Question of the day
Wednesday, Feb 15, 2012 - Posted by Rich Miller
* For whatever reason, I’m having a difficult time coming up with a question today, so let’s go with this press release…
Governor Pat Quinn today was joined by the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association (SSMMA) and city of Harvey officials to announce the start of the clean-up and demolition of the old Dixie Square Mall in Harvey. Today’s announcement marks the first phase of the broader economic development of the site, which was the site of the famous car chase scene in “The Blues Brothers” movie 30 years ago. The clean-up and demolition project will support a total of 42 jobs, which include 18 newly-created full-time jobs.
“The demolition of the Dixie Square Mall will help revitalize the local economy and create much needed jobs,” Governor Quinn said. “Although we will always remember the Dixie Mall as the location for one of the most iconic scenes in ‘The Blues Brothers’ movie, it is time for this now vacant building to be torn down to make way for more economic development for the Harvey community.”
* The Question: What’s your favorite “Blues Brothers” movie scene?
- Anyone Remember? - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 12:54 pm:
“Hi - this is car um … What car are we in?”
“Fifty-five”
“Car 55. Um … we’re in a truck!”
- Lakeview - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 12:54 pm:
Jake saying, “I hate Illinois Nazis”, then running them into the Jackson Park lagoon.
- The Captain - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 12:54 pm:
The Mall. “This place has everything.”
- Readerman - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 12:57 pm:
“How often are taxes and fees going to be raised?”
“So often, you won’t even notice”
- mark walker - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 12:59 pm:
Ray Charles in the music shop, seeing the kid.
- Lucky than Good - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:02 pm:
It’s 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark… and we’re wearing sunglasses.
- OneMan - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:02 pm:
That is hard to say…
The chase at the end…
They broke my watch..
The got SCMOTS…
- cover - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:02 pm:
John Lee Hooker and friends playing “Boom Boom” on Maxwell Street.
- jerry 101 - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:03 pm:
ummm…hmmmm…all of em?
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:05 pm:
“I’ve always loved you.”
- MrJM - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:06 pm:
The youngest daughter’s face is priceless.
– MrJM
- Wensicia - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:07 pm:
Favorite line, Officer Mount:
“I’m gonna catch that sucker, if it’s the last thing I ever do!”
Favorite scene, John Candy pulling up in front of Wrigley Field.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:11 pm:
“Use of unnecessary violence in the apprehension of the Blues Brothers has been approved.”
The skewering of the over-policed society was priceless. The movie was the culmination of the 1970s and the introduction to the 1980s. It is indispensable.
- JustaJoe - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:12 pm:
Well, either the scene with the levitating sister or the “We’ve got both kinds (of music), country AND western” scene.
- Bill - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:13 pm:
Aretha Franklin in the diner.
- That Guy - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:17 pm:
Mighty Mack: Elwood, they have automatic weapons.
Elwood Blues: Look in the glove compartment.
Mighty Mack: Carpet Tacks! They have guns and we have carpet tacks.
Elwood Blues: They’re not carpet tacks. They’re dry-wall nails.
- Skeeter - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:18 pm:
The lines from the movie that I find myself still using are the “106 miles from Chicago” line and
“We’re getting the band back together.”
Favorite scene just for the music: Ray Charles (after talking about whether the keyboard had any life) with the Aretha “You better think” a close second.
Favorite detail is in the country AND western bar, where the audience throws bottles both when they hate the music and when they like it.
- scurvydog - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:20 pm:
Bob’s Country Bunker - “We got both kinds. Country and Western!”
- Taxmandan - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:25 pm:
Performance of Rawhide at Bob’s Country Bunker.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:27 pm:
The tall one wants toast, dry, and the short one wants FOUR whole fries chickens … and a Coke.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:28 pm:
toast and chicken is me ….
- Kasich Walker, Jr. - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:28 pm:
I like the scene where cash provided from a fed relief fund named after a 2008 hurricane is used to clean up a mall site that has been vacant and in disrepair for three decades — twice as long as it was active.
- cover - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:32 pm:
KWJ @ 1:28pm, too bad da hurricane’s name wasn’t Ditka.
- George Mitterwald's Gambit - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:33 pm:
“We’re on a mission from God.”
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:34 pm:
“We would like to welcome all the representatives of Illinois’ law enforcement community that have decided to join us this evening …”
- just sayin' - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:42 pm:
SCMODS
- 3rd Generation Chicago Native - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:43 pm:
The cafeteria scene where John Belushi is grabbing food, looking around with his eyebrows going up and down, eating food, putting it in his pockets.
- Reo Synmes, M.D. - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:45 pm:
John Candy: “Orange Whip? Orange Whip? … Three Orange Whips.”
- earl - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:54 pm:
The floating nun
- Retired Non-Union Guy - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:56 pm:
“Hit it!”
- Ready for Spring Training - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:58 pm:
Where Elwood and Jake go back and forth, Elwood explaining he traded the Caddy for a microphone, he picked this car up at the Mount Prospect police auction, they were practically giving them away, trying to convince Jake it’s the new Bluesmobile.
Jake ends it with “Fix the lighter!”
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 1:59 pm:
“I ran out of gas. I… I had a flat tire. I didn’t have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn’t come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locusts! …”
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 2:02 pm:
You don’t [explitive] da penguin.
