The Blues Brothers: 11 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The John Belushi Movie

Cab Calloway Wanted To Perform His Recently Cut Disco Version Of Minnie The Moocher

Probably my personal favorite musical performance in The Blues Brothers is by Cab Calloway, who stalls the crowd at the Hollywood Palladium before Jake and Elwood arrive with a rendition of his signature hit “Minnie the Moocher” that sounds just like it did in 1931. However, as John Landis recalls in the DVD featurette, the jazz pioneer had actually wanted his character, Curtis, to perform a disco-style re-recording he had recently done and was very unhappy when the director refused. Considering the film is, in essence, a celebration of classic music from yesteryear, I think most would agree that Landis made the right call.