Hello & welcome back to Scouting Week. Today, I'll be taking a look at a film that I hold very dear to my heart. So, please join me as I take a look at Follow Me, Boys. Now I should also note that this is the last film that Walt released as he died just two weeks after this film came out. With that out of the way, let's begin.
Intro From Walt
Now seeing as there isn't a trailer for this film, I'll be taking a look at this intro from Walt. This is a really neat thing to see. Talk about a blast from the past. It was just a lot of fun to watch.
The Plot
I guess the best way to describe the plot of this film is to say that you could categorize this under slice of life. It's a simple film about Lem Siddons who one day decided to settle down in the small town of Hickory and and gets a job at a store. Later on in the week, we see him go to a town meeting where one of the issues brought up is that the town needs a way to try and keep the boys out of trouble. Lem suggests Boy Scouts and volunteers his services to be Scoutmaster. So in the next scene, we see Lem with Troop One, Hickory's first troop as they move on their hike and we then come across one of other the main characters, Whitey who is a young boy who's a bit of a troublemaker and his dad also happens to be the town drunk. It is explored and shown that Whitey has a rough relationship with his father. He loves him but is also ashamed of him. Now I'm not sure but I think at one point, he either dies or his dad is arrested. Now we do also see Lem get married and the film takes us through the different escapades with Troop One through the years. Such as Lem having the fight for the lake that the Scout hut is one because they almost lose it at one point or the second troop getting caught up in a war game. Now if there is one thing that does bug me about this film is at the end of the film, Lem is basically forced to retire from being Scoutmaster. The Scout Committee felt that he done all he can and his getting up their in age, they feel it's time for him to step down. At first Lem doesn't take to this kindly and it's not done in a malicious manner but I just hate the fact they are telling Lem that he has to give up something he loves. I'll admit that got me a bit teary eyed because I felt bad for Lem in that instance and I will also say that this film did bring me tears of joy and nostalgia reminding me of when I was a Boy Scout and how much I miss that part of my life. I had a great time with my troop and I can honestly say I felt like those boys in Troop 176 (my troop) were brothers. The greatest memory I'll always have with my troop is when we got to go to Philmont, the first high adventure camp. I've always equated it to being the Disney World of the Boy Scouts of America. Getting back on topic, I feel like that is part of the reason I enjoyed rewatching this film, it took me back to my days as a young Boy Scout and I feel I owe the film one big thank you for that.
Characters
Now I'll breaking this down into Main, Supporting, & Antagonist With that out of the way, let's begin.
Main Characters
Lem Siddons played by Fred MacMurray
Now I may be wrong but I believe that this was the first film that I saw Fred MacMurray in and let's just say that I loved him as Lem. He was everything I would want in a Scoutmaster. He cared about the boys and really threw himself into the role of being a part of the troop. It was clear that the Boy Scouts were his passion and I think that is what bugged me so much about the ending. Throughout all of this movie, it's shown that Lem loves the Boys and loves Scouting but at the end of the movie, the Scout Committee feels that it's time for him to retire because he's getting too old. Now as I said when talking about the plot, this isn't done in a malicious manner but throughout this film, we've seen Lem lead Troop One for over 20 Years. They just decide it's time for him to stop leading the troop that he put together. I mean yes they recognize this fact but maybe they could've made Lem an assistant Scoutmaster and have his son take over. I don't know I just hate the idea of Lem having to give up what he loved. Now let's move onto some other aspects, as I said Lem was a really fun character and the big thing to take away is that he loved the troop and the boys. Oh, in case your wondering, this shot comes from when his not yet wife Vida gets in a canoe that two of his boys were working on for one of their ranks. I think it was either Tenderfoot or First Class. Can't recall and Lem got in after her but the boys were supposed to patch the canoe and they hadn't done that yet. This all got started because Vida had brought food for the boys but Lem didn't want the boys to have it because they needed to cook their own food to advance to the next rank and Vida didn't take to this that well and started trowing the food in the lake. Now this was a funny moment. Another moment that I really loved was later with the second incarnation of Troop One that we see in the film, they accidentally end up getting themselves wound up in a war game and Lem is taken as a POW and the soldiers want Lem to prove that he's a Scoutmaster by tying a Sheepshank knot. The one knot that Lem could never tie and as for the War Game, let's just sat the Scout troop wins and gets to ride a tank. At the end, the soldiers free Lem and it's hinted that offscreen they're going to teach him how to tie the sheepshank.
Lem is easily one of my favorite characters from a live action Disney film and probably the coolest Scoutmaster I've ever seen in film or TV. Of course, you don't see many of those that often. Now as much as I complained about the ending, I do like the fact that the town basically creates a day just for Lem. Lem Siddons Day.
Whitey played by Kurt Russell
Yes this young boy is the same actor that would go on to play Snake Plissken.
