Mad Men

[3113]

I recommended this show on another thread, but having seen the third episode, I feel it deserves a recommendation thread all its own

Mad Men is a new show on AMC about New York ad men in 1960. It's a fascinating show because it's all about how a person can feel disconnected from the cultural Zeitgeist, in this instance, that of 1960. The time period in the show, meticulously researched and recreated (I don't know that there's been an anachronism yet, not even, as in many period shows, in how characters act, talk, think), is an amazing counterpoint to the theme. It shows 1960 as a time of unparalleled prosperity in the U.S., and yet freedom is so limited. You're either married, or you're not. You're either white or you're not. And whether you are or not decides everything.

The white men are expected to hold certain jobs to be considered successful, usually ones involving an office, suit and tie. Meanwhile, the non-whites are in the background at the other jobs: elevator man, waiter, bathroom attendant. The single women have one kind of power, the married women another. But a divorced woman is left in limbo. Not part of the single women, not part of the married women.

People feel trapped within the prosperity, inside their houses, inside their offices. There's a feeling that people are "playing" games in these traps in order to deny that they are traps. And all the while, history lessons casually pass us by reminding us exactly what it was like in the late 1950's early 1960's: not only how much people smoked and drank, but the casual racism and misogyny, along with points like the kid who walks on crutches because the vaccine for polio came out in 1957, too late for this seven-year-old. Or that beer was coming out in cans by 1960, but those cans had to be opened with a church key like you would a can of chicken broth.

It worth giving this show a look. As a writer, I'm most impressed by the way the show matches characters/story to setting. Nothing is wasted; in fact, it's one of the tightest shows I've ever seen; nothing indulgent or throw-away...and that's the way it should be. So many stories use a time period as just wallpaper, making the viewer feel as if that paper could be changed and it wouldn't alter the story. Not this show; there is a reason for setting it in 1960, and the show makes full use of that particular point in history.

If you've got the time, give it a look. I think it's a pretty amazing show.

 

[flavortang]

I've only seen the commercials for it, but the Amy Winehouse song makes it to where I can't change the channel until it's over. lol I may watch it.

 

[glynndah]

I saw a little snippet showing the making of the show. It looks fascinating, but I never remember to watch it.

 

[3113]

I saw a little snippet showing the making of the show. It looks fascinating, but I never remember to watch it.

You can get it "on demand"--I believe all three episodes are up for viewing whenever you like.

 

[Recidiva]

I saw the first episode, but it gave me totally the willies.

Biggest surprise was Connor from "Angel" as an ad Exec. This is what he used to look like:

http://www.atpobtvs.com/images/connor2.jpg

I wanted to watch for Christina Hendricks, but she plays such a bitch...in fact everyone plays such a bitch...

I just couldn't really care.

 

[3113]

I wanted to watch for Christina Hendricks, but she plays such a bitch...in fact everyone plays such a bitch...

I just couldn't really care.

I can understand that. There are a lot of cold characters and the show itself is not a warm one, and certainly not for everyone. But then this is New York City and the advertising business; we think of the corporate world as being brutal now, but it was far more nasty then. Ditto the home life.

There are, however, some characters, explored in the second and third episode, who are firmly on the other side of the fence; the Jewish Store Owner is smart, witty and not to be pushed around, the wife, though a bit of a doormat, stands up to her neighbors in being sensitive to the divorcee, and the artist in the city is just terrific; she's perhaps the only person in the show whose being absolutely true to themselves.

Not everyone in the show's a bitch

 

[WRJames]

I was flipping channels and watched about twenty minutes of it without knowing what it was -- I thought it was part of a movie. I thought that characters all looked like corpses -- very pale and dried out. Maybe we did look like that in those days, but not to each other. I guess it's strange having actually lived through that period to see how strange it looks in retrospect -- although not as bad as the 70's -- my God, what were we thinking (or smoking?).

Of course, by the mid to late sixties the sexual revolution hit, just in time to save me. I actually thought the show was set in the fifties -- must be very early sixties?

