Gone 25 Years, Belushi Still Counts

Townhall ^ | 03/02/2007

[discostu]

What always amazes me about Belushi is that we think of his as a loud over the top comedian but his funniest stuff is quiet. I always think of the sewer scene in Blues Brothers, after yelling that whole list of lame excuses for missing his wedding he gets down on his knees and just looks at Carrie Fisher. While the list is funny it's the look on his face when he's done that elevates the scene to hilarious. Same with Animal House, everybody thinks of "I'm a zit" or the "Germans bombed Pearl Horbor" scene, but it's really the soririty window scene that's his best.

[onedoug]

"These are the goddamned neighbors!"

[Richard Kimball]

Information from Find a Grave. He has two entries, here, and here. I had heard Martha's Vinyard, but that the grave had been relocated because of Belushi fans who showed up to drink and drug. I think the Illinois one is a memorial cenotaph, and the actual grave is in Martha's Vinyard.

[capt. norm]

I watched the "Blues Brothers" movie when it first came out, in suburban Chicago (Des Plaines).

The whole crowd at the theater went wild when they came up with an ex-police car (Bluesmobile") from Arlington Heights (or one of the nearby northwest suburbs....memory fails me on this).

I usually don't like a noisy theater, but these people were laughing their butts off at all the local references.

Side note...just today I was watching a re-run of "According to Jim" with Jim Belushi and the episode had Dan Aykroyd playing the part of a traffic cop who pulls Jim over. I was fascinated by how well they worked together, like "blood brothers". My wife told that she has heard that Aykroyd is well-known as being very easy to work with, so maybe that's part of it.

[capt. norm]

I love that generic college t-shirt he is wearing in the picture.

I have got to have one made just like it. It would be perfect for Spring Break....which is about to pounce on us (Panama City, FL.) in the next few weeks.

[mowowie]

Spring Break in Panama city...Ah..The good old days. I remember Spinnaker and Club Lavela (sp?) like it was yesterday and not 16 years ago.

[Revelation 911]

FYI he still gets around

[Eric in the Ozarks]

If you measure the cynicism of Bulishi and Chase, you could tell the difference. John's was a free for all. Chevy's was just snide.

[Dick Vomer]

i think it has more with chase reacting humorously and belushi creating humor...very different talent levels needed....

[dmz]

The grave I found (no findagrave.com in the 84 or 85 when I went in search of), was unmarked, so I have no idea if it was his or not, but the info a few of you have linked seems like the place I found.

[Fierce Allegiance]

Blues Brothers and Animal House... two of the greatest comedies of all time.

I agree. Belushi was a major component in 2 of my top ten favorite movies of all time.

[Yo-Yo]

Here ya go! Good luck! Hey, I thought everybody was going to Cancun and South Padre Island these days, leaving Florida alone?

http://www.80stees.com/pages/t-shirts/80s-movie/Animal_House_t-shirts.asp

[Volunteer]

That was one of the best lines from that movie.

I also liked "We're on a mission from God."

[Richard Kimball]

I have difficulty imagining Belushi as pulling of the eccentric cynical romantic in the same way that Murray did. I also have trouble imagining him as a romantic lead, although Murray isn't typical for that part.

Originally, Chris Farley was supposed to do the voice of Shrek, and had actually recorded part of the film. Some people inside the film quietly said that Mike Meyers interpretation of the character improved the movie significantly. Farley was out of control all the time, and in Tommy Boy, his transformation from "out of control" bad salesman to good salesman didn't show much difference. The wild stuff was funny, but he couldn't really tone it down. The same would have been true in Shrek. He would have done the wild stuff fine, but I don't think he could have converted to the gentle romantic, or have provided much depth to the character.

[Richard Kimball]

I thought Chase was good in Vacation and Christmas Vacation. Other than that, I didn't care for him much.

I think Belushi was in the process of jumping the shark. Animal House was his pinnacle. Blues Brothers was okay. Most of the rest were very forgettable. The drugs probably had a lot to do with it, and he had gained around fifty pounds shortly before his death. He was working on a script for some kind of romantic comedy when he died, and according to all accounts was totally butchering it.

[MarkL]

I miss John Candy a lot more.

John Candy's comedy had a very gentle edge, and he was quite a good actor. Movies like "Only the Lonely," and "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" showed what a talented actor he was, who could really touch your emotions.

Mark

[fish hawk]

Blues Brothers was great but my favorite was Continental Divide with Blair Brown.

[MarkL]

I think Belushi was in the process of jumping the shark. Animal House was his pinnacle. Blues Brothers was okay. Most of the rest were very forgettable. The drugs probably had a lot to do with it, and he had gained around fifty pounds shortly before his death. He was working on a script for some kind of romantic comedy when he died, and according to all accounts was totally butchering it.

That's really a shame (as was his death, of course), because he seemed to do really well in "Continental Divide." I thought that he really made that movie, and showed a lot of promise in a romantic comedy.

Mark

[Richard Kimball]

I agree. In Uncle Buck, you knew he had great affection for the kids. Neither Farley, Belushi, or Chase could have pulled off the scene where he's going through his brother's wedding album, and finds the group photo where his brother's wife has folded the picture so that he's not visible. There's a quiet kind of "just got punched in the gut" expression on his face. Murray could pull off that kind of scene, but Candy and Murray had more actual acting skills than the others.

That's not to say that Belushi, Farley, and some others didn't have a kind of genius; it's just that they needed to restrict themselves to roles that played to their character. It's kind of like Curly from the 3 Stooges. I couldn't imagine him ever playing a dramatic role, but there was never anyone else that could have pulled off some of his scenes. I don't think anyone else could have pulled off that scene of Bluto looking in the sorority house window with that little double eyebrow raise and made it as funny.

On a side note, Jane Fonda gets a lot of kudos for acting ability, but I've never seen a movie where you believed she actually cared for anyone. Even in "Barefoot in the Park", you never believed she cared about her husband.