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!
Showing posts with label Mad Men. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mad Men. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
'Mad Men' Returns!
This Sunday the much acclaimed and award-winning show “Mad Men” returns for its third season.
When I say “award-winning,” that is no exaggeration. The first season of “Mad Men” won awards in almost every category from almost every organization that presents awards to television shows. And season two of “Mad Men” received 16 Emmy nominations.
In fact last year “Mad Men” became the first basic cable show to win the Emmy for Best Drama. Ironically, the week after winning the Emmy, the ratings actually DROPPED, as only 1.6 million people viewed the episode, where 1.9 million people had watched the previous show.
(By comparison, 6.1 million people watched an “America’s Got Talent” recap show this week during television’s “dog days” of August.)
In other words not too many people watch this show, which I find amazing. Now is “Mad Men” one of those “artsy-fartsy” programs viewed only by high brow intellectuals? Not at all; I have watched and thoroughly enjoyed every episode of “Mad Men” since its inception, and I am about as low brow as one can get. (After all I regularly write about “America Idol” and “Jon & Kate Plus 8.”)
Of course a primary reason “Mad Men” receives relatively low ratings is its placement on the AMC network. In fact as I write this, I admit I don’t even know what number AMC is on my cable system. Last year I almost missed watching an episode; I was yelling at the on-screen channel guide while searching for the A&E Network, when my wife calmly reminded me that “Mad Men” was on “one of those networks that shows old movies.” We found it with seconds to spare.
In any case, I implore anyone reading this article to search for “Mad Men” when season 3 premieres this Sunday at 10 p.m. on the AMC network.
What makes this show so good? Well, I am sure everyone has different reasons for watching. Is it sexy? Yes! Are the plots intricately woven together and the writing superb? Absolutely! Is the acting and art direction fantastic? Of course!
For me, though, what I find most fascinating is the way the show depicts a pivotal era in the changing values and gender roles in our society. Over the first two seasons and now into its third, “Mad Men” takes place during the early to mid-60s. When most people think of the 60s decade, they think of Woodstock, hippies, psychedelic drugs, Vietnam, and women burning their bras, etc.
But that 60s decade really did not begin until about 1967. Prior to the “Summer of Love” and Woodstock, the early 60s were not that different from the somewhat traditional, vanilla, Eisenhower 50s.
And the first season of “Mad Men,” gave us a great view of that period. That is most adult were chain smoking and drinking cocktails throughout the day at work. Gender roles were as traditional and frozen as they had been for centuries before.
Married women stayed at home, wearing their aprons over their pleated dresses, doing the grocery shopping, cleaning the house, doing the laundry, taking care of the kids, and preparing dinner for when the “man of the house” returned home from work, fully expecting dinner to be on the table and the kids to be well-behaved and quiet.
If a woman did have a job, it was as a subservient secretary getting coffee for her boss, picking up his dry cleaning, and typing away. In most cases she was single with a primary goal of finding a husband so she could escape her job and become the housewife described in the previous paragraph.
As for the men, like series star Don Draper, they were the strong and silent type, living the lifestyle akin to 16th century royalty, spending their days smoking, drinking and chasing “wenches.”
But about halfway through the first season the “winds of change” began to blow and blow they did throughout the second season. Don’s wife Betty sank into a depression, began to wake up, and finally kicked her philandering husband out of the house. And miraculously, secretary Peggy Olson, who was far more “with it” than her male colleagues, became the first female copy writer at the Sterling Cooper ad agency.
Moreover, and to me this is the best part of the show, the writers began to demonstrate that there were CONSEQUENCES to people’s actions and vices. Agency bigwig Roger Sterling suffered a heart attack, and besides being booted out of his house, Don Draper developed some ominous health problems which no doubt will worsen in the coming season.
The story arcs and sub-plots that have and will develop around the entire cast of characters are revealing the hypocritical standards of the early 60s in other areas, such as religion, birth control, and archaic attitudes towards homosexuality.
Watching “Mad Men” gives viewers the opportunity to begin to understand why the societal changes of the late 60s and beyond happened.
So don’t forget to watch or to set your DVR Sunday night at 10:00 to the AMC network. That is, if you can find it.
