One of the most important unsung heroes in the history of The Blues Brothers is Paul Shaffer, whom some modern audiences may recognize best as David Letterman’s band leader. However, before then, he played keyboard for the original line-up of Saturday Night Live’s house band, became part of the SNL cast for one season in the 1970s, and was a founding member of The Blues Brothers Band and toured with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi.
So, why is it that the accomplished musician (portrayed by Paul Rust in the 2024 biopic Saturday Night) is nowhere to be seen in the beloved 1980 musical film based on the SNL characters? The explanation behind Shaffer’s absence in one of the funniest and simply best movies of the ‘80s makes for a pretty fascinating story from behind the scenes of The Blues Brothers, and also a heartbreaking one.
Paul Shaffer Was Forced To Drop Out Of The Blues Brothers Movie
In December 2024, Paul Shaffer appeared on comedian Paul Ollinger’s podcast, Reasonably Happy. In the episode, he discusses how the extraordinary line-up of The Blues Brothers Band came together before the host brings up how the musician was faced with a tough choice involving the movie, The Blues Brothers.
Shaffer describes it as one of the “worst professional situations” of his life before explaining that SNL creator Lorne Michaels asked him and Blues Brothers album producer Bob Tischler to help Gilda Radner make the 1980 concert documentary, Gilda Live. Out of loyalty to his old friend, the late Radner (who made a huge impact on SNL as a founding Not Ready For Primetime Player), Shaffer pulled out of The Blues Brothers, paving the way for Murphy Dunne to take his place. However, this was much to the chagrin of another SNL icon.
John Belushi Did Not Take The News Well
John Belushi had previously advised Shaffer to not do Radner’s film so he could prepare for their movie, which was to be directed by John Landis. So, upon learning that the keyboardist would not be involved, he issued a “press release” among the fellow members of The Blues Brothers Band to express his feelings.
The comedian (known for having a bit of a temper, as Matt Wood’s portrayal in Saturday Night reflects), essentially, kicked Shaffer out of the group that he helped start, claiming that he would “never be a Blues Brother,” as the musician recalls to Ollinger. This absolutely devastated Shaffer but, luckily, the fallout was only temporary.
Shaffer Would Reconcile With Belushi And Appear In Blues Brothers 2000
Shaffer recalls that he and Belushi managed to put their bad blood behind them before The Blues Brothers Band was scheduled to go on tour. Even more thankfully, Shaffer was able to reconcile with the musically talented SNL star before his untimely death in 1981.
Years later, Shaffer signed on to produce the music for Blues Brothers 2000 and even appeared in a small role as the servant to Queen Mousette (Erykah Badu). Most fans consider this to be a sequel that never should have happened, especially without Belushi able to return as Joliet Jake, but it is still great to see Shaffer involved in its otherwise stellar soundtrack.
With all due respect to Murphy Dunne – and, of course, to Gilda Radner – I now cannot help but wonder if The Blues Brothers could have been even better if Paul Shaffer was in the cast. He very well could have made some of the best Blues Brothers quotes – such as Dunne’s “I knew a hooker named Minnie Mazolla” – even funnier. Maybe I’ll rewatch the film, which is currently one of the best movies on Amazon Prime, with that in mind and see how I feel.
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