June 9, 2022 – The Blues Brothers

Happy Throwback Thursday! Today we’re spotlighting the year 1980, and one of the biggest movies to come out that year was The Blues Brothers! It starred John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in a continuation of their sketch on Saturday Night Live.
Aykroyd wrote the screenplay, though he had never written one before or even read one. His final draft ended up being 324 pages long! And it wasn’t written like a traditional screenplay, but more like free verse. It had to be edited and rewritten before filming could start. A lot of the movie was shot on location in Chicago, and it’s credited with helping to put the city on the map as a venue for filmmaking.
When the film was released, it set the record for most cars destroyed in one film. 13 different cars were used for the Bluesmobile, and 60 police cars were bought at auction for larger chase scenes. These destructive car chases, along with costly delays caused by Belushi’s partying, contributed to the movie being one of the most expensive comedies ever produced. The final cost was $27.5 million (around $90 million today), which was $10 million over budget.
The movie was released on June 20, 1980. It grossed more than $115 million worldwide, and has since become a cult classic. It ranks  2nd, between the two Wayne’s World movies, among films adapted from SNL skits. Learn more here.