The Blues Brothers (1980)
The Blues Brothers is the 1980 musical comedy directed by John Landis and based on characters created for the late night comedy sketch series Saturday Night Live. Reprising their roles from SNL are John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as Jake and Elwood Blues, musician brothers who are determined to get their band back together in order to raise funds to prevent the orphanage they grew up in from being demolished. As what was customary in John Landis films of the time, there are numerous cameos from several well known directors and actors including Steven Spielberg, Carrie Fisher and Frank Oz. The film's cast also included appearances by several prominent entertainers including Ray Charles, James Brown, and Aretha Franklin. Aykroyd would return as Elwood in the 1998 sequel Blues Brothers 2000.
The following weapons were used in the film The Blues Brothers:
WARNING! THIS PAGE CONTAINS SPOILERS!
Handguns
Colt MK IV Series 70
Illinois State Troopers Daniel (Armand Cerami) and Mount (Steven Williams) are armed with Colt MK IV Series 70s when they go to arrest "Joliet" Jake (John Belushi) and Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd). Several troopers also pull their pistols during the final chase into Daley Plaza.
Colt MK IV Series 70 - .45 ACP
Troopers Daniel and Mount talk to Corrections Officer Mercer (
John Candy) with their Colt MK IV Series 70s in their holsters (noted by the grips) outside Elwood's apartment.
Troopers Daniel and Mount with their MK IV Series 70s drawn as Officer Mercer (
John Candy) kicks in Elwood's door.
Trooper Daniel (
Armand Cerami) aims his MK IV Series 70 at the Good Ole' Boys after crashing into them.
"Boys, you in big trouble now." Trooper Mount (
Steven Williams) draws his MK IV.
The Illinois State trooper (background) holding his MK IV Series 70.
The State trooper on the left holds the pistol when trying to apprehend the Blues Brothers during the climax.
On the bottom left, an automatic pistol is seen drawn.
Walther PPK
When the Blues Brothers and the band go to Ray's Music Exchange, Ray (Ray Charles) pulls a Walther PPK and fires it at a kid who is about to steal a guitar.
Ray (
Ray Charles) draws and fires his Walther PPK at the kid trying to steal the guitar (a particularly humorous gesture given the fact that Ray Charles was actually blind!)
"Go on, now, git." Ray holds the pistol.
Luger P08
The Head Nazi (Henry Gibson) uses a Luger P08 to shoot at the Blues Brothers during the car chase at the end.
The Head Nazi (
Henry Gibson) holding his Luger P08 during the chase with the Blues Brothers.
The Nazi leader fires his Luger P08 at the Blues Brothers.
The Nazi leader's Luger P08 jams when he is trying to reload.
"Faster." The Head Nazi (
Henry Gibson) holds the Luger while chasing down the Blues Brothers.
Smith & Wesson Model 10
Several Illinois State troopers and Chicago SWAT officers are armed with the Smith & Wesson Model 10 during the climax of the film when the police chase the Blues Brothers into the Cook County Accessor's office.
Smith & Wesson Model 10 - .38 Special
The Illinois State trooper (foreground) holding his Smith & Wesson Model 10.
Officers have their revolvers drawn.
SWAT officers with revolvers holstered.
Smith & Wesson Model 19
One Chicago police officer is seen with a Smith & Wesson Model 19 in his holster during the Nazi Rally. These also appear to be carried by Illinois Corrections Officers.
Smith & Wesson 19 - .357 Magnum
The Corrections Officer (
Frank Oz) appears to carry the revolver.
On the left, a CPD officer holds back an angry crowd with his Smith & Wesson Model 19 in his holster.
Shotguns
12 Gauge Double Barreled Shotgun
The leader of the Good Ole' Boys band Tucker McElroy (Charles Napier) uses a 12 Gauge Double Barreled Shotgun to shoot at the Blues Brothers after their gig at Bob's Country Bunker.
12 Gauge Double Barreled Shotgun
The band leader Tucker McElroy (
Charles Napier) loads up his Double Barreled shotgun.
McElroy aims at Jake and Elwood's car.
High Standard FLITE KING K-1200 Riot Shotgun
Trooper Mount (Steven Williams) carries a High Standard FLITE KING K-1200 Riot Standard Model shotgun when they arrive at the Blues Brothers concert. Several prison guards are seen armed with the shotguns near the film's conclusion (this is more visible in the Extended Cut of the film).
