Joe Camp, Benji film writer and director, dies at 84 Hollywood

Joe Camp, the American writer and director best known for producing the Benji films, has died. He was 84 years old. His son, director Brandon Camp, confirmed the news of his death, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Joe died at his home in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, on Friday morning after a long illness. (Also Read: Jennifer Lopez’s ‘This Is Me… Now’ Tour: Unexplained Cancellations and Chart Problems)

Joe Camp dies

Joe is widely known for his Benji films, but the road to success was difficult for him. He had to raise $500,000 to make Benji’s first film, about a dog who rescues a pair of children from kidnappers, which then became the ninth highest-grossing film of 1974, with collections of $39 million. The famous track from the film, I Feel Love (Benji’s Theme), sung by Charlie Rich, received an Academy Award nomination and won a Golden Globe.

Joe Camp’s son, director Brandon Camp, told the same publication how no one was interested in making the film. He showed it to every studio, and every one of them was a success. They all said: No one is interested in this movie. Disillusioned, Joe established his own distribution company Mulberry Square Releasing in 1974 and marketed the film.

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Benji’s success with Higgins the dog led to more films being made for the franchise, including For the Love of Benji (1977), The Phenomenon of Benji (1978) and Benji’s Very Own Christmas Story (TV short 1978) among others. The last two films in the series were produced in 1987 with the help of Disney, Benji the Hunted and Benji: Off the Leash! In 2004.

Joe was an animal lover and bestselling author. He was also known for his work with horses. He is the author of the book The Spirit of the Horse: Life Lessons from the Herd, which was released in 2008. The book is centered around what he learned and lessons from his time working with the creatures.

The director is survived by his wife, Kathleen, along with his sons, Joe and Brandon. and his children, David, Dylan and Allegra.

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