Troop Beverly Hills
Encyclopedia
Troop Beverly Hills is a 1989
American
comedy film. Produced by Weintraub Entertainment Group
and directed by Jeff Kanew
, it starred Shelley Long
, Craig T. Nelson
, Betty Thomas
, Mary Gross
, Shelley Morrison
, a host of young stars including Tori Spelling
, Carla Gugino
, Jenny Lewis
, Emily Schulman
, Ami Foster
, and Kellie Martin
, and numerous celebrities in cameo appearance
s as themselves.
), of which her daughter, Hannah (Jenny Lewis
), is a member. Her Beverly Hills sensibilities result in a change in the program for the girls in her troop, who are all the children of socialites, to get them more interested in the program.
Phyllis demonstrates an unwavering commitment to the girls' well-being (although at one point she tries to quit as troop leader, believing she has failed the girls, but they convince her to stay), by showing an interest in the girls while many of their wealthy parents neglect them.
She also shows that she is not as vapid as one would at first think: she is unfailingly nice to everyone and shows that despite her extravagant lifestyle that she knows money isn't everything — friendship is more important.
Phyllis's unorthodox ways run afoul of another leader, Velda Plendor (Thomas), a traditionalist who runs her troop, the Culver City "Red Feathers" which her own daughter, Cleo belongs to, like a military unit, and has considerable pull at the regional council level.
Velda sends her assistant troop leader, Annie Herman, to Troop Beverly Hills to infiltrate it and try to get them disbanded, but she eventually defects when she realizes that despite the fact that the "Red Feathers" are traditional Wilderness Girls, they are also mean-spirited cheaters who will do whatever it takes to get an edge on their competition.
From customized achievement patch classes, to a star-studded cookie sales drive, to dealing with the turmoil of the rich life and trying to maintain it, it all leads to a campout-competition, The Wilderness Girl Jamboree, where the girls and their leader have to prove themselves as Wilderness Girls in order to survive as a troop.
During the Jamboree, Velda sabotages Troop Beverly Hills in order for the Red Feathers to win, especially cutting down the rope bridge which fails. However, when she is hurt near the finish line while trying to take a short cut, her own troop especially Cleo leaves her behind for the sake of winning. Troop Beverly Hills happens upon her and reluctantly carry her to the finish.
Although the Red Feathers crossed the finish line first, they are disqualified because they did so without their leader. Troop Beverly Hills is declared the winners of the Jamboree, validating them as true Wilderness Girls. Francis Temple fires Velda from the Wilderness Girls Organization. The girls' families show up moments later very proud of them.
Phyllis's commitment to the troop impresses her husband Fred (who had been frustrated by her inability to finish anything) and they reconnect at the end of the film. Troop Beverly Hills is then seen as the next Year's Poster Troop, then Velda is shown with a very humiliating job at K-Mart announcing a "Blue Light Special" on cookies.
, Pia Zadora
, Robin Leach
, Cheech Marin
, salonist Christophe Schatteman, reporter George Christy, Annette Funicello
, Frankie Avalon
, and Dr. Joyce Brothers
.
, Cristophe Salon, Jane Fonda
's "Workout", Wolfgang Puck
's Spago, and Rodeo Drive
.
1989 in film
-Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedy film. Produced by Weintraub Entertainment Group
Jerry Weintraub
Jerry Weintraub is an American film producer and former chairman and CEO of United Artists. He now lives in Palm Desert, California.-Life and career:...
and directed by Jeff Kanew
Jeff Kanew
Jeffrey Roger Kanew is an American film director, writer and editor who early in his career made trailers for many films of the '70s and is probably best known for directing the film Revenge of the Nerds ....
, it starred Shelley Long
Shelley Long
Shelley Lee Long is an American actress best known for her role as Diane Chambers on the sitcom Cheers, for which she won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress and two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress...
, Craig T. Nelson
Craig T. Nelson
Craig Theodore Nelson is an American actor. He is probably best known for his Emmy-winning roles as Hayden Fox on the TV series Coach, and as Steve Freeling in the 1982 film Poltergeist. He also starred in The Incredibles in 2004 as Mr...
