I enjoyed watching your new character, Mrs. Clifford Lyman, as the high society type who's still climbing the social ladder and very impressed with Pete's family name. Perhaps you will get her to work with Pete or Pete's wife for their mutual benefit? Collaborating in future episodes to improve Pete's contacts for the ad agency and raise Mrs. Lyman'status by her association with Pete?

My dad worked for Pure Oil; made a deal with Nascar to advertise which created sports marketing as we know it today. His ad agency was Leo Burnett, a prominent figure.

Have you considered scripting any competition between New York and Chicago ad agencies? Obviously, Madison Ave. remains KING.

How about a forum of people who worked in the business during the 1960's? Like a focus group? I have a Master's Degree in Advertising from Northwestern, 1983.

Nancy Wishmeier

917-509-1987

I am ecstatic over the fact that again, Rosemarie DeWitt, is playing a part in a show that is a hit. I am so very proud of her accomplishments and she is such a beautiful young woman. I know she has a lot more interesting things in her bright future. Keep up the amazing work that you do. This is one truly proud fan.

Your sistah from Maine,

Linda Joi

why would peggy want to be with the sleazy guy. He is creepy and rude, I guess I could understand if he was hot. So, why is she supposed to like him?

I would love to see The Questor Tapes. please can you show it.

AUTHOR: kathy valle
EMAIL: nefie5@verizon.net
IP: 71.106.198.10
URL:
DATE: 08/16/2007 10:30:27 PM

AUTHOR: kathy valle
EMAIL: nefie5@verizon.net
IP: 71.106.198.10
URL:
DATE: 08/16/2007 10:31:10 PM

Pedestrian and predictable. The writers have tried hard (my heart goes out to them) but they have come up with a pseudo 50s/60s version of a reality show. Is that what television viewership is waiting for? I'm not sure it is.

We want drama, not some mediocre soap opera with above average camera work. Watch the BBC for some pointers you guys.

In the TV series Mad Men, which is set in the year 1960, Selectric II typewriters are featured prominently on the secretaries' desks, even though they weren't introduced until 1973.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Selectric_typewriter#Selectric_Trivia

I love the show, 50's /60's reality, wrong year typewriter and all. It takes my mind off all the crap that goes on in life.

It would be nice to see one mad man be true to his woman.

Mad Men looks beautiful, what video or film format is the series shot in / what camera system? What is the cinematographer's approach and favored tools for lighting the series?

Born in 1956, I find this to be an extremely fascinating series to watch. I recognize everything. Even the lighting is familiar. My dad was one of those guys, even though we didn't live in New York — or even close to it, he was one of them. My mom and the women in my neighborhood were those women. Pregnant women smoking. They all did.

I ended up becoming an art director at an ad agency. This is an incredibly good series, which means it probably won't last long.

Just wanted to know-where do the Drappers live?

my name is chuck phillips. i was the 1st employee of chiat/day in 1968 and was an executive of that agency for 25 years. i'm almost certain i hosted the last gathering of of the of ddb founders: bill bernbach, ned doyle and max dane. i was the only other person in the room. my purposes for this e-mail is two: 1) being from that era, i totally enjoy your show. and 2) one of canada's legendary creative directors, peter lanyon, has recorded a song "merchants of desire" that would be the perfect theme for your show. i have no personal stake in this, but you ought to hear the song. if you respond to this i will send it to you.

keep up the excellent work.

- chuck phillips

Robert Morse as the head of Sterling Cooper! How funny and fabulous is that?! This show is really dialed in.

I remember, as many must, the ABC series "thirtysomething", that featured another angst-ridden ad-man. It also tackled a lot of the same issues such as family, ambition, sex, and office politics. I wonder if Mr. Weiner watched the series, or was influenced by it in any way? Also, I'm curious about how he went about casting Mr.Hamm for the lead, I heard that he had wanted George Clooney at one point. But I believe Mr.Hamm as well as the rest of the cast is perfect! I hope this show last as long and great as "The Sopranos"!

It took me a while, I concede, but I finally realized that the dark secret that Don Draper hides so well is one that is no longer very dramatic - but one that was, at the time, deadly. He's Jewish.

I applaud the writers for their incredibly sensitive handling of this issue. I knew that Don was someone who was "passing," but I didn't know what he wasn't supposed to be until the fifth episode.

Why Jon Hamm??!! This guy is drop dead gorgeous and he draws you in - George Clooney couldn't shine his shoes, the scruffy commie. Besides Clooney would never do TV.

We discussed the Jewish angle after the first episode- hello! That may very well be so but something more sinisyer is going on here

No, I don't think Don's secret is that he is Jewish. I thought so at first, until I learned he has a brother who is a janitor.

