Director Michael Ritchie died April 16th at the age of 62. A Wisconsin native, Ritchie studied at Harvard before succumbing to the attractions of the theatre. He started working in television during the 1960s where he directed episodes of The Big Valley and The Man from UNCLE among others. He moved into feature films with Downhill Racer (1969) at star Robert Redford's invitation and later directed Redford again in The Candidate (1972). The latter is a classic look at American political life that hasn't lost any of its power or insights over the years. This was the start of Ritchie's most productive period when he made several films that were both popular and critically acclaimed. You can find his sly wit and sense of critical drama in Smile (1975), The Bad News Bears (1976) and Semi-Tough (1978). By the 1980s, though, Ritchie's films focused less on social criticism and more on stars. The Survivors (1983) with Robin Williams remains under-rated but Ritchie-directed vehicles for Eddie Murphy (1986's The Golden Child), Bette Midler (1980's Divine Madness) and Chevy Chase (two Fletch films) didn't quite achieve their potential. Some of the old Ritchie spark and intelligence appeared in the made-for-cable The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom (1993) which earned him a Directors Guild Award. One of his final films was the long-awaited screen adaptation of The Fantasticks (1995) which partly brought Ritchie back to his theatrical roots.
ANN SOTHERN: 1909 - 2001
Actress Ann Sothern passed away on March 15th at the age of 89. Her film career spanned sixty years and included a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for The Whales of August (1987) and several Emmy nominations for her roles in the TV shows Private Secretary (1953) and The Ann Sothern Show (1958). Sothern was born as Harriette Lake in North Dakota. She made her first film appearance in 1927 in small roles (so small, in fact, that some sources omit any films before 1929) before deciding to work on Broadway instead. Shortly afterwards she signed with Columbia Pictures where studio head Harry Cohn insisted she change her name because there were already too many actors with the last name of Lake. So "Ann" came from her mother's name Annette and "Sothern" from Shakespearean actor E.H. Sothern. For most of the 1930s she appeared in light comedies working with Eddie Cantor, Maurice Chevalier, Mickey Rooney and Fredric March. However, it wasn't until she switched to MGM (after a brief period with RKO) and made the film Maisie (1939) that Sothern hit pay dirt. It proved enormously popular and led to a series of nine more films through 1947 when she moved into dramas and musicals. During the 50s, Sothern made a mark with her TV series but returned to mostly second tier movies in the 1960s and 1970s. Finally she earned an Oscar nomination for her work in 1987's The Whales of August (in which, incidentally, her daughter Tisha Sterling played her at an earlier age). Turner Classic Movies plans to host a retrospective film tribute to her in July. Check back for details in June.
Fletch
Brief Synopsis
A crusading reporter dons a variety of disguises to get the story on a drug ring.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Michael Ritchie
Director
Chevy Chase
Joe Don Baker
Dana Wheeler-nicholson
Tim Matheson
Geena Davis
Film Details
MPAA Rating
Genre
Comedy
Romance
Thriller
Release Date
1985
Distribution Company
Universal Pictures
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 36m
Synopsis
An undercover newspaper columnist with a penchant for donning various diguises and identities to get a story is on the trail of drug ring.
