Camp TV of the 1960s

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Camp TV of the 1960s provides an in-depth exploration of the various forms of camp television that emerged during this pivotal decade. The authors challenge the traditional view of sixties television as a period of creative decline between the 1950s Golden Age and the networks' shift towards "relevance" in the early 1970s. Featuring contributions from a diverse group of media and television scholars, the work reevaluates iconic programs such as Batman, The Monkees, The Addams Family, Bewitched, F Troop, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. These chapters analyze beloved prime-time shows that significantly incorporated camp elements, many of which became widely syndicated and left lasting impacts on popular culture. Additional discussions cover early sixties TV precursors, British camp series like The Avengers, the use of musical codes for camp humor, and the influence of queer viewing strategies. The multivalence of camp allowed for conservative interpretations, particularly among older audiences, facilitating the rise of "mass camp" in American culture by the early seventies. This work is vital for students and scholars in television studies, those interested in camp history and theory, the 1960s, popular culture, and fans of these often-overlooked television programs.