7 Days of Underhill - DAY 5 "SCRIPTED CUT SCENE"

EPISODE 19: 7 Days of Underhill - DAY 5

In this episode, the crew breaks down Mr. & Mrs. Underhill's "Easter Egg " cameo in Fletch Lives. We uncover 3 HUGE discoveries live on the podcast. From the Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Dream to the physical use of his credit card, Underhill's presence is felt all over this movie, script, and episode.

Join us every day this week for a new Underhill episode! Never before has an extravaganza dedicated to the character brought to life by William Traylor encompassed 168 consecutive hours.

So head out for your urinalysis and we'll be back again tomorrow!

NOTE: This week of episodes are inspired by the amazing "Blast Points Podcast." Blast Points is a Star Wars podcast that deep dives into the weird, wacky, and  "outside the box" topics of a Galaxy Far Far away. They did "7 Days of Dengar" that was out of this world. Jason & Gabe, thank you for being our muse!
https://blastpointspodcast.com/

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FletchCast is Your Ultimate source for everything Fletch: the books, the movies, & the latest news about our favorite journalistic reporter, Irwin M. Fletcher.

Host: James "Laker Jim" Kanowitz (@webguy911)
Co-Host: Jake Parrish (@jakelparrish)
Co-Host: Bob West


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P.S. Have a nice day. 

Fletch  & Fletch Lives are Copyright 1985, 1989 Universal Studios and distributed by MCA/Universal Pictures.  The Fletch Soundtrack is Copyright MCA Records. 
All images and sounds are the intellectual property of Universal Studios. They are used only with the intent of public appreciation of a great film and possible 
publicity for its place among the great comedies of our time. We imply no rights to the characters created by both Gregory McDonald and Un

FletchCast is Your Ultimate source for everything Fletch: the books, the movies, & the latest news about our favorite journalistic reporter, Irwin M. Fletcher.

... making sure Fletch Lives forever!

Host: James "Laker Jim" Kanowitz (@webguy911)
Co-Host: Jake Parrish (@jakelparrish)
Co-Host: Robert "Big Bob" West


Follow Us on Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imfletchcast/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/imfletchcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/imfletchcast


P.S. Have a nice day. 

Fletch  & Fletch Lives are Copyright 1985, 1989 Universal Studios and distributed by MCA/Universal Pictures.  The Fletch Soundtrack is Copyright MCA Records. Confess, Fletch is Copyright of Miramax with Paramount distribution. All images and sounds are the intellectual property of Universal Studios. They are used only with the intent of public appreciation of a great film and possible publicity for its place among the great comedies of our time. We imply no rights to the characters or intellectual property created by Gregory McDonald, Universal or Miramax and is used for educational purposes only. 

Transcript

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 0:00

There's a need to fear. The underhills are here.

FletchCast Intro 0:12

Broadcasting live and around the world. The world from Cabana One. The only podcast that's all ball bearings. Your ultimate source for everything flat. Thank you, Doc. Laker Jim and its beat reporters will stop at nothing to make sure flat lives. Forever, forever. They don't shower much. This is Fletchcast.

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 0:52

Thank you, Sammy, and welcome to day five. Okay, now it's down to the nitty-gritty. I'm your host, Liker Jim. Along with me is Jake and Bob. Howdy. Get that out of the way.

"Big Bob" West 1:01

Son of a gun. We're gonna have fun on the bayou today.

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 1:06

Well, if that's not segue enough, it's Fletch Lives Day for Ted Underhill. Yes, that's right. Ted Underhill in Fletch Lives. I'll never forget the day I discovered this back in I don't know, 1998 or something. Before the internet even existed or it existed, I don't know what it was what point it was at, but I remember and I think I found him in the credits first. That's where I think I found him. And I was like, wait a minute, he's in this movie, and then I went through the movie and through the movie and through the movie and through a fuzzy VHS version. Found where he exists in the background of the zippity-doo-da dance scene.

Jake Parrish 1:49

Yeah, strum and his tennis racket.

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 1:52

Holy god, I'll never forget how amazing that that find was for me. And you know, I took a picture with my camera of the TV, as one would do in 1998. It had a big camera flash in one corner of the screen, really pixelated because I zoomed in really close. Uh, if you Google Underhill Fletch Lives, you'll see it. I don't even know how I got it onto the computer, you know, and I created a graphic to let the world know that Ted Underhill was indeed an Easter egg before Easter eggs even existed in Fletch Lives.

Jake Parrish 2:28

Yeah, I was just gonna say that that Easter eggs really didn't exist back then, and so Fletch Lives really was one of the first.

