AMEN: GET 'EM UP SCOUT (TV)
Summary
One in this comedy television series about a dishonest church deacon and his relatives and friends.
Deacon Frye is asked to look after a troop of boy scouts on an overnight camping trip after their scoutmaster falls ill. He refuses, prompting remarks from the others about his selfishness. A lawyer from a major law firm comes to visit Deacon Frye, informing him that he is one of several candidates being considered for a lucrative position in the firm. The lawyer is interested in speaking with the other church staff, and Deacon Frye arranges a cocktail party at his house the following night preceding a formal dinner-dance event held by the firm. He asks the staff to attest to his character in front of the lawyer, although they are unwilling to do so. They say they will do so only if he looks after the boy scout troop, and he agrees. The other church board members make fun of Deacon Frye when he readies himself for the camping trip, donning a scoutmaster’s uniform. The board has their lawyer draw up a contract holding Deacon Frye to keep his various financial promises to the church, and he is cajoled into signing it. Out on the camping trip, Deacon Frye discovers that one of the scouts hid his younger brother in a duffel bag and sneaked him onto the campsite. He is forced to allow him to stay. Deacon Frye orders pizza and reluctantly shares it with the troop. The troop becomes concerned that a mountain lion may be nearby, and Deacon Frye offers to put their minds at ease by constructing a trap to capture it.
The next night, Deacon Frye and the church board prepare for their party with the law firm representatives. Deacon Frye is somewhat debilitated, as the camping trip has caused severe sinus congestion. He gives everyone “scripts” of what to say about him to the others at the party, although they refuse to go along with it. Two members of the boy scout troop visit Deacon Frye; they forgot to take down the trap, and are concerned that it may accidentally ensnare an innocent woodland creature. Deacon Frye points out to the older one that it was a fake trap, but nevertheless goes up to the woods to do so at everyone else’s urging. Deacon Frye and the boys reach the trap and find that nothing is in it, but Deacon Frye accidentally ensnares himself, leaving him hanging from a tree. A skunk emerges from the brush and sprays the helpless Deacon with its scent. Eventually he frees himself and arrives at the party, although his clogged sinuses prevent him from noticing the skunk smell on his clothes. The party guests recoil from him until Thelma informs him of his odor, and he goes out to explain the situation to them, characterizing himself as being concerned about the boy scout troop and wary of accidentally harming wildlife (which he was not). However, Deacon Frye’s plan backfires when the law firm decides not to hire him, fooled into thinking that he is essential to his church and community. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: November 30, 1999 9:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:23:32
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:62215
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; African-American Collection - Comedy
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1986-1991
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Ed. Weinberger … Executive Producer, Created by
- Arthur Julian … Executive Producer
- Barbara Dorio … Coordinating Producer
- Marsha Posner Williams … Supervising Producer
- Marshall Karp … Producer, Writer
- Terry Hart … Producer
- Reuben Cannon … Co-Producer
- Ken Johnston … Co-Producer
- Brenda Hanes … Associate Producer
- Bill Foster … Director
- Andrae Crouch … Music by, Theme Music by
- Vanessa Bell Armstrong … Theme Music by
- Sherman Hemsley … Cast, Deacon Ernest Frye
- Clifton Davis … Cast, Reverend Reuben Gregory
- Anna Maria Horsford … Cast, Thelma Frye
- Barbara Montgomery … Cast, Cassietta Hetebrink
- Roz Ryan … Cast, Amelia Hetebrink
- Jester Hairston … Cast, Rolly Forbes
- Jack Blessing … Cast, Lawrence Osborne
- Larenz Tate … Cast, LeShawn
- Tony T. Johnson … Cast, Chris
- Tajh Abdul-Samad … Cast, Boy Scout #1
- Hakeem Abdul-Samad … Cast, Boy Scout #3
- Ray Reinhardt … Cast, Mr. Langer
- Peter White … Cast, Mr. Lesser
- Jason Miyashiro … Cast, Boy Scout #2
- Virgil Wilson … Cast, Mr. Fairbanks
- Dave Morick … Cast, Mr. Durks
- Eunice Christopher … Cast, Mrs. Langer
- Renata Scott … Cast, Mrs. Lesser