Landis Speaks at Hasty Pudding

The director of "Animal House" and "The Blues Brothers," who is on trial for three deaths on the set of "Twilight Zone: The Movie," said Saturday night that writer Bob Woodward lied about John Belushi in his biography of the comedian.

"Bob Woodward is a lying scumbag," movie director John Landis told a crowd of nearly 200 at the Hasty Pudding Theatre. In 1984, Woodward wrote "Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi," a national bestseller.

"He invented most of it. He never met John. He was never there," Landis said at a champagne reception after a screening of his film "An American Werewolf in London." Belushi died in 1982 of a drug overdose.

Landis and several associates are facing charges of criminal negligence and involuntary manslaughter for the 1982 deaths of actor Vic Morrow and two Vietnamese children in a helicopter accident during the filming of "Twilight Zone," which Landis directed.

But at the beginning of the evening's main event, a question-and-answer session with Landis, David L. Seltzer '87, president of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals' Film and Talent Group, said that the director would not answer questions about the case.

Landis had fond memories of Belushi, whom he worked with on "Animal House" and "The Blues Brothers. "John was a wonderful person," Landis said, though he admitted that Belushi's cocaine addiction hindered his acting in "The Blues Brothers."

Landis also directed Michael Jackson's extended music video "Thriller." He said that he had opposed releasing "Thriller" to television. "My idea was to bring back the theatrical short," he said. "I got screwed."

Landis was asked if the producers of his movies interfere with his directing. "It depends," he said. "Especially after `Twilight Zone,' I control my own movies."

Several students asked Landis about how to get into professional moviemaking. "It has a lot to do with luck and chutzpah and determination," he said. "Basically, make a movie."

Landis said he knew he wanted to be a director since he was eight years old. "I saw `Sinbad' and asked my mom, `Who did that?' and she said, `The director.'"

Landis said that he is more popular in Europe than in the United States. "In France and Spain, I'm a great artist. Here I'm a putz," he said.

"They can understand that a Coca-Cola bottle and blue jeans is remarkable, whereas we say, "What the fuck? It's a Coca-Cola bottle,'" he said.

He also plugged "Three Amigos," his newest film. "I'm very happy with it," he said. "December 12 at a theater or drive-in near you."