High Standard FLITE KING K-1200 Riot
Standard Model (Catalog #8111) - 12 gauge. This is the screen used shotgun, held by
Steve McQueen in the film
The Getaway (1972).
Remington 870
A CPD officer is seen with a Remington 870 toward the end of the film.
Remington 870 Slug Shotgun - 12 gauge
A SWAT officer (center right) holding a Remington 870 as the SWAT team prepares to find and arrest the Blues Brothers during the climax.
Ithaca 37
Several police officers and prison guards are seen with Ithaca 37s toward the end of the movie.
The State trooper on the left holds an Ithaca 37 at the Blues Brothers concert.
The State troopers in the background all hold Ithaca 37s.
The State trooper on the right holds an Ithaca 37 when trying to apprehend the Blues Brothers during the climax.
Two Chicago police officers hold Ithaca 37s when trying to apprehend the Blues Brothers during the climax. The shotguns appear to bend, making these likely to be rubber props.
On the right, the prison guard holds the shotgun during the Blues Brother's prison concert.
The prison guard holds his Ithaca 37 during the Blues Brothers prison concert.
In a scene from the Extended Cut, a prison guard holds his Ithaca 37 while another calls for backup when the prisoners start rioting.
Rifles
M16 (Colt AR-15 SP1)
The Mystery Woman (Carrie Fisher), who turns out to be Jake's ex-fiance, uses an M16 in her final attempt to kill Jake and Elwood after their concert. This rifle has a birdcage flashider, but no forward assist, making it a Colt SP1. Also, while they are normally seen carrying original M16s, two US Army soldiers switch from M16s to SP1s in a continuity error when they are firing through a door when searching for the Blues Brothers.
M16 (aka SP1) with 30 Round magazine - 5.56x45mm
The Mystery Woman (
Carrie Fisher) fires her SP1 at Jake and Elwood. Fisher does a good job of not flinching here.
"Well, Jake, you look just fine down there." The Mystery Woman holds the rifle with no forward assist, making it a Colt SP1.
"I remained celibate for you!" The Mystery Woman holds her SP1 as she explains to Jake all that he put her through when he left her at the altar.
The Mystery Woman (
Carrie Fisher) fires her SP1 at Jake and Elwood's car as they escape.
Two US Army soldiers fire their SP1s at the door that the Blues Brothers blocked. In all other shots they use original M16s, but when they fire, they switch to SP1s in a continuity error.
Closeup of the soldiers' SP1s. The flash hider is doing nothing, probably due to the length of the blank adapter.
MGC Replica M16
Due to the massive amount of extras for the climatic scene, the majority of the National Guard soldiers and CPD officers are seen carrying MGC M16 Replica rifles instead of actual blank-firing weapons.
The MGC M16 Assault rifle: a non firing metal replica built by the Model Gun Corp of Japan and one of the most used non firing replicas of the M16 in movies and television.
The SWAT officer holds his
MGC M16 when the SWAT van pulls up.
Two US Army soldiers in Chicago's Daley Plaza aim their MGC M16s at the Cook County Accessor's office that the Blues brothers are in.
The lead CPD officer asks the guard if he's seen the Blues Brothers, M16 in hand.
Several US Army soldiers aim their
MGC M16s at the Blues Brothers, with about a hundred others in the background. I'd hate to be on the receiving end of this shot. Note the ambiguous
Army Ground Forces patch.
Due to the massive amount of extras for the climatic scene, the majority of the National Guard soldiers and CPD officers are seen carrying
MGC M16 Replica rifles instead of actual blank-firing weapons. That's director
Steven Spielberg in the tan sweater vest in the upper left.
Remington 700
Several SWAT officers carry Remington 700s when setting up sniper positions across the street during the climax.
Remington 700 - .308 Winchester
SWAT officers crawl with their Remington 700s during the climax. Funny how they decide to crawl when they could just run or walk.
SWAT officers aim their Remington 700s during the climax.
Machine Guns
Browning M2HB
Browning M2HB heavy machine guns are seen mounted on National Guard jeeps and other armored vehicles parked on Daley Plaza.
Browning M2HB machine gun - .50 Cal (12.7x99mm NATO)
Browning M2 (Water Cooled)
A watercooled Browning M2 machine gun in an M3 heavy anti-aircraft mount (minus the extremely distinctive triple rear grip) is seen used by the National Guard.
