Fletch
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Michael Ritchie
Produced by	Peter Douglas Alan Greisman
Written by	Gregory Mcdonald (novel) Andrew Bergman (screenplay)
Narrated by	Chevy Chase
Starring	Chevy Chase Tim Matheson Joe Don Baker Dana Wheeler-Nicholson
Music by	Harold Faltermeyer
Cinematography	Fred Schuler
Editing by	Richard A. Harris
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	May 31, 1985
Running time	98 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Followed by	Fletch Lives (1989)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Fletch is a 1985 comedy film about a wisecracking investigative newspaper reporter, Irwin Fletcher (Chevy Chase, at the height of his popularity), who writes under the name of Jane Doe. The film was based on the popular Gregory Mcdonald novels and the screenplay was written by Andrew Bergman. The film was directed by Michael Ritchie and released by Universal Pictures in 1985. The theme song, "Bit by Bit" was sung by Stephanie Mills with music by Beverly Hills Cop composer Harold Faltermeyer. It was one of three films Chevy Chase starred in that year, alongside Spies Like Us and National Lampoon's European Vacation, which together garnered over $155 million at the box office. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 388 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (500 × 773 pixel, file size: 45 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Movie poster for Universal Pictures, 1985. ... Michael Ritchie (November 28, 1938 - April 16, 2001) was an American film director Michael Ritchie is also the name of an English college student in East Sussex who is famous for writing three novels for teenagers about teenage life. ... Gregory Mcdonald (born February 15, 1937 in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts) is an American mystery writer best known for his Fletch character, as played by Chevy Chase in the movie of the same name. ... Andrew Bergman is an American screenwriter, director, and novelist born in 1945. ... Chevy Chase (born Cornelius Crane Chase on October 8, 1943 in New York City, New York) is an Emmy Award-winning American comedian, writer, and television and film actor. ... Tim Matheson, an American actor, was born Timothy Lewis Matthieson on December 31, 1947, in Glendale, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. ... Joe Don Baker (born February 12, 1936) is an American film actor perhaps best known for his role as sheriff Buford Pusser in the American film classic Walking Tall. ... Harold Faltermeyer (born October 5, 1952 in Munich) is a German musician and moreover composer. ... Universal Pictures is the main motion picture production/distribution arm of Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal. ... May 31 is the 151st day of the year (152nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Fletch Lives is a 1989 comedy film starring Chevy Chase. ... // Back to the Future, starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson Rambo: First Blood Part II, starring Sylvester Stallone Rocky IV, starring Sylvester Stallone The Color Purple, starring Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery, Rae Dawn Chong, Adolph Caesar Out of Africa, starring Meryl Streep and... Airplane! is considered by some critics to be one of the funniest movies of all time. ... Chevy Chase (born Cornelius Crane Chase on October 8, 1943 in New York City, New York) is an Emmy Award-winning American comedian, writer, and television and film actor. ... Gregory Mcdonald (born February 15, 1937 in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts) is an American mystery writer best known for his Fletch character, as played by Chevy Chase in the movie of the same name. ... Fletch is the 1974 first Mystery novel featuring the character, Irwin Maurice Fletcher, written by Gregory Mcdonald. ... Andrew Bergman is an American screenwriter, director, and novelist born in 1945. ... Michael Ritchie (November 28, 1938 - April 16, 2001) was an American film director Michael Ritchie is also the name of an English college student in East Sussex who is famous for writing three novels for teenagers about teenage life. ... Universal Pictures is the main motion picture production/distribution arm of Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal. ... Stephanie Mills (born March 22, 1957 in Harlem, New York) is an African American R&B and soul singer and former Broadway star. ... Beverly Hills Cop (1984) is an American comedy film directed by Martin Brest and starring Eddie Murphy. ... Harold Faltermeyer (born October 5, 1952 in Munich) is a German musician and moreover composer. ... Spies Like Us is the name of a 1985 comedy film directed by John Landis, starring Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, and Donna Dixon. ... National Lampoons European Vacation is a 1985 comedy film, second in the Vacation series, directed by Amy Heckerling and starring Chevy Chase and Beverly DAngelo. ...

The film was followed by a 1989 sequel, Fletch Lives, which didn't perform as well at the box office. A prequel, Fletch Won (which will not star Chevy Chase), is currently in pre-production, with filming set to begin in April 2007. Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Fletch Lives is a 1989 comedy film starring Chevy Chase. ... Fletch Won is a film currently in pre-production, based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Gregory Mcdonald. ... April 2007 is the fourth month of the year. ...

