A director who was thought to be past his prime. Scenes that attempt to get laughs out of the deaths of adorable animals. A lead actor who was very nervous about his comedic performance. Reshoots resulting from negative test screening reactions. It sounds like a recipe for disaster, but this is actually the story of the hit comedy A FISH CALLED WANDA, the movie we’re looking at in this episode of REVISITED.

A romantic comedy that won co-star Kevin Kline an Oscar and helped establish Jamie Lee Curtis as a full-fledged leading lady, A Fish Called Wanda was the brainchild of Monty Python legend John Cleese, who always wanted to make an Ealing style comedy (the studio behind such classics as The Lavender Hill Mob) with director Charles Crichton. The result would be a hilarious hit that was so funny, an audience member literally laughed himself to death.