# What were the most "risque" shows of the 1960s? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [July 2, 2018, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188 "2018-07-02T20:23:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188/41 "2018-07-03T15:20:59Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > _Star Trek_ was reportedly the first American television series to show an interracial kiss. It’s a first that gets attributed to _Star Trek_ frequently, though [it appears to be a debatable claim](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_interracial_kiss_on_television#US_television). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188/42 "2018-07-03T15:50:21Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Too late to edit: the TV show was “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.” They also released [a record album of material from the show](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smothers_Brothers_Comedy_Hour_(album)); the original cover of the album had a logo which read “[The Smothers Comedy Brothers Hour.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/31/Smothers.JPG/220px-Smothers.JPG)” The show was often referred to _The Smothers Comedy Brothers Hour_ on the air, usually by Tom or Dick. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188/43 "2018-07-03T18:47:53Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > It’s a first that gets attributed to _Star Trek_ frequently, though [it appears to be a debatable claim](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_interracial_kiss_on_television#US_television). Note that Kirk also got it on with France Nuyen in “Elaan of Troyius,” though that was aired a month after “Plato’s Stepchildren.” A couple of weeks later, he was snogging Yvonne Craig painted green in “Whom Gods Destroy,” which should definitely count as far as I’m concerned. If we’re counting alien races, Chekov’s lip-lock with Marta in “Day of the Dove” came before all of those. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188/44 "2018-07-03T19:07:23Z")
Another aspect of _I Dream of Jeannie_ was here was this underclothed woman living with a single\* man. (And she would do anything he asked her to do.) That raised some eyebrows back then. Some non-series also went a bit mature as well. E.g., the various movie nights like NBC’s Friday Night at the Movies would air things like _Never On Sunday_. - For most of the run of the show. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188/45 "2018-07-03T21:03:45Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > It’s a first that gets attributed to _Star Trek_ frequently, though [it appears to be a debatable claim](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_interracial_kiss_on_television#US_television). This got covered in one of the extras in the boxed set of remasters. The kiss happened, and because they expected the network to freak out, they did more takes where the kiss was supposed to be faked. Shatner deliberately messed up the shot in non-obvious ways to force them to use the kiss one. BTW the wiki article is a bit disingenuous. When they said “interracial kiss” everyone knew which races they were talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188/46 "2018-07-03T21:44:18Z")
Most risque? **That Was the Week That Was** was a political/social satire show in the '60s. It started in England, but there was an American version for a couple years as well. From what I’ve seen of them, they could be downright vicious. How vicious? There was a song-and-dance number about lynchings in Mississippi. I’ll follow the two-click rule for both language and visuals (backup singers in blackface).[spoiler][That was the week that was - YouTube](https://youtu.be/6NtmGlvHbqA%5B/spoiler%5D) If anything can top that, I haven’t seen it. And a bit of trivia; the singer, Millicent Martin, would later play Daphne’s mum on _Frasier_. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188/47 "2018-07-03T21:58:49Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Some non-series also went a bit mature as well. E.g., the various movie nights like NBC’s Friday Night at the Movies would air things like _Never On Sunday_. Movies aired on the broadcast networks almost represent a different category since they weren’t made for television. Still, as the gap between what was allowable in movies and what was allowable on broadcast network TV grew exponentially bigger during the 60s, the networks were faced with a dilemma since when they were aired, the theatrical films often pulled big ratings. One thing they did was give a bit more leeway to the movies than their usual made-for-TV fare but as film content became racier, eventually they started slicing and dicing huge chunks out of movies until they were unrecognizable from the original theatrical cut. One notorious example is when ABC aired **Midnight Cowboy** in 1976 and cut out all references to Jon Voight’s character, Joe Buck, being a male prostitute. I believe the edited movie’s run time was well under 90 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188/48 "2018-07-03T21:59:47Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > BTW the wiki article is a bit disingenuous. When they said “interracial kiss” everyone knew which races they were talking about. Even if one specifically wants to identify the first instance of a Caucasian / African-American kiss on American TV, that article indicates that the Trek episode would still only be the second instance, as it says that Nancy Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. kissed on her show in 1967. I’ve never seen footage of that, so I have no idea if it actually happened. Either way, it was the Kirk / Uhura kiss that is still remembered and seen as the landmark. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188/49 "2018-07-03T22:49:01Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Either way, it was the Kirk / Uhura kiss that is still remembered and seen as the landmark. “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188/50 "2018-07-04T01:25:50Z")