Can you please cut down on the smoking ?

It's making me nauseous. Maybe you could confine it to parties, conference room meetings and bars/restaurants without getting too far afield from reality. I especially had trouble with smoking in the bedroom and around kids or in tight areas. Your actors must hate you.

You don't have to be *that* realistic at the expense of the message it gives off/portrays.

PS: 20+ years of non-smoking under my belt.

Love the series. I've been a keen observer of the advertising profession for many decades.

The clothes and set decorations are "spot on". Incidentally, I had an IBM Selectric in 1965 -- a red one! All the executive secretaries in our company had them, and we could pick our color -- thanks to our very progressive electronics engineering firm in Central PA.

Good luck to the series and all collected with it!

I love this show. Do any of the actors smoke? For the non-smoking actors, how difficult was it to constantly smoke like that? Thanks

honestly, I have been looking forward to this show all summer long and have been watching since the premier. Great show, well written, it could move a little bit faster, but all in all I think it could possibly live up to the sopranos. make it last please, thursdays have always been my favorite day, but now theres a reason.

p.s. I'm glad there is an encore presentation after the show so I can watch it again and see or hear something I missed the first time around. Smart thinking.

This is for Sandy H, on set they only smoke herbal cigarettes.

I love the music at the opening of the show, as well as the longer version of the song in the trailer. How sings it? Is it a hit, past or present?

Also, I'm not sure what type of art style the picture in the begining is, but I've got the same question -- where do you pick it up?

Thanks - it's awesome.

Any chance of a you folks releasing a soundtrack from the show? I love the musical selections!

Congratulations. This is by far the most interesting show I seen for years.

All the actors are superb. I am more and more impressed with Hamm, Slattery and especially "Pete Campbell" for each and every episode. (I wont try and spell his real name though)

My question is DVDs. Have you thought about what they will contain? Also, how long does it take to make an episode?

How great amount of time and what do you use for reseach about this time?

Thank you!

The clothing designer is fantastic. I have enjoyed watching the show tremendously with its excellent plot line, outstanding actors & actresses and intrigue. To top it all off everyone looks polished and elegant. Who puts together the clothes for the men and women? Are these clothes that are already on the set from years ago or is there someone who designs the cloths just for the show? Thank you.

This show lives up to its hype and my husband and I look forward to it every week. What a great ensemble cast and hope that SAG remembers this program at award time. If anyone doubts the progress our country has made in regards to race, ethnicity and gender this program speaks volumes.

To add to my previous blog it is so great to see Robert Morse again..I have been in love with him since seeing him in How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying thanks AMC!

I love this show! It showcases the social changes over the past 40 years: especially the role of women in society. The production quality is fab: the acting terrific: the story line: soapy, but is redeemed by the exposure to the era. I stumbled upon the first episode and then left for Europe for 3 weeks: I couldn't wait to get back and catch up!

I hated that AMC changed its format several years ago to appeal to younger viewers: but now you have redeemed yourselves!

May Mad Men drive us crazy for a long time!

Dear AMC, Mr. Weiner and the Cast,

I love the show !!!

1. Who was the dark haired woman that Don was sleeping with in Episode 5 ?

2. Why is Don trying to avoid his brother so much ? It's not like the brother is asking to move in with Don ?

Steven M.

I wonder what town the Draper's are supposed to live in? Is it somewhere in Westchester or Connecticut?

The show is fabulous! Hats off to all: writers, cast, crew, producers, etc.

If writers are interested in more fantastic research on advertising, I strongly suggest Roland Marchand's "Advertising the American Dream" (if you haven't already consulted it!). There's a lot you could use there to tie actual ads/campaigns to the messages of the show (not all that unlike the Liberty "executive account" pitch or the inclusion of Volkswagen ads which are CLASSIC!).

Also, please don't loose a pure gem of the broadcast by eliminating the writer/cast/director comments at the end. I love hearing about the creative process, and I thought this was a feature that made the show truly unique. I was disappointed that "5G" didn't include it!

Finally, including 'factoids' relevant to the upcoming *real* spot was a stroke of genius! It really draws viewer attention in an age where many have learned to filter out commercial clutter. Who knew that "Cocktail" was filmed in the original Fridays?! I bet your advertisers are thrilled. And while I try to limit my intake of commercial messages (believing that we live in a culture that consumes 1k x more than we need because of it), I can appreciate creativity and innovation in any industry. Pushing the boundaries of advertising alongside a show about pushing the boundaries of advertising is nothing short of inspired.

Thanks for making Thursday night fun again!

