Wallowing in Sex: The New Sexual Culture of 1970s American Television

Console-ing Passions: Television and Cultural Power

by Elana Levine

Passengers disco dancing in The Love Boat ’s Acapulco Lounge. A young girl walking by a marquee advertising Deep Throat in the made-for-TV movie Portrait of a Teenage Runaway . A frustrated housewife borrowing Orgasm and You from her local library in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman . Commercial television of the 1970s was awash with references to sex. In the wake of the sexual revolution and the women’s liberation and gay rights movements, significant changes were rippling through American culture. In representing—or not representing—those changes, broadcast television provided a crucial forum through which Americans alternately accepted and contested momentous shifts in sexual mores, identities, and practices. Wallowing in Sex is a lively analysis of the key role of commercial television in the new sexual culture of the 1970s. Elana Levine explores sex-themed made-for-TV movies; female sex symbols such as the stars of Charlie’s Angels and Wonder Woman ; the innuendo-driven humor of variety shows ( The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour , Laugh-In ), sitcoms ( M*A*S*H , Three’s Company ), and game shows ( Match Game ); and the proliferation of rape plots in daytime soap operas. She also uncovers those sexual topics that were barred from the airwaves. Along with program content, Levine examines the economic motivations of the television industry, the television production process, regulation by the government and the tv industry, and audience responses. She demonstrates that the new sexual culture of 1970s television was a product of negotiation between producers, executives, advertisers, censors, audiences, performers, activists, and many others. Ultimately, 1970s television legitimized some of the sexual revolution’s most significant gains while minimizing its more radical impulses.

336 pages, Paperback

First published December 19, 2006

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was actually a chore to read. The author, who certainly did her research, writes rather clinically. I wish she had injected a bit of breeziness and humor to her writing - the subject really deserved that touch.

[Kimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative & educational look at the various depictions of sex in 1970s American television. I would have preferred a little more theory, but still an entertaining read, especially for those familiar with the shows being discussed.

[Rooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

It'd be nice if Wallowing in Sex lived up to the expectation of the title - though the book is absolutely informative and recommendable, the writing is a bit dry. And it's hard, I think, to have a dry book about sex on TV in the 70s, but somehow the author manages, though to what end I seriously can't imagine. Regardless, if not exactly a page turner, the book had more than enough in the way of interesting tidbits to keep me engaged enough to finish.