The Blues Brothers : an epic friendship, the rise of improv, and the making of an American film classic / Daniel De Visé.
"The story of the epic friendship between John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, the golden era of improv, and the making of a comedic film classic that helped shape our popular culture. "They're not going to catch us," Dan Aykroyd, as Elwood Blues, tells his brother Jake, played by John Belushi. "We're on a mission from God." So opens the musical action comedy The Blues Brothers, which hit theaters on June 20, 1980. Their scripted mission was to save a local Chicago orphanage. But Aykroyd, who conceived and wrote much of the film, had a greater mission: to honor the then-seemingly forgotten tradition of rhythm and blues, some of whose greatest artists -- Aretha Franklin, James Brown, John Lee Hooker, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles -- made the film as unforgettable as its wild car chases. Much delayed and vastly over budget, beset by mercurial and oft drugged-out stars, The Blues Brothers opened to outraged reviews. However, in the 44 years since, it has been acknowledged a classic: it has been inducted into the National Film Registry for its cultural significance, even declared a "Catholic classic" by the Church itself, and re-aired thousands of times on television to huge worldwide audiences. It is, undeniably, one of the most significant films of the 20th century. The story behind any classic is rich; the saga behind The Blues Brothers, as Daniel de Vise reveals, is epic, encompassing the colorful childhoods of Belushi and Aykroyd; the comedic revolution sparked by Harvard's Lampoon and Chicago's Second City; the birth and anecdote-rich, drug-filled early years of Saturday Night Live, where the Blues Brothers were born as an act amidst turmoil and rivalry; and, of course, the indelible behind-the-scenes narrative of how the film was made, scene by memorable scene. Based on original research and dozens of interviews probing the memories of principals from director John Landis and producer Bob Weiss to Aykroyd himself, The Blues Brothers illuminates an American masterpiece while vividly portraying the creative geniuses behind modern comedy." -- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780802160980
- ISBN: 0802160980
- Physical Description: xiii, 386 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York : Atlantic Monthly Press, 2024.
- Copyright: ©2024
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index (pages 376-386). |
Formatted Contents Note: | Cheesebooger -- Rantoul rag -- The next generation -- Freud, Marx, Engels, and Jung -- Welcome back : the death penalty -- Change for quarter -- The great Canadian humour test -- You're the pits -- Saturday night -- I'm a king bee -- Bass-o-matic -- Albanian oak -- Night of the seven fires -- Schlock -- Little chocolate donuts -- Joliet Jack -- Briefcase full of blues -- The phone book -- The mission from God -- Sweet home Chicago -- The blues bar -- Get off of that Picasso -- The Pinto drop -- Have you seen the light? -- It's never too late to mend -- The black tower -- The $$30-million wreck -- The 2,000 pound bee -- A Viking funeral. |
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Genre: | Biographies. Informational works. Illustrated works. |
Show Only Available Copies
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Festus Public Library | 791.437 De Vise (Text) | 32017000085230 | New Adult Books | Checked out | 05/07/2024 |
Cape Girardeau Public Library | 791.437 DEV (Text) | 33042004956556 | River Collection | Checked out | 05/20/2024 |
Cass County Library-Harrisonville | 791.437 DEV 2024 (Text) | 0002205982131 | New Adult Books | Reshelving | - |
Cass County Library-Northern Resource Center | 791.437 DEV 2024 (Text) | 0002205982149 | New Adult Books | Checked out | 05/15/2024 |
Jefferson County Library-Arnold | 791.4372 DEVISE (Text) | 30061100271820 | New Books | Checked out | 05/18/2024 |
Jefferson County Library-Northwest | 791.4372 DEVISE (Text) | 30051100271839 | New Books | Available | - |
Jefferson County Library-Windsor | 791.4372 DEVISE (Text) | 30065100271847 | New Books | Checked out | 05/06/2024 |
Ray County Library | 791.4372 DEV (Text) | 2910060231 | New Non-Fiction | Available | - |
Scenic Regional-Hermann | 791.4372 DE (Text) | 3008052711 | New NonFiction | Available | - |
Scenic Regional-Wright City | 791.4372 DE (Text) | 300805272+ | New NonFiction | Available | - |