Camp MTV
Encyclopedia
Camp MTV was a 6-hour special (including commercials and music videos) produced by MTV
that aired on that channel Sunday, July 30, 1989. MTV’s then-current personalities invaded Camp Scatico
, a brother-sister sleep-away camp
in Columbia County of New York state. During the special, the film UHF
, which was about to be released by Orion Pictures
, was promoted. It was the brainchild of executive Doug Herzog
, who was the vice president of programming at the time. Scatico was chosen because Herzog attended the camp during the 1970s.
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
that aired on that channel Sunday, July 30, 1989. MTV’s then-current personalities invaded Camp Scatico
Camp Scatico
Camp Scatico is a brother-sister sleep-away camp for boys and girls located in the upper Hudson Valley of New York State, in Columbia County.-History:Camp Scatico has been in operation since 1921. It was founded by Nat Holman of the Original Celtics...
, a brother-sister sleep-away camp
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
in Columbia County of New York state. During the special, the film UHF
UHF (film)
UHF is a 1989 American comedy film starring "Weird Al" Yankovic, David Bowe, Fran Drescher, Victoria Jackson, Kevin McCarthy, Michael Richards, Gedde Watanabe, Billy Barty, Anthony Geary, Emo Philips and Trinidad Silva, in whose memory the film is dedicated.The title refers to Ultra High Frequency...
, which was about to be released by Orion Pictures
Orion Pictures
Orion Pictures Corporation was an American independent production company that produced movies from 1978 until 1998. It was formed in 1978 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and three former top-level executives of United Artists. Although it was never a large motion picture producer, Orion...
, was promoted. It was the brainchild of executive Doug Herzog
Doug Herzog
Douglas Alan "Doug" Herzog is an American television executive.He is currently serving as President of MTV Networks Entertainment Group...
, who was the vice president of programming at the time. Scatico was chosen because Herzog attended the camp during the 1970s.
Hour 1
- Randee of the RedwoodsJim Turner (comedian)Jim Turner is an American actor and comedian, born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. His father, George Turner, was in the Air Force and moved his family around often during Jim's youth to places including Quebec, Arizona, and Iowa. Turner married Lynn Freer in 1992 and they have a son, Otto...
announces that camp has begun by raising the Camp MTV flag and then by performing air guitarAir guitarPlaying air guitar is a form of dance and movement in which the performer pretends to play rock or heavy metal-style electric guitar, including riffs, solos, etc. Playing an air guitar usually consists of exaggerated strumming and picking motions and is often coupled with loud singing or lip-synching...
while Jimi HendrixJimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
’s rendition of “The Star-Spangled BannerThe Star-Spangled Banner"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
” is heard. - Adam CurryAdam CurryAdam Clark Curry is a broadcasting and Internet personality well known for his stint from 1987 to 1994 as a video jockey on the music video channel MTV. In the mid-1990s, Curry was a World Wide Web entrepreneur and one of the first celebrities to personally create and administer a Web site...
welcomes viewers to Camp MTV in the radio shack and gives a rundown of things to come. Afterward, he introduces the song “Hey, LadiesHey Ladies"Hey Ladies" is a song by American hip hop group the Beastie Boys, featured on their album Paul's Boutique. It was the album's only charting single, hitting #36 on the Billboard Hot 100...
” by the Beastie BoysBeastie BoysBeastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
. - Camp director “Weird Al” Yankovic"Weird Al" YankovicAlfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
opens Camp MTV with the assembled campers and staff in the dining hall, and Stanley SpadowskiMichael RichardsMichael Anthony Richards is an American actor, comedian, writer and television producer, best known for his portrayal of the eccentric Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom Seinfeld....
wants to go hiking. No one else wants to go, so Al offers to take everyone out for banana slug burritos. - Colin QuinnColin QuinnColin Edward Quinn is an American stand-up comedian and writer best known for his five years in the cast of Saturday Night Live, as the sidekick/announcer of MTV's late 1980s gameshow Remote Control and as host of Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn on Comedy Central from 2002–2004.-Early years:Quinn was...
, John Ten Eyck, Mario JoynerMario JoynerMario Joyner is an American stand-up comedian best known as the host of MTV's Half Hour Comedy Hour from 1988–1992....
, and Chris ConnellyChris Connelly (reporter)Chris Connelly is an American sports and entertainment reporter.Connelly joined ESPN in 2001 to host the daily interview program Unscripted with Chris Connelly, designed to be a more contemporary version of the long-running Up Close interview show which previously occupied the 5PM ET timeslot...
discuss tattoos in their bunk. Ken OberKen OberKen Ober was an American game show host, comedian, and actor.- Early life and career :Born Kenneth Oberding in Brookline, Massachusetts, he was raised in Hartford, Connecticut. Ober hosted four game shows over the course of his career. He received his break after appearing as a contestant on Star...
arrives, personal assistant in tow (played by a camper whose name was misspelled in the article that appeared in The Times Union—see reference #1), and shakes things up. - Ken settles in and is welcomed by Al and Stanley.
