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Joe Camp Dies: ‘Benji’ Franchise Writer, Director & Producer Was 84

Joe Camp, who wrote, produced and directed a series of films and TV shows about a dog named Benji, has died at 84.

His death was announced by his son, the director Brandon Camp, who told Deadline that his father died after a prolonged illness at his home in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, surrounded by family. In addition to the long-lasting Benji franchise that began in 1974 and would continue well into the 21st Century, Camp co-wrote and directed Hawmps!, the 1976 Western comedy that replaced horses with camels, and 1979’s The Double McGuffin, a mystery film starring Ernest Borgnine and George Kennedy. By 1979, the franchise was strong enough to attract a major studio – 20th Century Fox – and a post- Saturday Night Live Chevy Chase, who co-starred with Benji in Oh Heavenly Dog; Camp co-wrote, produced and directed the feature, released in 1980.

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