My 'Mad Men' Martini Lunch

Yesterday I read an article in USA Today, and the realization of why I flubbed a job interview 40 years ago hit me like a ton of bricks.
The article involved an interview with Jerry Della Femina, who was labeled “the veteran ad exec widely regarded as one of Madison Avenue’s biggest personalities, most creative thinkers and an over-the-top publicity seeker.”
The interview focused on asking Femina to compare the AMC series “Mad Men” with real Madison Avenue ad agencies of the 1960s.
The first question that USA Today marketing reporter Bruce Horowitz posed was “Did ad agency executives really drink that often - and that much - in the 1960s.”
And Femina responded that “Mad Men” actually “underplays” the drinking that took place.
“Three-martini lunches were the norm,” he said.
I immediately flashed back to the spring of 1967. I was a senior Journalism major at Ohio State University, and recruiters from Benton & Bowles advertising agency visited one of my classes. We were told that Benton & Bowles was one of the hottest and most prestigious agencies on Madison Avenue. They interviewed several of us, and soon thereafter I was invited to come to New York and interview for a copy writing position.
Boy was I excited! Dreams of casting young hot models for the commercials I would be writing danced through my head.
They flew me to NY, put me up at a fancy hotel, and the next day I found myself totally overwhelmed by the glamorous, well-appointed offices of a Madison Avenue ad agency. Yes, it did resemble Sterling Cooper, at least that is how I remember it.
In a brief interview that morning, I was asked what my post-graduation plans were and whether I was eligible for any type of draft deferment. Remember, the Vietnam War was raging, and what to do about the draft was on the mind of all young men (and many prospective employers) those days. I told them my plans were totally up in the air.
What I remember most about the trip, however, was lunch. I don’t recall the name of the restaurant, but I know it was high up in a NY skyscraper, with a fantastic view of the city. Now even today I am not much of a drinker, but back then most of my drinking had been limited to swilling down pitchers of 3.2 (low alcohol) beer in bars on High Street, across from the OSU campus.
I really don’t recall what I ate for lunch, but I do remember that shortly after we sat down, my very first martini was placed in front of me, without my ordering it. I was told to drink up, and I managed to finish it. A few moments later a second martini appeared, and I remember taking a few sips of that one.
To be honest, the rest of the day is a total blur. I know I took various oral and written “tests” of my creativity and writing skills in the afternoon following lunch. But I really have no memory whatsoever of what I was asked.
About a week later I received a letter at my apartment in Columbus, Ohio. It was from Benton & Bowles, and it said that they had decided not to offer me a job, stating one of the reasons was the possibility of the Army drafting me right after graduation.
That reason always sounded a bit fishy to me. But now I know the real reason I didn‘t get the job. Obviously I failed the three-martini lunch test!