Director
Michael Ritchie
Director
Cast
Chevy Chase
Joe Don Baker
Dana Wheeler-nicholson
Tim Matheson
Geena Davis
Richard Libertini
Grace Gaynor
Reid Cruickshanks
Joe Praml
David W Harper
Larry Flash Jenkins
Darren Dublin
Kenneth Mars
Merv Maruyama
Arnold Turner
William Sanderson
Mary Battilana
Kareem Abdul-jabbar
Burton Gilliam
Kristine M Gossman
Robert Sorrells
William Traylor
Roger Ammann
Bill Henderson
George Wendt
Bill Sorrells
Peggy Doyle
Freeman King
Don Chaffin
James L. Avery
Nico Desilva
Paul Myerberg
Lead Man
Loraine Shields
Ralph Seymour
Beau Starr
Tony Longo
Chick Hearn
Irene Olga Lopez
George Wyner
Alison Laplaca
Penny Santon
M. Emmet Walsh
Henry Bleeker
Bruce French
Rick Garcia
Crew
Greg Agalsoff
Boom Operator
James Alexander
Sound Mixer
Louis Barlia
Camera Operator
David Bergad
Sound Editor
Andrew Bergman
Screenplay
Joe Bernard
Craft Service
Karen A Brocco
Assistant Sound Editor
Clyde E Bryan
Assistant Camera Operator
Jonathan Burrows
Song Performer
Cheryl Burton
Assistant
Paul Calabria
Animal Trainer
Jeff Carson
Music Editor
Pamela Cederquist
Production Assistant
Ken Chase
Makeup Artist
Stephen Clark
Grip
Michael Dale
Props Assistant
Vince Deadrick
Stunts
Karin Dew
Animal Trainer
Peter Douglas
Producer
Richard Duran
Stunts
Leonard Early
Foreman
Pamela Easley
Apprentice Editor
Jeannie Epper
Stunts
Richard Epper
Stunts
Harold Faltermeyer
Music
Harold Faltermeyer
Song
Joe Finnegan
Stunts
George Fisher
Stunts
Mark Fitzgerald
Production Assistant
Chip Fowler
Production Coordinator
Jack Garsha
Color Timer
Earl Gilbert
Chief Lighting Technician
Tim Gilbert
Stunts
Vivien Hillgrove Gilliam
Adr/Dialogue Editor
Wolfgang Glattes
Assistant Director
Wolfgang Glattes
Consultant
Roz Glazer
Assistant
Franie Golde
Song
Jeff Goldenberg
Assistant Camera Operator
Warren Gray
Assistant Director
Alan Greisman
Producer
Gloria Gresham
Costume Designer
Rhio Haessig
Chief Lighting Technician
Todd Hallowell
Art Director
Richard A Harris
Editor
Dan Hartman
Song
Dan Hartman
Song Performer
Ronald A Jacobs
Supervising Sound Editor
Francine Jamison-tanchuck
Costumer
Dean Jeffries
Stunt Coordinator
Neal Kaz
Stunts
Judd Kehl
Assistant Camera Operator
Bill Kenney
Grip
Gary B Kibbe
Director Of Photography
Ray Whitehead Kuhn
Assistant
Gene Lebell
Stunts
Hank Lebo
Camera Operator
Carol Lefko
Casting Assistant
Boris Leven
Production Designer
William Carey Loftin
Stunts
Ken Lubin
Transportation Captain
Michael Magill
Assistant Sound Editor
Henry Mancini
Song
Mike Mandel
Grip
Louis Mann
Set Designer
Marvin March
Set Decorator
Ray Marek
Stunts
Jim Maull
Auditor
Gregory Mcdonald
Source Material (From Novel)
George Mcdowell
Production
John P Mcgroarty
Stunts
Johnny Mercer
Song
Charlie Midnight
Song
Paul Miller
Sound Recordist
Stephanie Mills
Song Performer
Patricia Mock
Casting
Toni Morgan
Assistant Editor
Peter R Norman
Unit Director
Pat O'connor
Property Master
Rick Overton
Stunts
Bunny Parker
Hair Stylist
Craig Pinkard
Transportation Coordinator
John S Platt
Stunts
Richard Portman
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Larry Rapaport
Assistant Director
Dick Reseigne
Construction Coordinator
J. N. Roberts
Stunts
Walter Robles
Stunts
Ira Stanley Rosenstein
Location Manager
Chuck Sanford
Assistant Director
Fred Scheiwiller
Stunts
Marshall Schlom
Script Supervisor
Fred Schuler
Director Of Photography
Gaylin Schultz
Key Grip
Robert Shoup
Sound Editor
Karen Spangenberg
Sound Editor
Raymond Stella
Camera Operator
Carlos Tappin
Extras Agent/Coordinator
Randy Tepper
Photography
Bob Terhune
Stunts
Dennie Thorpe
Foley
James W. Tyson
Costumer
Dick Warlock
Stunts
Gordon A Webb
Unit Production Manager
Gordon Webb
Associate Producer
Wally Weber
Negative Cutter
Cliff Wenger
Special Effects
George Wilbur
Stunts
Arvel Youngblood
Chief Lighting Technician
Kenneth D Zunder
Assistant Camera Operator
Film Details
MPAA Rating
Genre
Comedy
Romance
Thriller
Release Date
1985
Distribution Company
Universal Pictures
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 36m
Articles
TCM Remembers - Michael Ritchie
TCM Remembers - Michael Ritchie
