The Blues Brothers poster
The Blues Brothers

What’s Aged the Worst?

Manual steering; missing Shaffer and cameos; sequel; racist theater bookings

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 00:31:08Read transcript
  • Enormous car pileups are questioned as a dated appeal, but escalating absurdity eventually turns initially tedious chases into impressive comic invention.
  • Manual steering ages poorly; a remembered failed test drive of a cheap late-1960s Mustang illustrates the difficulty.
  • Paul Shaffer’s absence disappoints; his competing Gilda Live commitment reportedly enraged Belushi and cost him his band place.
  • Howard Shore suggesting the Blues Brothers name without continuing involvement is raised, though his later career went well.
  • More SNL-related cameos, such as Murray, Martin or Laraine Newman, are desired; Hartman’s later cameo work illustrates the appeal.
  • Blues Brothers 2000 is called a poor sequel.
  • Landis’s account of Ted Mann restricting bookings to avoid Black audiences is condemned as racist and as harming the film’s release, despite its eventual success.