- Kevin Seal lectures about fire safety and introduces Ranger Bob (also Ten Eyck) to some counselors. The lecture’s boring, so it’s drowned out by loud music and a crawl at the bottom of the screen.
- Victoria JacksonVictoria JacksonVictoria Jackson is an American comedian, actress, satirist and singer best known as a cast member of the NBC television sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1992....
discusses bugs with a hockey-masked maniac.
Hour 2
- Adam and Ken, all but set to win the 3-legged marathon, are interviewed by Kevin at the end of the race and are upset by a pair of campers. Kevin promises to interview the winners, but it never happens.
- Colin discusses activities that are against the rules. They lead to punishment in the Hard-Time Box—which turns out to be quite luxurious.
- Ken, Mario, and Colin discuss their love of camp and the hardships they suffer at home.
- In the radio shack, Adam talks about the mosquito problem and introduces the song “18 & Life” by Skid Row.
- Ed LoverEd LoverJames Roberts , better known as Ed Lover, is an African-American rapper, actor, musician, radio personality, and former MTV VJ.-Biography:...
, Doctor DréDoctor DreAndré "Doctor Dré" Brown is an African American radio personality and former MTV VJ.-Career:Doctor Dré is best known for being the co-host of MTV's hip hop music specialty program Yo! MTV Raps with partner Ed Lover. The duo also starred in the 1993 film Who's the Man?...
, Randee, Ken, Mario, Colin, and Chris discuss the women of MTV while stuck in a rowboat. - Victoria and Angela discuss boys at the girls’ waterfront.
Hour 3
- Two JasonsJason VoorheesJason Voorhees is a fictional character from the Friday the 13th series of slasher films. He first appeared in Friday the 13th , as the son of camp cook-turned-murderer, Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Miller, with contributions by Ron Kurz, Sean S...
—Mario and Randee—realize they’re in each others’ movies because of a scheduling mistake. - Victoria rhymesRappingRapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
with Ed and Dré. - Ranger Bob discusses snake bites and faints from one he suffers.
- In the radio shack, Adam discusses rats, the counselors’ bunks, and a toilet-paper shortage. Then, he introduces the song “What You Don’t KnowWhat You Don't Know (Exposé song)"What You Don't Know" is a 1989 song by the American girl group Exposé. It was written and produced by the group's founder, Lewis Martineé, and appears on Exposé's second album, What You Don't Know....
” by ExposéExposé (band)Exposé is an American vocal group. Primarily consisting of lead vocalists Ann Curless, Jeanette Jurado, and Gioia Bruno, the group achieved much of their success in the late 1980s and early 1990s, becoming the first group to have four top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart from their debut...
. - In the arts-and-crafts shack, Randee makes a paperweight while Ed, Dré, and some campers watch.
- Chris discusses film theory and Sergei EisensteinSergei EisensteinSergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein , né Eizenshtein, was a pioneering Soviet Russian film director and film theorist, often considered to be the "Father of Montage"...
with campers—and then introduces a clip from UHF.
Hour 4
- Chez Mario’s Kitchen, which prepares inedible food.
- Ranger Bob has fun with a bear on the potty and his droppings.
- Al and Stanley go fishing.
- Martians land in Grover’s Corners, à la Orson WellesOrson WellesGeorge Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
, and possess Adam in the radio shack. He becomes Lorgin, who introduces the song “So Alive” by Love and RocketsLove and Rockets (band)Love and Rockets were an English alternative rock band formed in 1985 by former Bauhaus members Daniel Ash , David J , and Kevin Haskins . Former Bauhaus vocalist Peter Murphy had embarked on a solo career after Bauhaus split in 1983...
. - Ed, Dré, Mario, and Ken play basketball with some young campers and win by cheating, announcing that Downtown Julie BrownDowntown Julie BrownJulie Dorne Brown, also known as Downtown Julie Brown , is an English actress and former MTV VJ.Of mixed race, Brown's father, Valentine Brown, was Jamaican and her mother, Doreen, is white...
has come to camp. - Angela answers questions about boys for Alicia CoppolaAlicia CoppolaAlicia Coppola is an American television actress.-Career:Coppola started her TV career as a hostess on the MTV game show Remote Control. In 1991, she was hired to play vixen Lorna Devon on the soap opera Another World; she played the role until 1994...
(billed as Allicia Coppola) and some Club MTVClub MTVClub MTV was a half hour television show molded after American Bandstand that aired on MTV between the years 1985 and 1992. Club MTV was part of MTV's second generation of programming when they were phasing out the original 5 VJs and introducing new ones.-Background and format:Hosted by Downtown...
dancers.
