Follow Me, Boys! (1944)
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72% of users liked it
(2,014 ratings)
Follow Me, Boys!, Disney's paean to the Boys Scouts of America, leaves no cliché unturned: we're even offered the old reliable "kid hanging over cliff by rope" bit. Corny, sentimental and obvious though it may be, the film is a delight to watch, especially whenever Fred MacMurray… More Follow Me, Boys!, Disney's paean to the Boys Scouts of America, leaves no cliché unturned: we're even offered the old reliable "kid hanging over cliff by rope" bit. Corny, sentimental and obvious though it may be, the film is a delight to watch, especially whenever Fred MacMurray dominates the screen. MacMurray plays Lem Siddons, a 1930s musician who decides to settle down in a small Midwestern town. Here he meets pretty bank teller Vida Downey (Vera Miles), who bemoans the fact that the local boys have no organized activities with which to occupy their time. Volunteering to be a scoutmaster, Lem begins a local scout troop. There are some tense moments when banker Ralph Hastings (Elliot Reid) demands that Lem's scouts vacate their headquarters, but Reid's feisty millionaire Aunt Hetty (Lillian Gish) comes to the rescue. The film's throughline is the regeneration of local "tough kid" Whitey (Kurt Russell), who, after joining the Boy Scouts, straightens out and matures into a solid citizen. The film's lachrymose climax is kept "honest" by the sincere underplaying of Fred MacMurray. Though lambasted by reviewers, Follow Me, Boys! struck a responsive chord with filmgoers, to the tune of a $5.5 million box-office take. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Norman Tokar
- Written By
- Louis Pelletier
- Genres
- Drama, Kids & Family, Musical & Performing Arts, Classics, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Dec 1, 1966 Wide
- Studio
- MCA Universal Home Video
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Cast
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Fred MacMurray
as Lemuel Siddons
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Vera Miles
as Vida Downey
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Lillian Gish
as Hetty Seibert
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Charlie Ruggles
as John Everett Hughes
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Elliott Reid
as Ralph Hastings
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Kurt Russell
as Whitey
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Luana Patten
as Nora White
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Ken Murray
as Melody Murphy
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Donald May
as Edward White Jr.
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Sean McClory
as Edward White Sr.
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Steve Franken
as P.O.W. Lieutenant
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Parley Baer
as Mayor Hi Plommer
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William Reynolds
as Hoodoo Henderson as a Man
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Craig Hill
as Leo as a Man
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Tol Avery
as Dr. Ferris
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Willis B. Bouchey
as Judge
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John Zaremba
as Ralph's Lawyer
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Madge Blake
as Cora Anderson
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Carl Reindel
as Tank Captain
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Hank Brandt
as Frankie Martin as a Man
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Richard Bakalyan
as Umpire
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Tim McIntire
as Corporal
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Tony Regan
as Hetty's Lawyer
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Robert B. Williams
as Artie
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Jimmy Murphy
as P.O.W. Soldier
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Adam Williams
as P.O.W. Sergeant
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Keith Taylor
as Beefy Smith
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Ricky Kelman
as Frankie Martin
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Gregg Shank
as Mickey Doyle
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Ronnie Dapo
as Tiger
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Dennis Rush
as Jimmy
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Kevin Burchett
as Eggy
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David Bailey
as Duke
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Warren Hsieh
as Quong Lee
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Duane Chase
as Joe
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Sherwood Ball
as Scout
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George Raft
as Tony West Hoofer
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Vera Zorina
as Gloria Vance dancer
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George Macready
as Walter Bruce
-
Charles Grapewin
as Nick West
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Charles Butterworth
as Louie Fairweather
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Regis Toomey
as Dr. Jim Henderson
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Grace McDonald
as Kitty West
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Elizabeth Patterson
as Annie
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Theodore von Eltz
as William Barrett
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Ramsay Ames
as Laura
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Martha O'Driscoll
as Martha O'Driscoll
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Max 'Slapsie Maxie' Rosenbloom
as Maxie Rosenbloom
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Sophie Tucker
as Specialty
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Jeanette MacDonald
as Herself
- Orson Welles
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Marlene Dietrich
as Specialty
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Dinah Shore
as Specialty
-
Donald O'Connor
as Guest
- Peggy Ryan
-
W.C. Fields
as Specialty
- The Andrews Sisters
- Artur Rubinstein
- Carmen Amaya
- The Delta Rhythm Boys
- Walter Abel
-
Louise Allbritton
as Guest
- Joel Allen
-
Stanley Andrews
as Australian Officer
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Evelyn Ankers
as Guest
- Louise Beavers
- Noah Beery Jr.
-
William Benedict
as Joe a Soldier
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Lee Bennett Sobel
as Acrobat
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Turhan Bey
as Committeeman
- Linda Brent
-
Nancy Brinckman
as Telephone Operator
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Steve Brodie
as Australian Pilot
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Charles D. Brown
as Col. Starrett
- Nigel Bruce
- Lon Chaney Jr
-
Lane Chandler
as Ship's Officer
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Wallis Clark
as HVC Committee Man
- Peter Coe
- Lois Collier
-
Clyde Cook
as Stooge
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Richard Crane
as Marine Officer
- Alan Curtis
-
Daisy the Dog
as Fifi
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Leslie Denison
as Reporter
- Andy Devine
-
Ralph Dunn
as Loomis
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George Eldredge
as Submarine Officer
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William Forrest
as Colonels
- Freddie Slack & His Orchestra
- Thomas Gomez
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Mack Gray
as Lt. Reynolds
- Thurston Hall
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Tom Hanlon
as Announcer
- Jackie Lou Harding
- Carey Harrison
- Howard Hickman
- Samuel S. Hinds
-
Leyland Hodgson
as Australian Reporter
- Gloria Jean
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Frank Jenks
as Chick Doyle
- Elyse Knox
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Frank LaRue
as Mailman
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Molly Lamont
as Secretary
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Nelson Leigh
as Bull Fiddler
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Doris Lloyd
as Nurse
- Philo McCullough
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Maria Montez
as Guest
- Dennis Moore
- Clarence Muse
- Dick Nelson
- Robert Paige
- Franklin Parker
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Grandon Rhodes
as Guild Member
- Addison Richards
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Cyril Ring
as Life Staffer
- Janet Shaw
- Gale Sondergaard
-
Edwin Stanley
as Film Director
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Nick Stewart [Nicodemus]
as Lt. Reynolds USAF
- Walter Tetley
- Luis Torres
- Emmett Vogan
- Anthony Warde
- Billy Wayne
- Steve Wayne
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Frank Wilcox
as Army Doctor
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Jan Wiley
as Telephone Operator
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Bill Wolfe
as Man in Zoot Suit in Fields' Routine
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Duke York
as MP
- Carlyle Blackwell
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Charles King
as Soldier
- Randolph Scott
- John Whitney
- Michael Kirk
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Baby Marie Osborne
as Nurse
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Eleanor Counts
as Magic Maid
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Roy Darmour
as Assistant Director
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Charles Anthony Hughes
as Man
- Bill Meader
- George Riley
- Martin Ashe
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Bobby Barker
as Soldier in Fields' Routine
- Genevieve Bell
- Jimmy Carpenter
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George "Shorty" Chirello
as Welles' Assistant
- Allan Cooke
- Bill Dyer
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John Estes
as Patient
- Don Kramer
- Don McGill
- Mel Schubert
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Lennie Smith
as Jitterbug
- Bernard B. Thomas
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Carl Vernell
as Dance Director
- Susanna Foster