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 2:35

Yeah, and you know, it wasn't really even meant to be an Easter egg, it wasn't really meant to be found in the background because in the script, and and I think going to the script is always a good kind of outline for what what the what the plan was, you know.

"Big Bob" West 2:50

You really find out what was cut, and in this case, what shouldn't have been cut.

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 2:54

Exactly. We've we've talked in the making in Fletch Lives Part One that they were able to save some money on the the song zippity doodah instead of thousands of dollars, it cost them$400, and so they use that extra money to create this crazy fantasy dream sequence. Yeah, heavy extra.

Jake Parrish 3:19

Yeah, it's definitely elaborate, more so even than the original Fletch dream sequence. Yeah, it was great to have Kareem in in the basketball, but this is a pretty big production. Yes, sir.

FletchCast Intro 3:36

Zippity.

"Big Bob" West 3:46

You bet they had to bring an animator in, yeah, to do all that.

Jake Parrish 3:55

But again, the highlight for me is Ted Underhill showing up in the background.

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 4:02

In the script, there's some specific shots of the underhills that was meant to be seen, you know. So like I said, it wasn't meant to be something to be found years later in the background and discovered. That's really an injustice to this character, to be honest. Let me find, let me give me two seconds and I'll be back with the script. I lost my place. If your desk wasn't so messy like Fletch's, you'd be much more organized. When you look at the script for Fletch Lives and you look at the dream sequence, the plantation dream sequence, there is direct reference to the underhills in this. So there was meant to be a shot. Let me read it to you. Fletch's point of view. Of course, in Fletch's dream, all the slaves are white, but dressed in period antebellum clothing. Gillette, the alimony lawyer, is groveling at Fletch's feet. Fletch rubs his head in a condescending way. Mr. and Mrs. Underhill from the first movie, in parentheses, are picking cotton in their tennis whites. At the corner of the house, Underhill is bitching at his wife until Fletch puts his finger to his lips to quiet them. I would have loved the scene to be in there. Why did they omit that? What do you think he's bitching to his wife about? Do you think it's the heat or or the labor? The amount of sunblock that she put on his face. Yeah, yeah, maybe. Which is none, by the way.

Jake Parrish 5:32

Or maybe he didn't finish his lunch and he's just gross, he's not happy. Yeah, could be that last bite. That's true.

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 5:39

He's hangry.

Jake Parrish 5:40

That's fine. Yeah, maybe his head was getting too hot. Maybe it was starting to blister in the sauce. So is there a mention of him in the um in the dance portion? What does the dance portion even look like in the script?

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 5:55

Here's what it says. Betty says, Would you mind if I sat in your lap, Colonel? He takes a deep breath and says, Nah, Betty Lee, set yourself down. And she says, The field hands would like to dance for you. Fletch stands up suddenly, sending Betty Lee into a Pratfall. Dance for me, I'll dance for them. He steps off the porch and begins singing zippity-doo-da. He moves up an oak alley lined with slave sheds. White slave sheds. White slaves come out and join the singing dancing throng. A bluebird and an animated dog join Fletch and the others. The bluebird leaves a dump on his shoulder. Oh, okay. That's funny.

Jake Parrish 6:35

Ripple dissolve.

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 6:37

And that was it.

Jake Parrish 6:38

Yes. So there was no mention of the underhills in the in the script as far as the dance.

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 6:44

He wakes up and Cindy May says, You made it, Mr. Nordame.

"Big Bob" West 6:50

In my opinion, two two very bad cuts there. You know, you have cutting out the underhills, and then you know, that seems probably a nice little thing to see. And more and why would you cut out the bird shitting on his shoulder? That's gotta be that would be funny.

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 7:04

That's the first time I've seen that. I can picture, I can picture it so so clearly though. I can picture them arguing with each other and flex just giving a shh.

Jake Parrish 7:15

I wonder if they even shot it.

"Big Bob" West 7:17

Are we sure they did cut them? Like, are we uh because there's there's some scenes where they show people working in the field, people walking around, people working in the field. Maybe we just never noticed it.

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 7:27

Maybe it's it's possible that they're in there, and I I think we should all give it another look. But I mean, a nice close-up of them together. It really would have been the money shot.

"Big Bob" West 7:36

Yeah, I think so too. Hang on, I'm just watching, I'm watching the uh the scene right now. I rented Fletch Lives last night. I'm watching the scene right now. I'm watching the scene right now of the uh of the dream sequence, and I just want to see if they show underhill at all. I doubt they do. Oh, yes, okay. I mean, there's no way to determine if one of these are underhill or not. But I thought there was a scene where they showed like the slave quarters. Oh, it's it's impossible to kind of these are just extras, I'm sure. God, Betty. What Betty Lee's tits are so fantastic. Delete that out. It'll cost you.