, Betty Thomas
Betty Thomas
Betty Thomas is an American actress and director in television and motion pictures.-Life and career:Born Betty Thomas Nienhauser in St. Louis, Missouri, Thomas graduated from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree...
, Mary Gross
Mary Gross
Mary Gross is an American comedian and actress, perhaps best known for her four-year stint on Saturday Night Live from 1981 to 1985. Her credits also include minor roles on Animaniacs, Boston Legal and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch...
, Shelley Morrison
Shelley Morrison
Shelley Morrison is an American actress. Early in her career, she was sometimes credited as Rachel Domínguez. Morrison has been a theater and television actress since the early 1960s, predominantly as a character actress in ethnic roles...
, a host of young stars including Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling
Victoria Davey "Tori" Spelling is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for her role as Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?...
, Carla Gugino
Carla Gugino
Carla Gugino is an American actress known for her roles of Sally Jupiter in Watchmen, Dr. Vera Gorski in Sucker Punch, Lucille in Sin City, Amanda Daniels in seasons 3, 5 and 7 of Entourage, Ingrid Cortez in the Spy Kids film trilogy, and as the lead characters of the television series Karen Sisco...
, Jenny Lewis
Jenny Lewis
Jennifer Diane Lewis , is an American singer-songwriter musician and actress. She was the primary vocalist of the indie rock band Rilo Kiley, and has released two solo albums. She currently performs as part of the duo Jenny & Johnny with boyfriend Johnathan Rice...
, Emily Schulman
Emily Schulman
Emily Hope Schulman is a former child actress and commercial agent, and current acting instructor...
, Ami Foster
Ami Foster
Ami Foster is a former American child actress. Foster is best remembered for playing Margeaux Kramer on the American television program Punky Brewster.-Biography:...
, and Kellie Martin
Kellie Martin
Kellie Noelle Martin is an American television actress who is known for her roles as Rebecca Thacher on Life Goes On, Christy Huddleston on Christy, Lucy Knight on ER, and Samantha Kinsey on Mystery Woman.-Early life:...
, and numerous celebrities in cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
s as themselves.
Synopsis
Phyllis Nefler (Long), a Beverly Hills wife going through a divorce with her lawyer-entrepreneur husband Fred (Nelson), decides to deal with it by becoming the leader of the unruly local troop of the Wilderness Girls (an allusion to the real Girl Scouts of the USAGirl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
), of which her daughter, Hannah (Jenny Lewis
Jenny Lewis
Jennifer Diane Lewis , is an American singer-songwriter musician and actress. She was the primary vocalist of the indie rock band Rilo Kiley, and has released two solo albums. She currently performs as part of the duo Jenny & Johnny with boyfriend Johnathan Rice...
), is a member. Her Beverly Hills sensibilities result in a change in the program for the girls in her troop, who are all the children of socialites, to get them more interested in the program.
Phyllis demonstrates an unwavering commitment to the girls' well-being (although at one point she tries to quit as troop leader, believing she has failed the girls, but they convince her to stay), by showing an interest in the girls while many of their wealthy parents neglect them.
She also shows that she is not as vapid as one would at first think: she is unfailingly nice to everyone and shows that despite her extravagant lifestyle that she knows money isn't everything — friendship is more important.
Phyllis's unorthodox ways run afoul of another leader, Velda Plendor (Thomas), a traditionalist who runs her troop, the Culver City "Red Feathers" which her own daughter, Cleo belongs to, like a military unit, and has considerable pull at the regional council level.
Velda sends her assistant troop leader, Annie Herman, to Troop Beverly Hills to infiltrate it and try to get them disbanded, but she eventually defects when she realizes that despite the fact that the "Red Feathers" are traditional Wilderness Girls, they are also mean-spirited cheaters who will do whatever it takes to get an edge on their competition.
From customized achievement patch classes, to a star-studded cookie sales drive, to dealing with the turmoil of the rich life and trying to maintain it, it all leads to a campout-competition, The Wilderness Girl Jamboree, where the girls and their leader have to prove themselves as Wilderness Girls in order to survive as a troop.
During the Jamboree, Velda sabotages Troop Beverly Hills in order for the Red Feathers to win, especially cutting down the rope bridge which fails. However, when she is hurt near the finish line while trying to take a short cut, her own troop especially Cleo leaves her behind for the sake of winning. Troop Beverly Hills happens upon her and reluctantly carry her to the finish.
