How Well Do You Know "The Blues Brothers"?

By: J. Reinoehl
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
How Well Do You Know "The Blues Brothers"?
Image: Universal Studios

About This Quiz

"The Blues Brothers" began as a sketch on "Saturday Night Live." It then became a movie directed by John Landis. How well do you remember "The Blues Brothers?" Find out by taking this quiz.
Elwood picked Jake up from prison in what kind of car?
An old Mercedes-Benz
A Volvo 240
A Dodge police car
"I picked it up at the Mount Prospect City Police Auction last spring. It's an old Mount Prospect police car."
A blue Cadillac
What did Jake and Elwood have tattooed on their fingers?
Hearts
Their names
"The Blues Brothers" idea began in Toronto when Belushi was recruiting for the "National Lampoon Radio Hour." Aykroyd put on some blues at an after-hours club and reintroduced the style of music to Belushi.
The names of their girlfriends
The words "Sister Mary"
Finish the quote" "We're on ______________________."
A mission from God.
"We're on a mission from God."
A river of no return.
A journey to the center of the Earth.
A trip of a lifetime.

Advertisement

Who played Jake Blues?
Dan Aykroyd
John Belushi
John Belushi (January 24, 1949—March 5, 1982) was more into heavy metal, and he frequently played the music very loud. He got involved in heavy drugs while working on "Saturday Night Live," and those eventually led to his death.
Bill Murray
Chevy Chase
How were Jake and Elwood related?
They are cousins.
They are brothers.
"Well, thank you, pal. The day I get out of prison, my own brother picks me up in a police car."
They are twins.
They are half-brothers.
What did Jake and Elwood call Sister Mary Stigmata?
"The Zebra"
"Sister Pain"
"Mother Sledge"
"The Penguin"
Kathleen Freeman (1919—2001) played many roles opposite Jerry Lewis and was typically cast as abrasive supporting characters. "The Blues Brothers" referred to her character as "The Penguin."

Advertisement

How much money did the orphanage need to pay taxes?
$500
$1,000
$2,500
$5,000
"The county took a tax assessment of this property last month. They want $5,000."
Who played Reverend Cleophus James?
Little Richard
Stevie Wonder
James Brown
It was easy to get James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and John Lee Hooker to participate because they did not have any pending projects. Although all of them were great singers, it was hard to shoot them because as blues musicians, they never sang a song the same way twice.
Marvin Gaye
What happened to Jake at the Triple Rock Baptist Church?
He saw the light.
"Have you seen the light?" "Yes! Yes!"
He was baptized.
God told him he was on a path to destruction.
He fell in love with one of the choir members.

Advertisement

What was Jake's first name?
Basil
Joliet
The Blues Brothers' skits on Saturday Night Live were initially supposed to warm the crowd up before the show. They thought up the actual characters on a plane ride during a break from the show.
Fritz
Harlen
What legal way of raising money did Jake have?
Performing stand-up comedy on the street corners.
Having a fundraising band tour.
"We'll get the band back together, do a few gigs. We get some bread, bang—5,000 bucks."
Selling lemonade.
Delivering newspapers.
Why did the police want to arrest Elwood after he ran the yellow light?
He was wanted for robbery in Wisconsin.
He didn't pull over right away.
He refused to remove his sunglasses.
He had outstanding tickets.
"The Blues Brothers" opened for Steve Martin and produced a live recording of their performance. Since its release, it has ranked in the top thirty of all blues albums for the number of albums it sold.

Advertisement

What address did Elwood give when he renewed his license?
Union Station
Navy Pier
The Sears Tower
Wrigley Field
"No, they don't got my address. I falsified my renewal. I put down 1060 West Addison." "…That's Wrigley Field."
What did Elwood drive through to get to the freeway when trying to escape the police?
A mall
They production team had the luck of finding an abandoned mall in Illinois where they could shoot the chase scene. The downside was that they had to fill the parking lot with new cars, so the drivers were told not to hit any. Similarly, some of the stores were dressed by the franchise owners, and as a result, some stores could be wrecked while others could not.
A fast food restaurant
A car lot
A series of bushes
What reason did Elwood give his employer for quitting?
He has to watch the World Series.
He was going to become a priest.
"I gotta quit… I'm—I'm going to become a priest."
He was going to join up with his old band.
He said the color of the walls was making him nauseous.

Advertisement

Carrie Fisher played which character?
Jake's ex-fiancee
Carrie Fisher (1956—2016) was not only Jake's ex-fiancee in the movie, but she also hosted the third "Saturday Night Live" show featuring "The Blues Brothers" as the musical guest. Steve Martin hosted the first two.
Sister Mary Stigmata
Mrs. Murphy
Chic Lady
Most of the band was still playing together under what name?
The Alan Malone Project
The Muddy Puddle
Murph and the Magic Tones
"Murph and the Magic Tones? Look at you in those… monkey suits. And I thought I had it bad in Joliet."
A. N. T.
What musician owned the shop where they got the instruments?
Ray Charles
They filmed the scene outside Ray's Music Exchange in 25-degree weather, but all the dancers had to wear short sleeves because it was supposed to take place during the summer.
Cab Calloway
Muddy Waters
B. B. King

