Aretha Franklin’s Scene-Stealing Performance In ‘The Blues Brothers’ Is The Talk Of Twitter
As news begins to circulate — circumnavigating the globe — of the passing of the “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin, Twitter users have taken to the platform to offer up their condolences as well as their celebrations of her life and music. One of the most notable threads trending on the popular social media service is the general acclaim for Aretha Franklin’s timeless appearance in the seminal 1980 silver screen classic The Blues Brothers starring Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi.
Aretha Franklin plays the role of Mrs. Murphy — a humble waitress with a secret penchant for singing — in the 1980 comedy classic. Having taken quite enough guff from her on-screen husband Matt “Guitar” Murphy in his quest to rejoin the band — after all, it is a “mission from God” that the Blues Brothers have embarked upon — Aretha’s character launches into a pitch-perfect rendition of her own 1968 classic “Think,” a feminist anthem and a call for sisterhood and empowerment in general.
The short scene struck such a chord with fans that many have taken to Twitter to post their fondest memories of having first watched it take place. A verified account belonging to Adam Best, a political influencer and fan of the film, posted an homage to the late singer that included high praise for Aretha Franklin’s performance of “Think,” naming it one of the most memorable parts of what many consider to be a cult classic.
The Blues Brothers was something we watched nonstop during my childhood. Aretha Franklin’s performance of “Think” was one of the most memorable parts of that cult classic. Just one of many great memories of the Queen of Soul. Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/zYdB9KUJrD
— Adam Best (@adamcbest) August 16, 2018
Famous sportswriter Bill Simmons of The Ringer joined in the general acclaim, adding his own memory of the fantastic diner scene to the fray. Describing that very day nearly 40 years ago in which The Blues Brothers entered theaters, Simmons recalls his memory of the Mrs. Murphy scene and said that it “came out of nowhere and blew everyone away.”
Saw the Blues Brothers in 1980 in Chicago on opening day with my dad, sold out theater, and this scene came out of nowhere and blew everyone away. Can’t think of anyone else who could have owned 5 minutes of a movie quite like this. https://t.co/UjeEp31vqM
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) August 16, 2018
Not all of those paying tribute to the passing of Aretha Franklin and her role in the film have blue check-marks attached. An unverified account belonging to Shaurya Chawla echoed earlier sentiments, saying that Jack and Elwood Blues eccentric food orders that serve as the lead-in to the high impact iteration of “Think” was a perfect pairing.
An amusing postscript to the story of the infamous scene comes in the form of a piece from Vanity Fair, with Dan Aykroyd having reminisced a few years ago about an anecdote surrounding the dingy and unflattering waitress outfit that was to be Aretha Franklin’s costume in the film, with Aykroyd recalling that the Queen of Soul complained to director John Landis, “I don’t know about this waitress costume. It’s not going to be so flattering.”
Apparently, the costuming department got to work right away to fix the problem, making sure that the costume would fit the soul singer’s form in better fashion.
“They took that thing in and just the curves were hugged, Aretha’s magnificent upper carriage was beautifully displayed,” Aykroyd said. “It was very flattering, the way the costume was done.”
Aretha Franklin was 76, having passed away earlier this morning in the company of her closest friends and family, as reported by Inquisitr.
