The short-lived Camp Runamuck ran on NBC for a year beginning in September 1965 and related the wacky goings-on at the titular boys’ summer camp and at Camp Divine, its girls’ counterpart directly across the lake – although it’s a 32 mile drive around the lake.
The slipshod, mismanaged Camp Runamuck was owned and run by Commander Wallace ‘Wally’ Wivenhoe (Arch Johnson) – a man who couldn’t stand kids – and 32-year-old senior counsellor George Spiffy (Dave Ketchum), his assistant of sorts.
Helping out were Counsellor Stanley Pruett (Dave Madden, who played Reuben on The Partridge Family), Doc Joslyn (played at first by composer Frank De Vol and then by Leonard Stone) and camp cook Malden (Mike Wagner).
Commander Wivenhoe was cheap and had few pleasures in life; playing golf relaxed him, eating quinces (fruit) every morning with his breakfast pleased him but the manipulation of his counsellors by the female counsellors irritated him.
Eulalia Divine (Hermione Baddeley) owned the impeccably run and managed girls camp, which was run by matronly chief counsellor Mahalia May Gruenecker (Alice Nunn).
Nina Wayne (older sister to the late Carol) played va-va-voom Camp Divine counsellor Caprice Yeudleman. Caprice was a Rhodes scholar (she attended Oxford University) who drove Wivenhoe’s men crazy – especially Pruett. When Caprice called him “Prusey”, he shook violently from head to tow, but a slap on the face returned him to normal.
Caprice was brighter than she presented herself and loved to walk in the rain. She had a pet rabbit named Bridget.
The girls sounded assembly (by bugle) at 6:00 AM and drove Wivenhoe and his counsellors batty with their song Good Morning to You, which they sang each morning before the day’s activities.
Irving and Virginia were the two unrealistic bears who commented from the woods on the various camp activities.
Commander Wallace ‘Wally’ Wivenhoe Arch Johnson Senior Counsellor George Spiffy
Dave Ketchum
Counsellor Stanley Pruett
Dave Madden
Doc Joslyn
Frank De Vol (1)
Leonard Stone (2)
Camp Cook Malden
Mike Wagner
Eulalia Divine
Hermione Baddeley
Mahalia May Gruenecker
Alice Nunn
Caprice Yeudleman
Nina Wayne
The Sheriff
George Dunn
Video
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The slipshod, mismanaged Camp Runamuck was owned and run by Commander Wallace ‘Wally’ Wivenhoe (Arch Johnson) – a man who couldn’t stand kids – and 32-year-old senior counsellor George Spiffy (Dave Ketchum), his assistant of sorts.