 

[Boxlicker101]

I was flipping channels and watched about twenty minutes of it without knowing what it was -- I thought it was part of a movie. I thought that characters all looked like corpses -- very pale and dried out. Maybe we did look like that in those days, but not to each other. I guess it's strange having actually lived through that period to see how strange it looks in retrospect -- although not as bad as the 70's -- my God, what were we thinking (or smoking?).

Of course, by the mid to late sixties the sexual revolution hit, just in time to save me. I actually thought the show was set in the fifties -- must be very early sixties?

She said it was in 1960. Ike was in the White House, and JFK and Nixon were competing to succeed him. I think I will watch it, and see if I can catch some anomalies. I don't know what I would do if I happened to spot one.

 

[3113]

I guess it's strange having actually lived through that period to see how strange it looks in retrospect -- although not as bad as the 70's -- my God, what were we thinking (or smoking?).

I remember when feathered hair and 70's disco fashion hit and even though I was living in that moment, I said to myself: "We are all going to look back at pictures of ourselves and be embarrassed. Can't I please be living in a decade with style and taste?"

Which is to say that even then I realized that there was some horrible mistake going on I thought the same thing when padded shoulders made a resurgence in the 80's and every piece of clothing down to pajamas had them. Yikes! Whose idiot idea was that and why did everyone perpetuate it by buying the shit?

Of course, by the mid to late sixties the sexual revolution hit, just in time to save me. I actually thought the show was set in the fifties -- must be very early sixties?

Takes place exactly in 1960. The Kennedys are not in the White House yet and late 50's clothing, hairstyles, etc., reign supreme. It'll be interesting to see how things change as they start to move toward the election and 61'. They've shown the first major change with a famous ad for the Volkswagen Beetle that altered advertising forever.

As for people looking pasty and such...no, of course not everyone looked like that back in 1960, but given the segment of society that's being featured, the look does have some verisimilitude. The show features men and women who, for the most part, work in Manhattan at high paying suit-and-tie jobs. These are people who spend all day in an office in the middle of a city filled with skyscrapers. And in the meantime they smoke cigarettes, drink lots of alcohol, eat rich, heavy meals and, outside of sex, never get any exercise.

Do you really expect them to be tan, relaxed and healthy?

 

[3113]

I think I will watch it, and see if I can catch some anomalies. I don't know what I would do if I happened to spot one.

Let me know. I certainly don't have the "been there" experience to be able to catch them myself (heck, I don't know if I could catch anomalies in a recreation of a time period I *do* remember!), it just seems spot on to me because I've researched those times and what I'm seeing is ringing very true. I'd be very interested to know if they've messed up in any respect and if so how.

 

[Boxlicker101]

I saw the first segment, and didn't spot anything, except that I thought there was too much smoking. I think the majority of adults smoked, but not everybody, such as seemed to be in the show. Of course, the fact that they advertised Lucky Strikes might have made a difference, because it could have been some kind of loyalty thing. Even so, it wqas excessive, with everybody constantly smoking.

There might have been one thing: The reference to a crush proof box. I smoked Luckies at that time, and I don't believe they were packaged that way at all. Marlboros were, and maybe some others, but I don't believe Luckies were.

ETA: That slogan was actually "It's toasted - to taste better." Besides, I think it went back much farther than 1960.

 

[WRJames]

I saw the first segment, and didn't spot anything, except that I thought there was too much smoking. I think the majority of adults smoked, but not everybody, such as seemed to be in the show.

As a non-smoker I suffered terribly in those days -- I still remember at Columbia in the late sixties we had this alum who used to come to every indoor track meet and light up a cigar right at the finish line -- and that was acceptable.

Even in the seventies my wife's family parties used to be unbearable -- everyone was smoking. Until one of the cousins lost his voice box to cancer. Then they all stopped.

