Wild and Crazy Guys by de Semlyen Nick

Author:de Semlyen, Nick
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Crown/Archetype
Published: 2019-05-27T16:00:00+00:00

CHEVY CHASE, as it happened, was also on an extended sojourn in Europe. Unlike Murray, however, he had no time for luxury chocolates or afternoons at the picturehouse. He had plunged into a breakneck schedule: three film shoots in one year, with barely enough time for a massage between them.

Although he often pointed out that only three of his movies (Deal of the Century, Oh! Heavenly Dog, and Under the Rainbow) had actually lost money, Chase was fretting that he had lost his way in Hollywood. He had tried playing it straight, as an arms dealer in 1983’s Deal of the Century, directed by William Friedkin, the man behind The Exorcist and The French Connection. Friedkin had considered Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd for the role too—despite the serious subject matter, he saw it as a dark comedy—but was blown away by Chase’s chops. “I had a special fondness for Chevy; I thought he was terrific in the film,” says Friedkin now. “I never thought of anyone else. He had the perfect balance of sincerity but with an underlying comic presentation. The guy is extremely intelligent and naturally sardonic.”

But Chase wouldn’t repeat the experiment; as he put it, “I just know what I am. People ask me if I want to do something besides comedy, but what else is there except tragedy? I don’t want to do King Lear.” Besides, he had suffered enough darkness in his personal life not to want to dwell on it in work hours: “I’ve been doing Ordinary People at home all my life.” Instead, his plan was to get back to basics, making comedies that would remind people why he was Chevy Chase and they weren’t.

First up was a thing called Fletch. The tale of an investigative reporter named Irwin “Fletch” Fletcher, the project had bounced around at Universal since the late ’70s, surviving three changes in regime. Burt Reynolds had come close to starring at one point; so, weirdly, did Mick Jagger. The latter was personally nixed by the character’s creator, novelist Gregory Mcdonald, who told the execs, “I admire Mick Jagger, but he is not my idea of a young American male.” Mcdonald did, however, like the sound of Chevy Chase. Though arguably not so young anymore—Chase was in his early forties when he bagged the role in 1984—he received a telegram from the mystery writer, enthusing, “I am delighted to abdicate the role of Fletch to you.”

Star and character were a smooth fit. Part journalist, part private eye, Fletch is a laidback rebel who glides his way through one tricky situation after another. He’s charming but goofy, a suave klutz who employs such unconvincing aliases as “Harry S. Truman,” “Dr. Rosenpenis,” and “Frieda’s boss” (“Who’s Frieda?” “My secretary”). Sizing up the role, Chase knew he was onto something special. “He’s a very wiseacre kind of guy, and he’s cheeky, glib,” he considered. “He’s the kind of guy it’s easy for me to play, because he’s almost like me.”

For Fletch, he

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