Aside from that kiss, Star Trek also tackled issues like religion and racism. And because Gene Roddenberry was a lech, the women were often dressed in the skimpiest and most daring costumes standards and practices would let them get away with, and then some. The costume designer, Bill Thiess, specialized in creating outfits that kept everything necessary barely hidden while implying that something might be revealed at any moment. The costumes often looked like wardrobe malfunctions waiting to happen. Examples: [https://goo.gl/images/Qj7YyF](https://goo.gl/images/Qj7YyF) [https://goo.gl/images/V5JKA6](https://goo.gl/images/V5JKA6) [https://goo.gl/images/7N26Z7](https://goo.gl/images/7N26Z7) This during the era where women had to cover their belly buttons on TV due to standards and practices. That sometimes slipped by the censors, but Star Trek did it routinely, and went even further. I think the fact that it was a science fiction show caused censors to gloss over some of what they got away with. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188/51 "2018-07-04T01:37:52Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Note that Kirk also got it on with France Nuyen in “Elaan of Troyius,” though that was aired a month after “Plato’s Stepchildren.” A couple of weeks later, he was snogging Yvonne Craig painted green in “Whom Gods Destroy,” which should definitely count as far as I’m concerned. Shouldn’t she be colored Bat Purple? > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Most risque? > > **That Was the Week That Was** was a political/social satire show in the '60s. It started in England, but there was an American version for a couple years as well. From what I’ve seen of them, they could be downright vicious. > > How vicious? There was a song-and-dance number about lynchings in Mississippi. I’ll follow the two-click rule for both language and visuals (backup singers in blackface).[spoiler][https://youtu.be/6NtmGlvHbqA[/spoiler]](https://youtu.be/6NtmGlvHbqA%5B/spoiler%5D) > > If anything can top that, I haven’t seen it. > > And a bit of trivia; the singer, Millicent Martin, would later play Daphne’s mum on _Frasier_. Was that the Brit TWTWTW or did Tom Lehrer write the songs for both? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188/52 "2018-07-04T01:39:50Z")
How about The Newlywed Game? That show began in 1966. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188/53 "2018-07-04T02:41:52Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Aside from that kiss, Star Trek also tackled issues like religion and racism. And because Gene Roddenberry was a lech, the women were often dressed in the skimpiest and most daring costumes standards and practices would let them get away with, and then some. The costume designer, Bill Thiess, specialized in creating outfits that kept everything necessary barely hidden while implying that something might be revealed at any moment. The costumes often looked like wardrobe malfunctions waiting to happen. > > Examples: > [https://goo.gl/images/Qj7YyF](https://goo.gl/images/Qj7YyF) > > [https://goo.gl/images/V5JKA6](https://goo.gl/images/V5JKA6) > > [https://goo.gl/images/7N26Z7](https://goo.gl/images/7N26Z7) The most impressive technology on _Star Trek_ was double-sided tape. > [@dropzone](#): > > Was that the Brit TWTWTW or did Tom Lehrer write the songs for both? I believe that clip is from the British TW3, and that Lehrer wrote for the American version, but I don’t think I’ve heard anything conclusively to that effect. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188/54 "2018-07-04T04:44:01Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Even if one specifically wants to identify the first instance of a Caucasian / African-American kiss on American TV, that article indicates that the Trek episode would still only be the second instance, as it says that Nancy Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. kissed on her show in 1967. I’ve never seen footage of that, so I have no idea if it actually happened. Maybe the Southern stations didn’t run the Sammy Davis Jr. show anyhow. Because he was Jewish, of course. ---
