Cinematic and Theatrical Techniques in Troop Beverly Hills

I wrote the following post for the summer course I am teaching, which is called THR 350: Plays as Film. The first unit is on the terms "theatrical" and "cinematic," and students are asked to track theatrical and cinematic techniques in one of the top 50 highest-grossing films (or a personal favorite film. My post is a little bit longer than the suggested length of 500 words.

Cinematic and Theatrical Techniques in Troop Beverly Hills

One of my favorite movies is Troop Beverly Hills, a 1989 comedy starring Shelley Long and directed by Jeff Kanew. This film is not even close to the top 50 highest-grossing films of all time, but I watched it often with my sisters growing up, to the point that most of my family can recite lengthy portions of the dialogue.  It is a film that offers a balance between theatrical and cinematic strategies, primarily because the central protagonist is a larger-than-life persona.

Shelley Long plays Phyllis Nefler, a housewife and socialite who is going through a “terribly messy divorce” from husband Fred Nefler, played by Craig T. Nelson. Jenny Lewis (now a singer-songwriter) plays Hannah Nefler, Phyllis’s daughter. Phyllis becomes the leader of Hannah’s Wilderness Girl troop, leading to much mother-daughter bonding and to Phyllis finding meaning in life. Phyllis’s main antagonist is Velda Plendor (played by Betty Thomas), the District Leader of the Wilderness Girls organization who clashes with Phyllis over what it means to be a Wilderness Girl.

Troop Beverly Hills makes use of cinematic elements to tell the story in two main ways: location shots indicate realistic places, and juxtaposition shows the passage of time. The film begins with an animated title sequence that transforms into a real-world setting, using a cinematic technique known as a dissolve. Other key location shots include shops on Rodeo Drive, the steps of a courthouse, and a log over a ravine in the film’s climactic scene. The realism of these locations is often increased by the use of extras, who inhabit the space along with central characters in the film, but whose behavior is not important to the narrative of the film. For example, when Velda walks toward the hotel where Phyllis and her troop are staying, two joggers run by. These extras add to the sense that the characters from the film are inhabiting the real world. (Because the “real world” of this film is Beverly Hills, the joggers are Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon, who starred in a number of beach-related teen movies in the 1960s. This casting adds a layer of intertextuality that may push toward theatricality, if viewers recognize Frankie and Annette.)

Another cinematic strategy is the use of juxtaposition to show the passage of time. In a long sequence, Phyllis leads Hannah’s troop in earning a series of merit badges. Each segment is introduced with a shot of Phyllis sitting at a table, reading the Wilderness Girl Handbook. The camera focuses on the book so that the spectator can see the topic of the patch the girls are going to earn. Then the girls enact the requirements for earning the patch. A shot of the Dance patch is followed by a scene in which Phyllis teaches the troop nostalgic dances such as the Frug and the Mashed Potato.  A close-up on the “Create-A-Patch” page shows Phyllis drawing a diamond for the Jewelry Appraisal Patch, which leads into a scene in a jewelry store. While this type of juxtaposition would be possible on stage, it is much more frequently used in film and is clearly a cinematic technique. (A related technique is known as montage; all of the Rocky films feature montage sequences that show Rocky training for a boxing match.)   

The theatrical aspects of Troop Beverly Hills center on the outlandish antics of the character Phyllis Nefler. Phyllis is constantly trying to be the center of attention, putting herself into situations where she has an audience. She takes the stage at several troop meetings, in a courtroom, and at a lavish party. During an extended sequence related to cookie sales, Phyllis and the troop perform an elaborate “Cookie Time” song-and-dance number surrounded by orange and green cookie boxes. Phyllis also organizes a fashion show highlighting the “Wilderness Look,” her own revised take on the Wilderness Girl uniform (in collaboration with her tailor, Henri).  Costume is a significant theatrical aspect of this film; Phyllis’s outfits frequently call attention to herself. In this and other ways, Shelley Long’s portrayal of Phyllis Nefler is comparable to Rosalind Russell’s Mame Dennis in Auntie Mame.  Auntie Mame offers an excellent example of theatrical strategies on film: many scenes end with the lights fading into a blackout, as though Mame were on a stage. Troop Beverly Hills doesn’t go quite that far, but we do frequently see Phyllis alone, talking to herself or to an object as though she had an audience. At the very beginning of the film she addresses a jewel-encrusted frog: “I’m going kiss you, froggy, and turn you into a handsome prince.” Later, she ruminates on her life changes in a monologue about metaphorical patches, such as the Divorce patch. This theatrical relationship to the audience is somewhat similar to Matthew Broderick’s narration in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, though Phyllis never acknowledges the viewer in the way that Ferris does.             

Troop Beverly Hills thus incorporates both theatrical and cinematic strategies. In this case, the theatrical strategies tend to focus on giving a sense of character. Phyllis is placed in theatrical situations to show us that her character has a big personality, but her soliloquies allow for a more intimate relationship with the audience. Nevertheless, cinematic strategies keep the film grounded in reality. Though Phyllis is a larger-than-life, theatrical character, the world she inhabits is based on the reality of Los Angeles. Cinematic techniques also allow the filmmakers to demonstrate the passage of time. As we watch other films in this course, try to track how filmmakers deploy both cinematic and theatrical strategies.