15 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Fletch Lives

Chevy Chase reprises his title role from Fletch in the film’s 1989 sequel. Here are 15 tidbits you may not know about Fletch Lives.

1. There are 11 books in the Gregory Mcdonald series that inspired the movie.

But (unlike its predecessor, Fletch) Fletch Lives is an entirely new story.

2. There’s a reason the Fletch Lives theatrical poster looks so familiar.

It’s a spoof of the poster for 1939’s Gone with the Wind.

3. Fletch continues his habit of using famous aliases in Fletch Lives.

Some of the more famous ones include Peggy Lee, Nostradamus, Victor Hugo, “Henry” Himmler, Billie Jean King, Elmer Fudd, and Robert E. Lee.

4. Fletch reuses disguises from Fletch in Fletch Lives.

The getup he uses as “Gordon Liddy” in Fletch is repurposed as “Billie Jean King,” named after the famous former tennis pro, in Fletch Lives.

5. The televangelist Jimmy Lee Farnsworth is played by actor R. Lee Ermey.

Ermey is better known for playing Gny. Sgt. Hartman in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, a role that garnered him a Best Actor Golden Globe nomination.

6. Randall “Tex” Cobb who plays Ben Dover in Fletch Lives is a former Heavyweight boxer.

Before he became an actor, his boxing record was 42-7 with 36 knockouts. He has also appeared in such movies as the Coen Brothers’ Raising Arizona and alongside Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Dover also reteamed with Fletch and Fletch Lives director Michael Ritchie in his films The Golden Child and Diggstown.

7. It looks like Fletch is a Democrat with a sense of humor.

He can be seen wearing a McGovern/Eagleton ’72 presidential campaign t-shirt after his first night in Belle Isle. The McGovern/Eagleton presidential bid was ultimately unsuccessful, but it’s still notable: The Democratic National Committee Headquarters were broken into during that campaign year in what would later be known as the Watergate Scandal, which was orchestrated by G. Gordon Liddy (one of Fletch’s aliases).

8. The synth score for Fletch Lives was done by German musician Harold Faltermeyer.

Faltermeyer is also most known for creating the memorable “Axel F’ theme from Beverly Hills Cop and the “Top Gun Anthem” from Top Gun.

9. Fletch Lives debuted at No. 1 and made over $35 million at the box office.

It’s predecessor, however, made over $50 million.

10. Parts of the Bibleland theme park in Fletch Lives were shot at Universal Studios in Hollywood.

The Noah’s Ark Flood ride that Fletch narrowly escapes was actually the Flash Flood portion of the Universal Studios Hollywood Studio Tour.

11. You can visit the televangelist’s auditorium in real life.

The exterior shots are of Long Island’s Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

12. The Belle Isle plantation that Fletch inherits was shot on location.

The real plantation—Houmas House in Darrow, Louisiana—dates back to 1810.

13. The biker bar that Fletch goes to is also the site of the famous tequila scene in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.

In fact, the Halfway House Café in Santa Clarita, California, has appeared in dozens of other movies, TV shows, and commercials since it opened in 1931.

14. The biker bar scene also includes a hidden Easter egg from Fletch.

The Underhills (the couple that Fletch keeps charging food and drinks to at the country club from the first movie) can be seen dancing behind Fletch in their tennis outfits.

15. Patricia Kalember (who plays Amanda Ray Ross) and Julianne Phillips (Becky Culpepper) would go on to co-star in the television show Sisters.

However, they had no scenes together in Fletch Lives.