Jake Parrish 8:12

But you would probably notice if someone was in the fields with um tennis whites on compared to probably the usual attire from that time.

"Big Bob" West 8:22

You do see behind behind Gillette before he gets his head spit on, you do see somebody wearing tennis shoes and like their very skinny legs. I bet you that could be him. It looks like somebody looks like something. Maybe we should take a screenshot of that. It looks like yeah, yeah. I can't do that, but yeah, it looks like it looks like uh it could be, you know, like there's a guy wearing like tennis sneakers and white socks. What kind of really yeah, yeah. You just see the legs. Can you freeze it and take a picture? Yeah, I can. Hang on a second. I'm gonna go back and do that.

Jake Parrish 8:52

Yes, sir. See this. We might have discovered something.

"Big Bob" West 8:56

Ooh, I am officially intrigued. Come on, play. Man, I can't stop looking at those Betty Lee, whatever the hell her name is, Rack. You need to get out more. Nah, you know, it's you only get this way when you watch Fletch Lives. Oh, oh, I got a great I paused this so perfectly. Oh, hang on a second, guys. Let me do this all right now. Ooh, I'm I can't wait to see this. Yeah. I mean, this those legs are oh man. I mean, you know, tell me those aren't some underhill legs right there.

Jake Parrish 9:30

Yes, I think you're right. I mean, just look at the look at the tennis shoes. That is definitely not something that you would usually wear at a plantation. I think we I think you've just got to be. Yeah, they do look like tennis legs, right? Like old man tennis legs. Oh my gosh, I think you did it. And you know what? And there's a bush right there or something. He might have been picking something right there.

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 9:53

Oh, I think I've I might have found them again. I did find them again. Okay, as the scene as we go into Belle Isle, you see a wide shot of the house. Now, as a point of reference where to look, a man is wheeling a wheelbarrow right by Mr. and Mrs. Underhill. Oh my god, I think you did it. It appears she's holding a bag for the cotton, and he's picking the cotton and putting it in the bag. Yes, it's a far shot, but it's them. He's in the shorts. He's the only one in shorts. That's all you can tell. Wow, maybe that's the scene. But shit, I mean, if they if they were right behind Gillette, why not give us a little pan up?

Jake Parrish 10:33

Why not give them a little close-up? I think that's it, man. I think we've discovered something else. What a shame they cut that out, too, you know. I are pissed.

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 10:42

I gotta put a message out to Richard A. Harris because he's 88 years old. He was the editor on Fletch Lives. Richard, if you're listening, and I know you are, you owe us an explanation. But you know, I gotta give Capitanos credit. He put them in the script, he wrote into the script. So he tried, you know.

Jake Parrish 11:00

Yeah. But I guess it shows you that a lot of people took away from the first movie was the Underhills and that whole scene and him using you know his credit cards. Yeah. So that was really funny, especially at the end of Fletch when he goes.

SPEAKER_00 11:16

By the way, I charged the entire vacation of Mr. Underhill's American Express card. Want the number?

Jake Parrish 11:21

But when but the question is, he when did he actually take possession of said card?

"Big Bob" West 11:26

Yeah, that's that's gonna be you know, underhill hasn't canceled his credit card yet.

Jake Parrish 11:32

Yeah, his wife usually handles that kind of thing. But there is an error in Fletch Lives with the credit card.

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 11:40

Yes, thank you for bringing that up. Yes, later on in Fletch Lives, he uses a credit card to pick the lock and implies that it's underhill's credit card.

Jake Parrish 11:51

Yeah, he says, over the what does the script say? I'm curious, because I I think I recall him saying in the movie Over the years I'd found Mr.

SPEAKER_00 11:58

Underhill's credit card to be a useful tool, much like Underhill himself.

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 12:03

This is what the script says. Fletch climbs out of the Cadillac dressed in a jumpsuit. He peels the bugbuster's decal off and puts it on the van. Wide shot. Fletch waits to see if anyone has noticed this activity. He puts in his phony teeth. Townhouse. Fletch at the door, which is posted with police warnings, pulling out his master charge card. He works the door open.

"Big Bob" West 12:27

Okay, so they so they worked in the underhill. Yeah, they worked in the underhill joke for the sake of uh again, another Easter egg, you know, another mention of of this polarizing character.

