Father and Scout (1994): Bob’s Your Uncle

Bob Saget was so unknown in the U.K. that he barely made the cover of Father and Scout’s VHS release. However, as Dave reckons, it’s because of him that this made-for-TV family flick is so palatable.

By the mid-‘90s, the late Bob Saget was primarily known for two things: his role of widowed father Danny Tanner in the long-running ABC sitcom, Full House, and his similarly lengthy hosting job as the frontman of America’s Funniest Home Videos. Both gigs ran almost concurrently for the better part of a decade, and it’s fair to say that their success put the kibosh on the beloved comedian establishing any kind of a movie career early doors, which is a real shame.

FATHER AND SCOUT was his sole lead in a feature, albeit one still within television. For Saget, though, it was a project that nearly didn’t get off the ground to begin with, as he explained to The Sacramento Bee shortly before the film aired:

“I had the choice of two scripts. One was a serious true story about an alcoholic father in jeopardy, and then there was this. When I first read it, it was very much a Revenge of the Nerds (1984) kind of thing, with nerdy dads against macho dads. For me, that was “OK, thank you, seen enough of that”. However, everyone said it was the sweetest script, and my agent said that they could rewrite it. Four months later they had done that, and it became a totally different movie.” [1]

Well, whatever screenwriters Sheldon Bull (the creator of Newhart) and Hoyt Hilsman did to knock Father and Scout into shape, they did a damn fine job of it, especially in regards to tailoring it to suit Saget’s biting sarcasm. The comedy icon plays Spencer Paley, a successful author who’s more comfortable in the solitary surroundings of his home than he is socialising with his peers. Such hermitical ways are doing little to bolster the relationship between him and his son, Michael (Brian Bonsall – the titular Mikey (1992) in Dennis Dimster’s notorious shocker), so, in an act of desperation, they set off to Catalina Island for a weekend of bonding, bravado and benevolence that will change their lives forever.

Anything G-rated that boasts an overriding air of wholesomeness will inevitably be prone to stepping into treacle-footed mawkish territory. Father and Scout is no exception. However, thanks to Saget, what could have become a misty-eyed measure of familial fellowship is kicked into life by enough one-liners and throwaway snark to lighten the mood of even the most curmudgeonly viewer.

At the helm, and directing for the final time, is small screen legend Richard Michaels, who started as a script supervisor in 1955 on The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok. Under his wizened gaze, everything is orderly and well-timed, while the legendary David Graf has the opportunity to steal a few scenes as competitive camper – and Vietnam vet – Chet.

Airing on ABC in mid-October 1994, Father and Scout debuted with a ton of press coverage to complement its audience friendly timeslot (7PM/8PM). The film arrived in the U.K. two years later via Entertainment in Video. Saget – a virtual no-name in Britain – was barely visible on the VHS cover.

USA ● 1994 ● Family, Comedy, TVM ● 92mins

Bob Saget, Brian Bonsall, Heidi Swedberg, David Graf ● Dir. Richard Michaels ● Wri. Sheldon Bull, Hoyt Hilsman