Although the Red Feathers crossed the finish line first, they are disqualified because they did so without their leader. Troop Beverly Hills is declared the winners of the Jamboree, validating them as true Wilderness Girls. Francis Temple fires Velda from the Wilderness Girls Organization. The girls' families show up moments later very proud of them.
Phyllis's commitment to the troop impresses her husband Fred (who had been frustrated by her inability to finish anything) and they reconnect at the end of the film. Troop Beverly Hills is then seen as the next Year's Poster Troop, then Velda is shown with a very humiliating job at K-Mart announcing a "Blue Light Special" on cookies.
Characters
- Phyllis Nefler (Shelley LongShelley LongShelley Lee Long is an American actress best known for her role as Diane Chambers on the sitcom Cheers, for which she won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress and two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress...
) - Beverly Hills socialite and new leader of Wilderness Girls Troop Beverly Hills - Freddy Nefler (Craig T. NelsonCraig T. NelsonCraig Theodore Nelson is an American actor. He is probably best known for his Emmy-winning roles as Hayden Fox on the TV series Coach, and as Steve Freeling in the 1982 film Poltergeist. He also starred in The Incredibles in 2004 as Mr...
) - Husband of Phyllis, Hannah's father, and entrepreneur - Hannah Nefler (Jenny LewisJenny LewisJennifer Diane Lewis , is an American singer-songwriter musician and actress. She was the primary vocalist of the indie rock band Rilo Kiley, and has released two solo albums. She currently performs as part of the duo Jenny & Johnny with boyfriend Johnathan Rice...
) - Phyllis and Freddy's daughter who just wants her mother to lead like a normal troop leader - Tiffany Honigman (Emily SchulmanEmily SchulmanEmily Hope Schulman is a former child actress and commercial agent, and current acting instructor...
) - Daughter of a prominent Beverly Hills plastic surgeon - Chica Barnfell (Carla GuginoCarla GuginoCarla Gugino is an American actress known for her roles of Sally Jupiter in Watchmen, Dr. Vera Gorski in Sucker Punch, Lucille in Sin City, Amanda Daniels in seasons 3, 5 and 7 of Entourage, Ingrid Cortez in the Spy Kids film trilogy, and as the lead characters of the television series Karen Sisco...
)- Stern girl who is generally left alone by her jet-setting parents - Lily Marcigan (Aquilina Soriano) - Daughter of Dictator Bong Bong and Karina (based on FerdinandFerdinand MarcosFerdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
and Imelda MarcosImelda MarcosImelda R. Marcos is a Filipino politician and widow of 10th Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. Upon the ascension of her husband to political power, she held various positions to the government until 1986...
respectively) who rule an unspecified Southeast Asian country - Emily Coleman (Kellie MartinKellie MartinKellie Noelle Martin is an American television actress who is known for her roles as Rebecca Thacher on Life Goes On, Christy Huddleston on Christy, Lucy Knight on ER, and Samantha Kinsey on Mystery Woman.-Early life:...
) - Daughter of an unemployed actor - Jasmine Shakar (Tasha ScottTasha ScottTasha Scott is an American actress and singer.Scott acted in several productions in the 1980s and 1990s. She appeared in a number television shows, including Snoops, South Central and The Parent 'Hood, and in movies such as Troop Beverly Hills, Kiss Shot and Camp Cucamonga...
) - Outspoken daughter of a well-known boxer - Tessa DiBlasio (Heather Hopper) - Daughter of two well-known movie directors
- Claire Sprantz (Ami FosterAmi FosterAmi Foster is a former American child actress. Foster is best remembered for playing Margeaux Kramer on the American television program Punky Brewster.-Biography:...
) - Child actress/daughter of a romance novelist and a successful lawyer - Annie Herman (Mary GrossMary GrossMary Gross is an American comedian and actress, perhaps best known for her four-year stint on Saturday Night Live from 1981 to 1985. Her credits also include minor roles on Animaniacs, Boston Legal and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch...
