Trivia / Fletch

• Channel Hop: Between 1975 and 1981, the film was turned down by New Line Cinema, Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox, United Artists, Warner Bros., American International Pictures, General Cinema, CBS, EMI, Allied artists, NBC, Zanuck/Brown, Universal, Viacom, First Artists, MGM, Pathé, Paramount and Time Life Films before being picked up by Universal.
• Creator's Favorite Episode: Chevy Chase named this as his favourite film of his own because it allowed him to be himself.
• Development Hell: A prequel entitled Fletch Won has been stuck in limbo for about fifteen years now. First it was going to be directed by Kevin Smith and star Jason Lee. Then it was passed to Bill Lawrence, with Zach Braff as Fletch, and then later pitch had Steve Pink and star Zach Galifianakis. In the end, this was dropped in favour of an adaptation of Confess, Fletch directed by Greg Mottola and starring Jon Hamm, which wrapped up filming in August 2021.
• Hey, It's That Place!: At the end of the movie, when Fletch hops over the fence and walks along the pool area to gain access to Alan Stanwyk's house, it's Jack Woltz's house from The Godfather.
• Orphaned Reference: While in Chief Carlin's office, Fletch punches a framed photo of the Chief with Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, saying "I hate Tommy Lasorda!" In a sequence that was filmed, but cut, Fletch had another fantasy moment akin to the Lakers Dream where he's pitching in the World Series and Lasorda pulls him from the game. While the sequence never made it into the movie, there are existing production stills of Fletch on the pitchers mound and Lasorda coming to take the ball away from him.
• Prop Recycling: While Fletch is packing his stuff at the office for his trip to South America at the end of the film, the cap he puts on is of the Nostromo, the same cap worn by Harry Dean Stanton in Alien.
• Saved from Development Hell: The movie was in development for 11 years before it was released. ^note The second printing, which came out in 1974, noted that it was soon to be a motion picture. Originally Fletch was a 1970s Anti-Hero, which had to be changed when the movie ended up getting released in the 1980s.
• Sequel Gap: Fletch Lives came out in 1989. It would would be 33 years before the next film, an adaptation of Confess, Fletch, was released, starring Jon Hamm as Irwin Fletcher rather than Chevy Chase.
• Throw It In!: Chevy Chase ad-libbed a lot in this movie.
  "It all began when Tim Matheson asked me what my name was. Right away, with a straight face: 'Ted Nugent'."
• What Could Have Been: This was initially developed as a vehicle for Kirk Douglas. Producer Jonathan Burrows wanted Richard Dreyfuss. Barry Bostwick, Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin, Mick Jagger and George Segal were also considered.

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