Klassic Cinema: Troop Beverly HIlls

I had a joke when I did stand up that went, "I have seen Xanadu. I have never seen Schindler's List. I think this says something about me."

Dove tailing on that, this weekend, I once again did not watch Schindler's List. I did watch Troop Beverly Hills. Klassy with a K.



I was the target demographic for this movie when it came out in 1989 - the girls were about 10-11, I was nine. They were Wilderness Girls, I was a Camp Fire Girl. They lived in one of the weathliest areas in Southern California, I lived in a trailer court in Southern Idaho. See? Perfectly paralell!

Watching this movie as a twenty-eight year old woman, it was a much different experience. Especially since this movie is laden with odd cameos, before they were somebodies and twilights of being somebodies. Most popular in the 'before" category is Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis. Also in the movie, a young Kellie Martin and Carla Gugino. And Willie Garson from Sex in the City fame. One that may not be so obvious comes in the form of the opening credits - that animated sequence? Done by John Kricfalusi, creator of Ren & Stimpy.

Twilights (and I am fighting not to put Shelley Long here because I saw Hello Again! in the theatre and though I was only seven in 1987, I knew that my mother should get her money back) include Heather Hopper. Poor Heather Hopper! Denied the chance to be on Saved By the Bell and having to only settle on the laurels Good Morning Miss Bliss only sort of provided. Also, Ami Foster - better known to the likes of me and any Punky Foster fan as Margeaux Kramer. And - because one natural red headed Jenny Lewis wasn't enough, Small Wonder's Harriet Bindle, aka Emily Schulman is in there.

But this movie wins in the cameo department. We are to believe that Shelley Long's character - the wife of a lawyer/entrepreneuer/muffler man - knows such lumanaries such as Pia Zadora, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Cheech Marin and Robin Leech!

Okay, that's totally believable. This movie is like the Love Boat. It even has Ace from the Love Boat. You know. Ted McGinley. THE Ted McGinley.




THE Ted McGinley!

But. The best cameo goes to NOT Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello (as hard as that is to type) but Edd Byrnes.

Oh, yes. This one requires some thinking. In fact, my curiousity was picqued because I thought that it was Jon Voight at first. Upon some checking up, I flew into a fit of delight. Edd Byrnes...is Kookie.



KOOKIE. He is the ginchiest!

This movie isn't all pop culture, though. There are themes in this movie - serious themes - that run parallel to some of the sharpest and most clever films of today. Like The Prestige. Can you not deny the obvious dichotomy of Mary Gross's infiltration on Betty Thomas's insinstence to Shelly Long's organization, only to fall in love with her? That's right. Mary Gross is Scarlett Johansson to Betty Thomas's Hugh Jackman and Shelly Long's Christian Bale. Which makes Ted McGinley David Bowie, obviously.