Advertisement

Finish the quote: "Uh—what kind of music do you usually have here?"
"Only the hard stuff."
"Oh, we got both kinds: We got country and western."
"What kind of music do you usually have here?" "Oh, we got both kinds: We got country and western."
"Usually rhythm but occasionally some blues."
"We like the jazzy kind."
What song saves them at Bob's Country Bunker?
"Sweet Home Alabama"
"On the Road Again"
"Rawhide"
The Blues Mobile was supposed to be a magical vehicle. In Aykroyd's head, it made sense that the car was magical because he parked it in a high voltage transformer room and the electricity imbued it with its abilities.
"Bad to the Bone"
What was the name of the restaurant where Mr. Fabulous worked?
Don Roth's Blackhawk
The Red Star Inn
Hackney's on Harms
Chez Paul
Initially, Paul Schaffer was going to play keyboard for the band in the movie, but "Saturday Night Live" would not let him because of a contract dispute. Belushi knew of Murphy Dunn, and John Landis had seen his piano playing in other films, so he was hired to fill the void.

Advertisement

What did Jake want to buy from the man sitting at the next table in Chez Paul?
His watch
His daughters
"How much for the little girl? The women—how much for the women? …I—I want to buy your women."
His car
The meal he was eating
How many seats did the Palace Hotel Ballroom have?
500
1000
2000
5000
Steve "The Colonel" Cropper and Donald "Duck" Dunn were among two of the original members handpicked by John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd and Paul Shaffer. When Belushi called them, both men thought he was a friend who was joking with them.
What fringe group did Elwood run off the road while they were marching?
The John Birch Society
The Spartacist League
The Black Panther Party
The American Socialist White People's Party
"What are you going to do about it… You are going to join with us, the members of the American Socialist White People's Party, an organization of decent, law-abiding, white folk just like you."

Advertisement

Which character did Dan Aykroyd portray?
Tom "Bones" Malone
Elwood Blues
Dan Aykroyd (born July 1, 1952) was always a huge fan of blues and saw "The Blues Brothers" as a way of reintroducing the sound to a new generation. He also appeared in another "Saturday Night Live" spinoff movie, "Coneheads."
Tucker McElroy
Mr. Tarantino
What food did Elwood always want to eat?
Doughnuts
Twinkies
Dry toast
"I'll have some toasted white bread, please… No, ma'am—dry."
Popsicles
Why were the Blues Brothers late to the concert?
A moose attacked their car.
They ran out of gas.
Dan Aykroyd wrote the script from the back story he had developed with others, but it was the first one he had ever done. The original script was 324 pages long when the standard script was only 120 pages long.
They had to get a haircut.
The didn't get their suits back from the cleaners in time.

Advertisement

How did the Blues Brothers get the money for the orphanage taxes?
They packed 7000 people into the Ballroom and made $5000 after everyone got their cut.
They had their band members turn them over to the police for the $6000 reward.
They stole it from the Good Ole Boys' RV.
They were offered a record deal with a $10,000 advance.
"I'm president of Clarion Records, the largest recording company on the Eastern seaboard… Here's $10,000, an advance on your first recording session."
With what song did Curtis open the show to buy time?
"I'm in the Mood"
"Minnie the Moocher"
Cab Calloway (1907—1994) played Curtis, and one of his signature songs was "Minnie the Moocher." Landis, Aykroyd, and Belushi were very picky about the music that was used from the initial selection to the actual playing. If the songs didn't feel fun to them, they would toss them.
"Summertime"
"Mustang Sally"
What song do the Blues Brothers perform in prison?
"Folsom Prison Blues"
"Stay Out of Jail"
"Starkville City Jail"
"Jailhouse Rock"
The songs the Blues Brothers play have four horn parts. However, the movie only called for three players. Although you only see three, you can hear the fourth on the soundtrack.

Advertisement

How did the Blues Brothers escape the Palace Hotel?
Through a window in the ladies room.
They walked out the front door.
Through an electrical duct behind the drummer.
"I used to be head bouncer here back in the 70s. There's an electrical service duct right behind your drummer's riser."
They bribed one of the police officers.
What location song did the Blues Brothers sing at the Palace Hotel Ballroom?
"Sweet Home Chicago"
The cost of the songs at the time was only a few thousand dollars as compared to today when they can run around $70,000 each. "Sweet Home Chicago" gave them the most trouble because no one knew who owned its rights. Landis finally discovered it was MCA.
"California Girls"
"Sweet Home Alabama"
"Last Train to Clarksville"
What did the Blues Brothers do with the extra $5000?
Bribed the cops
Bought beer for everyone in the audience
Donated it to the orphanage for instruments
Paid the band and Ray
"Listen, do us a favor. Take $1,400 and give it to Ray's Music Exchange in Calumet City, and give the rest to the band."

Advertisement

What did the sign on the Cook County Assessor's door say?
"Out for lunch"
"Closed on Mondays"
"Back in 5 minutes"
Since Belushi and Aykroyd were not professional dancers, Landis initially only wanted to use non-professionals. Once he saw how bad the results were, he changed his mind and only used professionals in the Chicago shoots.
"Assessments are free, but taxes are the responsibility of the property owner."
"It's 106 miles to Chicago. We got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes. ___________________"
And green lights all the way to the Assessor's office.
It's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses.
"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."
Now, let's save the Penguin.
We're on a mission from God.
You Got:
/35
Universal Studios