User Reviews

There is no shortage of documentaries about the making of Animal House, arguably the most influential college comedy ever made. But unlike the standard insider-based production documentary found on the Animal House DVD bonus-disc, which focuses exclusively on the film's writers, director, producer, and stars, this gem of a documentary by Oregon-based producer Katherine Wilson (who served as location scout and locals casting director for Animal House, Stand by Me, and other films), tells a much deeper, and arguably more important story. Animal House of Blues blends the stories behind two landmark films - Animal House and The Blues Brothers - by focusing on the impact of community members in Eugene, Oregon and surrounding towns on the making of and inspiration behind these film.

In addition to information about the circumstances that brought to the iconic film to Eugene and the University of Oregon, the heart of the film centers around two local legends who made unusual contributions to both Animal House and The Blues Brothers. The first of these legends is writer Ken Kesey (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest). The film argues that Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters, icons of the 1960s counter-culture, were the inspiration behind the boys of Delta house. Of course, due to broader changes in American culture the Animal House writers decided to shift the Delta boys intoxicant of choice from LSD to alcohol. The story of John Belushi's meeting with Kesey while the SNL star was in Eugene filming Animal House, is one of the best moments in the documentary. The second of these legends is blues musician Curtis Salgado (winner of Entertainer of the Year at the 2013 Blues Music Awards). Salgado was a young blues singer in Eugene and his iconic look inspired Belushi to create The Blues Brothers. Yet never before has the full story behind that relationship been told. The interview with Salgado delivers on a number of levels.

Despite it's relatively short running time (less than an hour), Animal House of Blues thoughtfully integrates a number of untold stories while reminding us that Hollywood blockbusters, at least those that stand the test of time, involve a far greater number of people than we often realize and that those people often have stories that are far more interesting than those told by the studio. From interviews with actors and extras like Maida Belove, Kim Plant, Howard Farling, Dennis Cozzalio, and Bruce Lundy and interviews with Wilson and others involved in the film's production, to the stellar narration by our guide through the story, Izzy Whetstine (who played the hilarious janitor in Animal House), this intriguing documentary succeeds in reminding us that it takes a village to make a film classic.

I told my grandparents the main reason I wanted to attend The University of Oregon was because of the journalism school, but really there were two reasons... "Animal House" is easily the most influential college film of all time, both in cinema and in reality. No film can match its tenacious grasp on college culture from both back then and today. "Animal House" has just as much influence in crafting the college social experience as did the Greeks and the red Solo cup.

But beyond the mangled bed sheet-turned toga exists countless tales of Eugene's influence on the film and the film's influence on Eugene. This small Oregon community banded together and did "whatever it took" to help produce the film and the result is a renowned classic.

The stories on the stars and that exhausting search for the right school have been said enough times that it's like beating a dead horse in Dean Wormer's office, but this documentary focuses on those who are just like every other student or local musician or small time filmmaker-- because these are exactly the type of people who helped make the film!

What began with a simple visit to a UO film class ended with the completion of a dream and each person who worked on "Animal House of Blues" did so with the spirit of cinema, community and care.

Bravo!

Animal House of Blues

As a famous rocker once said, every picture tells a story and that's maybe more true with movies; no matter how big the budget or the stars, movies can rise or fall on their stories. The new documentary Animal House of Blues is just that; a good movie worth watching because it tells some great stories.

The headline story in this Katherine Wilson documentary is the story behind the birth of the "Blues Brothers". While shooting "Animal House" in Eugene in the late seventies, John Belushi met local bluesmen Robert Cray, Curtis Salgado and Otis Day. Cray and Day played in the band for the famous Animal House scene filmed at the nearby Dexter Lake Club.

Belushi began hanging out and even performed with Salgado and Cray at local blues gigs. When he and Dan Akroyd announced the birth of the Blues Brothers on Saturday Night Live they acknowledged their Eugene mentors. Just this week, in a new Rolling Stone interview, Robert Cray confirmed some of that story.

There's more. It turns out Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters had a connection to the famous frat house the became the Animal House. In fact, Kesey and his prankster buddies were connected to the local film community that helped scout the locations that lured the John Landis movie to Eugene.

Actually, as documented in Animal House of Blues, the National Lampoon shoot had been shot down by almost every college campus they had approached. So there's another little nugget; Eugene and the University of Oregon may have saved that classic comedy from the dustbin of cinematic history.

Much of the movie focuses on the inside details of casting and shooting the movie in Eugene and some of those interviews run a little long. But there are some more nuggets; the story of how 90 African-American extras were bussed in to the little backwoods town of Dexter for the famous bar scene and how the producers were convinced to feed the stars' barbecue to them instead is priceless.

In general, the U of O film students who worked with Katherine Wilson to make this movie did a great job with editing and special effects. There's room for improvement with some interview settings and the use of historical footage. But this documentary is worth watching for what it adds to our cultural history.

Disclosure: Bob Zagorin contributed several still photographs of Ken Kesey and Robert Cray which were used in the documentary.