THE ROVING PECKER PRESENTS: "An Ode To 1980s Camp - And Beyond" by GlamourDoll!

(source: Paramount Pictures)

Greetings, Manor Hors! Periodically, "The Roving Pecker" presents urgent missives from filthy esteemed guest writers. Today's is from GlamourDoll!

What exactly is "camp"? Wikipedia defines it as: "an aesthetic and sensibility that regards something as appealing or amusing because of its heightened level of artifice, affectation and exaggeration, especially when there is also a playful or ironic element."

In other words: too much... but in the best possible way.

The term itself dates back to late 1800s Victorian times. Fanny Park (Frederick) and Stella Boulton (Ernest), both born male, performed in drag and lived as women both on and off stage. They were arrested in 1870 for "conspiring and inciting persons to commit an unnatural offence" (Victorians were, unsurprisingly, no fun), but were ultimately acquitted. In a letter, Fanny described her “campish undertakings,” giving us one of the earliest recorded uses of the term.

(Fanny and Stella photographed around 1869. Photograph by Frederick Spalding)

Traditionally, camp wasn't meant to be funny at all. The best examples came from actors and actresses that saw themselves as "artistes", taking their subject matter so seriously that they looped back around into unintentional brilliance and hilarity. That's what makes the performances in Mommie Dearest and Valley of the Dolls so iconic.

But camp didn't stay that way. In later years, some of the most memorable campy performances (and entire shows and movies) leaned into the exaggeration on purpose, like in Batman, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Death Becomes Her. It's more self-aware and less "pure" camp, but no less fun, fully embracing its own ridiculousness.

While early camp often came from projects aiming for prestige, drama, and seriousness, something shifted in the 1980s. Camp hit a dramatic, shoulder-pad-padded peak. It became synonymous with the outrageousness of the decade: bigger hair, bigger emotions, bigger everything. The 1980s demanded drama, excess, and material extremes, while also giving rise to some of the most memorable intentional camp. The assignment? More is more.

Here are my top 5 camp (both intentional and unintentional) performances of the 1980s:

#5 Jonathan Schmock as the snooty Maitre D' in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

Jonathan stole the entire movie with this one scene. The eyebrow, the utter disdain for gross commoners, having to dine with POOR PEOPLE! *gasps and faints* Whatever happened to outrageously snooty waiters and sales associates in movies? Bring them back!

(source: Paramount Pictures)

#4 Madeline Kahn as Mrs. White in Clue (1985)

This entire movie is pure intentional camp, but Madeline still stands out. The deadpan delivery, the sudden bursts of hysteria *chef's kiss*. You almost forget she's a murderer.

(source: PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Paramount Pictures)

#3 Tie! Joan Collins and Diahann Carroll in Dynasty (1981-1989)

Is anything more blatantly campy than dressing to the nines only to drive across town for a quick conversation?? And the audacity to serve burned champagne? Never again, darling!

(source: ABC/Aaron Spelling Productions)

#2 Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest (1981)

This movie was intended as a serious depiction of abuse and Faye was aiming for a serious "method" portrayal of Joan. Luckily for us, it instead became one of the most spectacular unintentional camp performances of all time. Did we need the intensity dialed up to a 15 over wire hangers? Yes. Absolutely.

(source: Paramount Pictures)

#1 Meryl Streep as Mary Fisher in She-Devil (1989)

Meryl is utter perfection as Mary, an ultra-glamorous, absolutely and definitely 34-year old romance writer who lives in a pink palace by the sea. The voice alone deserves its own billing, but add in the affectations and those little noises? She took intentional camp and raised it to whole new level. Meryl has won 3 Oscars, along with 188 other total wins and 398 total nominations - ALL for this role (do not fact check me).

(source: 20th Century Fox/Disney)

While the peak of camp may have been the 1980s, here are some honorable mentions from other decades:  

1960s:

Bette Davis in What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?
Adam West, Burt Ward, Julie Newmar, Eartha Kitt, and Cesar Romano in Batman
Patty Duke in Valley of the Dolls

1970s:

Pam Grier in Foxy Brown
Tim Curry in The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Divine in John Waters first films (Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble)

1990s:

Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, and John Leguizamo in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
Elizabeth Berkley in Showgirls
Denise Richards in Drop Dead Gorgeous

2000s:

Megan Mullally in Will & Grace (I'm counting this as a 2000s show)

Jennifer Coolidge in Best in Show
Vanessa Williams in Ugly Betty

So there you have it. What are your favorite camp performances from the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, and 2000s? Does intentional vs. unintentional result in a more memorable performance? Which decade truly understood the assignment? And more importantly...where did camp go?

Have actors become so focused on awards and prestige that they’ve forgotten the joy of being gloriously, ridiculously extra? Are there any actors/actresses of today that you think would be wonderful in a campy role?

Discuss.