Trivia

He considers An American Werewolf in London (1981) to be his masterpiece.

During the filming of The Blues Brothers (1980) John Belushi's drug use was at its height. On a day of filming Belushi didn't want to come out of his trailer. John Landis, who was fed up with Belushi and his antics, reportedly forced his way in to Belushi's trailer, grabbed all of Belushi's drug stash and flushed it down the toilet. Landis told him he wasn't going to be putting up with this anymore.

He directed the music videos Michael Jackson: Thriller (1983) and Michael Jackson: Black or White (1991), both by Michael Jackson. He has a small cameo as the director in "Black Or White".

He was offered the chance to direct Men in Black (1997), but declined, feeling it was basically just "The Blues Brothers (1980) with aliens". He has since said that he was wrong, and he regrets turning down the film.

He has directed two films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) and The Blues Brothers (1980). He has also directed one music video that is in the registry: Michael Jackson: Thriller (1983).

He befriended Donald Sutherland while working on Kelly's Heroes (1970) and even babysat Kiefer Sutherland.

In his early career he worked as a stunt-man specialising in horse-falls.

Five of his movies were nominated for AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs: The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), The Blues Brothers (1980), An American Werewolf in London (1981) and Trading Places (1983). "Animal House" made the list at #36.

One of his favorite movies is The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972). He admits that this film inspired the use of the dream within a dream gag in An American Werewolf in London (1981).

Ivan Reitman and Harold Ramis wanted him to direct Meatballs (1979), but he was busy with The Blues Brothers (1980).

Had an allergic reaction to shrimp on the set of Michael Jackson: Thriller (1983).

The trademark trivia often mentioned in Landis-directed films, the inclusion in some form of the phrase "See you next Wednesday", is a reference to a script young Landis wrote at 15 (which in itself was named after a line in the Stanley Kubrick film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)). Whenever Landis uses an idea from it in a film he's made, he always "credits" the script. The reference appears during the werewolf rampage as the title on the marquee of a porno theater in An American Werewolf in London (1981). It is spoken in German when Vic Morrow is being shot at on the building in the sequence he directed for Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983). In The Blues Brothers (1980) it's on a billboard where the the cops are lying in wait. Then again, it mostly appears as the name on movie posters, so that it probably became merely something to watch for like Alfred Hitchcock's cameos. It first appeared in his first film Schlock (1973) as the name of a movie and as a movie poster in a theater lobby. It appeared again in his second film. The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), as the title of the "Feel-O-Rama" movie. It surfaces in an apartment in Trading Places (1983) on a movie poster. In Coming to America (1988) it appears in a subway station (the movie claims to star Jamie Lee Curtis, who appeared in "Trading Places"). Another poster is visible in Ophelia's apartment. In Spies Like Us (1985) it appears on the recruitment poster behind the desk of the commander of the army training post. In Into the Night (1985) it appears on two posters in the office where Ed and Diana make the phone call. In Innocent Blood (1992) it is once again advertised on a movie marquee across the street from the Melody Lounge exotic dance bar near where a car crash takes place. It also appears in the Michael Jackson video Michael Jackson: Thriller (1983), which was directed by Landis. One of the men chasing the werewolf finds a note and reads this out while the shot shows MJ in the theater eating popcorn.

Says the scariest horror film for him is a "toss-up between" Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and William Friedkin's The Exorcist (1973). [NYTimes, 8/21/11].

He was asked to direct Vacation (1983), but he was busy with An American Werewolf in London (1981).

He has made commercials for DirecTV, Taco Bell, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kellogg's, and Disney.

Close friend, George Lucas, offered John Landis the role of director on Howard the Duck (1986). After reading the script Landis turned down the opportunity due to the police car crashes in the finale. He felt this was too similar to that of his previous film The Blues Brothers (1980).

He was attached to direct Little Shop of Horrors (1986) at one stage.

After he dropped out of school at age 17 he worked as mailman at the Fox studios.

Universal originally wanted him to direct Problem Child (1990), but he turned it down as he had no interest in making kids movies.

He was asked to direct Big (1988), but he did Coming to America (1988) instead.

Eddie Murphy asked him to direct The Nutty Professor (1996), but he declined.

On 12 April 2011, when he was introducing his new film Burke and Hare (2010) at The Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF), he was knighted. He is now a "Knight of the Order of the Raven". It's one of the festival's highest honors given only to masters of the genre.

Dan Aykroyd asked him to direct Nothing But Trouble (1991). He disliked the script and immediately turned it down.

Member of the jury at the Venice Film Festival in 1989.

His good friend and collaborator Dan Aykroyd asked him to direct Nothing But Trouble (1991) a screenplay he wrote as Landis was famous for directing comedy and horror films. However Landis despised the script and after John Hughes also declined to direct Aykroyd directed it himself and the film was a huge box office and critical failure that did severe damage to Aykroyd's career as well as Chevy Chase's.

Has never shot a film in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio until 2010's Burke and Hare (2010).

He was briefly attached to direct Dick Tracy (1990).

Once worked as an attendant in a parking lot.

He was considered the direct Follow That Bird (1985). He liked it, but turned it down, as he was busy directing Into the Night (1985) at the time.

Frequently includes icons from early rock and roll and RB artists, such as B.B. King and Bo Diddley, and others.

The Ruling Class (1972) is one of his favorite movies.

Father of Max Landis and Rachel Landis.

'See you next Wednesday' a throw a way line in 2001 a Space Odyssey is used to refer to a fictional film within a film in at least 6 John Landis films and his video Thriller.

Went to school with Eliza Roberts.

Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume Two, 1945-1985". Pages 555-559. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1988.

Sacrificed his beard and much of his hair to play the cafe dishwasher boy but the scene was dropped during editing.

Sacrificed his beard and much of his hair to play the cafe dishwasher boy in National Lampoons Animal House but the scene was dropped during editing.