Hey, when else will I be able to reference that movie on A Look at Disney. Anyways with that out of the way, I liked the character of Whitey. He was a simple character that had a rough life growing up. As stated, his father was the town drunk and while he loved his father, he was also ashamed of him. Now as I mentioned in the plot, Whitey's dad was taken away at one point in the film and Lem and Vida adopted Whitey. Also when Whitey was first introduced, he pretended to hate the Boy Scouts but he does join the troop later on and Lem catches him at the store, and asks Whitey to recite The Scout Law. Now Whitey joining the troop actually served him good as it gave him a place where he felt he belonged. Now we do also see Whitey as an adult and apparently had served in the war and was also engaged. He was played by Donald May as an adult.
Now we don't see much of Whitey as an adult in the film and sidenote that's not his real name, it's just a nickname. I think perhaps the biggest thing that I took away from this character is seeing how much he grew into becoming a better person. Fun Fact: This was the first Disney film that Kurt Russell starred in.
Troop One played by William Reynolds, Sherwood Ball, Johnny Bangert, Billy Booth, Ronnie Dapo.
Now I had to talk about the Troop. They are crucial to this story not so much as characters. Oh, don't get me wrong, they're great but Whitey really is the only one of them that stands out but they are important in the fact they are what this movie is all about. Being a Scout and they show how much fun it can be and the companionship between Scouts. As I said when talking about my old troop, when you get know boys like that for so long, you become brothers and well I feel that was evident with both incarnations of Troop One. Perhaps moreso with the first troop. Now I'd like to go back to talking about my troop for a bit, when I went to Philmont, it was only a few boys that came because you only have a limited number that you can take but with all of the boys that came, it was our last time together for you see, all of the boys in my troop were from a military family and we were in a troop that met on Quantico Marine base and well, all of the boys in that troop, their dads had gotten new orders and had to move. So, it was great getting to spend time with those boys but I didn't want it to end because well, after we went home, we knew we probably wouldn't see each other again and for those of you wondering why I'm bringing this up. Well, this film reminded me of the good times I had with those boys and how much I miss them.
Supporting Characters
Vida played by Vera Miles
Vida started out as Lem's love interest and they do get married in the film and this is perhaps one thing that I really like about the film. They knew that they wanted these two to get married. So, they don't drag out that storyline and got them married pretty early on in the film. Now just like Lem, she was a bit hard headed but it was clear that she loved him and going back to Lem & Vida adopting Whitey for a moment, that in part came from the fact that Vida could not conceive because off screen, her doctor told her she could never have children. Now this was a sweet moment, when Lem told Vida that they had 15 boys. She certainly did act as a mother to the troop.
Miss Hetty played by Lillian Gish
Now Hetty was another nice character, she was the one that owned the land that Scout hut was on and she wanted to give it to Troop One. Her nephew, Ralph didn't get this and thought she was crazy for wanting to give away such a valuable piece of property and wanted to point a guardian for him. I think it was less the fact that Ralph actually cared for his aunt and more that he didn't like Lem. Probably in part because before Lem and Vida got together, he was dating Vida. Now back to Hetty, she was a pretty nice character and the biggest role that she played in the film was when Lem served as her lawyer to prove that she didn't need a guardian. That's something I forgot to mention about Lem but he was also studying to become a lawyer but he never got his degree because of how much time he put into the troop. Probably the courtroom scene was only Miss Hetty's big role.
John Evertt Hughes played by Charlie Ruggles
John was probably Lem's closest friend as he gave Lem, his first job when he first came to the small town of Hickory, where this film took place. He got along rather well with the Siddons family and as seen here, they celebrated his birthday together each year and also when Lem started up Troop One, he started selling BSA (Boy Scouts of America) gear. Now John is the only character that is outright stated that he dies in the film and h we do see how this affects Lem for a little bit but this doesn't have the same emotional weight as Whitey and his father but it was still handled well. And in his will, he left the store that he & Lem worked at to the Siddons family.
Antagonist
Ralph Hastings played by Elliott Reid
Now Ralph isn't a character I feel was needed for the story. I mean I get the idea of having someone that was jealous of Lem but he was in so little of the film, that his presence is rather forgettable. Really, he felt out of place in a movie that was mostly about Boy Scouts. I don't really think the film needed an antagonistic character and thankfully, his presence in the film was minimal but I think his character should've been cut.
My Final Thoughts
This is a film that I hold very dear to my heart. I think that comes from the memories I have of being a Scout and each time, I watch this film, it takes me back to those days. I'd go so far as to say that this is perhaps one of my favorite Disney movies and my all time favorite live action movie from Disney. Now it isn't a well known Disney film and that's ashame because it deserves to be known. I can't suggest this film enough not just as a Scout but also as a fan of Disney, I truly feel that this film is one of the most enjoyable viewing experiences I've had for this blog. As I said earlier in this review, this film brings me tears of nostalgia, if you will. Join me tomorrow as I take a look at...
