1941, considered Steven Spielberg's first major flop, starred John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in their first of three movies together. Released in 1979, it dampered John Belushi's star power which he developed from National Lampoon's Animal House.

The story takes place days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, with panic and chaos among the citizens of Los Angeles. The story is told through connecting vignettes. At the center of the story is a crusty general (Robert Stack) who tries to bring order among the people whose lives are intertwined with others.

The film, mainly a production of Columbia Pictures (but with some help from Universal Studios), was a moderate box office success, but not the blockbuster film Spielberg was hoping for. It later found cult success on network television in an expanded version that is closer to Spielberg's original rough cut (that version has now been released on video).