Nobody needs some guy with a blog to tell them how good Mad Men is these days - you either are already watching it, already want to, or have already decided it's just not for you. I love the show, watching it on Blu Ray. I will caution that it's not one of those programs you can just leap into the middle of and appreciate - I tried to watch the 6th episode when it was first airing. and friends were first raving about it, and I could not get into it at all. Starting from the beginning, I found it totally engrossing, not just for the compelling characters and story; but for the carefully crafted glimpse into a world that just no longer exists: America, 1960. Mad Men is careful to not just use the early 1960s as an attractive setting, it reminds us how different that world was at almost every turn: after Betty's pregnant neighbor smokes and drinks, without a second thought. A new copy machine - the size of the Buick - is viewed in the office as something that could possibly cause sterility. The Drapers, after a picnic, cheerfully dump their trash on the grass and walk away - they're not bad people, it's just the concept of "litter" was not widely considered at the time. bits of the show remind me of my own childhood, even though I was born in 1966, I had plenty of time to deal with rotary telephones and televisions that required vertical hold. (Kids, ask your grandparents).
It's curious, also, to note that the Game Show Network offers a little glimpse into the real-life world of the early 60's right now with Password, Alan Ludden's word play game, running an episode each night. Currently they're showing programs from 1963, right in line with where Mad Men's third season is. What's interesting for me personally is the chance to see celebrities I've never seen out of character before, as themselves, as they were then. Carol Burnett is a delightful player, loves the game, and appeared in an episode playing opposite Garry Moore, her boss - long before she had her own show. Following are a few screen captures of recent moments"
They often include the original sponsor plugs, something the guys at Sterling Cooper would be glad to see.
Johnny Carson, delighted when his partner guessed "joint" on a difficult clue. Double entendre words that could relate to casual drug use are often greeted with a chuckle when the celebrities first see the word - then it's never mentioned again.
A very young Johnny Carson tries to come up with a one word clue for "allowance."
Jane Fonda vs. James Mason, 1963. I had never seen Jane Fonda pre-Vietnam, she is quite the 5th Avenue Hollywood starlet. To her credit, though, she was so engrossed with her partner, a typical guy who worked at a tool and dye company or some such, she chatted with him all through Alan Ludden's entrance.
Dahh-ling! Jane was simply delighted when Ludden asked "How do you play Password?" and her partner answered "badly."
James Mason stiffens noticeably when his rather boisterous partner smacks him in the arm for getting "Laundry" right.
The next time, he's ready for it, but he's also laughing.
Jane had this odd little move while trying to think of a clue for "blackmail."
Jane illegally gives the "sounds like" signal when she comes up with "hangnail" for "blackmail."I'll be honest, I never expected to be much interested in the Game Show Network's programming myself, now I watch it nightly. It literally is a glimpse back into a simpler time. Darren McGavin, when giving the clue "tongue" for the word "lick" to his female partner, said "Please pardon the expression" first.
A simpler time.