Survival of The Woodchucks
Intro From Walt
Now seeing as there isn't a trailer for this film, I'll be taking a look at this intro from Walt. This is a really neat thing to see. Talk about a blast from the past. It was just a lot of fun to watch.
The Plot
I guess the best way to describe the plot of this film is to say that you could categorize this under slice of life. It's a simple film about Lem Siddons who one day decided to settle down in the small town of Hickory and and gets a job at a store. Later on in the week, we see him go to a town meeting where one of the issues brought up is that the town needs a way to try and keep the boys out of trouble. Lem suggests Boy Scouts and volunteers his services to be Scoutmaster. So in the next scene, we see Lem with Troop One, Hickory's first troop as they move on their hike and we then come across one of other the main characters, Whitey who is a young boy who's a bit of a troublemaker and his dad also happens to be the town drunk. It is explored and shown that Whitey has a rough relationship with his father. He loves him but is also ashamed of him. Now I'm not sure but I think at one point, he either dies or his dad is arrested. Now we do also see Lem get married and the film takes us through the different escapades with Troop One through the years. Such as Lem having the fight for the lake that the Scout hut is one because they almost lose it at one point or the second troop getting caught up in a war game. Now if there is one thing that does bug me about this film is at the end of the film, Lem is basically forced to retire from being Scoutmaster. The Scout Committee felt that he done all he can and his getting up their in age, they feel it's time for him to step down. At first Lem doesn't take to this kindly and it's not done in a malicious manner but I just hate the fact they are telling Lem that he has to give up something he loves. I'll admit that got me a bit teary eyed because I felt bad for Lem in that instance and I will also say that this film did bring me tears of joy and nostalgia reminding me of when I was a Boy Scout and how much I miss that part of my life. I had a great time with my troop and I can honestly say I felt like those boys in Troop 176 (my troop) were brothers. The greatest memory I'll always have with my troop is when we got to go to Philmont, the first high adventure camp. I've always equated it to being the Disney World of the Boy Scouts of America. Getting back on topic, I feel like that is part of the reason I enjoyed rewatching this film, it took me back to my days as a young Boy Scout and I feel I owe the film one big thank you for that.
Characters
Now I'll breaking this down into Main, Supporting, & Antagonist With that out of the way, let's begin.
Main Characters
Lem Siddons played by Fred MacMurray
Now I may be wrong but I believe that this was the first film that I saw Fred MacMurray in and let's just say that I loved him as Lem. He was everything I would want in a Scoutmaster. He cared about the boys and really threw himself into the role of being a part of the troop. It was clear that the Boy Scouts were his passion and I think that is what bugged me so much about the ending. Throughout all of this movie, it's shown that Lem loves the Boys and loves Scouting but at the end of the movie, the Scout Committee feels that it's time for him to retire because he's getting too old. Now as I said when talking about the plot, this isn't done in a malicious manner but throughout this film, we've seen Lem lead Troop One for over 20 Years. They just decide it's time for him to stop leading the troop that he put together. I mean yes they recognize this fact but maybe they could've made Lem an assistant Scoutmaster and have his son take over. I don't know I just hate the idea of Lem having to give up what he loved. Now let's move onto some other aspects, as I said Lem was a really fun character and the big thing to take away is that he loved the troop and the boys. Oh, in case your wondering, this shot comes from when his not yet wife Vida gets in a canoe that two of his boys were working on for one of their ranks. I think it was either Tenderfoot or First Class. Can't recall and Lem got in after her but the boys were supposed to patch the canoe and they hadn't done that yet. This all got started because Vida had brought food for the boys but Lem didn't want the boys to have it because they needed to cook their own food to advance to the next rank and Vida didn't take to this that well and started trowing the food in the lake. Now this was a funny moment. Another moment that I really loved was later with the second incarnation of Troop One that we see in the film, they accidentally end up getting themselves wound up in a war game and Lem is taken as a POW and the soldiers want Lem to prove that he's a Scoutmaster by tying a Sheepshank knot. The one knot that Lem could never tie and as for the War Game, let's just sat the Scout troop wins and gets to ride a tank. At the end, the soldiers free Lem and it's hinted that offscreen they're going to teach him how to tie the sheepshank.
Lem is easily one of my favorite characters from a live action Disney film and probably the coolest Scoutmaster I've ever seen in film or TV. Of course, you don't see many of those that often. Now as much as I complained about the ending, I do like the fact that the town basically creates a day just for Lem. Lem Siddons Day.
Whitey played by Kurt Russell
Yes this young boy is the same actor that would go on to play Snake Plissken.
