Today Would Have Been John Belushi's 70th Birthday...

He would've done Amazon's King Lear instead of that Hopkins fellow.

He would've had some more shitty movies. Maybe been in a some sitcoms. Messy divorce from Judy. A bunch of coke dicked me too stuff and a spot on the right wing comedians world tour.

OP’s clip says it all - fat, unfunny fuck. Dumb enough to overdose - goodbye.

70? Damn. I remember where I was the morning we heard the news Belushi died at age 33. I was a 15 year old in Indiana taking drivers ed. My parents were in California that day and brought home the LA Times with the big banner headline - Belushi Dead. Now, I’m a 52 year old man. Time is a bitch.

He and his buddy Robin Williams would have had a bitter falling out over Williams scoring the Patch Adams role Belushi hoped would get him serious respect and an Oscar.

I thought he was insufferable.

Glad he died.

He probably would have ballooned to be as fat as Orson Welles

Way overrated. His career would have faded by the 90s.

A hilarious recurring role as "Uncle Johnny" on "According to Jim".

That's all I've got for you.

On the Penny Marshall thread someone was referring to The Joy of Sex project she wanted to direct with him.

Had that actually happened, I seriously have no idea where his career have gone (and I don’t mean that in a good way).

I don’t think he was UNFUNNY - I do think he had talent - but I think he would have been someone who would have gotten less and less funny had he lived. That was already starting to happen in the few years he became famous. It really did effect him in the most terrible way.

Pure frat boy humor. I loath him.

Hung like a donkey..

Never liked anything he was in. Overrated, and not funny.

He was definitely annoying, but Jim is by far the worst. I always thought they were Italian, but apparently they were actually Albanian.

What is it with comedians and drug abuse?

He'd be shacking up with Joe Piscopo. The Belushi-Piscopos

I wasn't a big fan, but thought he had a pretty face--like a depraved Caravaggio rentboy.

He was going to get Bill Murray's roll in Ghost Busters. I cannot imagine John in that roll though, I don't think he would have been as good as Bill.

I tend to agree with those who are pointing out his limited range and the ways that range would not have evolved or aged well over time. His career had a short shelf life. He checked out just before the expiration date, sadly. Though he did make a lot of people laugh, was beloved, and was great in certain roles that celebrated the fat frat party-boy hetero male and his politically incorrect rude childish pranks.

He would be a tragic Artie Lange type - drug ravaged, legal problems, no career etc.

Agreed, but I want to add: Happy Birthday, John. A lot of people have been missing you for a long time. RIP.

Much ado about very little.

I think if he had cleaned up and been able to stay clean he could have transitioned into dramatic roles. I could imagine him playing a detective or cop on a Law and Order or NYPD Blue type show.

And still as unfunny as ever.

John Beluga.

R17 he could do more subtle humor when it was called for. Probably more prevalent in the early SNL years then once his career exploded. He also did a good Godfather.

I don’t think he would have been great at dramatic roles, but he probably would have been serviceable. I’ve seen parts of Continental Divide and he was ok.

Even if he had never OD’d I doubt he would have made it to 70, between his weight and past drug use (the damage never goes away, which is why people like Kelsey Grammer and Robin Williams has heart problems in their 50s).

Agree with r21. More likely a successful tv career in his later years.

He coulda straightened himself out, and had a good-to-great career, and spared us the rise of Jim Belushi, but nooooooooooooo!