The 22nd day of February is World Scout Day, which commemorates the birth anniversary of Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts movement which began in the UK and went on to become a popular thing across many countries. The day is also known as Founder's Day in the UK since it commemorates the birth anniversary of his wife, Olave Baden-Powell, who was also the World Chief Guide.
For the unversed, in 1907, Baden-Powell founded the Boy Scout movement. Since its inception as a small club of lads in the United Kingdom, it has expanded to 57 million members in 172 countries. The movement gave young boys and girls a coming of age sentiment. They learned life skills by being a scout and as the famous saying goes ‘once a scout, always a scout’.
On this World Scout Day, let’s do gown memory lane and have a look at some of the most cult classic movies which were based around the lives of scouts:
‘Follow Me, Boys’
Lem Siddons is a member of a touring band who aspires to be a lawyer. He decides to settle down and gets a work as a stockboy at a small town's basic store. To fit in, he volunteers to be scoutmaster of Troop 1, which has just been founded. As he becomes increasingly engaged with the scout troop, his dreams to become a lawyer are put on hold until he learns that his life has been full by assisting the youngsters of the little town.
‘Down And Derby’
Down and Derby is a family comedy about a small-town Pinewood Derby tournament that turns an ordinary group of fathers into an uncomfortable set of competitors. On the surface, Phil Davis appears to be an ordinary father and neighbour. On the inside, he is conflicted and at odds with his boyhood adversary, Ace Montana. Phil, desperate for first place, sees his kid's Pinewood Derby race as a game changer in his quest to defeat Ace, who also has a Cub Scout son. Surrounded by other obsessive fathers in the same cul-de-sac, they utterly reject the event's principles and take over the design, planning, and building of the automobiles. In the frantic world of derby fever, youngsters are lucky if they get to choose the colour of the paint or apply a decal. As the fathers approach lunacy and turn to backstabbing, cover-ups, and sabotage, the comedy escalates. Wives, families, and careers are all overlooked, and the repercussions are severe. The comedy reaches humorous and absurd proportions when, in a surprising twist, the young scouts triumph, reminding us not to take ourselves too seriously or underestimate what children can achieve. This comedy satirises the frantic behaviour of parents who compete with one another through their children, a social dynamic found in a variety of everyday activities ranging from little league to scientific fairs.
‘Scout Camp The Movie’
The Fire Dragon patrol is on their way to Camp Rakhouta with their ever-supportive scoutmaster (Kirby Heyborne, Saints and Soldiers) for what may be the happiest week of their life. But when the prestigious camp's famed "Spirit Stick" goes stolen, the camp's whole heritage is jeopardised. The Fire Dragons, lead by York Hayes (Shawn Carter, High School Musical 1, 2, 3) must now go to any length to discover the stick, return it, and restore the camp's heritage. In this timeless and nostalgic family comedy, writer/director Garrett Batty presents a respectful, hilarious, and sincere classic.
‘Troop Beverley Hills’
Phyllis, a Beverly Hills housewife, is going through a divorce and seeks to find focus in her life by taking over her daughter Hannah's Wilderness Girl troop. Tiffany (who her father has to bribe to attend meetings), Emily (the daughter of an unemployed actor, whose financial difficulties prevent her from wanting to participate in certain activities), the neurotic Tessa (whose parents' divorce has forced her into therapy twice a week), the hostile Chica (whose parents are too busy with their own lives to even remember her birthday), and Claire are among the girls (the child star who see the wilderness girls as her chance to lead a "normal" life). Phyllis then starts taking the girls camping at a Beverly Hills hotel in order for them to acquire patches related to material goods. Velda, the district head, believes the group should be disbanded. The leader of the Wilderness girls group, on the other hand, feels that as long as Phyllis has taken an active interest in the girls, that is all that matters. Then Velda launches a never-ending campaign of sabotage against the girls.
‘Father and Scout’
Spenser Paley (Bob Saget) grudgingly joins his son Michael (Brian Bonsall) on a camping trip to Catalina Island as part of their "Dad and Lad" tradition. Spenser, who is unathletic, is out of his element in the big outdoors. He wrecks a canoe, trips over a jellyfish, and passes out in a cave. Michael feels humiliated by his father's unpleasant demeanour and recurring incompetence. Spenser irritates the other campers, especially Chet, with his constant moaning, grumbling, and snarky put-downs (David Graf). Chet and his son employ devious ways to defeat the Paleys in the father-son pentathlon. However, when the party becomes trapped in a mine shaft, Spenser and Chet band together to save their boys. Spenser and Michael triumph in the competition and return home closer than ever before.