Browning M2 Water Cooled, Flexible - .50 BMG
A watercooled version of the
Browning M2 machine gun is seen used by the National Guard. This version mounts a very tall AA spider sight on the cooling shroud at the muzzle end which is just about visible over the large plate: this seems to have been a combination of a splinter shield and an anti-glare feature when firing with the sun in view.
Browning M1919A4
What appears to be a Browning M1919A4 machine gun is seen mounted in the Sherman tank parked on Daley Plaza. As this tank is likely privately owned, it is quite possible this is actually a painted wood or metal rod with an M1919 barrel shroud placed over it.
Browning M1919A4 mounted in the Sherman tank. Note that the gun does not actually appear to have an opening in the end of the barrel: if this tank is from a museum or other private collection, it is quite possible this is actually a painted wood or metal rod with an M1919 barrel shroud placed over it.
Other
M9-7 Flamethrower
The Mystery Woman (Carrie Fisher) uses an M9-7 Flamethrower to try to kill Jake and Elwood when they are in a phone booth. In an earlier sequence where she is looking at field manuals, the one for the flamethrower scrambles the weapon's designation to "M-79."
The Mystery Woman (
Carrie Fisher) confronts the Blues Brothers while holding her M9-7 Flamethrower.
Igniting the flamethrower. Note the fuel is clearly a gas like propane rather than liquid.
Prop Quad Rocket Launcher
The Mystery Woman (Carrie Fisher) uses a prop rocket launcher seemingly based loosely on the M202 FLASH to try to kill Jake and Elwood when they are outside their apartment building. The launcher only has four tubes, but five rockets appear to be launched.
The Mystery Woman aims her rocket launcher.
The Mystery Woman looks through her scope at Jake. (That's quite the magnification!)
The Mystery Woman fires at Jake and Elwood.
Rockets are fired at the entrance. The launcher only has four tubes, but five rockets appear to be launched. At full size, light from the left tip of the rocket exhaust can be seen glinting off the wire it is hanging from, showing that this is a commercial toy rocket as in many films of this period.
Trivia
Weapons Manuals
When she is at her beauty salon, the Mystery Woman (Carrie Fisher) has two weapon manuals on her desk: "M-79 Flame Thrower" and partly obscured "Antipersonnel Mine M18A1 and M18 (Claymore)."
The Mystery Woman looks over two two weapon manuals on her desk. Also, notice the pictures of her and Jake on her desk. Incidentally, FM 6-121 is actually "Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Field Artillery Target Acquisition." The partially obscured FM 23-23 is, however, the correct number for the M18A1 and M18 Claymore mine manual pictured. These are just printed slip covers placed on thick books: the real FM 23-23 only has 33 numbered pages.
Use of Unnecessary Violence
"Use of unnecessary violence in the apprehension of the Blues Brothers...has been approved." This humorous line proved very controversial within the Chicago Police Department, causing the agency to ban the use of its name and insignia in films and television shows until the 2000s. Several movies, such as The Negotiator, used names like "Metro Police" because the name "Chicago Police" could not be used, even though some of these films received assistance from the department itself during filming.
A dispatcher (
Ralph Foody) tells police officers
"use of unnecessary violence in the apprehension of the Blues Brothers...has been approved", a line that caused the Chicago Police Department to ban its name and insignia from films for 20 years.
Police Car Wreckage
About 60 police cars were used in the film. Most of these cars were humorously wrecked throughout the film. Here are some shots of it.
Two Illinois State Police cars chase the Blues Brothers
in a mall. The two cruisers (including one driven by director
John Landis) are subsequently wrecked at the end of the chase.
The Illinois State Police cruiser driven by Trooper Daniel crashes into the pickup carrying the Good 'Ole Boys, causing both to flip over. Note the trail of smoke behind the car: this is from a vertically-mounted pneumatic ram that was fired to flip it.
Several Illinois State Police cars crash into each other as they fall down a hill.
"This is Car 55, we're in a truck!" The Illinois State Police cruiser driven by Trooper Daniel crashes into a semi.
Several Chicago Police cruisers crash after the Blues Brothers simply take a left turn.
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WARNING! THIS PAGE CONTAINS SPOILERS!
