» Literary, Theatrical and Film References: It's a Mad Men World Options

[jakesmom]

So I've decided that part of the way I'll make it to next season is to get myself better up to speed on some of the many Mad Men referenced books, movies, etc. I guess I have to start with Ayn Rand and John Cheever. It's also been awhile since I've seen The Apartment. And then there are all the movies MW talks about in his interviews...

[arlykeeno]

Ooooh! I want to start a Mad Men film festival. We can show "The Apartment," of course, and also "The Best of Everything" and "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" and "The Fountainhead."

"Never on Sunday" and "Butterfield 8" are also on the must-see list, I think. "Exodus," anyone? "A Face in the Crowd"? "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter"?

Oh, and definitely "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."

[bobs yer uncle]

Great idea, jakesmom.

I think "Executive Suite," "Lover Come Back," and a few Hitchcock's--at the very least, "Psycho," which was mentioned on MM, and "North by Northwest," which featured Cary Grant as an ad man accused of murder--should be included as well. MW mentions "Dear Heart," starring Glenn Ford and Geraldine Page in one of his interviews. And, of course, we can't forget about La Dolce Vita, which provided the visual reference for Roger Sterling's midnight ride of Mirabelle. "Patterns" and "Madison Avenue" are two lesser known movies from the time that deal with some of the same themes of isolation and trying to get ahead in business.

The "Twilight Zone" and "Bewitched" are obvious television fare, as are the Danny Thomas Show, and possibly the Dick Van Dyke Show as well.

[appleater]

I wonder if Dick Whitman's name is supposed to conjure up Walt Whitman. Don is good with words. I don't really know Walt Whitman.

I agree The Fountainhead movie may be the way to go if anyone's interested in Ayn Rand; Atlus Shrugged is 1000+ pages. If you watch the film, you can compare Don Draper to the American icon Gary Cooper and decide if you think Don is an Ayn Rand hero. I don't think so, mainly because of the episode Hobo Code. (That's a compliment to Don in my opinion.)

If Rand's books are checked out at the library, a new video game named BioShock may be the reason. Video gamers are actually reading up on her. Strangely, both BioShock and Mad Men are set in 1960 and are about advertising and Ayn Rand, although BioShock emphasizes the latter. I couldn't believe the similarity when I watched Mad Men, which is the only tv show that's ever grabbed me. BioShock was just named game of the year, and I expect Mad Men to win something too.

Here's something about great advertising campaigns, icons, etc.:

http://adage.com/century/campaigns.html

[Nouvelle Fille]

In honor of "Long Weekend" I nominate The Seven Year Itch for the MM Film Festival.

And even though the visual style of Mad Men is nothing like that of the French New Wave, there's something about Francois Truffaut's The 400 Blows (troubled kid seeks escape through creating his own fantasy life in movies, books, and lying about dead mothers) and Shoot the Piano Player (talented, mysterious pianist walks away from his old life and starts another life under another name--although in this case he goes from upper-class to lower/working-class) that reminds me of Don.

This post has been edited by Nouvelle Fille: Oct 24, 2007 @ 2:18 pm.

[Pepper Mostly]

The "Twilight Zone" and "Bewitched" are obvious television fare

The Twilight Zone, yes, but Bewitched didn't come on the air until 1964. Unless you mean for the advertising angle?

[Hilary Dickulous]

Yes, even though Bewitched was a little later, I saw a darker subtext in the one first-season episode I've watched since Mad Men began. Might be my imagination.

[jakesmom]

I always thought of Bewitched as a little subversive - maybe in some alternate universe we'll find ourselves in a season of MadMen set in 1964, and Betty has extended her new empowerment to include witchcraft? In any case, the film festival seems to be shaping up nicely - I'm thinking that maybe I'll have to start trolling the Mad Men Food and Canapes thread to find appropriate movie night snacks.

This post has been edited by jakesmom: Oct 24, 2007 @ 9:49 pm.

[bobs yer uncle]

I suggested Bewitched because of the subject matter, yes, but also because of its...sensibility? While the show didn't debut until the mid-sixties, it still had an early 60s vibe about it--especially the black and white episodes of the first season. I can't put my finger on it exactly, but those early shows really felt like they were more from the Kennedy era, than from post-Beatles America. To me, the early episodes represented a time that was certainly familiar to viewers--modern, but not necessarily contemporary. I think TV worked like that back then, reflecting a time in the not so distant past as if it were the current reality.

And I love the idea of discussing the French New Wave as it pertains to MM. All that existentialism and angst--they're perfectly suited.

This post has been edited by bobs yer uncle: Oct 24, 2007 @ 9:59 pm.

[Decormaven]

Re: Bewitched - didn't Darrin work for an advertising agency? That's a good tie-in. As for a movie, I submit 1960's From the Terrace with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. New York City, affairs, big business- all familiar territory.

[bobs yer uncle]

Oh yeah, From the Terrace. Another good Paul Newman movie from that period is The Young Philadelphians...and, of course, Exodus, just because. Paul Newman chose very "Draperesque" roles during that period in his career.

[Nouvelle Fille]

Sweet Smell of Success would be another great addition to the MM film festival--a bleak, cynical, beautifully-photographed look at the PR industry in (late?)1950's Manhattan. Tony Curtis even has a bit of Pete's desperate, grasping young-up-and-wanna-be-a-comer, and Burt Lancaster is a darker, more controlling Don.

[GraphicDesigner]

In college in the mid-seventies, when I'd tell folks that my major was "Graphic Design," only to be met with blank stares. Then I'd say, remember how Darren Stevens would sketch out the look of an ad on Bewitched? Then they'd get it.

[redhairedgirl]

I'm not sure where else to put this, and I can't remember where people posted the book recomendations, but I've read two books based on posts here.

The first is The Girls Who Went Away, about women who's babies were adopted during the 50s, 60s and 70s. I make a point of not saying "gave up thier babies" because it's clear that very few of these women were given a choice. They suffered from guilt, shame, ostracism, post-partum depression, post traumatic stress, and the belief that there was something wrong with them, because they were all told they'd "forget it and move on." They never did, but they could never talk about it with anyone, so they all suffered alone.

It's a heartbreaking book.

The second is Manhatten Memoir by Mary Cantwell. Mary Cantwell grew up in Bristol, RI and went to New York and worked at Mademoiselle and Vogue in the 1950s. Several elements of her story have popped up in MM- her going to a psychiatrist and finding out that her husband was being told everything that happened in her sessions. Finding herself trapped in marraige she really didn't intend. A husband who sort of sleazes his way into a better job. Even a higher up in her office name Joan. There was also a lot of talk about people coming to New York and changing their names. Becoming a new person. It's pretty good, but a bit slow going. She has a lovely way with words, though.

[jackiecarr]

I watched "The Apartment" last week and I've netflixed a few 60s movies due to Mad Man withdrawl. Mostly Doris Day stuff- "That Touch of Mink", "The Thrill of it All" and some mid-60s stuff like "A Guide for the Married Man" (1967) "How to Murder Your Wife"(1965) which still had an early-60s look but a more cynical sensibility.