The Blues Brothers

The Blues Brothers is a 1980 musical action-comedy directed by John Landis and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as Jake and Elwood Blues, two brothers who set out on a “mission from God” to save the Catholic orphanage where they were raised. What makes the film so distinctive is the way it combines anarchic car-chase comedy with rhythm and blues history, bringing in performances from artists such as James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Cab Calloway. More than just a cult comedy, it has become one of the defining American films of its era, both for its sheer chaos and for the affection it shows toward blues, soul and Chicago itself.

The film was shot largely on location in and around Chicago, and the city is absolutely central to its identity. Key locations included Joliet Correctional Center in Joliet for Jake’s release from prison, the abandoned Dixie Square Mall in Harvey for the famous indoor car chase, and downtown Chicago for the huge chase scenes around Daley Plaza and City Hall. Other memorable spots included the 95th Street bridge over the Calumet River for the bridge jump, Wrigley Field for the visual joke involving Elwood’s home address, and the South Shore Cultural Center for the exterior of the Palace Hotel Ballroom, while the concert interiors were filmed at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. There was also some filming in Wisconsin, including the unfinished freeway stretch used for the Illinois Nazi crash, but the film’s real character comes from its mix of Chicago streets, civic landmarks, industrial edges and south-suburban locations, which make it feel less like a studio comedy and more like a loud, loving tour through greater Chicago.