A Plumm Summer is a 2007 adventure-family film directed by Caroline Zelder. It stars Owen Pearce, Chris Massoglia (appearing under the name "Chris J. Kelly"), Morgan Flynn, William Baldwin, Henry Winkler, and Lisa Guerrero, and is narrated by Jeff Daniels. The film follows a teenage boy, his young brother, and a new-to-town teenage girl as they try to find a marionette from a local television show which has been stolen and held for ransom. Meanwhile, the brothers' father struggles with alcoholism and their mother tries to hold her marriage together.
Plot
The film is based on a real event that occurred in 1968 in Billings, Montana, the hometown of screenwriter T. J. Lynch.
A popular locally produced children's television show, Happy Herb & Froggy Doo, features magician Happy Herb (Henry Winkler) and his wisecracking marionette sidekick, Froggy Doo. Froggy Doo is stolen and held for ransom, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is called in to investigate. Elliott Plumm (Chris J. Kelly) used to watch the show, but now feels he is too grown up to do so any longer. His five-year-old brother, Rocky, is a Froggy Doo fan, however. Their father, Mick Plumm (William Baldwin), is a recovering alcoholic and unemployed ex-boxer who believes Elliott's birth prevented him from going to the Olympic Games 12 years earlier. Mick's emotionally distant relationship with Elliott is causing Elliott to become emotionally troubled. Their mother, Roxie Plumm (Lisa Guerrero), is the only breadwinner in the family, and keeping her husband sober and attending to her job means she has little time for her children.
Elliott shows little interest in the kidnapping. Shortly thereafter, however, Haley Dubois (Morgan Flynn) and her father arrive in their run-down mobile home and move in next door. Haley's father is the new deputy sheriff in town, and Haley is entranced by the mystery surrounding the kidnapping of Froggy Doo. Elliott quickly begins to fall in love with Haley, and soon he agrees to help Haley and Rocky find Froggy Doo in order to win Haley's heart. The three kids have to find the marionette before the two bumbling FBI agents, Hardigan (Peter Scolari) and Brinkman (Rick Overton) can do so. Elliott, Haley, and Rocky's list of suspects include the local bully, a store clerk, and Happy Herb's wife Viv (Brenda Strong). As the kids pursue the case, Elliott and Rocky's brotherly bond strengthens, and Elliott realizes he might not only win back the love of his father but provide his family with the substantial reward money and help his parents' marriage, too.
Cast
Jeff Daniels as The Narrator
William Baldwin as Mick Plumm
Henry Winkler as Happy Herb McAllister/Froggy Doo
Lisa Guerrero as Roxie Plumm
Chris Massoglia as Elliott Plumm
Owen Pearce as Rocky Plumm
Morgan Flynn as Haley Dubois
Brenda Strong as Viv McAllister
Tim Quill as Wayne Dubois
Peter Scolari as Agent Hardigan
Rick Overton as Agent Brinkman
Richard Riehle as Art Bublin
Clint Howard as Binky the Clown
Production
T.J. Lynch grew up in Billings, where the real-life Happy Herb and Froggy Doo show originated, and watched the show as a child. Lynch used the kidnapping of Froggy Doo as the basis for a screenplay, and interviewed Herb McAllister (the actor who played Happy Herb and provided Froggy Doo's voice) to gain background information for the script. Lynch and McAllister agreed to a contract which gave exclusive story rights to Lynch and permitted the use of the original Froggy Doo character design in the final film. Lynch contacted Caroline Zelder, a director/producer friend of his, and Zelder agreed to produce the film. Work on the script took roughly two-and-a-half to three years.
The budget was initially set at $3.5 million. A foreign film financing company agreed to provide financial backing for the picture, but pulled out just weeks after casting of the major leads was complete. Actor Lisa Guerrero and Scott Erickson (Guerrero's husband) formed Home Team Productions and partnered with Zelder and producer Frank Antonelli's company, Fairplay Pictures, to finance the film. Guerrero and her husband received executive producer credit on the film. The film was Guerrero's first film role. Erickson pitched the final game of his baseball career at Yankee Stadium in New York City, boarded a plane, and was producing the film just days later. Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer had a small role in the film as Sheriff Strunk. The real-life "Happy Herb," Herb McAllister, also had a cameo role in the film.