Director Michael Ritchie died April 16th at the age of 62. A Wisconsin native, Ritchie studied at Harvard before succumbing to the attractions of the theatre. He started working in television during the 1960s where he directed episodes of The Big Valley and The Man from UNCLE among others. He moved into feature films with Downhill Racer (1969) at star Robert Redford's invitation and later directed Redford again in The Candidate (1972). The latter is a classic look at American political life that hasn't lost any of its power or insights over the years. This was the start of Ritchie's most productive period when he made several films that were both popular and critically acclaimed. You can find his sly wit and sense of critical drama in Smile (1975), The Bad News Bears (1976) and Semi-Tough (1978). By the 1980s, though, Ritchie's films focused less on social criticism and more on stars. The Survivors (1983) with Robin Williams remains under-rated but Ritchie-directed vehicles for Eddie Murphy (1986's The Golden Child), Bette Midler (1980's Divine Madness) and Chevy Chase (two Fletch films) didn't quite achieve their potential. Some of the old Ritchie spark and intelligence appeared in the made-for-cable The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom (1993) which earned him a Directors Guild Award. One of his final films was the long-awaited screen adaptation of The Fantasticks (1995) which partly brought Ritchie back to his theatrical roots.
ANN SOTHERN: 1909 - 2001
Actress Ann Sothern passed away on March 15th at the age of 89. Her film career spanned sixty years and included a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for The Whales of August (1987) and several Emmy nominations for her roles in the TV shows Private Secretary (1953) and The Ann Sothern Show (1958). Sothern was born as Harriette Lake in North Dakota. She made her first film appearance in 1927 in small roles (so small, in fact, that some sources omit any films before 1929) before deciding to work on Broadway instead. Shortly afterwards she signed with Columbia Pictures where studio head Harry Cohn insisted she change her name because there were already too many actors with the last name of Lake. So "Ann" came from her mother's name Annette and "Sothern" from Shakespearean actor E.H. Sothern. For most of the 1930s she appeared in light comedies working with Eddie Cantor, Maurice Chevalier, Mickey Rooney and Fredric March. However, it wasn't until she switched to MGM (after a brief period with RKO) and made the film Maisie (1939) that Sothern hit pay dirt. It proved enormously popular and led to a series of nine more films through 1947 when she moved into dramas and musicals. During the 50s, Sothern made a mark with her TV series but returned to mostly second tier movies in the 1960s and 1970s. Finally she earned an Oscar nomination for her work in 1987's The Whales of August (in which, incidentally, her daughter Tisha Sterling played her at an earlier age). Turner Classic Movies plans to host a retrospective film tribute to her in July. Check back for details in June.
Fletch
Fletch is based on the highly popular novel written by Gregory McDonald. When asked how he came up with such a fun character that inspired eight book sequels, McDonald explained in an interview with James Kanowitz from www.fletchwon.net, "I would hear from other people in the newsroom about reporters doing these things for stories, and that gave me an idea. He was running around in my head for quite some time before I actually wrote the book. I never intended to write a sequel to Fletch. If I did, I never would have put him in Rio with 3 million dollars. But the response was so overwhelming, I had to write more. I was going to pick up the story in Rio, but I didn't have the money to go there. So, I wrote Confess, Fletch with the setting of Boston, where I was living at the time. And it was the first time that a book and its sequel both won the Edgar Award for best mystery." The disguises in the stories came from his real-life experiences as well. According to McDonald, "I would change a lot when I was working for the newspaper. I would be on the streets during the day, and at night, I would change into a black tie for dinner. So I had all of my clothes in my car."
