Book Recommendation: The Blues Brothers by Daniel de Visé

Recently, I was made aware of the NetGalley site (www.netgalley.com), where I could actually read books that had yet to be published. I created an account and began searching for a book to read. It didn’t take long to come across The Blues Brothers by Daniel de Visé. I requested to read it and was granted the opportunity.

I have been a fan of The Blues Brothers since it hit theaters. In my opinion, it remains one of the best movies of the 1980’s. I was aware that the characters were created on Saturday Night Live and that was all I really knew about how the film came to be. Looking back now, I guess I just assumed that it was something that Lorne Michaels gave his blessing to like Wayne’s World or the Coneheads movies. That wasn’t necessarily the case. As a matter of fact, it was quite a fight just to get the characters on the air!

As I dove into this book, I learned the backstories of John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. It was interesting to walk along side them on the road as they rose to fame. I also loved reading about the other now famous names that they worked with prior to coming together at SNL, how they landed their gigs at 30 Rock, and the idea that eventually became The Blues Brothers.

The book does a fine job of also giving readers a look at the personal lives of Belushi and Aykroyd. It was hard to read about the struggles that Belushi had with drugs. I was unaware of the steps that he had taken to try to break free from them. Sadly, we all know that he eventually succumbed to them.

Making a movie is certainly not an easy thing. Throughout this book, you will learn how an idea led to a huge script that had to be cut down, how the amazing musicians were put together, and how many of the great R&B singers came to be a part of the film.

Blues Brothers fans will love this because of the familiar stories and the ones they haven’t heard. There is a good mixture of both. There were plenty of stories in the book that will make me watch particular scenes in the film a bit more closely because of things it revealed.

I truly enjoyed the book and will be rushing out to get a hard copy of it when it is available March 19, 2024. You can preorder it on Amazon now if you wish.

I want to thank NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this before it was published. I look forward to my next read!

Friday Photo Flashback

Its time for another edition of my Friday Photo Flashback. I stumbled upon a photo that brought back many memories making me happy and sad at the same time. Take a peak:

If I was going to put a date on this, it is probably around 1996 or 1997. It looks like it was taken at a home I lived in with my then girlfriend and future ex. It is a terrible picture of me, as I am obviously caught by surprise here. I still have hair and am still wearing glasses. I’m also sporting one of the T-shirts I had made for my DJ business. But it is not me (or the big honking computer monitor) that catches my attention – it is the stuff I can see in the background.

A lot of it I can make out just by looking at it. However, I viewed it by zooming in and a lot caught my attention. The bookshelves alone are full of fantastic memories! The book shelf on the left side of the picture holds a boat load of VHS tapes. On the top shelf I can make out some Soupy Sales Show videos and some videos we must have recorded off TV (hand made lables). On the shelf below that I can make out the VHS tapes of the Three Stooges shorts, Jack Webb’s Dragnet movie, and the Jack Palance version of Dracula. Each shelf would hold two rows of VHS tapes. So I can only see the front rows of what is on the shelf. It seems like the third shelf down is also holding video tapes, but the three hole punch on top of the computer monitor is blocking it.

This photo is obviously taken after 1994. That is when Honey Radio went off the air. Honey stuff is all over this room! Right above the three hole punch, you can make out a black and gold Honey Radio coffee mug. On the top shelf of the right book case, I can see the the Billboard Top 100 Chart book and Pop Singles book. These were part of the Honey on air studio. Behind me on the wall is a chalk caricature that was drawn of me while I was out doing a remote broadcast. I LOVED that thing, and it is long gone now. (This may be the only photographic evidence of it). Next to that is a wooden sign with the Honey Logo on it. Below that sign are two frames. One contains one of the last Honey Happenings newsletters (which has my picture in it) and the other is a shot of me and my old morning show partner.

On the wall behind me in the photo is a beautiful framed photo of the Three Stooges. I received that for Christmas one year from my parents. Under that is the top of a Blues Brothers concert poster. At one point, I used that when my partner Steve and I would don our Blues Brothers hats when we DJ’d. And right below that are the Three Stooges dolls I wrote about in a previous Friday Photo Flashback. You can see the tag on the Curly just behind my ear.

Heading back to the bookshelves. The bookshelf on the right has SO many books that I wish I still had. There is a book on Bugs Bunny, a book on World War II that I had given my grandpa, a few books with Three Stooges scripts, an amazing biography on Curly, and the wonderful Ted Sennett book on the Art of Hanna Barbera.

On the second shelf, I can make out the Milton Berle Joke books I used when I was on the radio, biographies on Stan Freberg and Jackie Gleason, and books I had forgotten about. One example of this is when Thomas Chastain offered up a new Perry Mason novel –

Another example is the books by William Harrington series with Columbo as the star –

The next shelf contains books about movies and TV shows. I had books on Get Smart, Batman, Perry Mason, The Munsters, and more. The coolest of the TV show books were two with trivia and scripts from Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

There are other little trinkets and treasures on the shelves I can see, but the ones on the top of the book cases are ones I wish I still had. I can see my prom glasses up there (yes, they gave high school kids in 1988 wine glasses!), I had two because I went to prom with a gal in my junior year and then my senior prom.

