The specific mall where the scene was originally filmed, at Dixie Square Mall in Harvey, Illinois – just outside of the Chicago area – had been abandoned for just less than a year when filming began; it closed in November 1978. The director of the film, John Landis, had rented out the mall for eight weeks to film the scene; filming of the scene itself took place between around August–September 1979.
The mall was extensively decorated in several spaces that would appear on camera, with millions of dollars spent on merchandise to fill the elaborate storefronts.
Numerous tenants who used to reside in Dixie returned momentarily to use their brand to populate the space (one notable absence was Walgreens, which was dressed as a Toys "R" Us and R.J. Grunts for the movie). After filming wrapped, the mall was left significantly damaged and although there was a plan to reopen the mall after filming, it never happened.
Sourced from Behind the Scenes of the Blues Brothers.
by somebodi_randomLOL
4 Comments
One absolutely outstanding movie.
This mall has everything.
That must have been a career highlight for any of that crew. What a wild scene to witness.
Alas, the days of such actual mayhem being staged are gone forever, I think.
New Oldsmobiles are in early this year!