Plot

The film opens with one of Fletch's many, often humorous, monologues. The drug trade is Fletch's latest story, and while investigating undercover as a beach wanderer one day he is approached by a well-groomed man, Alan Stanwyk (Tim Matheson). Stanwyk says he wants Fletch to murder him because he has inoperable cancer, this way his family will receive his life insurance. Unaware that Fletch is actually an undercover reporter, Stanwyk thinks he would be the perfect man for the job, as he is a recluse and can just disappear after the shooting. Fletch agrees to kill Stanwyk when offered a considerable sum of money, but is suspicious of Stanwyk's motives. Fletch starts to dig and uncovers a story much greater than his exposé of small-time drug dealers. As he uncovers the lurid truth about Stanwyk, he also discovers that a sinister police chief (Joe Don Baker) is behind the drug trafficking on Los Angeles' beaches. Tim Matheson, an American actor, was born Timothy Lewis Matthieson on December 31, 1947, in Glendale, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. ... Joe Don Baker (born February 12, 1936) is an American film actor perhaps best known for his role as sheriff Buford Pusser in the American film classic Walking Tall. ... Retail selling Street selling is the bottom of the chain and can be accomplished through purchasing from prostitutes, through cloaked retail stores or refuse houses for users in the act located in red-light districts which often also deal in paraphernalia, dealers marketing merriment at night clubs and other events... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ...

Cast and characters

• Chevy Chase as Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher
• Joe Don Baker as Chief Jerry Karlin
• Dana Wheeler-Nicholson as Gail Stanwyk
• Richard Libertini as Frank Walker
• Tim Matheson as Alan Stanwyk
• M. Emmet Walsh as Dr. Joseph Dolan
• George Wendt as Fat Sam
• Kenneth Mars as Stanton Boyd
• Geena Davis as Larry

Chevy Chase (born Cornelius Crane Chase on October 8, 1943 in New York City, New York) is an Emmy Award-winning American comedian, writer, and television and film actor. ... Joe Don Baker (born February 12, 1936) is an American film actor perhaps best known for his role as sheriff Buford Pusser in the American film classic Walking Tall. ... Richard Libertini (Born 21 May 1933 in Cambridge, Massachusetts) is an American stage, film and television actor known for playing numerous character roles. ... Tim Matheson, an American actor, was born Timothy Lewis Matthieson on December 31, 1947, in Glendale, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. ... M Emmet Walsh as the private detective in Blood Simple Michael Emmet Walsh (born March 22, 1935 in Ogdensburg, New York) is an American character actor who has appeared in over 100 film and television productions. ... George Robert Wendt (born October 17, 1948) is an American actor best known for the role of Norm Peterson on the television show Cheers. ... Kenneth Mars (born April 14, 1936 in Chicago, Illinois) is a television, movie and voice actor, perhaps best known for his roles in several Mel Brooks films and for playing King Triton in Disneys The Little Mermaid. ... Virginia Elizabeth Geena Davis (born January 21, 1956) is an Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-nominated American actress and former fashion model. ...

Origins

Gregory Mcdonald's novel was very successful and soon Hollywood came calling. His Fletch books were optioned around the mid to late 1970s but the author had the option of approving the actor cast to play Fletch. He rejected the likes of Burt Reynolds and Mick Jagger. When the studio mentioned Chevy Chase as Fletch, Mcdonald (even though he had never really seen Chase in anything) agreed. Gregory Mcdonald (born February 15, 1937 in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts) is an American mystery writer best known for his Fletch character, as played by Chevy Chase in the movie of the same name. ... ... Burt Reynolds (born Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. ... This article contains a trivia section. ...

Chase enjoyed success early on in his film career with hits like Foul Play and Caddyshack, but then hit a rut with Under the Rainbow and Deal of the Century. By the time he did Fletch, Chase had bounced back with the massive commercial success of National Lampoon's Vacation. Foul Play is a 1978 comedy/thriller film by Colin Higgins (the director of the cult classic Harold and Maude) starring Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Under the Rainbow is a 1981 comedy film starring Chevy Chase, Carrie Fisher, Eve Arden, Billy Barty, and Mako. ... Deal of the Century promotional poster. ... National Lampoons Vacation is a 1983 comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly DAngelo, Anthony Michael Hall, Dana Barron, Randy Quaid and Imogene Coca. ...

Andrew Bergman was hired to adapt Mcdonald's book into screenplay form. Bergman remembers that he wrote the screenplay "very fast – I did the first draft in four weeks...Then there was a certain amount of improv, and something that we used to call dial-a-joke."^[1] Andrew Bergman is an American screenwriter, director, and novelist born in 1945. ...

Reception

Vincent Canby in his review for the New York Times praised Chase's performance, writing, "He manages simultaneously to act the material with a good deal of nonchalance and to float above it, as if he wanted us to know that he knows that the whole enterprise is somewhat less than transcendental."^[2] Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – September 15, 2000) was an American film critic. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ...

References in Popular Culture

• Family Guy: In the episode "I Am Peter, Hear Me Roar" the sign outside the workplace sensitivity training meeting reads: "Tomorrow: Dyslexic Film Society Presents Chevy Chase in Feltch".

• You, Me and Dupree: Dupree (Owen Wilson) accuses his friend Carl (Matt Dillon) of not really knowing who he is. When asked what Dupree's favorite film is, Carl responds, Fletch, to which Dupree replies no, it's not his favorite, but one of his favorites.

