"Mad Men" Thread

Re: "Mad Men" Thread

This show is subversively funny. Taking a look back at 1960 through our perspective, 47 years later, it's just hilarious. I was cracking up about the weight-loss "stimulating" panties, and Don's wife figuring out about the washing machine and her libido.

Re: "Mad Men" Thread

The weight loss "panties" device actually existed in the late 50s. It was called the Relaxicizor and was sold door to door like vacuum cleaners used to be. The device in the show is an actual Relaxicizor unit. It came with the "panties" along with other attachments for delivering mild electric shocks to cause contractions of other muscle groups.

I remember a saleslady coming to our home one afternoon to give my mom a demo of the device, and actually experienced the weird involuntary muscle spasm induced by it. My mom wanted one but my dad nixed the purchase--they were quite expensive.

Check it out:

http://www.frontiernet.net/~debartss...hollywood.html

Re: "Mad Men" Thread

For those who missed this show, and if you like dramas swimming with subtext viewed through a historical perspective of 1960, then Mad Men is the show for you. They wrapped up the first season, and it was very moving and touching, and melancholy. Season 2 is a go for next summer.

Re: "Mad Men" Thread

yesh, i really luv jon hamm's acting, i luv his quiet cool, but a huge war is waged internally, i just absolutely luved how he pulls that off. his external projection of a calm, confident sales person, but then he falls apart like a little child whenever his past catches up with him because he KNOWS that he is a COWARD! a coward who is pretending to be a person he is not, both in name, identity and the projection he is trying to "play".

on the other end of the spectrum, we have a peter who portrays insecurity and all of what don drapper has internally, peter puts that whole show out there for the world to see that he is a sniveling little cat, but internally, he is super confident. he is the antithesis of all that don drapper is. they're both polar opposites... yet they both see that and see how similar they both are and that scares them BOTH =P. peter sees his demons in don's inner child, don sees his inner demons externalized in the childish behaviors of peter c.

that's just SOME of the themes correlated and portrayed throughout the series. similar comparisons can be made of don's old boss that had a heart attack vs. the CEO (the heart of the company vs. the soul of the company). the same can be made of the head secretary vs. don's secretary, as well as many of the minor characters in the cast.

it is incredible in scope! that's just the themes and characters.

the costumes, the babes, the environment, the hush-nature of repression, the oncoming 60's. many of those themes apply a great deal to today's society as commentary.

i just luv the beautiful cinematography. it truly feels like a film, just as the sopranos did technical-wise than any TV TV. but then, it's been that way since X-Files =P.

Re: "Mad Men" Thread

I'm watching the reruns of Season 1, very enjoyable program.
I do remember this era. Hell, I remember the late 1940s.

Re: "Mad Men" Thread

are we going to use this thread for season 2 as well? i mean not much happened anyway .


when will it be again (i know it, but i wanted to kick reboot this thread ?

Re: "Mad Men" Thread

July 27.

Re: "Mad Men" Thread

If you like this show, try reading Richard Yates' "Revolutionary Road." a 1960 novel (still in print) which the creator of this series says was a major influence on "Mad Man." It's quite a unique book.

Having just finished the review of Season Two on Blu-ray, this thread is a fascinating read.


You would have found it really disconcerting to live back then, because that's how much people smoked. In the workplace, at home, you name it. I remember when every other ad on TV was for cigarettes. Edward R. Murrow, one of the most popular journalists on TV, did his broadcasts with a butt visibly smoldering in his hand. The damn things were everywhere.

Season 3 starts Aug. 16.