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 12:39

Wow, and that's it. It's not mentioned in the script, but there's a big error in the respect that it is not Ted Underhill's name on the card. Oh my god, I can't make out the name, but it is definitely not Underhill. You know, what a sloppy job of the prop department to you know there's gonna be a close-up of the card, or yeah, you would imagine there's gonna be a close-up of the card as he picks the lock. Why would you not create an American Express card that had Underhill's name on it?

"Big Bob" West 13:09

The other thing I'm wondering is you know you said you can't really see the name on the card. I wonder if it's uh just an Erwin M Fletcher credit card, or if it's the credit card for an alias of his.

Jake Parrish 13:20

And another big error is that he never got the credit card. Fletch never actually had possession of the credit card. If you think about it, you're absolutely right. I mean, in the first movie, he charged some of something onto his account, but he never actually had possession of the card.

"Big Bob" West 13:40

No, so somewhere, somewhere in the story, off off screen, yes, Fletch breaks into the club again and takes his card. Probably when he's probably when he's showering after a uh you know, tennis practice or something, you know? Yeah, something that we can sit down and write ourselves.

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 13:56

Yep. Keep in mind, in in the 80s, reporting credit card fraud, I mean nowadays you just call up, they take care of it. Every credit card, every bank. Yeah, yeah. They just take care of it for you. They have a fraud department. Back then, I can't imagine what it took to report fraud. Underhill had to probably go to court.

"Big Bob" West 14:14

Yeah, I mean, it probably had to run out into the secret service and you know, all kinds of crazy nonsense.

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 14:21

Yeah, the torment and torture that Fletch put him through through these fake charges probably was crazy. What a lengthy process for sure. Oh, wait a minute, guys. Wait, hold on. Yeah, I just adjusted the microfiche just perfectly, and I think I got a name. Okay. Name on the card? Fernando Kubillis.

Jake Parrish 14:52

Okay, hang on. I'm gonna look it up on IMDB. Hang on.

"Big Bob" West 14:55

So it's not an Erwin, not an Erwin M. Fletcher card, it's a random name.

Jake Parrish 14:58

Let's see here. IMDB This is crazy. C here. Crazy. Holy Toledo. What'd you find? He was a production assistant. You are kidding me on Fletch Libs. Wow.

"Big Bob" West 15:17

So they literally just grab grab somebody random from the production team and just said, hey, you know what? They probably it probably wasn't even Chevy's hands. They probably just filmed my guy. And it looks like credit card up in the door.

Jake Parrish 15:32

And it looks like according to IMDB, it was his first job. So we're like, maybe it's a form of hazing. Hey, rookie, let me have your credit card.

"Big Bob" West 15:45

They probably had like lobster thermidor all around that day for everybody on his card.

Jake Parrish 15:50

So he was this was his first production assistant job, 89. And then he worked on the blockbuster ghost dad with Bill Cosby. Um, but then he did, yeah, he worked for Predator 2. He was uh an extras coordinator for The Last Boy Scout, which I think is an underrated uh Bruce Willis movie. That's a great Bruce Willis movie, yeah. And he worked like just assistant and stuff. Yeah, what was his title? What was his title on Fletch Lives? Production Assistant 1989.

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 16:21

Jeez, what a sloppy job. I know sloppy job. You know it's sloppy if we can find it. They show a close-up of the card. I mean, there's a right in there.

"Big Bob" West 16:36

Get with it, Fletch Lives. How about that? That is insane. This is why we need like a like a um what do you call it? Where, like, you know, where remember how like George Lucas redid the Star Wars films and went in and you know put little details in the background. Oh, like the special editions, special edition, yeah, of course.

Jake Parrish 16:55

Like when Greedo shot first instead of and it was gone.

"Big Bob" West 16:58

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We need like a we need like a special edition fletch with like you know, somebody digitizing Underhill's name on the card, and maybe maybe you know they they add in they add in all those add in all those coveted scenes that we that we have lost.

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 17:14

Yeah, somebody needs to get on that. Now, while all of you out there wrap your head around a CGI Tommy Lasoda, I think that'll wrap up day five for Jake, for Bob, I'm Link or Jim.

Jake Parrish 17:26

And I, you know what, I want to apologize to Fernando. I hope that nothing ill will came from that using his credit card. Hopefully his uh identity wasn't stolen or anything like that. Financially, he was crushed.

"Laker Jim" James Kanowitz 17:37

Make sure the whole number right on the screen.

"Big Bob" West 17:41

Uh if it if if no one ever did anything then, I mean, you know, hey, they could at least probably do something now. Uh anybody want the number?