• Mallrats: Brody (Jason Lee) demands that his ex-girlfriend return his copy of Fletch, along with the remote control to his television that he had left at her house some time before the events of the film.

Family Guy is an Emmy award winning American animated television series about a nuclear family in the fictional town of Quahog (IPA or ), Rhode Island. ... I Am Peter, Hear Me Roar is an episode from the second season of the FOX animated television series Family Guy. ... Look up felch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... You, Me and Dupree is a comedy film released on July 14, 2006. ... Owen Cunningham Wilson (born November 18, 1968) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor and writer. ... Matthew Raymond Matt Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor. ... Mallrats is a 1995 film written and directed by Kevin Smith. ... Jason Lee may refer to: Jason Lee (missionary) (1803–1845), American missionary and pioneer in the Oregon Territory Jason Scott Lee (born 1966), Asian-American film actor Jason Lee (actor) (born 1970), American actor in TV series My Name is Earl, Church of Scientology member, and former professional skateboarder Jason...

Legacy

Fletch has become a cult film. In an interview for the New York Post, Bergman tries to explain its appeal. “It’s so bizarre, but Fletch strikes a chord. There’s a group of movies like that in the ‘80s, like Caddyshack, too, that captured a certain wise-ass thing.”^[1] Chase has said that this film is his favorite to date because "it allowed me to be myself. Fletch was the first one with me really winging it. Even though there was a script, the director allowed me to just go, and in many ways, I was directing the comedy."^[3] Perhaps the most meaningful praise comes from Mcdonald himself: "I watched it recently, and I think Chevy and Michael Ritchie did a good job with it."^[4] The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and the oldest to have been published continually as a daily. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Michael Ritchie (November 28, 1938 - April 16, 2001) was an American film director Michael Ritchie is also the name of an English college student in East Sussex who is famous for writing three novels for teenagers about teenage life. ...

The film was followed by a 1989 sequel, Fletch Lives, which didn't perform as well at the box office. A prequel, Fletch Won (which will not star Chevy Chase), is currently in pre-production, with filming set to begin in April 2007. Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Fletch Lives is a 1989 comedy film starring Chevy Chase. ... Fletch Won is a film currently in pre-production, based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Gregory Mcdonald. ... April 2007 is the fourth month of the year. ...

Moe's Southwest Grill features menu items inspired from the film named "Fat Sam", "John Coctostan", "Alfredo Garcia", and "a cup of hot fat". Moes Southwest Grill is an American fast casual restaurant franchised by Raving Brands in the style of Tex-Mex or Fresh Mex. ...

Soundtrack

Fletch (Music From the Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack by Various artists
Released	1985
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	36:13
Label	MCA
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... // In film formats, the sound track is the physical area of the film which records the synchronized sound. ... The term Various Artists is used in the record industry when numerous singers and musicians collaborate on a song or collection of songs. ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... MCA can stand for: Maximum credible accident MCA (rapper) - A rapper in the group, The Beastie Boys Micro Channel architecture - a type of computer bus Music Corporation of America - a music booking company and record label. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. ...

Track listing

1. Stephanie Mills - "Bit by Bit (Theme from Fletch)" 3:38
2. Dan Hartman - "Fletch, Get Outta Town" 4:11
3. John Farnham - "Running for Love" 2:54
4. Dan Hartman - "Name of the Game" 6:02
5. Harold Faltermeyer - "Fletch Theme" 3:48
6. The Fixx - A Letter to Both Sides 3:20
7. Kim Wilde - "Is It Over" 3:52
8. Harold Faltermeyer - "Diggin' In" 2:44
9. Harold Faltermeyer - "Exotic Skates" 3:00
10. Harold Faltermeyer - "Running for Love" [instrumental] 2:44

Stephanie Mills (born March 22, 1957 in Harlem, New York) is an African American R&B and soul singer and former Broadway star. ... Dan Hartman (December 8, 1950 - March 22, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter and record producer. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Harold Faltermeyer (born October 5, 1952 in Munich) is a German musician and moreover composer. ... The cover of The Fixs first single from 1981: Subsequently the band would change their name to The Fixx, after learning of another band with a prior claim on the name The Fix. ... Kim Wilde (born Kim Smith, November 18, 1960 in Chiswick, West London) is an English pop singer, professional gardener, and pop cultural figure. ...

DVD

Fletch was originally released on DVD in 1998, but this release quickly went out of print. Universal Home Video re-released a special edition of Fletch - the "Jane Doe" Edition on May 1, 2007. The film is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, along with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track and includes a retrospective featurettes, "Just Charge It to the Underhills: Making and Remembering Fletch", "From John Cocktoaston To Harry S. Truman: The Disguises" and "Favorite Fletch Moments".^[5] May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

References

For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (132nd in leap years). ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... May 31 is the 151st day of the year (152nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 20 is the 110th day of the year (111th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Time (whose trademark is capitalized TIME) is a weekly American newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report. ... is the 101st day of the year (102nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 20 is the 110th day of the year (111th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Fletch

• Fletch at the Internet Movie Database