Jake Blues rejoins his brother Elwood after being released from prison, but the duo has just days to reunite their old R&B band and save the Catholic home where the two were raised, outrunning the police as they tear through Chicago.
Jones Island Water Reclamation Facility, 700, East Jones Street, Jones Island, Port of Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, 53207, United States of America
Scene: (Car chase with Nazis - car hangs off bridge)
Marie Robinson Hall, 1328-1350, South Halsted Street, University Village, Near West Side, Chicago, West Chicago Township, Cook County, Illinois, 60608, United States of America
Scene: (Soul Food Restaurant - John Lee Hooker performs "Boom Boom" in the street. Block demolished c.1995 for expansion of University of Illinois - Chicago campus)
318 South Federal, 318, South Federal Street, Printer's Row, Loop, Chicago, South Chicago Township, Cook County, Illinois, 60604, United States of America
Wauconda Pharmacy, 222, East Liberty Street, Wauconda, Cuba, Lake County, Illinois, 60084, United States of America
Scene: (police car pile-up)
47th Street & Prairie (Green Line), East 47th Street, Grand Boulevard, Chicago, Hyde Park Township, Cook County, Illinois, 60653, United States of America
Griffith Park Boys Camp, 4730, Crystal Springs Drive, Los Feliz Neighborhood Council District, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, 90027, United States of America
South Butler Drive, Port of Chicago Lake Calumet Harbor, South Deering, Chicago, Hyde Park Township, Cook County, Illinois, 60628, United States of America
West Ohio Street, River North, Near North Side, Chicago, North Chicago Township, Cook County, Illinois, 60654, United States of America
Scene: (Police chase continues as the Bluesmobile makes a hard left turn at Wells Street where the CTA elevated system meets; neighborhood since been redeveloped)
128, Talcott Road, Elmwood, West Hartford, Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, 06110, United States of America
Scene: ([28:13]Blues Brothers evading the cops before entering the mall)
Decatur County, Kansas, United States of America
The Blues Brothers is the great Chicago movie – a city-wide car chase and musical wrapped into one, filmed on the real streets, plazas and freeways of Chicago and its suburbs. Jake and Elwood’s “mission from God” tore up the actual city, and the city has loved it ever since.
Where was The Blues Brothers filmed?
The film was shot in and around Chicago, Illinois – downtown plazas, the elevated tracks, Wrigley Field, the suburbs and a shopping mall memorably destroyed for the film – making it one of the most Chicago movies ever made.
Every Blues Brothers location, explained
1
Downtown Chicago – the finale chase
The climactic chase and pile-up were filmed in downtown Chicago, including Daley Plaza, with the city granting the production extraordinary access to its streets.
2
Dixie Square Mall – the mall chase
The famous drive through a shopping mall used the Dixie Square Mall in Harvey, a suburb south of the city – an already-closed mall the production could wreck.
3
Wrigley Field and the neighbourhoods
Wrigley Field makes an appearance (as a fake address Elwood gives), and the film ranges across Chicago’s neighbourhoods and the Chicago Skyway.
4
Joliet and the suburbs
The wider story takes in Joliet (home of the prison) and the industrial suburbs around Lake Michigan, grounding the film in the real Chicagoland.
Planning a visit
Chicago embraces the film: Daley Plaza downtown, Wrigley Field and the elevated Loop are all landmark, visitable parts of the city, and the movie remains a point of civic pride. The Dixie Square Mall is long gone, but downtown Chicago is the film’s beating heart.
The Blues Brothers Fun Facts
1
A real Chicago rampage The film was shot across real Chicago, which gave the production rare access to close streets for the chase.
2
They destroyed a real mall The mall chase used the already-closed Dixie Square Mall in Harvey, south of Chicago.
3
Daley Plaza takes a beating The downtown finale was filmed at Daley Plaza in the heart of the city.
4
Wrigley Field's fake address Elwood gives Wrigley Field’s address (1060 West Addison) as his home on his driver’s licence.
5
A record for wrecked cars The film set a record at the time for the most cars destroyed in a single production.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Blues Brothers a Chicago movie?
Very much so – it’s one of the most iconic films ever shot in and about Chicago.
Can you visit the Blues Brothers locations?
Yes – Daley Plaza, Wrigley Field and the downtown Loop are all landmark parts of Chicago; the Dixie Square Mall has since been demolished.
What is Elwood's fake address?
He gives 1060 West Addison – the address of Wrigley Field – as his home.