When I say “award-winning,” that is no exaggeration. The first season of “Mad Men” won awards in almost every category from almost every organization that presents awards to television shows. And season two of “Mad Men” received 16 Emmy nominations.
In fact last year “Mad Men” became the first basic cable show to win the Emmy for Best Drama. Ironically, the week after winning the Emmy, the ratings actually DROPPED, as only 1.6 million people viewed the episode, where 1.9 million people had watched the previous show.
(By comparison, 6.1 million people watched an “America’s Got Talent” recap show this week during television’s “dog days” of August.)
In other words not too many people watch this show, which I find amazing. Now is “Mad Men” one of those “artsy-fartsy” programs viewed only by high brow intellectuals? Not at all; I have watched and thoroughly enjoyed every episode of “Mad Men” since its inception, and I am about as low brow as one can get. (After all I regularly write about “America Idol” and “Jon & Kate Plus 8.”)
Of course a primary reason “Mad Men” receives relatively low ratings is its placement on the AMC network. In fact as I write this, I admit I don’t even know what number AMC is on my cable system. Last year I almost missed watching an episode; I was yelling at the on-screen channel guide while searching for the A&E Network, when my wife calmly reminded me that “Mad Men” was on “one of those networks that shows old movies.” We found it with seconds to spare.
In any case, I implore anyone reading this article to search for “Mad Men” when season 3 premieres this Sunday at 10 p.m. on the AMC network.
What makes this show so good? Well, I am sure everyone has different reasons for watching. Is it sexy? Yes! Are the plots intricately woven together and the writing superb? Absolutely! Is the acting and art direction fantastic? Of course!
For me, though, what I find most fascinating is the way the show depicts a pivotal era in the changing values and gender roles in our society. Over the first two seasons and now into its third, “Mad Men” takes place during the early to mid-60s. When most people think of the 60s decade, they think of Woodstock, hippies, psychedelic drugs, Vietnam, and women burning their bras, etc.
But that 60s decade really did not begin until about 1967. Prior to the “Summer of Love” and Woodstock, the early 60s were not that different from the somewhat traditional, vanilla, Eisenhower 50s.
And the first season of “Mad Men,” gave us a great view of that period. That is most adult were chain smoking and drinking cocktails throughout the day at work. Gender roles were as traditional and frozen as they had been for centuries before.
Married women stayed at home, wearing their aprons over their pleated dresses, doing the grocery shopping, cleaning the house, doing the laundry, taking care of the kids, and preparing dinner for when the “man of the house” returned home from work, fully expecting dinner to be on the table and the kids to be well-behaved and quiet.
If a woman did have a job, it was as a subservient secretary getting coffee for her boss, picking up his dry cleaning, and typing away. In most cases she was single with a primary goal of finding a husband so she could escape her job and become the housewife described in the previous paragraph.
As for the men, like series star Don Draper, they were the strong and silent type, living the lifestyle akin to 16th century royalty, spending their days smoking, drinking and chasing “wenches.”
But about halfway through the first season the “winds of change” began to blow and blow they did throughout the second season. Don’s wife Betty sank into a depression, began to wake up, and finally kicked her philandering husband out of the house. And miraculously, secretary Peggy Olson, who was far more “with it” than her male colleagues, became the first female copy writer at the Sterling Cooper ad agency.
Moreover, and to me this is the best part of the show, the writers began to demonstrate that there were CONSEQUENCES to people’s actions and vices. Agency bigwig Roger Sterling suffered a heart attack, and besides being booted out of his house, Don Draper developed some ominous health problems which no doubt will worsen in the coming season.
The story arcs and sub-plots that have and will develop around the entire cast of characters are revealing the hypocritical standards of the early 60s in other areas, such as religion, birth control, and archaic attitudes towards homosexuality.
Watching “Mad Men” gives viewers the opportunity to begin to understand why the societal changes of the late 60s and beyond happened.
So don’t forget to watch or to set your DVR Sunday night at 10:00 to the AMC network. That is, if you can find it.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
TV Tops Movies in 2009!
I know there is a certain segment of the population that loves to brag "I hardly ever watch television."
And a subsection of that segment loves to exclaim "I don't even own a television set!"
