Friday, June 21, 2013

Way back when

I finally watched the first episode of "Mad Men," and I'm wondering what all the fuss is about. Other period TV shows, excellent ones (e.g. "M*A*S*H"), don't condescend to their subject matter.

8 comments:

Kenneth Burns said...

Some period shows do, like "That '70s Show," which I like a lot. Roller disco sure was funny! But that's a light sitcom, not a drama.

Kenneth Burns said...

Back to "Mad Men," the episode's observations about the sexism and bigotry of the period are obviously well taken, but they're made with sledgehammers.

Kenneth Burns said...

"People sure were sexist and bigoted in the early 1960s" ought to be the setup for the punchline, not the punchline.

Kenneth Burns said...

Then there is this line from the "Mad Men" premiere:

"I'm saying I had a report just like that. And it's not like there's some magic machine that makes identical copies of things."

Har har! No one would ever say that except as a laugh line in a period piece. Reminds me of this exchange in the 1977 musical "Annie," set in the 1930s:

"How was your flight from Chicago?" "Not bad. Only took 11 hours."

Har har! Because it sure took a long time to fly from Chicago back then.

Kenneth Burns said...

Also, the "magic machine" gag is a joke with a footnote that probably itself needs a footnote at this point.

Kenneth Burns said...

Also also, the episode implies that Lucky Strike originated the "It's Toasted" slogan in 1960. "It's Toasted" goes all the way back to 1917.

Alison Piepmeier said...

I'm amused at all these comments! I haven't yet watched Mad Men, but I'm sure you're right. My current favorite show is Parks and Recreation.

Kenneth Burns said...

I have a way of arriving late to popular TV shows, so I'll probably start watching Parks and Recreation in about 2017.