Hour 5
- Doctor Al defends the radical surgical techniques that he learned at the Sore-BonieSorbonneThe Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
after removing a camper’s eye with a bug in it. - Head counselor Mario confronts Al about the radical surgical techniques he learned at the Sore-Bonnie, complete with a different pronunciation of the place from the previous segment.
- Colin, Ken, and Mario make deals to acquire contrabandContrabandThe word contraband, reported in English since 1529, from Medieval French contrebande "a smuggling," denotes any item which, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold....
items, such as soft toilet paper. - Smelly sneakers and a funeral for a group of campers who tried to escape make for another round of announcements from Adam in the radio shack, who then introduces the song “Express Yourself” by Madonna CicconeMadonna (entertainer)Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
. - Play rehearsal with Kevin, who hopes that the campers can provide him with a show-business connection after their parents see their performance. A 10-year-old Julie KlausnerJulie KlausnerJulie Klausner is a New York City-based author, podcaster, and comedy writer-performer, whose first book, I Don't Care About Your Band, was released in February 2010 by Gotham/Penguin Books. In July 2010, it was announced that Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's Production Company, Gary Sanchez...
is among the rehearsing campers. - Stanley has fun with an oversized boogie board.
- Chris interviews Kevin about the camp play, and Kevin’s ego has grown so big at this point that he renames himself Kevin Eisenstein.
Hour 6—campfire and talent show
- Victoria sings “The Boyfriend Song.”
- Ed and Dré start to perform Public Enemy’s “Don’t Believe the HypeDon't Believe the Hype"Don't Believe the Hype" is the second single of Public Enemy's second album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. The song's lyrics are mostly about the political issues that were current in the U.S. at the time of its release. "Don't Believe the Hype" charted at number 18 on the U.S....
,” complete with call-and-response, but finish with the much more benign theme from Gilligan’s IslandGilligan's IslandGilligan's Island is an American television series created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz and originally produced by United Artists Television. The situation comedy series featured Bob Denver; Alan Hale, Jr.; Jim Backus; Natalie Schafer; Tina Louise; Russell Johnson; and Dawn Wells. It aired for...
. - Ken and Colin discuss roasting marshmallows with disastrous and harmful results.
- Randee tries to get everyone to sing a corny song, but when Dré begins to beat boxBeatboxingBeatboxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. It may also involve singing, vocal imitation of turntablism, and the simulation of horns, strings, and other musical instruments...
and Al joins in with his accordion, everyone joins in the merriment. - Alicia sings some campfire songs a little too nonchalantly, so Steve Treccase, accompaniying her on a RolandRoland Corporationis a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972, with ¥33 million in capital. In 2005 Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Today it has factories in Japan,...
keyboard, breaks into a song about dead bodies that ruins the vibe completely. - Everyone sings Three Dog NightThree Dog NightThree Dog Night is an American rock band best known for their music from 1968 to 1975. During that time the band charted 21 Billboard top 40 hits in America, three of which reached Number One...
’s “Joy to the WorldJoy to the World (Hoyt Axton song)"Joy to the World" is a song written by Hoyt Axton, and made famous by the band Three Dog Night. The song is also popularly known by its opening words, "Jeremiah was a bullfrog"...
,” accompanied by human beat box and keyboards. Al says good bye.
Credits
- Director: David DeGiovanni
- Producer: David DeGiovanni
- Executive Producer: Joel Gallen, Doug Herzog (uncredited)
- Writers: Bat Mondavi, Peter Gaffney, David DeGiovanni, Peter Elwell, Keith Kaczorek
- Associate Producers: Norman Champion, Lisa Erlich Rapkin
- Production Manager: Susette Hsuing
- Production Coordinators: Beth Greenbaum, Marilyn J. Papa
- Editor: Andy Kadison
- Technical Manager: George Epley
- Technical Coordinator: Harvey Gold
- Lighting Director: Bill Berner
- Camera: Paul Koestner, Richard Smith
- Video Engineer: Roger Miller
- Chyron: JT Tavares
- Gaffer: John Berry
- Electricians: Andy Hiliger, Gerard Macavoy
- Talent Assistants: Gerri Bulion, Stephanie Kahn
- Props: Jaime Bishop, Dan Fischer
- Make-up: Maria Matteos
- Director of On-Air Services: Rachel Gruhin
- Manager of Operations: Hank Kiechlin
- Director of Talent: Drue Wilson
- Production Associate: Stacey Wolf
- Production Assistants: Wyatt Baker, Jacqueline Barba, Mike Daole, Mike Flanagan, Dan Michaels, Bill Miller, Amy Rachlin, Jonathen Swain, Holly Tooker, Eric Whepley, Tony Wilesko, Doug Wilson
- Production Support: Lydia Cannito, Barbara Milberg
- Interns: Raquel Alvardo, William Costell, Jillian Harris, Scott Mitchell
- Concept: Vinnie Longobardo
- Special Thanks: John Hickey, Gwenn Howard, the Fleischner family, Camp Scatico