- Dirty Red - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 2:05 pm:
“Excuse me, did you see two guys come through here, black suits, black hats?”
“Yeah, I just sent them that way.”
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
- Colossus - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 2:17 pm:
“That Night Train’s a mean wine…”
Night Train was the official beverage of my undergrad fraternity (in CT), and to find a connection between my home and my college was a delightful experience for a barely 21 year old. In 30 years they never changed the bottle or the label.
- Brendan Dickus - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 2:22 pm:
@That Guy
One can only assume that you’re quoting from “Blues Brothers 2000″ - a “sequel” so terrible that no one, save for Dan Aykroyd and yourself, would ever deign to quote it.
- Anon 7 - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 2:30 pm:
Throwing the lighter out the car window.
- Jake From Elwood - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 2:32 pm:
Difficult to narrow it to just one.
But the diner scene stands out…
- Coyote Chris - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 2:34 pm:
At the diner..four fried chickens..dry white toast..a coke…and then Aretha BRINGS IT! Blue Lou jammin’ on the lunch counter makes it complete.
- gregory tejeda - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 2:35 pm:
How can anybody not recall the broken-down one-time Mount Prospect squad car leaping over the Calumet River at the 95th Street bridge. The sad part is that if someone were using a similar stunt for a film today, they’d probably use computers to generate the moment — which as far as I’m concerned takes away from its impact on-screen.
-30-
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 2:37 pm:
- George Mitterwald’s Gambit –
That’s new, I think. Just what was The Baron’s gambit, anyway?
- jerry 101 - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 2:41 pm:
3rd Generation Chicago Native -
ummm…sorry to tell you this, but the scene you’re thinking of isn’t in any version of The Blues Brothers that I’ve ever seen.
That scene is from Animal House.
- Ron Burgundy - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 2:44 pm:
Bob’s Country Bunker.
“Sometimes it’s hard… to be… a woman…”
- Boone Logan Square - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 2:49 pm:
The entire film, including the scenes added for the DVD release.
If I have to choose? “Orange whip? Orange whip? Three orange whips.”
- AlphaBettor - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 2:53 pm:
The Blues Brothers is the greatest Chicago movie because it documents the city at its Rust Belt ebb, before it turned into the “cultural capital,” that the movie, ironically, helped it become.
- AlphaBettor - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 2:54 pm:
My favorite scene is the jump over the 95th Street bridge, because I love the East Side.
- Foster brooks - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 2:55 pm:
Jumping the calumet river at 95th street. You dont like it? No i dont like it. The car has good pick up
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 2:57 pm:
da penguin and her ruler.
- Foster brooks - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 2:59 pm:
A good place for smoked fish at this location also
- dupage dan - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 3:00 pm:
So many here have talked about the good parts. Now for the great part - Cab Calloway singing “Minnie the Moocher”.
- Northsider - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 3:09 pm:
In addition to everything previously mentioned, there are these moments, too (also):
“They won’t catch us. We’re on a mission from God.”
Are you the police?
“No. ma’am. We’re musicians.”
And of course, the cops climbing out of their cars just smashed into a pile under the Loop, and opening fire at the long-departed Blues Mobile.
- Wensicia - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 3:10 pm:
Agree, Calloway was great! The soundtrack from this movie is the best ever, in my opinion. It’s really hard to find anything that wasn’t good. And I love the local shots, references.
- 3rd Generation Chicago Native - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 3:23 pm:
~~thanks Jerry 101 for the catch
I loved the scenes of the chase in Marquette Park since it’s my neighborhood
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 3:26 pm:
Scene with James Brown dancing in the Gospel Church with Belushi doing the flips from the back of the church all the way to the front
- Boone Logan Square - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 3:33 pm:
==A good place for smoked fish at this location also==
Good lord, yes. You’ve wrecked my productivity for the rest of the day.
- j - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 3:34 pm:
“I’ve always loved you.”
- Ivory-billed Woodpecker - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 4:21 pm:
“Back in 5 minutes” sign taped to the door.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 4:24 pm:
“Our lady of blessed acceleration, don’t fail me now.”
- Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 4:39 pm:
It’s a tossup between Cab Calloway and Aretha Franklin in the diner.
- D.P. Gumby - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 5:01 pm:
Where Ferris is singing in the parade and then Dr. Kimball escapes from City Hall and hides in the parade that Burris is leading and the Bros are singing the Rawhide Theme…and then this one time at Band Camp….
- cover - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 5:39 pm:
Looking at the responses above, I’d say we have the exact opposite of Matt “Guitar” Murphy’s “they’re all pretty bad” comment about jail/prison meals.
My wife saw the movie at least half a dozen times before she realized that, while the rest of the Blues Brothers Band was checking out the instruments on display at Ray’s Music Exchange, Elwood took out a slice of bread from his suit coat and went to put it in a toaster oven, just before Ray appeared.
- Team America - Wednesday, Feb 15, 12 @ 8:59 pm:
SCMODS is correct, of course.
But it’s best delivered in that deadpan voice (say it with me):
State
County
Municipal
Offender
Data
System
- Way Way Down Here - Thursday, Feb 16, 12 @ 6:58 am:
An old girl friend is in the street dance scene, so that’s fun to watch until my wife punches me and says, “I know what you’re thinking. Stop it.”