**Author:** ![WildBlueYonder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WildBlueYonder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildBlueYonder)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188/55 "2018-07-04T13:08:43Z")
ris·qué riˈskā/ adjective adjective: risqué ``` slightly indecent or liable to shock, especially by being sexually suggestive. "his risqué humor" synonyms: ribald, rude, bawdy, Rabelaisian, racy, earthy, indecent, suggestive, improper, naughty, locker-room; More vulgar, dirty, smutty, crude, coarse, obscene, lewd, X-rated; informalblue, raunchy; off-color "risqué stories" ``` Origin mid 19th century: French, past participle of risquer ‘to risk.’ Translate risque to Use over time for: risque I have always thought of risque as being sexually related including lack of clothing coverage My husband and I frequently watch old shows, 50’s and 60’s. There has been plenty of times where I have asked him about clothing or the activities on that particular show; “isnt that a bit much for back then?” Was usually just the women with less covering on the boobs. A lot less for the times It sure is a lot different than those old days as to which is allowed and not. Now there is a different generation saying what is safe for the public and what is not. Wont be long before women are bare chested, since that kind of thing doesnt bother or has already been seen by the younger crowd. Seems a great deal of risque items are all over the entertainment world, how much more is there aside from having sex and the nudity? :eek::eek::eek: ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188/56 "2018-07-04T19:59:05Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > Not risque, but [Family Affair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Affair) dealt with some unconventional situations. Yeah, there was an episode where Buffy was inquisitive about where babies came from. The adults danced around it telling her various lies until Uncle Bill finally told her the truth: Love. Babies come from love. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188/57 "2018-07-04T21:48:04Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by Robot Arm > Most risque? > > That Was the Week That Was was a political/social satire show in the '60s. It started in England, but there was an American version for a couple years as well. From what I’ve seen of them, they could be downright vicious. > > How vicious? There was a song-and-dance number about lynchings in Mississippi. I’ll follow the two-click rule for both language and visuals (backup singers in blackface). > SPOILER: > [https://youtu.be/6NtmGlvHbqA](https://youtu.be/6NtmGlvHbqA) > If anything can top that, I haven’t seen it. > > And a bit of trivia; the singer, Millicent Martin, would later play Daphne’s mum on Frasier. My only complaint is Martin’s costume should’ve had Confederate flag design rather than an American but I don’t if that distinction would’ve mattered to most UK viewers. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188/58 "2018-07-04T22:02:17Z")
Mannix featured a recurring black character. Gail Fisher played the girl friday assistant. She joined the show in the 2nd season. > **[Gail Fisher](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gail_Fisher)** > > Gail Fisher (August 18, 1935 – December 2, 2000) was an American actress who was one of the first black women to play substantive roles in American television. She was best known for playing the role of secretary Peggy Fair on the television detective series Mannix from 1968 through 1975, a role for which she won two Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy Award; she was the first African-American woman to win those prestigious awards. She also won an NAACP Image Award in 1969. > The youngest of five chil... Mike Conners was of Armenian descent, Connors was born Krekor Ohanian in Fresno, California in 1925. He faced discrimination at school. > **[Mike Connors](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Connors)** > > Krekor Ohanian (August 15, 1925 – January 26, 2017), known professionally as Mike Connors, was an American actor best known for playing private detective Joe Mannix in the CBS television series Mannix from 1967 to 1975, a role which earned him a Golden Globe Award in 1970, the first of six straight nominations, as well as four consecutive Emmy nominations from 1970 to 1973. He starred in the short-lived series Tightrope! (1959–1960) and Today's FBI (1981–1982). Connors' acting career spanned six ... This seems almost not noteworthy unless you grew up watching tv in the sixties. People of color were rarely seen. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2018, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188/59 "2018-07-05T00:50:36Z")
Benny Hill show and Monty Python (1969-) had plenty of risky business and boobs. Dick Van Dyke show had Rob and Laura Petrie in a few salacious bedroom scenes :eek: with the beds separated by only a flimsy nightstand. The twitter comments after those shows were XXX rated.😉 ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2018, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188/60 "2018-07-05T04:01:30Z")
I’ll throw some of the (especially Warner Brothers) cartoons in the mix. Not just [the Tex Avery bits](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oAgkTwFRuM). Here’s [a reel of 'em.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H6ZmeF2Heg) Can’t find some of the ones I remember though … Not sure though how many of the more salacious ones had been made for television vs originally film shorts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-most-risque-shows-of-the-1960s/817188.md?page=4)