Entertainment in the 1960s changed faster than in almost any decade before it. Television became the center of family life, rock and soul music took over the radio, Hollywood began making bolder films and young people created a pop culture of their own. This guide looks at the music, TV shows, movies, fads and big moments that defined 1960s entertainment, and why so much of it still feels familiar today.
In this article
1960s Entertainment at a Glance
| Area | What defined it |
|---|---|
| Music | The British Invasion, Motown, folk and protest songs, psychedelic rock and huge outdoor festivals |
| Television | Westerns, sitcoms, variety shows, the first prime-time cartoons and the switch to color |
| Movies | Epic films, the first James Bond movies, musicals and, by the end of the decade, edgier “New Hollywood” films |
| Pop culture | Dance crazes, new toys, comic book heroes, transistor radios and the “Summer of Love” |
| Big moments | The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show (1964), the moon landing (1969) and Woodstock (1969) |
Music in the 1960s
The British Invasion
On February 9, 1964, the Beatles made their first live US television appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. According to Smithsonian Magazine, about 73 million Americans tuned in, one of the largest TV audiences up to that time. Bands such as the Rolling Stones, the Kinks and the Who followed, and British rock became a huge part of American radio.
Motown and soul
Berry Gordy founded Motown in Detroit in 1959, and by the mid-1960s its artists were topping the charts. The Supremes, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles created the polished “Motown sound”, while artists like Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding brought soul music to a wide audience.
Folk, protest songs and rock
Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and other folk singers wrote songs about civil rights and the Vietnam War. Later in the decade, the Beach Boys, the Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jefferson Airplane pushed rock in new directions, from surf music to psychedelic rock.
Dance crazes
Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” made dancing apart (instead of with a partner) a craze in the early 1960s, followed by dances like the Mashed Potato, the Watusi and the Swim. Teen dance shows such as American Bandstand helped spread every new trend.
Television in the 1960s
By the 1960s, most American homes had a television, and families gathered around it every evening. Popular shows included:
| Type of show | Famous examples |
|---|---|
| Westerns | Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Rawhide |
| Sitcoms | The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie |
| Science fiction and fantasy | The Twilight Zone, Star Trek (from 1966), Lost in Space |
| Cartoons | The Flintstones (1960), the first animated prime-time series, and The Jetsons |
| Variety shows | The Ed Sullivan Show, The Carol Burnett Show (from 1967) |
| Action and spy shows | Batman (1966), Mission: Impossible, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. |
The decade also brought the move to color television. By the mid-1960s, networks were broadcasting most prime-time shows in color, and color TV sets became more common in homes by the end of the decade.
Movies in the 1960s
Hollywood spent the early 1960s making big-screen epics and musicals to compete with television, then shifted toward more daring films by the late 1960s.
- Thrillers and spies: Psycho (1960) and Dr. No (1962), the first James Bond film.
- Epics: Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Cleopatra (1963).
- Musicals: West Side Story (1961), Mary Poppins (1964) and The Sound of Music (1965).
- Science fiction: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Planet of the Apes (1968).
- New Hollywood: Bonnie and Clyde (1967), The Graduate (1967) and Easy Rider (1969).
In November 1968, the film industry introduced the movie rating system to tell audiences what a film contained. As the Motion Picture Association explains, the original ratings were G, M, R and X; they have been updated several times since.
Drive-in theaters were still a popular night out for families and teenagers, especially in suburban and rural areas.
1960s Pop Culture, Fads and Toys
- Toys and games: the Etch A Sketch (1960), G.I. Joe (1964) and Twister (1966) joined the Barbie doll, which arrived in 1959.
- Comic books: Marvel launched the Fantastic Four (1961) and Spider-Man (1962), starting a new age of superheroes.
- Transistor radios let teenagers carry their music everywhere, and Top 40 radio stations shaped what became popular.
- Fashion: mod styles, miniskirts, go-go boots and, later, tie-dye and bell-bottoms.
- The 1967 “Summer of Love” in San Francisco became a symbol of the hippie counterculture.
Big Entertainment Moments of the 1960s
| Year | Moment |
|---|---|
| 1960 | The Flintstones premieres as the first animated prime-time TV series. |
| 1962 | Dr. No launches the James Bond film series. |
| 1964 | The Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show, starting the British Invasion in the US. |
| 1966 | Star Trek premieres on NBC. |
| 1967 | The Monterey Pop Festival and the “Summer of Love”. |
| 1968 | The movie rating system is introduced. |
| 1969 | Hundreds of millions of people worldwide watch the Apollo 11 moon landing on TV, and Woodstock takes place. |
Woodstock was held on August 15 to 18, 1969, on a dairy farm in Bethel, New York. Britannica notes that roughly 400,000 people attended, far more than organizers expected, and performers included Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and the Who.
Why 1960s Entertainment Still Matters
- Many of today’s biggest franchises, including Star Trek, James Bond and Marvel’s superheroes, began in the 1960s.
- The Beatles and Motown shaped how pop music is written and recorded.
- Music festivals, fan culture and celebrity TV appearances all grew from this decade.
- The movie rating system introduced in 1968 still guides families today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the most popular form of entertainment in the 1960s?
Television. By the 1960s it had become the main source of entertainment in most American homes, alongside radio and the movies.
What music was popular in the 1960s?
Rock and roll, the British Invasion bands, Motown and soul, folk and protest music, surf music and, later in the decade, psychedelic rock.
What did teenagers do for fun in the 1960s?
They listened to transistor radios and records, danced to the latest crazes, went to drive-in movies, watched teen dance shows and followed their favorite bands.
What were the biggest TV shows of the 1960s?
Shows such as Bonanza, The Andy Griffith Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, Gunsmoke and The Ed Sullivan Show were among the most watched.
Final Thoughts
Entertainment in the 1960s gave us the British Invasion, Motown, Star Trek, James Bond and Woodstock, and turned TV into the heart of family life. Its music, shows and movies still influence what we watch and listen to today. For more pop culture and entertainment guides, explore the latest articles on The Urban Splatter.