When the time came to adapt the book series to the screen, Michael Ritchie took over as director but casting the lead character became something of an obstacle. "Everybody from 12 to 72 in Hollywood wanted to play Fletch," McDonald explained. "But I kept throwing a monkey wrench into their plans. I never really wanted Chevy on "Saturday Night Live", and when his name came up for Fletch, I didn't throw the monkey wrench. And I watched it recently, and I think Chevy and Michael Ritchie did a good job with it."
One thing Chevy had in common with his onscreen persona was his love for basketball, especially the L.A. Lakers. According to Paul Myerberg, the lead set dresser on the film, "Chevy was great to work with and, of course, a big basketball fan even then. We also put basketball stuff in [Fletch's] apartment - a huge cut out as I remember" (Kanowitz).
Fletch also gleams with a first rate supporting cast, including Joe Don Baker, as the chief of police; Richard Libertini, as Fletch's editor; Geena Davis, as Fletch's research assistant; and Tim Matheson, as the suspicious businessman Alan Stanwyk. Matheson later told Kanowitz that working with Chevy Chase on Fletch was "great fun. [Chevy] likes to improv and so do I. [He] liked me to try to break him up on his close ups. I succeeded several times"
The extremely popular first film inspired a less impressive sequel, Fletch Lives, released five years later in 1989. Its poor performance at the box-office killed the possibility of a continuing franchise until recently. Kevin Smith - director of such popular films as Clerks (1994), Chasing Amy (1997), and Dogma (1999) - purchased the rights to all of the Fletch books and is currently in pre-production on Fletch Won due to begin shooting in 2004. It is based on an earlier book in the series and chronicles Fletch on his first case. According to Smith in an interview with Kanowitz, "We've taken an early novel where the author told the origin of how Fletch got his job on a newspaper. It will stick much closer to McDonald's brilliant dialogue and characters. Though these actors know nothing about this, I've worked down to a short list of Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, Will Smith, Jimmy Fallon and Adam Sandler for the role of Fletch."
Though Chevy Chase and Michael Ritchie have been criticized for not remaining completely faithful to the Fletch novels, the film proved to be a box office hit and gave Chase one of his best comedic roles.
Producer: Peter Douglas, Alan Greisman, Gordon A. Webb
Director: Michael Ritchie
Screenplay: Andrew Bergman, Gregory McDonald (novel)
Cinematography: Fred Schuler
Film Editing: Richard A. Harris
Art Direction: Todd Hallowell
Music: Harold Faltermeyer
Cast: Chevy Chase (Irwin 'Fletch' Fletcher), Joe Don Baker (Chief Karlin), Dana Wheeler-Nicholson (Gail Stanwyk), Richard Libertini ('Frank' Walker), Tim Matheson (Alan Stanwyk), M. Emmet Walsh (Doctor Dolan).
C-98m. Closed captioning.
by Emily R. Rice
Fletch
Chevy Chase added yet another popular comedic character to his repertoire when he took on the title role in Fletch (1985), a comedy mystery about an elusive investigative reporter. First seen posing as a bum on the beach, Fletch is soon approached by a wealthy businessman with an intriguing proposition. The executive, Alan Stanwyk (Tim Matheson), claims to be suffering from a terminal illness and offers Fletch $50,000 to murder him so that his wife will be able to collect on his life insurance policy. The scheme seems suspicious to Fletch so he decides to investigate further. As the story unfolds, Fletch uses various aliases and fake identities reminiscent of Cary Grant in Charade (1963) to unravel the mystery.
