Camp Runamuck
| Camp Runamuck | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | David Swift |
| Written by |
William Freedman Ben Gershman Sidney A. Mandel Ann Marcus Bob Rodgers David Swift |
| Directed by |
Charles Barton Bruce Bilson Howard Duff Hal March R. Robert Rosenbaum David Swift |
| Starring |
Arch Johnson Dave Ketchum Dave Madden Hermione Baddeley Alice Nunn |
| Theme music composer | Frank DeVol |
| Opening theme | "Camp Runamuck Theme" |
| Composer(s) |
Frank DeVol Ed Forsyth |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | David Swift |
| Producer(s) | Billy Friedberg |
| Editor(s) | Ralph James Hall |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Runamuck Productions Inc. Screen Gems Television |
| Distributor |
Columbia TriStar Domestic Television (2001) Sony Pictures Television |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Picture format | Pathécolor |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original run | September 17, 1965 – September 2, 1966 |
Camp Runamuck is an American sitcom which aired on NBC during the 1965-1966 television season. The series was created and executive produced by David Swift, and aired for 26 episodes.
Synopsis
The series related the wacky goings-on at the titular boys' summer camp, and at Camp Divine, its girls counterpart across the lake. Runamuck was run by Commander Wivenhoe (Arch Johnson), a man who couldn't stand kids, and senior counselor Spiffy (Dave Ketchum), his assistant of sorts.
Helping them out were counselor Pruett (Dave Madden), Doc Joslyn, and camp cook Malden (Mike Wagner). Eulalia Divine (Hermione Baddeley) was the owner of the girls' camp, which was run by chief counselor Mahalia May Gruenecker (Alice Nunn). Nina Wayne (older sister of Carol) played Camp Divine's curvaceous counsellor Caprice Yeudleman. The competitiveness between the two camps and the incidents and accidents that would normally occur at such summer camps - missing kids, people falling into the lake, food poisoning, and so on - formed the basis of most of the show's plots.
The series was scheduled opposite CBS's The Wild Wild West and ABC's The Flintstones and struggled in the ratings. The series was finally canceled in September 1966 after one season.[1]
Production notes
Composer and bandleader Frank DeVol (who also wrote the series' theme song) played the part of Doc Joslyn in the pilot episode but illness forced him to quit the role, and he was replaced by Leonard Stone for the actual series.[2] In April 1966, Dell Comics issued a Camp Runamuck comic book.[3]
Some of the characters on that show were based on some of the names described in the song "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh" by Allan Sherman, including Joe Spivey.
Cast
- Arch Johnson as Commander Wivenhoe
- Dave Ketchum as Senior Counsellor Spiffy
- Dave Madden as Counselor Pruett
- Frank De Vol as Doc Joslyn (1)
- Leonard Stone as Doc Joslyn (2)
- Mike Wagner as Camp Cook Malden
- Hermione Baddeley as Eulalia Divine
- Alice Nunn as Mahalia May Gruenecker
- Nina Wayne as Caprice Yeudleman
- George Dunn as The Sheriff
Episodes
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "Camp Runamuck" | September 17, 1965 |
| 1-2 | "Rabbits of the World Unite" | September 24, 1965 |
| 1-3 | "Fraternize" | October 1, 1965 |
| 1-4 | "I'm in Luv with Your Beautiful Limpid Eyes, But I Can't Marry You Because You're a Cow" | October 8, 1965 |
| 1-5 | "Say, You're A Bleeder Aren't You?" | October 15, 1965 |
| 1-6 | "There Not Making Hurricanes Like They Used To" | October 22, 1965 |
| 1-7 | "Turtle???" | October 29, 1965 |
| 1-8 | "Slaughter" | November 5, 1965 |
| 1-9 | "Today is Parent's Day" | November 12, 1965 |
| 1-10 | "Masquerade" | November 19, 1965 |
| 1-11 | "Spiffy Quits - Part 1" | November 26, 1965 |
| 1-12 | "Spiffy Quits - Part II" | December 3, 1965 |
| 1-13 | "Soapsuds" | December 10, 1965 |
| 1-14 | "The New Swimming Pool" | December 24, 1965 |
| 1-15 | "Wivenhoe's New Car" | December 31, 1965 |
| 1-16 | "Tomboy" | January 7, 1966 |
| 1-17 | "Look Out, Here Comes Arnie" | January 14, 1966 |
| 1-18 | "Diet" | January 28, 1966 |
| 1-19 | "Air Conditioner" | February 4, 1966 |
| 1-20 | "Food Poisoning" | February 11, 1966 |
| 1-21 | "Building" | February 25, 1966 |
| 1-22 | "Termites" | March 4, 1966 |
| 1-23 | "Peace" | March 18, 1966 |
| 1-24 | "Malden Falls in Love" | March 25, 1966 |
| 1-25 | "Senior Citizens" | April 8, 1966 |
| 1-26 | "Commander for a Day" | April 15, 1966 |
Syndication
The series aired in the UK by the BBC on Saturday mornings ten years after it aired in the United States. (Although this was the first network UK screening of Camp Runamuck, the series was aired by some ITV regional stations in 1969). In the United States, it briefly ran on Comedy Central.
References
- ↑ Hyatt, Wesley (2003). Short-lived Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 flops. McFarland & Co. p. 155. ISBN 0-7864-1420-0.
- ↑ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (7 ed.). Ballantine Books. p. 157. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
- ↑ Eury, Michael; Giordano, Dick (2003). Dick Giordano: Changing Comics, One Day at a Time. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 1967. ISBN 1-893905-27-6.