The Paper Brigade
| The Paper Brigade | |
|---|---|
 VHS cover | |
| Directed by | Blair Treu |
| Written by | Denice K. Rice |
| Produced by | David Anderson |
| Starring | Kyle Howard Robert Englund Kylee Cochran Chauncey Leopardi Travis Wester |
| Cinematography | Brian Sullivan |
| Edited by | David Blangsted |
| Music by | Ray Colcord |
Production company | Leucadia Film Corporation |
| Distributed by | Leucadia Film Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Paper Brigade (also known as Gunther and the Paper Brigade) is a 1996 adventure/comedy film directed by Blair Treu. The film stars Kyle Howard and Robert Englund. The story follows a group of small-town paperboys who band together to prevent bullies from taking over their routes.[1]
Plot
Gunther Wheeler (Kyle Howard) has moved with his family from New York City to the small and quiet suburb of Pleasant Valley. Gunther shows distaste for his new surroundings, which he judges to be lame and uneventful compared to the city. Shortly after, he meets his nerdy next-door neighbor, local paperboy Charlie Parker (Chauncey Leopardi). Charlie suggests to Gunther that he take over the delivery route from paperboy Leonard, who will be gone for the summer, but an uninterested Gunther declines. At the town mall, Gunther meets Allison Robbins (Kylee Cochran), a gorgeous waitress whom he instantly develops a crush on. Gunther runs into three local bullies, Chad, Luke, and Wylee, who are offering two concert tickets to see a famous band. Seeking a way to impress Allison, Gunther accepts their offer, but finds out the bullies demand $175 in cash only for the tickets.
In need of money, Gunther desperately calls Charlie about the paperboy job and swiftly accepts. Gunther assumes the job will be not a demanding one and carelessly tosses away a note Charlie gave him for helpful advice. On his first day on the route, Gunther runs into multiple unexpected nuisances, including pranks from bratty kids and an attack from a dog that jumps its fence. For his last delivery, Gunther decides to cut through the backyard side of a house, not realizing it is the home of Crazy Man Cooper (Robert Englund), a former military serviceman who has a habit of attacking intruders. Cooper ambushes Gunther with a paintball gun and sics his flock of guard-geese on him. Gunther is about to quit when the recipient of his last paper delivery of the morning turns out to be Allison. Gunther delivers the paper to her personally, and reminded by his mission, tells Charlie and the others he’ll give the job another try.
The next day Gunther shows up at the mall with the two tickets on loan from Chad and asks Allison out to the concert, which she accepts. Later on his route, he sees one recipient's lawn is scattered with old paper deliveries. He goes up to the door to inform the recipient, and the owner, Ida Hansen, an elderly widow who loves baseball, kindly invites him in. Mrs. Hansen explains to Gunther that because of her old age and physical condition, it’s hard for her to check the lawn. Gunther ensures her that he’ll deliver her papers straight to her mail slot. Shortly after, Chad and his friends drive up beside Gunther while he’s on his bike, demanding payment for the tickets. They force Gunther off the road and he crash lands into a swimming pool.
Some time later, Gunther confronts Charlie and the others demanding to know why he hasn’t been paid yet. Charlie explains to Gunther that they make money off of recipients' tips, and that there have been several complaints from customers about Gunther’s performance. A fed up Gunther, determined to improve his service, wakes up early and devises a plan to counter the obstacles encountered along his route. He successfully tricks the unchained dog and outsmarts other rough customers, including a recipient who stiffs him on payment. He also faces off against old man Cooper and wins the battle, winning Cooper’s respect and gaining permission to pass through his yard. Gunther improves spectacularly in his job and attitude and gets tipped generously, earning more than enough money to pay off Chad for the tickets.
Seeing how much Gunther is earning, Chad becomes intrigued and decides to take over the paperboys' routes. Chad, Luke and Wylee descend upon the boys and demand the addresses and delivery routes. They corner Gunther into giving up the newspapers by threatening to beat him up, and Gunther relents despite the protests of Charlie. Chad punches Gunther regardless. Back in the garage, Charlie and the others are disappointed at Gunther for failing to stick up for his own friends.
Later at the mall, Allison gives Gunther the cold shoulder. Having heard about what transpired with Charlie and the paperboys, she blows him off because of his cowardice to stand up to Chad and his gang. Gunther visits with Mrs. Hansen, who says she misses him and asks why her papers haven’t been coming through the mail slot lately. Gunther regretfully tells her she a new paperboy. Gunther learns the late Mr. Hansen was the co-founder of the local newspaper, and that every year on the couple’s anniversary, Mrs. Hansen goes to the stadium to watch a baseball game. However, she doesn’t know if she’ll be able to make the upcoming anniversary due to her condition.
The following day Gunther’s dad tells him how proud he is of his son for the progress and work ethic he’s demonstrated. Feeling remorse for his treatment of Charlie and the paperboys, Gunther gathers the group together and hatches a plan to sabotage Chad and his friends. Before embarking on their routes, the boys siphon gas from Chad’s car, forcing the bullies to deliver the papers on bike. They prank the bullies and lure them into Mr. Cooper’s yard, where they are ambushed by the boys and Cooper himself with paintballs. The bullies are driven off by Cooper's guard-geese and the paperboys claim victory at getting their routes back.
Later, a limousine arrives at Allison's house and she is presented with a rose, but to her surprise she is greeted by Gunther’s younger brother Andrew who explains to her that Gunther couldn’t make the concert because of something important that came up. Allison gets Andrew to tell him where Gunther is, and she arrives at a baseball stadium where Gunther has accompanied Mrs. Hansen to the game for her anniversary. Touched by Gunther’s maturity and selflessness, Allison gives Gunther a kiss.
Cast
- Kyle Howard as Gunther Wheeler, a city boy who moves to a small town.
- Robert Englund as 'Crazy Man' Cooper, a reputedly insane neighbor whom Gunther befriends.
- Kylee Cochran as Allison Robbins, Gunther's crush.
- Chauncey Leopardi as Charlie Parker, Gunther's nerdy neighbor and fellow paperboy.
- Travis Wester as Chad, Bully #1
- Ethan Glazer as Andrew Wheeler, Gunther's younger brother.
- Michael “Mikey” Peterson as Henry, a shy and quiet member of the neighborhood paperboys.
- Matthew Ness as 'Fish' Fisher, one of the neighborhood paperboys and a member of Charlie's group.
- Matthew Best as Gus, one of the neighborhood paperboys and a member of Charlie's group.
- Bibi Osterwald as Widow Hansen, a sweet lonely lady who loves baseball.
- Michael Stephenson as Luke, Bully #2
- Christopher Marsh as Wylee, Bully #3
- Joey Miyashima as Milkman
- Braden Powell as 'Scooter'
- Eean Crawford as Leonard
- Lincoln Anderson as Mickey
- Wes Brewer as Freddy
- Dennis Saylor as Mr. Litman
- Michael Flynn as Mr. Wheeler
- Karon Cook (Double) for Mrs. Wheeler
Release
The film was produced by the Utah-based company Leucadia Film Corporation[2] and was released on video on February 5, 1997.[3] It was frequently aired on HBO[4] and the Disney Channel.[5]
References
- ^ "10 movies that aren't DCOMs, and why 'Susie Q' isn't on Disney+". Hypable. June 9, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
- ^ "Leucadia Film Corp". BFI. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
- ^ "The Paper Brigade - Miscellaneous Notes". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
- ^ "Today's daytime movies". Toledo Blade. October 8, 1997. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
- ^ The Paper Brigade Disney Channel Promo (2003), retrieved July 17, 2022
External links
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