Follow Me, Boys!

I saw this movie in the theater when I was nine years old, and again just this week after buying the DVD for my grandkids. It was even better from my adult viewpoint, and I remembered loving it as a kid. I've whistled the "Follow Me Boys" tune off and on all my life. The story is told in a series of set pieces, much like the style of "It's a Wonderful Life". They hang together so well that you get a true sense of the passage of time within a recognizable framework of the town, and the characters and their lives. You'll end the movie wishing you had grown up in that town, and wishing that Fred MacMurray (or his character Lem Siddons), had been your friend and neighbor. If you don't shed a tear or two at the end, you're not human.

Follow me boys is an excellent movie that attracts you for a long time.I watched that movie when I was 8 (1989) but still I remember it (2001,age 21).The story was powerful and so on the cast (children players). I think it is not only a children classic but also a movie that every individual must see.

Fred Murray gives up life on the road with a band for a brunette Vera Miles and founding a local Boy Scout troop. Although it becomes episodic, it's a kind-hearted paean to Scouting. Based on a book by MacKinlay Cantor; with Charlie Ruggles, Lillian Gish and Kurt Russell -- it must do some interesting things to Bacon Numbers.

Follow Me, Boys! is a feel good film with an impressive cast. It's a snapshot of a time when there was a true sense of community that we rarely see today. A time when personal values carried more weight than profits. The film delivers a powerful message of just how much difference a single person can make by leading through example. I think with today's media glut of flashy superstardom and wealth and narcissism, many us have lost sight of how much force there is in simply being a kind and honest person. I certainly walked away re-evaluating some of my motivations and behaviors. Just how do I affect the people around me on a daily basis?

I first saw this movie during the mid 1980's when I was at Boy Scout ski retreat. We were staying at a church (cheap lodging) and watched this movie twice (Friday and Saturday nite). The first time our troop saw we were intrigued by movie. There are few movies about Boy Scouts out there so this movie was a delight. The second time being rowdy teens the Scouts began to pandeomine and ad-lib the lines. For example during the scene when the wife tells Fred McMurray that she can not have any kids. One of the boys shouted "Don't touch her, she's sterile" A delightful movie, a bit corny at times (the behavior seems outdated compared to modern times) but still an excellent movie.

Almost great. The first 70-90 minutes of 'Follow Me, Boys!' is excellent, it's serious yet amusing. I felt connected to the characters and their storyline. Unfortunately, the film then adds on a pointless if solid extra 40-60 minutes. It kinda feels like one of those TV episodes into one film things, which is annoying as it doesn't need to do it. Fred MacMurray is terrific as Lem, especially across that opening period. It's heartwarming seeing his character help out a community of kids, particularly one - Whitey, who is played impressively by Kurt Russell. All of the other child actors, while not massively memorable, are fine and you really feel for their overall story. The final portion of this film really hampers it though. It isn't actually anything bad and if it had been a sequel I reckon I would've liked it, but as a continuation/add-on to the earlier premise it doesn't hit the same heartfelt notes at all. So that's disappointing, but it's still just about a good film.

"Follow Me Boys" is a sweet, meandering film about an incredibly nice guy who left the world a better place. When the story begins, Lem (Fred McMurray) is tired of traveling the country with the band and on a lark, decides to quit and take up residence in a small town. Soon after he arrived, the town council has a meeting and Lem attends. He's concerned because there are a lot of kids in town but little for them to do. So, he volunteers to become the scoutmaster for the boys. The rest of the film concerns his impact he had on the boys as well as the community. For the most part, I loved this sentimental Disney film. The only part I didn't care for, and which was completely unnecessary, was the war games portion. It's interesting...but it just doesn't fit with the tone of the rest of the story. Overall, a nice little film that can be enjoyed by the whole family.