Campiest Show Ever on TV

[OldNumber7]

I think there's a strong case that some select episodes of Mission: Impossible and the first Star Trek flirted with camp, and the original Hawaii Five-O even more so. The Wild, Wild West, too.

 

[Ultimajock]

...The Paul Lynde Show. Far and away. The idea of Lynde as a middle-aged, straight married man with two daughters in the early '70s was so campy and ridiculous to even Lynde himself that he poked fun at it on the chat shows (and even I've Got a Secret) he appeared on to plug it...

 

[Markieo]

...The Paul Lynde Show. Far and away. The idea of Lynde as a middle-aged, straight married man with two daughters in the early '70s was so campy and ridiculous to even Lynde himself that he poked fun at it on the chat shows (and even I've Got a Secret) he appeared on to plug it...

Paul Lynde can read the Yellow Pages and it would still be hilarious!

 

[Limp73]

Paul Lynde's last gig was on the re-worked Temperature's Rising re-titled The New Temperature's Rising Show. He died sometime afterwards.

Campy can be funny...and not always bad:

My favorites:
Trailer Park- a half hour series showing campy sci-fi and monter movie prevues from the 50s and 60s on the Sci-Fi Channel.

Mystery Science Theater 3000- BLISSFULLY CAMPY AND HYSTERICAL!

Petticoat Junction- A vintage steam locomotive, three drop-dead gorgeous country girls-next door (I had a crush on Lori Saunders at Bobbie Jo!) and "Hooterville" was a reference to the fictional community's founder Horace Hooter...and NOT any kind of derogatory bubba jargon for women's breasts.

It's spin-off Green Acres was even funnier...and campier!

The Monkees-Rock and Roll in its most innocent form thanks to Marx Bros/Three Stooges hybrid humour. Micky Dolenz played his character to the hilt!

Batfink-animated series produced by Hal Seeger (of "Milton The Monster" fame)...with a jet powered VW beetle named "the battillac" and his "supersonic sonar radar"...obviously an indirect inspiration from the Adam West Batman seires.

 

[anotherguyTN]

I have to agree with you about "Police Squad!"  I think what
hurt the show, but made it more effective as a series of movies,
was that you had to watch, because things would be going
on in the background that were even funnier.  And it was great
lampooning TV customs, such as the cast members standing stock
still and trying to hold a pose while the credits rolled--a parody of
the "freeze frame."

I think it was an ABC exec that actually *said* that about PS! (i.e, one had to actually *watch*....Imagine that, actually having to watch the show) as to the reason for cancellation.

I believe that in the UK, the 6 PS! episodes *were* put together as a movie.

cd

A few months back I rented the Police Squad Complete Series DVD from Netflix, and in some of the commentaries it was mentioned that there were plans to put the episodes together as a movie with additional scenes, including a new freeze frame ending with a fire in a courtroom, which is included on the DVD. According to Wikipedia the plan was abandoned.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_Squad!#Other_spin-offs

 

[LKellerIII]

The 80s, 90s and beyond have been full of campy animated series. But my vote for old-school campiest animated series - Roger Ramjet. Ramjet's voice provided by the great Gary Owens (Laugh-In, and a great radio DJ).

The show was full of inside jokes - including the villain - Professor Mayoryorty - a conglomeration of Professor Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes, and the awful 1960s Mayor of Los Angeles - Sam Yorty.

 

[flashback]

also celeberties doing other shows in the building ROGER RAMJET was produced did quick voice work.

uncredited and for FREE.

who would do that in todays showbusiness world?

 

[Ultimajock]

Paul Lynde's last gig was on the re-worked Temperature's Rising re-titled The New Temperature's Rising Show. He died sometime afterwards.

...Lynde was working long after The New Temperature's Rising Show was canceled by ABC in 1974. His Hollywood Squares center square position alone extended through 1979; he was also a semi-regular guest on Donny & Marie in the last two seasons of that variety series, ending in '79. Lynde died in 1982...