Love the show it's like time travel. I was a kid in 1960 and this is exactly how my parents and all their friends looked, dressed and acted. The pacing is dead on, things didn't move as quickly then. People were also more grown-up than today, the show has a very adult feel to it. How refreshing.

So this is how they get cigarette advertising back on the tube. I'm done. Hate I sat through all of No. 5. The period stuff was cute for a couple episodes, but this is now just mediocre TV.

Thoroughly unlikeable characters, although I'm getting behind the Draper actor for the Staring-Into-Space Emmy. And is it me or is the audio really seriously inconsistent?

I like the fact that you show so much alcohol and cigarettes since that was the way things were back then. But I think it would seem more authentic if there were more coffee, around the office especially. Do you think so?

Mad Men is the best show of the year. My only question is, where are the newspapers? In 1960, everyone got their news from newspapers. People carried newspapers with them everywhere they went. Look at the movies from the Fifties and you'll see.

Mad Men is a great show. Finally, there's a show my 20-something daughter and I can enjoy watching together. But I think it could be improved if some of the cast had slight "New Yawk" accents, especially the secretaries. This is Manhatten in the '60's after all!

i cannot view mad men in california on demand. can you address this to amc to offer in this state. especially on cox.net, thanks, cz

The last few episodes were very inspired. It was cunning how you drew out the suspense behind Don's last encounter with his brother. I couldn't guess what Don was carrying in his briefcase. I breathed a real sigh of relief when I saw it was "only" a stack of money. I also like the way you've turned Don's life into a metaphor for the advertising industry. We'll have to wait and see how long he can keep up the pretense of his new life with his family and co-workers. He has been able to "sell" his makeover to everyone else so far. But it remains to be seen whether he be able to buy it himself in the end.

My husband and I like Madmen, but we are thinking that it is underwritten by Big Tobacco. It has to be, we decided because everyone smokes all the time, even when it doesn't fit the drama. This is a new way Tobacco can advertise on TV (since it is prevented by law). Gratuitous smoking, please cut it out. The good writing will sustain the show.

Barb,

Don't you get it? These people lived in the dark ages of health consciousness. They all smoked like chimneys. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be seeing some of older characters develop smoker's cough and STD's.

I enjoy the show very much. One thing that struck me was that the secretaries are using IBM Selectric typewriters (the ones with the print ball). I checked, because I used to use one of those typerwriters myself, back in the day, and those were not introduced until July of 1961. I assume we're in 1960 because of the Kennedy/Nixon stuff.

I'm surprised, with the attention to detail, that this would have slipped by.

I am recommending this show, which I love to all my friends & family. Love the music, the style and clothing, the acting is phenomenal, and the story is original. I am hooked! Mad Men portrays the sexism and racism of the time in full Technicolor and with such barbed comments that for the first time in a while (since SATC) I wait with bated breath for the next one to come on. After the 5G episode I literally said to myself (This show is soooo good). Juicy summertime show. I also find the main character Jon Hamm/Don Draper, who is a bit of an bad-boy enigma, totally hot. I have issues, I know.

I would just like to urge the powers that be to continue this series. It is truly remarkable -- the set and costumes alone are amazing and the characters are vivid and compelling. Great viewing!

I'm still loving Mad Men. It's the only show I watch on television. You guys really go above and beyond what viewers expect.

Yes, the smoking is extreme but in no way do I see this as enticing people to smoke. It's just downright disgusting. However, it is distracting - there's a lot going on in each scene and we have to pay attention. The writers could probably eliminate 20% of the smoking and we'd still get the idea that people smoked alot, all the time.

When I first heard about this show I thought Wow. A red hot expose about how things are rotten just below the surface in surburbialand. Now there's an idea I haven't seen more than 30 or 40 times (and wasn't American Beauty just a Desperate Housewives episode that took itself very very seriously?)But you did something very smart. You went and hired yourself some brilliant actors. Every single one of them delivers the goods. They breathe life into that old "beneath this pretty surface ugly things lie" chestnut. I used to womnder. Why can't pretty things lie beneath the pretty surface? Why is the pretty surface always hiding a big ugly lie? Or a lot of ugly lies. At least on tv. But I digress. To tell you the truth I always hated the Sopranos. Everyone talked about how brilliant it was so I tried to watch it. Couldn't see what was brilliant about watching horrible people behave horribly. And I came to dread the mandatory bursts of graphic violence every episode. Whatever Mad Men's faults I don't have to watch anyone get beaten, stabbed or shot. And I don't have to listen to the f word three times a minute. I know, that's how gangsters talk. One reason it gets tiresome to hang around gangsters. I'd rather watch the boys in the grey flannel suits. Their power struggles may be just as vicious as the New Jersey mob. But they play them out with so much more style.