Fletch is based on the highly popular novel written by Gregory McDonald. When asked how he came up with such a fun character that inspired eight book sequels, McDonald explained in an interview with James Kanowitz from www.fletchwon.net, "I would hear from other people in the newsroom about reporters doing these things for stories, and that gave me an idea. He was running around in my head for quite some time before I actually wrote the book. I never intended to write a sequel to Fletch. If I did, I never would have put him in Rio with 3 million dollars. But the response was so overwhelming, I had to write more. I was going to pick up the story in Rio, but I didn't have the money to go there. So, I wrote Confess, Fletch with the setting of Boston, where I was living at the time. And it was the first time that a book and its sequel both won the Edgar Award for best mystery." The disguises in the stories came from his real-life experiences as well. According to McDonald, "I would change a lot when I was working for the newspaper. I would be on the streets during the day, and at night, I would change into a black tie for dinner. So I had all of my clothes in my car."
When the time came to adapt the book series to the screen, Michael Ritchie took over as director but casting the lead character became something of an obstacle. "Everybody from 12 to 72 in Hollywood wanted to play Fletch," McDonald explained. "But I kept throwing a monkey wrench into their plans. I never really wanted Chevy on "Saturday Night Live", and when his name came up for Fletch, I didn't throw the monkey wrench. And I watched it recently, and I think Chevy and Michael Ritchie did a good job with it."
One thing Chevy had in common with his onscreen persona was his love for basketball, especially the L.A. Lakers. According to Paul Myerberg, the lead set dresser on the film, "Chevy was great to work with and, of course, a big basketball fan even then. We also put basketball stuff in [Fletch's] apartment - a huge cut out as I remember" (Kanowitz).
Fletch also gleams with a first rate supporting cast, including Joe Don Baker, as the chief of police; Richard Libertini, as Fletch's editor; Geena Davis, as Fletch's research assistant; and Tim Matheson, as the suspicious businessman Alan Stanwyk. Matheson later told Kanowitz that working with Chevy Chase on Fletch was "great fun. [Chevy] likes to improv and so do I. [He] liked me to try to break him up on his close ups. I succeeded several times"
The extremely popular first film inspired a less impressive sequel, Fletch Lives, released five years later in 1989. Its poor performance at the box-office killed the possibility of a continuing franchise until recently. Kevin Smith - director of such popular films as Clerks (1994), Chasing Amy (1997), and Dogma (1999) - purchased the rights to all of the Fletch books and is currently in pre-production on Fletch Won due to begin shooting in 2004. It is based on an earlier book in the series and chronicles Fletch on his first case. According to Smith in an interview with Kanowitz, "We've taken an early novel where the author told the origin of how Fletch got his job on a newspaper. It will stick much closer to McDonald's brilliant dialogue and characters. Though these actors know nothing about this, I've worked down to a short list of Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, Will Smith, Jimmy Fallon and Adam Sandler for the role of Fletch."
Though Chevy Chase and Michael Ritchie have been criticized for not remaining completely faithful to the Fletch novels, the film proved to be a box office hit and gave Chase one of his best comedic roles.
Producer: Peter Douglas, Alan Greisman, Gordon A. Webb
Director: Michael Ritchie
Screenplay: Andrew Bergman, Gregory McDonald (novel)
Cinematography: Fred Schuler
Film Editing: Richard A. Harris
Art Direction: Todd Hallowell
Music: Harold Faltermeyer
Cast: Chevy Chase (Irwin 'Fletch' Fletcher), Joe Don Baker (Chief Karlin), Dana Wheeler-Nicholson (Gail Stanwyk), Richard Libertini ('Frank' Walker), Tim Matheson (Alan Stanwyk), M. Emmet Walsh (Doctor Dolan).
C-98m. Closed captioning.
by Emily R. Rice
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States Summer May 31, 1985
Released in United States on Video March 10, 1988
Began shooting May 29, 1984
Released in USA on laserdisc December 1988.
Released in United States Summer May 31, 1985
Released in United States on Video March 10, 1988
