie-Pascale Elfman, at the time of shooting, was married to director Richard Elfman. She designed the film's expressionistic sets and starred in the film. Actor and former Mystic Knight Gene Cunningham helped fund the film. When Cunningham and Elfman ran out of money during production, Richard and Marie-Pascale Elfman helped finance by selling houses, before Carl Borack put money into the production in order for Elfman to complete the film. According to Elfman, he had originally intended the film to be screened in color, stating that the original plan was to ship the film to China, where each frame would be hand-tinted, but that this plan was not practical within the production costs.
Forbidden Zone | Development
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
Before he finished school, he was hired to co-direct his first feature film, Baby Blues, which had a $1.1 Million dollar budget. The executive producer was Andy Meyer from Fried Green Tomatoes and The Breakfast Club. The other director, Lars Jacobson was the writer of the project, while Kaleka edited the film. Both, Kaleka Jacobson produced the project and found distribution. The summary of Baby Blues is the following: On a secluded family farm, a mother suffers a psychotic break due to postpartum depression, forcing the eldest son to protect his siblings from the mother they have always known and loved.
Amar Kaleka | Baby Blues, also known as Cradle Will Fall (2008)
Taylor didn't believe that this fundraising effort would work, so he agreed to personally call and thank every donator of more than $10 if they met the target goal of $125,000. By October 2010, $345,992 had been donated through the website towards the film. Considering so much money had been raised through Kickstarter, the backer from Seattle matched that amount and contributed even more. Taylor was able to shoot the film for $750,000 and have an extra $500,000 left for post-production. By May 2011, Taylor had personally called and thanked half of the 3,300 people who donated more than $10 through Kickstarter.
Blue Like Jazz (film) | Production
"After shooting in New York City and elsewhere last year ... the brothers finished the movie at their own pace", wrote Michael Cieply in a January 2013 "New York Times" interview with Joel Coen ahead of a private, pre-Grammys screening in Los Angeles. "They could have rushed it into the Oscar season but didn't." On February 19, CBS Films announced it had picked up the U.S. domestic distribution rights for about $4 million. StudioCanal has rights to international distribution and foreign sales.
Inside Llewyn Davis | Production
The film came about when CBS Home Video approached Yankovic to make a long form music video. It was produced by Yankovic's manager Jay Levey, Levey's friend Hamilton Cloud, and Robert K. Weiss, who had previously produced "Kentucky Fried Movie" and "The Blues Brothers". The production, which had a budget of $250,000, also included making videos for "Like a Surgeon", "Dare to Be Stupid", and "One More Minute", which were included in the film. The film, including the music videos, was directed by Levey and Weiss.
The Compleat Al | Production
Big Brother is a lost 1923 American silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan and written by Rex Beach and Paul Sloane. The film stars Tom Moore, Edith Roberts, Raymond Hatton, Joe King, Mickey Bennett, Charles Henderson, and Paul Panzer. The film was released on December 23, 1923, by Paramount Pictures. It was shot at the Astoria Studios with extensive location shooting around New York City. Noted at the time for its realism, it is now considered a lost film. It was remade as a sound film in 1931 as "Young Donovan's Kid".
Big Brother (1923 film) | Introduction
Brothers () is a 1929 German silent drama film directed by Werner Hochbaum. The film was shot on location in the dockyards of Hamburg using a mainly amateur cast. Hochbaum was closely associated with the Social Democratic Party at the time and made several films portraying working class conditions.
Brothers (1929 film) | Introduction
Carolina Blues is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Leigh Jason and written by Joseph Hoffman, Al Martin and Jack Henley. The film stars Kay Kyser, Ann Miller, Victor Moore, Jeff Donnell, Howard Freeman, Georgia Carroll, M.A. Bogue, Harry Babbitt and Sully Mason. The film was released on December 20, 1944, by Columbia Pictures.
Carolina Blues | Introduction
Stone as Andy, the dance director. The film began production on October 5, 1932. The shooting schedule ran for 28 days at the Warner Bros. studio in Burbank, California. The total cost of making it has been estimated to be $340,000–$439,000.
42nd Street (film) | Production
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
Sam Fuller was a writer who wanted to direct. He offered Robert L. Lippert a script for a low price if he could direct as well. Fuller's directing fee was a reported $5,000. Filming started 25 October 1948.
I Shot Jesse James | Production