Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: MAD MEN television series

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Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 12-13-2011, 07:32 PM:

For some reason, I have never heard about the television series MAD MEN until I saw season one to four on sale on Blu-Ray at Costco for $11.95 each. I thought I would check it out by buying only the first season to see if I would like it. Half way through it that night I was hooked and went back to the store the next day and purchased the other three seasons. It was a good thing I did because there were only one other copy of season four left after I bought mine.

For those of you who like me is not familiar with the show, MAD MEN is a drama about a New York City Madison Avenue advertising agency and the people who work there in the early 1960's. The show seem to be very popular and had won Grammy awards four years in a row. THe show's primary character is the director of advertising Donald Draper and his relationship with his two two co-partners of the firm, the staff and his wife and two children. The show is a Lionsgate production for the AMC cable network. I have already watched the first two seasons and now in the middle of season three and there have already been several scenes of adultery involving Don Draper and another partner as well as a homosexual scene by one of the staff member of the agency with a hotel bellman. Although sexually themed, the show seem to be PG with no nudity and foul language. THe only thing that I had a problem with the show was the excessive amount of smoking and drinking by the the lead characters. It seem they are doing it in almost every scene they are in.

MAD MEN is very well produced with fantastic picture and sound on Blue-Ray. Many of the episodes have a audio commentary as well a a lot of extra stuff about the show and life in the sixties in the United States.

After a delay, season five is now in production and the first episode is scheduled to air on AMC next month.

-Claude

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 12-13-2011, 08:28 PM:

quote: Claude S. Ayakawa
The show seem to be very popular and had won Grammy awards four years in a row.

That's quite a feat, for a TV show to win an award for musicians 4 years in a row. [Razz]

I'm guessing you mean Emmy awards. [Smile]

Posted by Mike Heenan (Member # 392) on 12-13-2011, 08:32 PM:

I think the excessive drinking and smoking was the norm for that era; well at least smoking was, so it makes sense that they would show it in every scene.

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 12-14-2011, 12:06 AM:

The comment I heard most about the series was the prolific smoking INDOORS in public places and in offices. Also one scene when the family was out at a picnic and the children were climbing all over the car with no safety seats or seat belts anywhere in sight. Like I did in the late 60s and early 70s.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 12-14-2011, 08:35 AM:

Mad Men features the quite stacked and luscious Christina Hendricks.

Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 12-14-2011, 09:31 AM:

quote: James Westbrook
the children were climbing all over the car with no safety seats or seat belts anywhere in sight

When I was a kid I remember trips we took from California to Indiana . I would sleep in the rear window of the boat my parents drove. Some kind of huge Buick. One winter my brother broke his ankle, so on the trip back to California, I slept on the floor, my brother took up the whole back seat and my little sister slept in the rear window.
Fun times [thumbsdown]

Oh yeah, my parents smoked [thumbsdown]

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 12-14-2011, 10:57 AM:

Rick, that explains a lot. [Wink]

Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 12-14-2011, 12:24 PM:

Yes Sam, I can now curl up in a fetal position for 14 hour overseas flights. [beer]

, plus when in Egypt, I can put up with the smoke from the hookah pipes (hehe I said "hookah") [Cool]

Rick

Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 12-14-2011, 02:38 PM:

By the way, I never picked up an Egyptian hooker, I couldn't see past their eyes, and I was scared to even approach an Egyptian woman. I did think about walking around in a burka and dark sunglasses to "blend in", but the risk of getting caught was too great.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 12-14-2011, 06:48 PM:

I was 21 years old in 1960 during the period MAD MEN takes place and the excessive smoking in the show was not the norm here in Hawaii. My grandfather smoked a pipe and a couple of my uncles smoked cigarettes but they were not the chain smokers that all of the principle cast seem to be in M.M.. Like my grandfather, I took up pipe smoking and cigars about this time but I never became addicted to tobacco because I never inhaled so it was very easy to quit when the heat from pipe smoking was irritating the roof of my mouth It has been almost fifty years since I stopped smoking and I now find the practice of people smoking around me very annoying. As far as I can remember, smoking was never allowed in movie theatres here in Hawaii and could not believe it when I went to a movie in San Francisco (Royal Theatre) and discovered it was allowed in that city . When smoking was permitted on planes, I always sat in the non smoking section but it made no difference because the smoke from the smoking section in front of the part of plane where I was sitting drifted into our section. What a relief smoking is banned in almost every public place but people still light up at bus stops and a few other places because there are no laws in Honolulu that prohibits it.

By the way, I will finish watching season three of MAD MEN tonight and start on season four tomorrow night. SPOILER ALERT) The show is really getting exciting when I stopped watching last night when Don Drapper (John Hamm) committed another act of adultery after his wife, Betty (January Jones) forgave him for his first one at the end of season two.

-Claude

Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 12-29-2011, 07:22 PM:

quote: Bobby Henderson
Mad Men features the quite stacked and luscious Christina Hendricks.

Gosh the things I'd do...

AJG

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 12-30-2011, 12:32 AM:

quote: Richard Hamilton
When I was a kid I remember trips we took from California to Indiana

You lived in Cali and you took trips to Indiana....on purpose?! [Wink]

Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 12-30-2011, 03:44 AM:

Nothing wrong with the Hoosier state!

AJG

Posted by Mike Frese (Member # 4361) on 01-06-2012, 10:54 PM:

Claude,

You forget that one of the big companies they worked with in the beginning was a tobacco company.

Most historians of the 60's applaud the show for it's accuracy.

All in all great show for many people. You either love it or you don't.

Claude, try Breaking Bad sometime. Another very good AMC show.

There is so much quality TV these days. One of the biggest reasons for declining ticket sales.

Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 02-20-2012, 12:12 PM:

Mad Men Season 5 starts on March 25th.