The Blues Brothers (1980)
After Jake Blues (John Belushi) is released from prison, he and his brother Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) decide to take on a "mission from God" to raise money to keep the Catholic boarding school they attended from closing. To do this, they must reunite their blues revival band, which could prove more difficult than they had imagined. The entire film takes place in Chicago and the surrounding region. Much credit must be given to Chas at Itsfilmedthere for tracking down the majority of these spots and for allowing me to re-post his finds here!
The steel mill seen in opening aerial shots was at the east end of East 87th Street in south Chicago. The entire mill has since been demolished.
One of the longest-operational prisons in the country, Joliet Correctional Center (1125 Collins Street, Joliet, IL) opened in 1858 and closed in 2002. It has been featured in several other film and TV productions over the years.
Elwood greets Jake at the east gate on Collins Street.
They are next seen driving on South Houston Avenue between Highway 12 and East 96th Street. The Interstate 90 bridge is in the background.
They encounter an opening drawbridge just east of the above location, on the Highway 12 (95th Street) bridge over the Calumet River.
Sadly, Jake and Elwood's mission was in vain as the orphanage used in the film no longer exists. It was actually a facade built by the film crew in an alley on the north end of Normal Avenue, between two buildings of the old Schoenhofen Brewery. The two buildings at the entrance of the alley are all that remain of the brewery, which was constructed in the 1880s.
Jake and Elwood next visit the "Triple Rock Baptist Church," actually Pilgrim Baptist Church at 3235 East 91st Street. The interior was a set at Universal Studios.
The cops begin tailing them as they drive down North Cumberland Avenue past what is now a Shell Station and the sign for Nelson Funeral Home at 820 West Talcott Road.
The chase ends up in the three-way intersection of Talcott Road, Devon Avenue and Courtland Avenue.
They then end up driving through the Dixie Square Mall at 15201 South Dixie Highway in Harvey, IL. The mall was closed but brought back to life for filming, and has since remained closed but somehow has still not been torn down.
After the chase, the brothers drive down East Randolph Street across North State Street in downtown Chicago.
Elwood has a room in the old Plymouth Hotel at 22 West Van Buren. The building has since been torn down and is now Pritzger Park.
The boys go to see Mrs. Tarantino (Toni Fleming) at 1623 South 51st Court in Cicero, IL.
They track down a few members of the band at the Holiday Inn at 3801 Mannheim Road in Schiller Park, IL. It has since been torn down and replaced with a Quality Inn.
Their next stop is the Chez Paul Restaurant at 660 North Rush Street. The building still remains, but the restaurant is now office space.
The boys break up a Nazi rally on the Music Court Bridge in Jackson Park.
Nate's Delicatessen, the "Soul Food Cafe" - was at 807 West Maxwell Street until it was torn down in 1994.
"Ray's Music Exchange" is actually Shelly's Loan Company at 300 East 47th Street. The mural on the side of the building still remains.
The Howard Johnson's is now the Des Plaines Oasis on the Northwest Tollway (Interstate 90) just west of South Mt. Prospect Road in Des Plaines, IL.
The Nazis (led by Henry Gibson) are sent on a wild goose chase at Wrigley Field at 1060 West Addison in Chicago.
"Bob's Country Bunker" was a set built on the backlot at Universal Studios Hollywood. If you've taken the tram tour, you might recognize "Jaws Lake" seen in the foreground.
Google Map
(See attachment below)
Back