 

[WRJames]

As for people looking pasty and such...no, of course not everyone looked like that back in 1960, but given the segment of society that's being featured, the look does have some verisimilitude. The show features men and women who, for the most part, work in Manhattan at high paying suit-and-tie jobs. These are people who spend all day in an office in the middle of a city filled with skyscrapers. And in the meantime they smoke cigarettes, drink lots of alcohol, eat rich, heavy meals and, outside of sex, never get any exercise.

Do you really expect them to be tan, relaxed and healthy?

There was not an obesity epidemic in those days, as I recall. Sunbathing was popular, and sunscreen was unheard of. And the advertising guy lives out in the suburbs -- he'd probably be pushing a lawn mower around (no illegal aliens to help with the lawn work).

 

[Boxlicker101]

There was not an obesity epidemic in those days, as I recall. Sunbathing was popular, and sunscreen was unheard of. And the advertising guy lives out in the suburbs -- he'd probably be pushing a lawn mower around (no illegal aliens to help with the lawn work).

There were few, if any illegal aliens, but there would have been teenage neighborhood boys who would have been glad to pick up a couple of bucks doing odd jobs such as mowing lawns. I used to do it, but that was earlier and in a different place.

I don't know how popular sunbathing was in New York, but sunscreen was available. Here is a link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunscreen#History

I believe most adults smoked then, but not constantly, as the people in the show seemed to be doing. "Moderate" smoking was considered to be a pack a day, which would come to about 1.5 cigarets per waking hour. It looked as if everybody there was smoking at a rate of about five packs a day, which would have been excessive.

ETA: Obesity was not as common then, because of fewer fast food places and because people walked a lot more often.

 

[3113]

There was not an obesity epidemic in those days, as I recall. Sunbathing was popular, and sunscreen was unheard of. And the advertising guy lives out in the suburbs -- he'd probably be pushing a lawn mower around (no illegal aliens to help with the lawn work).

Well, (1) I don't think it's summer in the show just yet--it looks to be starting but not in full swing (Might be April or May?), so maybe they'll all get a tan by episode 5. (2) I could be wrong, but think the popularity of tans came a little after 1960 when California beach movies hit the screen in droves. Gidget came out in 1959, so 1960 New York may be on the tail end of pallid parlor acceptability (the women working at the office seem more in tune with Audrey Hepburn's alabaster elegance, than with Sandra Dee's blonde beach girl), (3) You're right, there was no obesity epidemic; nothing was "supersized" and everyone was smoking instead

 

[Boxlicker101]

Well, (1) I don't think it's summer in the show just yet--it looks to be starting but not in full swing (Might be April or May?), so maybe they'll all get a tan by episode 5. (2) I could be wrong, but think the popularity of tans came a little after 1960 when California beach movies hit the screen in droves. Gidget came out in 1959, so 1960 New York may be on the tail end of pallid parlor acceptability (the women working at the office seem more in tune with Audrey Hepburn's alabaster elegance, than with Sandra Dee's blonde beach girl), (3) You're right, there was no obesity epidemic; nothing was "supersized" and everyone was smoking instead

When Peggy Olson, who appears to be the central figure, was in her doctor's office, she looked at the calendar, and it said March, 1960. At least, that was in the only episode I saw.

 

[3113]

I saw the first segment, and didn't spot anything, except that I thought there was too much smoking.

Heh. Have to agree with you there. I suspect if the show gets picked up that later seasons will ease up on the amount of smoking to more realistic levels. I think that the creators of the show went overboard with the smoking not only to grab the viewer's attention but also as a way of announcing: "Americans smoked lots back then, that's the way it was and and we're not going to shy away from it! So there!"

Turns out it was a wasted effort as they haven't gotten any protests about it. Gotta say, they shouldn't have worried. I've never been a smoker and never wanted too be, but if any movie or tv show as going to make me regret that decision it would not be this show. Every episode there's at least one scene where I find myself gawking in horror at one of the characters and muttering to myself " You're smoking NOW? THERE?" It's pretty scary.