Last weekend, I was at Blockbuster and browsed through their used DVD bins. I found and bought a movie I remember from my youth, Troop Beverly Hills.
In this film from 1989, Shelley Long plays a pampered Beverly Hills housewife who is in the process of divorcing her husband (Craig T. Nelson). She decides to lead her daughter's Wilderness Girls troop (hence the title of the movie).
Velda Plendor, the villain, was played by Betty Thomas. She is now a director, working on films like Howard Stern's Private Parts, and most recently on Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel.
The cast features many familiar character actors. Mary Gross (Saturday Night Live--she did a great Alfalfa) is Velda's assistant. Audra Lindley (Mrs. Roper from Three's Company) is in charge of the Wilderness Girls operations. Shelley Morrison (Rosario, Karen Walker's maid on Will and Grace) plays Rosa the housekeeper. Some of the girls in the Troop include Amy Foster (the rich girl on Punky Brewster), Emily Schulman (Harriet, the neighbor girl from the robot-child show, Small Wonder) and Kellie Martin (from Life Goes On). Tori Spelling plays one of the girls from the rival Redfeather Troop.
What I remember most about this movie is the animated title sequence designed by animator John Kricfalusi (the creator of Ren and Stimpy). The drawings are so exuberant and wild! I also love the Beach Boys song, "Make It Big", that goes along with the cartoon.