On the left, you can see the boxes that contained limited edition Blues Brothers dolls. I had both Jake and Elwood.

Also on the top of the shelf are Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton figures – limited editions, as well.

I had no idea there was an Alice figure that went with those two until I was searching for pictures.

Finding the photo with all of these memories was such a treat to me. I am sad to remember so many great books and things that are no longer in my possession, but the memories of them remain.

The Challenge: #PayClassicsForward for Christmas

A blog that I follow, Once Upon a Screen, posted a challenge that she has done for a few years now. The idea is to share some of your favorite movies with others – by “paying classics forward”. You can my friend, Aurora’s post from this year here:

The Challenge: #PayClassicsForward for Christmas

From the above link, you can also click on her posts from previous years. She loosely follows the “format” of The 12 Days of Christmas. Another buddy at Movie Movie Blog Blog II posted his here:

https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/157990146/posts/1162

What follows is my attempt to share some movie “classics” with you. Perhaps you can check some out during your holiday break? Here goes:

One AMAZING performance –

James Cagney as psychopath Cody Jarrett in White Heat. He had given up playing gangsters a few years prior, but returns with this electrifying and mesmerizing performance in this film. The ending is classic!!

Two Musical Brothers –

Jake and Elwood Blues are on a “mission from God” to raise money to save an orphanage, but first, they need to put their band back together. Based on two characters they did on Saturday Night Live, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, along with an amazing band, great cast, stellar cameos from legendary singers, and the Bluesmobile are a MUST see!

Three Movie Trilogies

The Star Wars Original Trilogy. Yes, I know that there are prequels and sequels, but the original trilogy (Episodes 4, 5, & 6) are required viewing for everyone!

The Back to the Future Trilogy. Time travel has never been so much fun! While I still feel that Part 3 could have had a better ending, I still love watching the adventures of Doc Brown, Marty McFly, and Biff Tannen.

The Godfather Trilogy. Movie perfection! Godfather 1 & Godfather 2 are such masterful works! While Godfather 3 was panned by many critics, I still find it to have some wonderful moments.

Four Star General

George C. Scott won the Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of General George S. Patton. I have always loved him as an actor, and his performance in this film is truly worthy of the award.

Five Card Stud

I love a good western. I could have had an entire list of westerns to suggest to readers (maybe that’s a future blog). Five Card Stud stars two of my favorite actors, Dean Martin and Robert Mitchum. I won’t spoil the ending, but it’s good stuff! Shuffle the cards….

The Sixth Sense

I remember seeing this one in the theater. I remember exactly how blown away I was at the ending. If you have never seen it, you need to! Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment are terrific. Still one of my favorites of all time.

Seven “Hoods”

Robin and the 7 Hoods is one of two Rat Pack films on this list. Take the story of Robin Hood and set it in 1920’s Chicago and you have a fun flick. There are some great musical numbers, including a Sinatra classic, “My Kind of Town”. Peter Falk is brilliant in this film, as is Bing Crosby. Then, of course, you have Dean, Frank & Sammy!

Favorite Eight film series.

The Harry Potter series. Whether you are a child or an adult, this wonderful world of wizardry is very well done. What makes it extra special is that the main characters are played by the same people throughout the entire series. I saw the movies before I read the books. My kids and I love watching these together.

Nine Players

I’m talking baseball movies. I’ll give you a drama and a comedy. For laughs, Major League is my pick. The all star cast includes Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Corbin Bernsen, and Wesley Snipes! Bob Uecker as the Indians announcer is worth the watch!

In the drama category, The Natural with Robert Redford is my suggestion. Roy Hobbs and his bat “Wonderboy” lead the Knights to many victories in this wonderful film! Wilford Brimley is great as the manager. Watch for Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, Barbara Hershey, and Robert Duvall as well!

Ten Commandments

The Cecil B. DeMille epic is an amazing movie with a phenomenal all-star cast and pretty cool special effects for 1956! Charlton Heston is Moses.

Others in the cast include Vincent Price, Anne Baxter, Yvonne De Carlo, Yul Brynner, and Edward G. Robinson.

Watch this. “So let it be written. So let it be done.”

Ocean’s Eleven

The original! Not the George Clooney, Brad Pitt remake! This is my second Rat Pack selection. Sinatra is Danny Ocean, and him and his old military buddies are going to rob all the major casinos in Las Vegas. I have always loved the ending of this film – so much is said (and felt) with nothing but silence and no dialogue.

Twelve Angry Men

Henry Fonda leads an all-star cast of jurors who must decide whether a teen is guilty, sending him to a death sentence. In the film, we see 12 very different personalities all trying to work together to come to a conclusion. The clashing of these various personalities is what makes the film so brilliant. Martin Balsam, Jack Klugman, Ed Begley, Jack Warden, and Lee J. Cobb all put in thrilling performances.

Now it is your turn – pay it forward. What movies are must sees for other film fans? You have freedom to pick what you want and use your numbers how you wish. Use my post and the examples of my friend as a guide.