Wednesday, March 12, 2008

 

John Belushi

I was thinking about John Belushi tonight. Probably for all of the wrong reasons. Weird things about a new job. The past two Tuesday nights I've been asked (forced?) to watch two episodes of According to Jim on a couple of ABC affiliates. Before last week I had never seen an episode of the show. Now I've seen four. I guess the only good thing I can say about it is at least I got paid to watch such crap.

After John Belushi died I wanted to like Jim Belushi. I so wanted him to carry on for John. I remember the excitement I had, knowing he had a bit part in the movie Trading Places. That was probably the best work Jim Belushi has done in a mediocre career.


name
When I watched According to Jim tonight, all I could think of was John. How the show, how Jim, has become a parody of John Belushi. It's about a totally flat character, just your average sitcom drivel. John would never have been in such crap/

Or would he? We'll never know. John Belushi died young, some would say too young. While I agree with that sentiment, we never had to see an aging John Belushi plod through the same old tired plots that Hollywood would have forced him to take on. I'll remember, we'll all remember the young Belushi of The Blues Brother, Animal House and 1941.

John Belushi had more talent in one wryly lifted eye brow than Jim has or will ever have. In truth, it's not fair to compare Jim Belushi to one of the most gifted comic actors of my lifetime, but it's a fact.

I couldn't help thinking, though, that had John lived he would likely be starring in something like According to John or Animal House 2K-8. And if you think that's out of the question, think of what's become of Dan Aykroyd, a one time gifted comic actor who's turned into something of a parody of himself.

A commenter on Jump the Shark posted that WKRP in Cincinnati never "jumped the shark" because it didn't last long enough to get tired, to fall into all of the traps that make a sitcom suck. If you think about it logically, 'Krp more than likely would have stunk if it had lasted a season or three longer. It was inevitable.

Would John Belushi have suffered the same fate? Who knows. What I do know is that the John Belushi we're left with, his body of work, is a classic. It lasted long enough for me, to provide me with a lifetime of laughs.

Sure a few more years would have been great. There was a risk, though. A risk of a string of lackluster performances, of vehicles that didn't fit his talents.

I prefer the John Belushi we were left with, not one that could have turned out like brother Jim.

BOJ

...that's Jim Belushi, not Jim Ignatauski... Brother Jim Ignatauski was great...

Comments:
Wasn't he in a gorilla suit?
 
Funny, I thought about him a week before you posted this... on what was the anniversary of his death. Ironically, the day before my birthday. I have to agree, he went out at a high point in his career... unlike John Candy, who also died young, but went after playing in some pretty shitty roles.

But remember... Abe Vigoda is still alive! HE should be the poster boy for young actors and musicians... live a clean life and live beyond your years so people will think you're dead, but you're not. Then you can appear on Letterman and remind peope every once in a while "I'm not dead, you idiot!".

Quinn
 
Yes, in a gorilla suit on a train. And drunk. Honestly, it was, without a doubt, the greatest performance of his career.

He must be so proud...
 
It was the best thing John did for Jim, was to die.

Of course, it was a brilliant career move on John's behave also.
 
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