) - Velda's assistant and spy - Frances Temple (Audra LindleyAudra LindleyAudra Marie Lindley was an American actress, most famous for her role as landlady Helen Roper on the sitcom Three's Company and its spin-off, The Ropers.-Career:...
) - Head leader of Los Angeles County Wilderness Girls who is often undermined by Velda - Vicki Sprantz (Stephanie BeachamStephanie BeachamStephanie Beacham is a British television, film and theatre actress. Making her film debut in 1971's The Nightcomers opposite Marlon Brando and becoming more well-known on British television in the BBC series Tenko and the ITV series Connie , her worldwide breakthrough came as a result of playing...
) - Claire's mother, romance novelist and Phyllis' friend - Rosa (Shelley MorrisonShelley MorrisonShelley Morrison is an American actress. Early in her career, she was sometimes credited as Rachel Domínguez. Morrison has been a theater and television actress since the early 1960s, predominantly as a character actress in ethnic roles...
) - Phyllis' maid who helps out with the troop - Velda Plendor (Betty ThomasBetty ThomasBetty Thomas is an American actress and director in television and motion pictures.-Life and career:Born Betty Thomas Nienhauser in St. Louis, Missouri, Thomas graduated from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree...
) - Ruthless leader who despises Phyllis and her troop's Beverly Hills attitude - Cleo Plendor (Dinah Lacey) - Daughter of Velda, who does not have a mother/daughter relationship but only a troop relationship
- Jamie (Tori SpellingTori SpellingVictoria Davey "Tori" Spelling is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for her role as Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?...
) - Cleo's friend who is helping sabotage Troop Beverly Hills
Cameos
Several prominent people make cameos in the films including Kareem Abdul-JabbarKareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...
, Pia Zadora
Pia Zadora
Pia Zadora is an American actress and singer. After working as a child actress on Broadway, in regional theater, and in the film Santa Claus Conquers the Martians , she came to national attention in 1981 when, following her starring role in the highly criticized Butterfly, she won a Golden Globe...
, Robin Leach
Robin Leach
Robin Douglas Leach is an English celebrity writer famous for hosting his first show, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, in the mid-1980s and into the mid-1990s, which focused on profiling well-known celebrities and their lavish homes, cars and other materialistic endeavors...
, Cheech Marin
Cheech Marin
Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin is an American comedian, actor and writer who gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s, and as Don Johnson's partner, Insp. Joe Dominguez on Nash Bridges...
, salonist Christophe Schatteman, reporter George Christy, Annette Funicello
Annette Funicello
Annette Joanne Funicello is an American singer and actress. She was Walt Disney's most popular cast member of the original Mickey Mouse Club, and went on to appear in a series of beach party films.-Early life and early stardom:...
, Frankie Avalon
Frankie Avalon
Frankie Avalon is an American actor, singer, playwright, and former teen idol.-Career:By the time he was 12, Avalon was on U.S. television playing his trumpet. As a teenager he played with Bobby Rydell in Rocco and the Saints...
, and Dr. Joyce Brothers
Joyce Brothers
Joyce Brothers is an American psychologist, television personality and advice columnist, publishing a daily syndicated newspaper column since 1960.-Personal life:...
.
Locations
Many of the most famous places of Beverly Hills are seen throughout the film, including: Beverly Hills HotelBeverly Hills Hotel
The Beverly Hills Hotel is a hotel on Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California. It was opened on May 12, 1912 by Margaret J. Anderson and her son, Stanley S. Anderson, who had been managing the Hollywood Hotel. The original main building of The Beverly Hills Hotel was designed by Pasadena...
, Cristophe Salon, Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards and received several other movie awards and nominations during more than 50 years as an...
's "Workout", Wolfgang Puck
Wolfgang Puck
Wolfgang Johannes Puck is an Austrian-American celebrity chef, restaurateur, businessman and occasional actor. Wolfgang Puck restaurants, catering services, cookbooks and licensed products are run by Wolfgang Puck Companies, with three divisions...
's Spago, and Rodeo Drive
Rodeo Drive
Rodeo Drive of Beverly Hills, California is a shopping district known for designer label and haute couture fashion. The name generally refers to a three-block long stretch of boutiques and shops but the street stretches further north and south....
.
External links
- Troop Beverly Hills on the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
.