We're Not On A Mission From God

Remember that scene in Big Bang Theory where Amy ruins Indiana Jones for the guys?

If you hated that, stop reading now. 

As an entire generation knows, the MacGuffin driving "The Blues Brothers" is the tax bill for the orphanage where they grew up. 

But it turns out The Penguin wasn't up shit creek after all.

According to the actual, real Cook County Assessor, "an institution used for religious purposes, as an orphanage or for school and religious purposes, may qualify for a property tax exemption if it is not used for profit."

I'm not the first to discover this gaping plot hole. In 2022, the current Cook County Assessor addressed the issue.

Assessor Fritz Kaegi took part in a live comedy sketch with actors Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi during the actors’ August 19 musical performance as The Blues Brothers at a fan convention in Joliet...

With Aykroyd looking on and nodding, Kaegi said: “St. Helen of the Blessed Shroud is an orphanage. It is a religious institution. It’s tax exempt.”

Then, Kaegi explained in assessor lingo: “We want to set this right. So, we’re going to issue the orphanage a certificate of error. No taxes are due for 1979 to 1981. And no taxes in the future.”

The plaque also retroactively grants “special assessment landmark status, as the childhood home of Jake and Elwood Blues, a.k.a The Blues Brothers, and is therefore exempt from any future assessment increases or taxes.”

No Mission From God. No Getting The Band Back Together. The only part that's real is the Illinois Nazis.

When Aykroyd accepted the plaque, he addressed the crowd and said: “Well, I guess the whole movie didn’t happen."