My guess is that 99 percent of such people are over the age of 50 and arrived at their opinions about television roughly 30 years ago, before the age of cable. At that time most people had the choice of watching three network channels and perhaps one or two independent UHF stations.
Television programming was aimed at the lowest common denominator, trying to attract the absolute largest viewing audience. So, schedules were clogged with such sitcoms as "Beverly Hillbillies," and "My Mother the Car," and insipid shows like "Donny and Marie" or "The Love Boat."
Were there some quality programs produced during the so-called "Golden Age of Television?" You bet. I roared while watching "Sergeant Bilko" with my dad in the 1950s, as well as Sid Caesar's "Your Show of Shows," and "The Honeymooners."
"The Twilight Zone" was great entertainment, and I am sure such series as "Playhouse 90" or "Climax!" produced some excellent dramas, although being a child I never watched them.
But with a choice of only a few shows to watch, it was not uncommon for many people to come to the conclusion that television stunk.
Things began to change in the 1970s, with the Norman Lear-produced sitcoms such as "All in The Family," "Maude," and "The Jeffersons," which took on subjects like racial prejudice and abortion, never before dealt with on the tube. Then came the fabulously funny "Mary Tyler Moore" and "The Bob Newhart" shows. And, of course, Saturday Night Live," premiered in 1975.
But what really changed the face of television was the invention of cable. Today, if you subscribe to cable or have a satellite dish you can easily pick up anywhere from 100 to 400 channels, and before you make the joke "I still can't find anything decent to watch," I challenge you to carefully go through your three page long channel guide.
Sure, there are some excruciatingly stupid and pointless shows. Interestingly enough, many of the absolute worse ones are still produced by the broadcast networks. Can you get any more insipid than "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me out of Here!" or "Deal or No Deal?"
And if you are one of the many people who brag "I have never watched one second of "American Idol," good for you.
But no matter how much of an intellectual snob you are, don't tell me you can't find fascinating shows to watch on the National Geographic, Discovery, History, Travel, or Science networks or dozens of similar channels that cater to almost any taste, and that includes one of my favorites, The Food Network.
I won't even mention the thousands of movies and shows that are offered free "On Demand," or the fact that with TiVo or a DVR, you can watch your favorite shows whenever you want and best of all you can fast forward through the commercials! And then there is the "invention" of HDTV and the amazing picture quality that it offers.
But what I love most about television these days is the quality of some of the programming (yes, I said "some") that is offered primarily on the "Premium Channels" like HBO and Showtime. You can have your movies that end in a predictable two hours, usually with a computer-generated car chase and explosions.
I'll take the drama and plot twists that stir and stimulate the imagination when you follow a series like "The Sopranos," "Dexter," "The Wire," or "Six Feet Under" over several seasons!
Even the networks come up with occasional gems like "House," "Lost" and "24."
These series are so far superior to what passes for drama in the movies these days it's not even close. In 2007 when the American Film Institute came up with their 100 Greatest Movies of the past 100 years, the ONLY film from this century listed was 2001's "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," which was ranked 50th.
As for comedies, I laughed more at "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "The Larry Sanders Show," "Entourage," "Weeds," and even NBC's "The Office" than any Jim Carrey or Adam Sandler movie of the past decade.
So you can have your movie theaters with people yakking on their cell phones, $10 ticket prices, and a handful of change out of a $20 bill when you buy popcorn and a soda. Moreover, when I have to go to the bathroom, they won't even pause the movie for me!
Finally though let's compare the products being offered this summer both at the movies and on television.
The fact is that summer movie fare is not aimed at adults; rather it's aimed at teenagers who just want to get out of the house and away from their parents. So what are the most hyped movies this summer? I did some research and came up with a list that includes yet another entry in the Harry Potter, Terminator, Star Trek, Transformers, and Superman franchises.
How creative! Oh here's something new and exciting, a "Captain America" movie. Wow!
The summer television season is kicking off this week, and while the schedule is packed with lots of trash, I personally can't wait for such series as "Mad Men," "Weeds," "True Blood," and "Entourage" to return.
And by the way microwaved popcorn is a lot better than it used to be.
