John Belushi

For some odd reason, I'd always had it in my mind that John Belushi suffered his fatal overdose in 1983, so I was a bit surprised to learn that it's been 25 years since his death. For a guy who really only made two movies that anyone ever saw, he had quite an impact on the landscape. I don't know too many people of my generation who aren't familiar with "Animal House" and "The Blues Brothers", and I can attest from my continuing association with the Rice MOB that these flicks still resonate. You have to wonder what might have happened if he'd managed to get control of his habit before it killed him.

One scenario for that:

[John] Landis saw the dire results. In 1978's Animal House, Belushi was a disciplined and collaborative actor who took the "crazed, wild character" of frat boy Bluto and made him lovable, said the director.

"By the time of The Blues Brothers (1980), he had a very bad drug problem," Landis said, and it started undermining his work. His last project was 1981's Neighbors with Aykroyd; he was set to make Ghostbusters, which filmed after his death with Bill Murray replacing him.

What might a clean Belushi have gone on to do? His career could have paralleled that of Murray, his former Saturday Night Live co-star who traveled from Caddyshack to a 2004 Oscar nomination for his poignant performance in Lost in Translation.

"I think John had a depth to his talent that would have allowed him to reinvent himself," [Lorne] Michaels said.

Landis agrees. "He could have done anything."

I'm trying to picture Belushi as Dr. Venkman. It's a little weird to think of him delivering some of Venkman's lines instead of Bill Murray - "Dogs and cats, living together!" - but you never know how it might have turned out.

It's certainly possible that Belushi could have had Murray's career arc. I've never seen "Neighbors" or "Continental Divide", but I dimly recall some critical buzz from the time that was positive about Belushi's portrayals. Of course, it's also possible that he could have emulated another out-of-control funnyman who managed to conquer his drug demons - Robin Williams. Maybe today, Belushi would be making movies like "Patch Adams" and "RV", and we'd all have forgotten why we once loved him. Like I say, you never know.

For sure, it would have been better if Belushi had had the chance to experience a full career. His death was a tragic waste, and I still remember how shocked I was when I heard the news, even if all these years later I'm a bit fuzzy on the exact date. Whatever the case, let me just say, rest in peace, John Belushi.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on March 12, 2007 to TV and movies