The Blues Brothers (1980) is a cult classic packed with wild production stories, musical cameos, and over-the-top antics. Here are some fun facts about the movie:

• Dan Aykroyd’s first draft of the script was a massive 324 pages long, which he bound like a phone book before director John Landis trimmed it down. 
• John Belushi earned $500,000 for the role of Jake Blues, twice what Aykroyd was paid as Elwood. 
• The infamous mall chase scene was filmed in the real, abandoned Dixie Square Mall in Harvey, Illinois, which was specially stocked with merchandise for the shoot. 
• The production used 13 different Bluesmobiles (1974 Dodge Monacos) because so many were destroyed during filming. 
• Carrie Fisher got engaged to Dan Aykroyd during filming after he saved her from choking by performing the Heimlich maneuver. 
• The movie set a record at the time for most cars destroyed on screen, with 103 vehicles wrecked, a title it held until the sequel Blues Brothers 2000 topped it with 104. 
• John Belushi once vanished from set during a night shoot; Aykroyd found him asleep at a stranger’s house after the actor had wandered in, asked for food, and crashed on the couch, earning him the nickname “America’s Guest.” 
• Belushi went through hundreds of pairs of sunglasses, losing them constantly, which led to him being called “The Black Hole” by the crew. 
• The film’s budget ballooned to nearly $30 million, making it one of the most expensive comedies of its era, largely due to the elaborate car chases and Belushi’s off-set partying. 
• Paul Shaffer was originally in the Blues Brothers band but got cut from the movie after a scheduling conflict with Saturday Night Live. 
• Before the big finale concert scene, Belushi injured his knee on a kid’s skateboard while wandering around a neighborhood, but he powered through the performance anyway. 
• The movie featured cameos from music legends like Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Ray Charles, and Cab Calloway, many of whom performed live or from multiple takes to sync with the music. 
• Pee-wee Herman actor Paul Reubens had a small role as the waiter who serves Jake and Elwood when they’re trying to recruit Mr. Fabulous back to the band. Despite mixed reviews upon release, the film became a huge hit in Australia, where it ran in theaters for over a year in some places. Director John Landis made a cameo as a state trooper in the mall chase, and he included Easter eggs like Muppet toys in a store scene as a nod to his friend Frank Oz.