Poison Ivy (1985 film)

Last updated
Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy Michael J Fox.jpg
VHS cover
GenreComedy
Romance
Written byBennett Tramer
Directed byLarry Elikann
Starring Michael J. Fox
Nancy McKeon
Caren Kaye
Adam Baldwin
Robert Klein
Joe Wright
Cary Guffey
Theme music composer Miles Goodman
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerDeborah Stoff
ProducerMarvin Miller
Production locations Hard Labor Creek State Park - Fairplay Road, Rutledge, Georgia
CinematographyRobert C. Jessup
EditorRobert F. Shugrue
Running time97 minutes
Production company NBC Productions
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseFebruary 10, 1985 (1985-02-10) [1]

Poison Ivy is a 1985 American made-for-television romantic comedy film starring Michael J. Fox and Nancy McKeon, directed by Larry Elikann, and written by Bennett Tramer. The film premiered on NBC on February 10, 1985 and aired just months before Fox's feature film breakthrough Back to the Future and follow-up Teen Wolf .

Contents

Plot

Michael J. Fox plays camp counselor Dennis Baxter, who works at a boys' summer camp called Camp Pinewood, located in Clifton, Maine. He falls in love with the new camp nurse Rhonda and spends the summer trying to convince her to leave her fiancé for him. Baxter's campers include the slick-talking Jerry Disbro, the sensitive writer Brian (who also has a crush on Rhonda), the baseball star Bobby, the overweight comedian Toby, and the shy Timmy Mezzy who is afraid of the water and wants to run away. Jerry ends up becoming the camp con man, operating such scams as a letter writing concession using Brian, turning the P.X. into "his own personal candy store", and making outlandish demands to help win Bobby his much-coveted spot on the Varsity baseball team by acting as his agent . "It's an honor to play for the Yankees, but Dave Winfield still cashes his checks", says Jerry. Along with Bobby, he hatches a plan to sneak over to the neighboring girls' camp to visit a girl he met on the train ride to camp. Timmy is always finding new and creative ways to escape, including busting out in a laundry truck and trying to sneak out by way of the girls' camp across the lake dressed in drag. The camp is run by 'Big Irv' Klopper and his wife Margo (much to her apparent displeasure). Baxter's arch-rival is fellow counselor Ike, who is much more serious about his job than Baxter. Ike is not at all popular among the campers and is seen as being something of a "Square", having been educated in a military school. Maintenance man Walter carries around a red-stained axe and is rumored to be a murderer.

As the summer progresses, Timmy makes friends with the other kids and stops trying to run away. Eventually he learns to swim and enters a swimming race in the annual Color War competition. Jerry, who is on the opposite team in the Color War, tells Timmy the story of "Tough Break Thompson", a camper who supposedly drowned after conquering his fear of water at the camp. Timmy panics during the swimming event when Jerry says "Timmy - tough break!" to him right before the race. Bobby then punches Jerry when he finds out what happened. Later, Jerry apologizes and the kids learn that their friendship is more important than the winner of the Color War, and the Color War is declared a tie. The climactic moment of the movie occurs when a camper shouts, "Timmy Mezzy's swimming the lake!" and the whole camp runs to watch Timmy swim across the lake, finally conquering his fear of water. Walter is also revealed to be a painter who uses his axe to create art. At the end of the summer, Baxter is offered the job of head counselor for the following year, having been chosen over Ike, much to Ike's chagrin. Rhonda and Baxter end up together.

Cast

Reception

Lawrence Van Gelder of The New York Times called Poison Ivy "two hours of tedium". [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Heavyweights</i> 1995 film by Steven Brill

Heavyweights is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Steven Brill and written by Brill with Judd Apatow, and starring Tom McGowan, Aaron Schwartz, Shaun Weiss, Tom Hodges, Leah Lail, Paul Feig, Kenan Thompson, David Bowe, Max Goldblatt, Robert Zalkind, Patrick LaBrecque, Jeffrey Tambor, Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara, and Ben Stiller. The film follows a fat camp for kids that is taken over by a fitness entrepreneur as its campers work to overthrow him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp)</span> 1963 novelty song by Allan Sherman

"Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh! " is a novelty song recorded by Allan Sherman released in 1963. The melody is taken from the ballet Dance of the Hours from the opera La Gioconda by Amilcare Ponchielli, while the lyrics were written by Sherman and Lou Busch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julian Crane</span> Soap opera character

Julian Crane is a fictional character from the American soap opera Passions portrayed by original cast member Ben Masters.

<i>Meatballs Part II</i> 1984 film by Ken Wiederhorn

Meatballs Part II is a 1984 American comedy film and the in-name only sequel to the 1979 film Meatballs. The film stars Richard Mulligan, Hamilton Camp, John Mengatti, Kim Richards, Archie Hahn, Misty Rowe, and John Larroquette, and was directed by Ken Wiederhorn. The screenplay for the film was written by Bruce Franklin Singer based on a story by Martin Kitrosser and Carol Watson.

Camp Sealth is owned and operated by Camp Fire, a non-profit youth organization, and located on Vashon Island, Washington. Sealth hosts resident and day camp during the summer, environmental education for school groups during the spring and fall, and is a year-round conference and retreat center. Camp Sealth is accredited by the American Camp Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camp Ramah in New England</span>

Camp Ramah in New England (CRNE), located in Palmer, Massachusetts, is one of the oldest Ramah summer camps, organized by a Jewish conservation center. The camp traces its roots to Ramah Connecticut in 1953, followed by Ramah at Glen Spey, and has evolved into Camp Ramah in New England.

