Joliet (Jake) and Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi)

The movie The Blues Brothers, which cost around US$38million to make, was released in 1980 and while initially it didn't do well at the Box Office, it has developed a world-wide cult following and is still regularly screened in cinemas around the world. It has developed into a cult classic, so popular that an official tribute show has toured and The Blues Brothers performed the half time entertainment for the 1997 Superbowl. Various other tribute shows still perform around the world. The sequel (Blues Brothers 2000) was released in early 1998 and was also successful at the box office. The image of Jake and Elwood, dressed in suits, hats and sunglasses and sitting on the bonnet of an old police car, is without doubt the most recognisable of any from the movies of the 1980s.

What makes The Blues Brothers work so well is its unique and timeless blend of musical comedy with outrageous humour, location realism and spectacular action. Said director John Landis, "The Blues Brothers is a true musical comedy. People burst into song and dance just as they do in the original American form invented on Broadway and glorified in Hollywood. But the story, the musical numbers and the comedy all have a very realistic look. The film is designed for music and is very stylized."

Dan Aykroyd, who wrote the original screenplay with Landis, explained, "It's the story of two hoodlums who want to go straight and get redeemed. But they just don't have it together and they keep getting into bigger and bigger trouble."

"Jake and Elwood are on a genuine crusade," said Landis. "It's not the Holy Grail they're after, its 5,000 bucks. But their quest is for equally good reasons. They're good and sympathetic people. To me, that's the strength of the movie. The audience must like the characters."

John Belushi added, "Jake is into music, drinking and sliding through life. His craziness confuses Elwood. Elwood is religious, a bookworm and a motorhead. He takes care of the details, like a road manager. Jake's Lies upset Elwood, and Elwood's driving makes Jake nervous." Belushi called the film "a tribute to black American music." The score, featuring no original songs, showcases music of decades past and some of its greatest performers. They all play characters who are integral to the story.

The score contains blues, rock and roll, soul and rhythm and blues, as well as some country-western, pop, Latin and classical.

It was just "fooling around, for fun" when best friends Belushi and Aykroyd first created Jake and Elwood. They developed the act for friends, at local clubs, and on cross-country trips. They then performed on a few Saturday Night Live warm-ups and appeared as the Blues Brothers twice on the show itself, in 1977-78.

Said Aykroyd: "John was into rock and roll and heavy metal rock, I was more into blues. We turned each other on to our favorite songs and musicians. Then he assembled the band while I wrote the saga."

The idea for a Blues Brothers movie originated with Aykroyd. In June 1978, the Blues Brothers opened for Steve Martin at the Universal Amphitheater. No one expected the thunderous reception they got during this engagement. An album, recorded during this engagement, was released later that year and started its climb to double Platinum status. It hit number one on the national charts and yielded the hit single "Soul Man."
To bring The Blues Brothers to the screen, the filmmakers spent three-and-a-half months on location in Chicago, where the story is set. Producer Robert K. Weiss said, "We received unprecedented cooperation from the city of Chicago, the state of Illinois, and local talent and crews. Rarely have I seen or heard of a city making so many locations available to one film production. As a result, we feel that our movie highlights the rich atmosphere of this unique metropolis better than it has ever been seen on the screen before."

The black suits and hats worn by Jake and Elwood were derived from Jazz album covers of the 1950s and were originally worn by John Lee Hooker. This get-up was intended to make musicians look like businessmen and thus avoid the attention of the police.