And a subsection of that segment loves to exclaim "I don't even own a television set!"
My guess is that 99 percent of such people are over the age of 50 and arrived at their opinions about television roughly 30 years ago, before the age of cable. At that time most people had the choice of watching three network channels and perhaps one or two independent UHF stations.
Television programming was aimed at the lowest common denominator, trying to attract the absolute largest viewing audience. So, schedules were clogged with such sitcoms as "Beverly Hillbillies," and "My Mother the Car," and insipid shows like "Donny and Marie" or "The Love Boat."
Were there some quality programs produced during the so-called "Golden Age of Television?" You bet. I roared while watching "Sergeant Bilko" with my dad in the 1950s, as well as Sid Caesar's "Your Show of Shows," and "The Honeymooners."
"The Twilight Zone" was great entertainment, and I am sure such series as "Playhouse 90" or "Climax!" produced some excellent dramas, although being a child I never watched them.
But with a choice of only a few shows to watch, it was not uncommon for many people to come to the conclusion that television stunk.
Things began to change in the 1970s, with the Norman Lear-produced sitcoms such as "All in The Family," "Maude," and "The Jeffersons," which took on subjects like racial prejudice and abortion, never before dealt with on the tube. Then came the fabulously funny "Mary Tyler Moore" and "The Bob Newhart" shows. And, of course, Saturday Night Live," premiered in 1975.
But what really changed the face of television was the invention of cable. Today, if you subscribe to cable or have a satellite dish you can easily pick up anywhere from 100 to 400 channels, and before you make the joke "I still can't find anything decent to watch," I challenge you to carefully go through your three page long channel guide.
Sure, there are some excruciatingly stupid and pointless shows. Interestingly enough, many of the absolute worse ones are still produced by the broadcast networks. Can you get any more insipid than "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me out of Here!" or "Deal or No Deal?"
And if you are one of the many people who brag "I have never watched one second of "American Idol," good for you.
But no matter how much of an intellectual snob you are, don't tell me you can't find fascinating shows to watch on the National Geographic, Discovery, History, Travel, or Science networks or dozens of similar channels that cater to almost any taste, and that includes one of my favorites, The Food Network.
I won't even mention the thousands of movies and shows that are offered free "On Demand," or the fact that with TiVo or a DVR, you can watch your favorite shows whenever you want and best of all you can fast forward through the commercials! And then there is the "invention" of HDTV and the amazing picture quality that it offers.
But what I love most about television these days is the quality of some of the programming (yes, I said "some") that is offered primarily on the "Premium Channels" like HBO and Showtime. You can have your movies that end in a predictable two hours, usually with a computer-generated car chase and explosions.
I'll take the drama and plot twists that stir and stimulate the imagination when you follow a series like "The Sopranos," "Dexter," "The Wire," or "Six Feet Under" over several seasons!
Even the networks come up with occasional gems like "House," "Lost" and "24."
These series are so far superior to what passes for drama in the movies these days it's not even close. In 2007 when the American Film Institute came up with their 100 Greatest Movies of the past 100 years, the ONLY film from this century listed was 2001's "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," which was ranked 50th.
As for comedies, I laughed more at "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "The Larry Sanders Show," "Entourage," "Weeds," and even NBC's "The Office" than any Jim Carrey or Adam Sandler movie of the past decade.
So you can have your movie theaters with people yakking on their cell phones, $10 ticket prices, and a handful of change out of a $20 bill when you buy popcorn and a soda. Moreover, when I have to go to the bathroom, they won't even pause the movie for me!
Finally though let's compare the products being offered this summer both at the movies and on television.
The fact is that summer movie fare is not aimed at adults; rather it's aimed at teenagers who just want to get out of the house and away from their parents. So what are the most hyped movies this summer? I did some research and came up with a list that includes yet another entry in the Harry Potter, Terminator, Star Trek, Transformers, and Superman franchises.
How creative! Oh here's something new and exciting, a "Captain America" movie. Wow!
The summer television season is kicking off this week, and while the schedule is packed with lots of trash, I personally can't wait for such series as "Mad Men," "Weeds," "True Blood," and "Entourage" to return.
And by the way microwaved popcorn is a lot better than it used to be.
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