<i>High School U.S.A.</i> 1983 television film by Jack Bender and Rod Amateau

High School U.S.A. is a 1983 American made-for-television comedy film starring Michael J. Fox, Nancy McKeon, Anthony Edwards, and Crispin Glover, directed by Rod Amateau. The film originally aired on NBC on October 16, 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camp Merrie-Woode</span> Historic district in North Carolina, United States


Camp Merrie-Woode is a non-profit residential camp for girls ages 7–17 in the western hills of North Carolina with a history started in 1919. The camp resides beneath Old Bald and alongside Fairfield Lake in Jackson County. In 2005 there were twenty-eight U.S. states and four foreign countries represented with 85% of campers returning the following summer. Young ladies at Camp Merrie-Woode develop confidence by participating in activities such as horseback riding, sailing, hiking, rock climbing, theatre, and river trips down the Chattooga, Nantahala, French Broad, Nolichucky, and the 'mighty' Tuckaseegee River.

Raquette Lake Camps is a pair of summer camps located in the center of the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York, west of Lake George and south of Lake Placid. Raquette Lake Girls Camp and Raquette Lake Boys Camp are two of the oldest, continuously-operating summer camps in existence. Widely regarded as one of the premier summer camps in the United States, Raquette Lake Camps enroll around 400 campers each summer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camp Naomi</span> Summer overnight camp in Billerics

Camp Naomi was a summer overnight camp located from 1934 to 1953 in Billerica, Massachusetts and then from 1954 to 1985 on Crescent Lake in East Raymond, Maine. The camp was operated in association with the Jewish Community Centers (JCC) of New England. Originally an all-girls camp, its brother camp, Camp Joseph was closed and merged into Naomi in the mid-1970s to create a co-ed camp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camp Alvernia</span>

Camp Alvernia is a non-profit recreational summer camp in Centerport, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. The camp is located on the east shore of Centerport Harbor, on the Little Neck peninsula. It was founded in 1888 by the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, who still run the facility now, over 130 years later. Alvernia was the first and is now the oldest Catholic camp in continuous operation in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camp Airy</span> Boys Jewish sleep away summer camp

Camp Airy is a Jewish sleep away summer camp located in Thurmont, Maryland at the edge of the Catoctin Mountain Park. Boys between the ages of 7 and 17 attend for one to seven weeks, depending on their age and interest. Airy is a fully accredited member of the American Camp Association. Camp Airy is the brother camp to Camp Louise.

<i>The Acorn People</i> 1976 book by Ron Jones

The Acorn People is a non-fiction book for middle grade readers first published in 1976. It is a memoir by author, educator and storyteller Ron Jones about a summer he spent at a camp for disabled children. It was adapted for television in 1981.

Camp Beaverbrook was a co-educational overnight summer camp located at 14117 Bottle Rock Road, Cobb, California, near Cobb Mountain, in Lake County, California from 1961 - 1985.

<i>Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam</i> American 2010 teen comedy television film

Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam is a 2010 musical television film directed by Paul Hoen from a screenplay by Regina Hicks, Karin Gist, and Dan Berendsen. The 80th Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM), the film is the sequel to Camp Rock (2008) and stars Demi Lovato, The Jonas Brothers, Maria Canals-Barrera, Meaghan Martin, and Alyson Stoner. In the film, Camp Star, an upstart rival summer music camp, makes Camp Rock's existence uncertain.

<i>Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp</i> 2015 American comedy television miniseries

Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp is an American satirical comedy television miniseries written by David Wain and Michael Showalter, and directed by Wain. First Day of Camp is the second installment in the Wet Hot American Summer franchise. The eight-episode Netflix series is a prequel to Wain's 2001 film Wet Hot American Summer, a parody of teen sex comedies which has since developed a cult following. Although many of the original film's ensemble cast have gone on to high-profile work, all of the then-adult actors returned for this series, playing even younger versions of their original roles. The episodes were released for online viewing at the end of July 2015.

<i>Bunkd</i> American television series

Bunk'd is an American comedy television series created by Pamela Eells O'Connell that originally aired on Disney Channel from July 31, 2015 to August 2, 2024. The series is a spinoff of Jessie and for the first three seasons includes returning stars Peyton List, Karan Brar, and Skai Jackson, as well as Miranda May who has starred over the series' entire run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camp Caribou</span> American summer camp

Camp Caribou is an American sleepaway summer camp located in Winslow, Maine, focusing on sports and numerous outdoor activities. The campers, aged 8 to 16 are able to participate in sports such as Basketball, Tennis, Baseball, Riflery/Archery, Swimming, Soccer, and many more sports and activities. Camp Caribou's program consists of two summer sessions, held as a session 1 and session 2 in 3.5-week sessions each summer. A camper may elect to attend for just the first or second session for only 3.5 weeks, or both sessions for a total of 7 weeks. The staff includes both domestic American as well as international counselors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brant Lake Camp</span> Sleep-away summer camp in Brant Lake, New York

Brant Lake Camp is a sleep-away summer camp located in the Adirondack Mountains in Brant Lake, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camp Wille und Macht</span> American Nazi camp for boys, 1934 New Jersey

Camp Wille und Macht was an American Nazi summer camp for approximately 200 German-American boys that was operated by the Friends of New Germany along the Delaware and Raritan Canal in the Griggstown section of Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey, in 1934.

References

  1. Thomas, Kevin (1985-02-10). "Movies of the Week". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  2. van Gelder, Lawrence (1985-02-08). "TV WEEKEND; 'Poison Ivy' TV Film, Summer Camp Revisited". The New York Times . Retrieved 2014-06-05.