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Scouting on TV


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Lonesome Beaver: Sun, May 27, 9AM ET / 8AM CT on TVLand

 

Get those TiVos ready!

 

A "Leave it to Beaver" episode in which Scouting figures prominently is scheduled to air Sunday, May 27 at 9AM ET (8AM CT) on TVLand:

 

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Lonesome Beaver

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Beaver is crushed when he learns that Wally will now be attending a meeting for the Boy Scouts once a week, while Beaver is too young to join. He misses Wally but learns to cope with it by sleeping in Wally's Scout sleeping bag and preparing for when he turns eleven.

 

Cast as Wally's scoutmaster is John Hart, the actor who briefly replaced Clayton Moore as the title character on the old Lone Ranger TV series.

 

Tony Dow (Wally Cleaver), Barbara Billingsley (June Cleaver), Hugh Beaumont (Ward Cleaver), Jerry Mathers (Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver), Burt Mustin (Gus), Ken Osmond (Eddie Haskell), Buddy Hart (Chester Anderson), 'Tiger' Fafara (Tooey), Lillian O'Malley (Mrs. Whitney), John Hart (Scoutmaster)

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I seem to see many references to Scouting on TV lately. Some in sitcoms, some in cartoons. Usually the reference or scoutlike characters symbolize something fun or good. I wouldn't say positive or promotional, but never bad and dorky.

 

Even Spiderman III has Cub Scouts in it!!!

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I believe that Jerry Mathers, the actor who played Beaver Cleaver, was a Cub Scout. I think I read that when he was audtioning for the part he was a little "antsy" because he didn't want to miss his den meeting. I don't recall if I read that he went to the audition in his Cub Scout uniform.

 

I do have a question regarding Scouting in TV or movies. If they have Cub, Boy or Girl Scouts is in a show or movie, are the actors allowed to wear the official uniform or do they have real scouts in the movie or TV show? In the movie "Down & Derby were the boys actual Cub Scouts? I'm sure that in the PWD race, the did have real Scouts & Scouters.

 

REgarding the link to Wikipedia that epalmer84 posted, it said that the group Destiny's Child performed in Boy Scout shirts. Doesn't the BSA frown on that?

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I believe the BSA tightly controls appearances of actual Scouts and the use of uniforms in the media, particularly theatrical productions. If an official uniform is worn (such as in Down and Derby or Spiderman III) the BSA has given permission. The lawyers for the production company will have made sure, since they know that there are legal issues of trademarks and licensing involved.

 

Scouts who show up at things like the Today Show, are less likely to have been "cleared", due to the impromptu nature of the event.

 

The Destiny's Child example is one where someone got their hands on a used uniform and wore it as a "costume". The Insignia Guide states something to the effect that uniforms and insignia are for the use of registered members only. I believe the BSA's lawyers got involved here.

Read more about this: http://www.mninter.net/~blkeagle/celebs.htm

 

 

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Back in 2001 at the National Jamboree, the group "Three of Hearts" appeared during one of the shows. At one point, the three of them left the stage and came back wearing uniform tops, and by the look of the knots, adult uniform tops. Then the lead singer made a few comments that "could" have been deemed inappropriate.

 

All in all it was a memorable show, for many reasons

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Uniform or not the Scouts in our Troop liked Three of Hearts, more than what can be said for the Osmond's Third Generation.

Please don't tell anyone but I think the Three of Hearts even had sexier knees than me!!

In 2005 I know one twit who forgot to use sun screen on his sexy knees, it was hard to see where the red tops of the socks ended and the knees started.

Ea.

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  • 1 month later...

On today's (6-20-07) episode of "Leave it to Beaver", Scouting was mentioned at the very end. The episode was "The Boat Builders".

 

** SPOILER FOLLOWS **

 

None of the episode guides mention it, because its not really germane to the plot -- but at the very end, Beaver asks Wally how their parents could be happy (that Beaver didn't drown) at the same time they were mad (at the boys for disobeying Ward).

 

Wally answers by reminding Beaver when Larry Mondello got lost on a campout. When the SM told Larry's parents they had found him, they were happy, but when Larry got home, they started yelling at him.

 

Beaver asks how a person can be happy and mad at the same time, Wally answers maybe you have to be a parent to be able to do that.

 

So, although the mention of Scouting was only tangential to the main plot, I still thought it was nice to hear Scouting mentioned at all.

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  • 8 months later...

Has anyone seen the Hertz commercial about "going green" or something like that?

 

It involves a deer and another animal driving a car along a country road -- at one point they pass a group that looks a lot like a SM and his troop of several boys.

 

It flashed by kinda fast, but I don't think they were in official Scout uniforms (seems like they were wearing khaki pants instead of olive green) and the SM had what looked like a green campaign cap, but I'm not sure.

 

Has anyone else seen it?(This message has been edited by fgoodwin)

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Not about TV, but responding to comment about sunburned knees. Reminded me of the 1960 Jambo. After returning, my legs looked like barber poles of brown stripes. I lived in the high desert of California, and played baseball in HS, and of course P.E., swimming and so on. We practiced ball in shorts and hats a lot, due to the warm weather late in the season. So, I had tan from swimming trunks and bare feet, short socks and shoes with gym shorts, scout/explorer shorts with shorter socks, and then the official long socks with garters and scout shorts at Colorado Springs. Really an odd look.

 

 

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  • 2 months later...

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