Follow Me, Boys!
(aka ON MY HONOR)
With: Fred MacMurray (Lemuel Siddons), Vera Miles (Vida Downey), David Alan Bailey (Duke) (as “David Bailey”), Lillian Gish (Hetty Seibert), Richard Bakalyan (Umpire), Charles Ruggles (John Everett Hughes) (as “Charlie Ruggles”), Sherwood Ball (Scout), Elliott Reid (Ralph Hastings), Johnny Bangert (Scout in War Game), Kurt Russell (Whitey), Madge Blake (Cora Anderson), Luana Patten (Nora White), Bill Booth (Leo), Ken Murray (Melody Murphy), Willis Bouchey (Judge), Donald May (Edward White, Jr.), Dean Bradshaw (Scout in War Game), Sean McClory (Edward White, Sr.)
***
In April, 1966, Walt Disney released another comedy/drama that starred one of his most popular performers, Fred MacMurray. The film, FOLLOW ME BOYS takes place during the 1930's.
Lemuel Siddons (Fred MacMurray) is a bored jazz musician who wants to give up traveling with Melody Murphy (Ken Murray) and his band and settle down in a small town and train to become a lawyer. While stopping for gas and supplies in a small town named Hickory, Lem sees a group of kids creating problems for the citizens and for members of the band. The young fellow solves this problem by buying candies for the kids and sending them on their way. Finding his haven, Lem leaves the band and acquires a job as stock clerk with the town's general store owner(Charlie Ruggles, best remembered as the voice of Aesop in "The Aesop & Son" segment of "The Bullwinkle TV Cartoons").
Lem also suggests to the town council that in order to keep the boys from getting into mischief, the town members should create a Boy Scout troop. The Mayor and the heads of the Ladies Committee (Parley Baer and Madge Blake) agree with this idea and nominate Lem as Scoutmaster. Lem accepts the job and works with the boys in training them. They also work on developing a plot of land and turning it into a camping ground. Lem also falls in love with the pretty banking executive (Vera Miles), whom he later marries.
But Lem also has some problems; he tries to reform the town's bad boy, Edward White Jr., nicknamed "Whitey", (Kurt Russell) by having him join the scouts. Lem invites Whitey's father (Sean McClory) to attend a Father-Son Scout meeting, where White shows up drunk. Whitey is humiliated by his father’s behavior, and leaves the troop. Lem is stymied by the situation he has created, until he finds out that White has suffered a massive heart attack. Despite the doctor's efforts to save him, Edward White Sr. dies that night.
With nowhere else to go, Lem and his wife adopt the orphaned Whitey. Whitey at first resents the idea and wants to leave, but Lem convinces him that both he and his wife want him as their adopted son, and he finally accepts.
The citizens of Hickory, however, are not too thrilled by Lem's decision to adopt the troubled youth. During a later rescue effort to save one of the boys, Ralph Hastings, the nephew of the owner of the bank (Elliot Reid) creates a rumor that Whitey had pushed the boy over the cliff and attempted to kill him.
Whitey is angered by the rumor and he tries to leaves town. Lem is also enraged by the false accusations but doesn't want his son to leave; he goes out to search for him and finds him at the clubhouse on the camp grounds. He tells Whitey that he'll try to defend him against Hasting’s lies, and will even quit the Scouts. The boy is shocked that his foster father is leaving the scouts and begs Lem not to quit. Lem reverses his decision and he remains Scoutmaster.
Some time passes and Lem trains new scouts for the troop. He also works with the Scouts and members of the town to develop the camp grounds and the clubhouse, but Hastings again creates trouble when he tries to take control of the bank and his aunt's holdings. He also tries to evict Lem and his troop from their camp grounds.
Seeing that he has to put an end to Hasting’s corruption. Lem uses his legal skills and defends Mrs. Seibert (former silent film actress Lillian Gish) against her nephew in court. Lem not only proves that Mrs. Seibert is still able to run her bank successfully, he proves that Hastings is trying to gain the camp grounds at black market prices. Lem forces Hastings to drop the contesting suit against his aunt and give the camp ground back to the scouts.
Lem continues to fix the camping site, but age has begun to catch up with him. Finally, when Lem suffers a heart attack, Dr. Edward White and his wife, who is also his nurse (former Disney protégé Luanna Patten in her last film role) inform Lem that he is being relived of his efforts to develop the camp grounds. Lem is also told that a new Scoutmaster has been hired to take over the troop, but Lem is being given the title of Scoutmaster Emetrius, and is asked to help dedicate the camp grounds on opening day. Lem reluctantly agrees.
On opening day, Lem is surprised to see all of the members of his former Troop leading a parade to the camp grounds. The town honors Lem with a day named in his honor, and he receives tributes from everyone including one of his former scouts, Hoo Doo Henderson, who is now the Governor of the state. Lem gives his speech and tells everyone how happy he is to be a part of the Scouts’ lives, asd he cuts the ribbon to open the new camping site.
***
FOLLOW ME BOYS, is a wonderful comedy/drama that is sentimental without being saccharine. The performances are touching and the story is sentimential and warm. I was lucky enough to meet two of the film's cast members, Parley Baer and Elliot Reid. They both enjoyed working on the film and enjoyed working with MacMurray. I first saw FOLLOW ME BOYS at The Laconia Movie Theater in the Bronx, New York. I've seen it many times on TV and can still enjoy the warmth of these characters. This film is on home video and I highly recommend it as good family entertainment.
Lyrics to the theme song written by Robert & Richard Sherman
"Follow Me Boys, Follow me!
Follow me Boys! Follow Me!
There's a job to do and it must be done!
If we work together then the job will be done,
- Kevin S. Butler
copyright © 2005 Kevin S. Butler, all rights reserved
Video/DVD availability: VHS & DVD (Buena Vista Home Video)
(1966, U.S.) color 131 minutes
Walt Disney Pictures/Buena Vista Pictures
Story: MacKinlay Kantor (from his book, “God and My Country”)
Screenplay: Louis Pelletier
Music by George Bruns
Title Song: Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman
Cinematography by Clifford Stine
Produced by Winston Hibler, Walt Disney
Directed by Norman Tokar
Follow me! When you're down and out,
That's the time to lift your head and shout!
Head Em' Up! Move Em' Out and Follow Me!
Follow me boys, follow me!
So head em' up! Move em' out and follow me!"