Hey, when else will I be able to reference that movie on A Look at Disney. Anyways with that out of the way, I liked the character of Whitey. He was a simple character that had a rough life growing up. As stated, his father was the town drunk and while he loved his father, he was also ashamed of him. Now as I mentioned in the plot, Whitey's dad was taken away at one point in the film and Lem and Vida adopted Whitey. Also when Whitey was first introduced, he pretended to hate the Boy Scouts but he does join the troop later on and Lem catches him at the store, and asks Whitey to recite The Scout Law. Now Whitey joining the troop actually served him good as it gave him a place where he felt he belonged. Now we do also see Whitey as an adult and apparently had served in the war and was also engaged. He was played by Donald May as an adult.
Now we don't see much of Whitey as an adult in the film and sidenote that's not his real name, it's just a nickname. I think perhaps the biggest thing that I took away from this character is seeing how much he grew into becoming a better person. Fun Fact: This was the first Disney film that Kurt Russell starred in.
Troop One played by William Reynolds, Sherwood Ball, Johnny Bangert, Billy Booth, Ronnie Dapo.
Now I had to talk about the Troop. They are crucial to this story not so much as characters. Oh, don't get me wrong, they're great but Whitey really is the only one of them that stands out but they are important in the fact they are what this movie is all about. Being a Scout and they show how much fun it can be and the companionship between Scouts. As I said when talking about my old troop, when you get know boys like that for so long, you become brothers and well I feel that was evident with both incarnations of Troop One. Perhaps moreso with the first troop. Now I'd like to go back to talking about my troop for a bit, when I went to Philmont, it was only a few boys that came because you only have a limited number that you can take but with all of the boys that came, it was our last time together for you see, all of the boys in my troop were from a military family and we were in a troop that met on Quantico Marine base and well, all of the boys in that troop, their dads had gotten new orders and had to move. So, it was great getting to spend time with those boys but I didn't want it to end because well, after we went home, we knew we probably wouldn't see each other again and for those of you wondering why I'm bringing this up. Well, this film reminded me of the good times I had with those boys and how much I miss them.
Supporting Characters
Vida played by Vera Miles
Vida started out as Lem's love interest and they do get married in the film and this is perhaps one thing that I really like about the film. They knew that they wanted these two to get married. So, they don't drag out that storyline and got them married pretty early on in the film. Now just like Lem, she was a bit hard headed but it was clear that she loved him and going back to Lem & Vida adopting Whitey for a moment, that in part came from the fact that Vida could not conceive because off screen, her doctor told her she could never have children. Now this was a sweet moment, when Lem told Vida that they had 15 boys. She certainly did act as a mother to the troop.
Miss Hetty played by Lillian Gish
Now Hetty was another nice character, she was the one that owned the land that Scout hut was on and she wanted to give it to Troop One. Her nephew, Ralph didn't get this and thought she was crazy for wanting to give away such a valuable piece of property and wanted to point a guardian for him. I think it was less the fact that Ralph actually cared for his aunt and more that he didn't like Lem. Probably in part because before Lem and Vida got together, he was dating Vida. Now back to Hetty, she was a pretty nice character and the biggest role that she played in the film was when Lem served as her lawyer to prove that she didn't need a guardian. That's something I forgot to mention about Lem but he was also studying to become a lawyer but he never got his degree because of how much time he put into the troop. Probably the courtroom scene was only Miss Hetty's big role.
John Evertt Hughes played by Charlie Ruggles
John was probably Lem's closest friend as he gave Lem, his first job when he first came to the small town of Hickory, where this film took place. He got along rather well with the Siddons family and as seen here, they celebrated his birthday together each year and also when Lem started up Troop One, he started selling BSA (Boy Scouts of America) gear. Now John is the only character that is outright stated that he dies in the film and h we do see how this affects Lem for a little bit but this doesn't have the same emotional weight as Whitey and his father but it was still handled well. And in his will, he left the store that he & Lem worked at to the Siddons family.
Antagonist
Ralph Hastings played by Elliott Reid
Now Ralph isn't a character I feel was needed for the story. I mean I get the idea of having someone that was jealous of Lem but he was in so little of the film, that his presence is rather forgettable. Really, he felt out of place in a movie that was mostly about Boy Scouts. I don't really think the film needed an antagonistic character and thankfully, his presence in the film was minimal but I think his character should've been cut.
My Final Thoughts
This is a film that I hold very dear to my heart. I think that comes from the memories I have of being a Scout and each time, I watch this film, it takes me back to those days. I'd go so far as to say that this is perhaps one of my favorite Disney movies and my all time favorite live action movie from Disney. Now it isn't a well known Disney film and that's ashame because it deserves to be known. I can't suggest this film enough not just as a Scout but also as a fan of Disney, I truly feel that this film is one of the most enjoyable viewing experiences I've had for this blog. As I said earlier in this review, this film brings me tears of nostalgia, if you will. Join me tomorrow as I take a look at...
Survival of The Woodchucks
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