Appreciation: Fletch Lived Thanks to Gregory Mcdonald
Name's Elmer Gantry, Elmer Fudd Gantry.
Such was Chevy Chase's hot idea for an alias in the cult-classic 1989 comedy Fletch Lives, which sprung from the mystery novels of Gregory Mcdonald, who died Sunday at his Tennessee farm. He was 71 and had been battling cancer, according to his manager.
Like well-meaning but ultimately disaster-prone Clark Griswold, reporter Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher, whom Chase played in two movies, became one of the actor's signature film personas. While Mcdonald's books were largely just a jumping-off point for the films, he, too, soaked up recognition for the character he had created.
The two-time Edgar Allan Poe Award-winning writer published 26 books over the years, including 11 tales featuring the intrepid Fletch, the first of which (the simply titled Fletch) came out in 1974.
Mcdonald is survived by his wife, Cherlye, and five children.
And, of course, by Fletch, Peggy-Lee Zorba, Nostradamus, the Colonel, Billy-Jean King, Claude-Henry Smoot, Peter Lemonjello, Ed Harley, Henry Himmler, Victor Hugo, Bobby-Lee Schwartz II and Elmer Fudd Gantry.
The Big Picture
Happy Meal Katherine Heigl and her crew have a bit of fun while grabbing some fast food
More PhotosMost Commented
- Bitch-Back! Breaking News—Johnny's a Hottie (1026)
- Twilight Rewind: Hot Dish From the Cast Last Year! (798)
- Costars and Suits Give Robsten Their Blessings! (650)
- Blab Blab Blab: Is Twilight Sexist? (552)
- Truth, Lies & Ted: Twilight Special (478)
- Is New Moon Even Good? (455)
- Why Won't Sarah Palin Go Away? (440)
- Bitch-Back! What's Brad Got to Do With It? (426)
- Is Ugly Betty Ending? And Who Gets the Girl? (411)
- Ridiculous Twilight Hookups in an "All Taken" Cast (348)
Top 10 Stories
- Michael Jackson's Cash-Strapped Doctor Returns to Work
- Taylor Swift Tops Even Michael Jackson at American Music Awards
- Carrie Prejean the Hot Topic at Miss California USA Pageant
- New Moon Makes a Lot of Money (But Not Quite Batman Money)
- Jon (Plus Flowers) & Kate Reunite to Put Finishing Touches on Divorce
- New Moon Eclipses Dark Knight!
- Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray & More Continue Singing Oprah's Praises
- Michael Jackson's Doc Shipped Propofol From Vegas to L.A., Records Show
- Unleashed Fangirls Derail Justin Bieber Appearance
- Miley Cyrus' Tour Bus in Deadly Crash
Fashion Police
Green With Envy?Not quite, but we do give Kristen props for this shot of color during her New Moon press tour
More Photos
Latest Movie Reviews
Get Your E! News Now
4 Comments
-
Show the next 1 - 0 of 4 comments
Now loading...