I am a bit late to the game and have just seen the last two episodes. I think the show is a real winner and the set direction complements the writing and acting perfectly.

I have one point to bring up, however. In each of those two episodes certain characters use the word "swell" in reaction to something they were just told. To my ear -- I am 54 years old -- it sounds just a bit off. In that context, as a reaction vis-a-vis a simple adjective, the word "swell" seems anchronistic by a couple of decades, at least.

This is no big deal, but I wonder if there was much (or any) discussion about such a word before its placement in the script?

Love the concept, but when are you going to make ANY of the characters remotely likeable? I finish watching, and feel nothing but contempt for all of them.

I know the show is meant to be a snapshot of the era, but come on! Not everyone was so one-dimensional, duplicitous and horny.

A little content in the outline, please!

I too love this show and anxiously wait for Thursday nights. Many of my thoughts have been reflected in other posts so I won't repeat them....with the exception of two things:

1 The lack of New York accents - given all the painstaking research into the era, why wouldn't some of the characters have the obligatory accent? Especially Peggy, who says she's from Brooklyn. Being from Long Island myself, I know that Brooklyn accents are quite distinctive.

2.The sound doesn't seem to stay at the same level. There are times that I have to turn up the volume to full blast to catch some things. It's not my TV because on my computer, watching the videos, I have to do the same thing.

Ok, I lied.. one last thing...PLEASE PLEASE posters, lay-off the typewriter already!

Excellent show--gets better with every episode as the characters are fleshed out.

I've gotta laugh at the comments here regarding the "gratuitous" smoking. ALL smoking is "gratuitous!" I'm in my 50s and I can tell you that the smoking in this show is not overdone and adds a great period texture--I can almost smell 1960.

When will the DVD set of season 1 be available? (Hopefully for Xmas?)

Love, love, love the show! Salvatore... when will it come out that he is gay?

Absolutely excellent. I think its a wonderful show, and tragically stylish. Its interesting to see the amount of smoking people did, knowing whats coming. A recent scene of Don and his wife walking and talking in their bedroom had so many coughs neither of them noticed, and won't for twenty more years. That was really how people smoked then, just as the elevator service man was a painful reminder for me, as a young black woman, of the almost non-existent role of blacks on Madison Avenue (or anywhere of the type).

Also, Jon Hamm as Don Draper is mesmerizing. I can't tell if I am falling in love with the actor or the character, but his beautiful face in those sharp suits is almost too much. He is like a pacifier for grown women! Even in his flawed adulterous way, he is charming. Have I mentioned how superiorly handsome he is? Good grief!

Love the show. It brings back many memories when I was a fresh young thing out of school working as a secretary for a big Chicago ad agency. The men were all on the prowl, but now looking back, I think it a lot of it was show by some of them, as they probably thought that had to act that way to be part of the group. I also smoked at my desk..we all did. And the Christmas parties...well, enough said!

What is Don's secret? At first, I assumed it was some kind of abuse, but after reading other people's comments, it has to be he is Jewish, or at least part Jewish. Why would he react to Rachel the way he did in the first episode? He lashed out at her because of what she represented.

Brown text on brown background does not a great website make.

I love the show. It is the only show I make a point to watch and then you took it off Fridays at 7:00. Bring it back.

Lee

I've posted here before and I've simply run out of accolades and hosannas of praise for Mad Men. It's just breathtakingly great. All I can do is second the emotion expressed by Nancy Franklin in The New Yorker, who said, "can you marry a TV show?" Or at least Jon Hamm? Yowzaa!

My only quibble with earlier episodes was with the men's clothes. I thought everything should be a little narrower (ties and jackets) and ties should be darker. Maybe I'm imagining it, but in last night's episode, the suits did seem more period-correct to me. I especially love the millimeter thin sliver of pocket hankerchief in several of the men's breast pockets. That was a great subtle touch that really pulled the whole outfit into the correct time frame.

Thanks to the sharp eyes and researching of the other posters about the Selectric typewriters. That should be corrected, if they are right. About where the Drapers live, my guess is Westchester.

About whether Don Draper is Jewish - for some reason, it didn't occur to me, but now that other posters have mentioned it, it seems like an obvious duh. That's why he's avoiding his brother, and paid him $5,000 to go away. Whe he went to meet Adam, I thought for sure that what he slipped into his briefcase was a gun. But of course! Now it all makes sense. Jews don't shoot people! Especially relatives. The Man In The Gray Flannel Suit meets Gentleman's Agreement.

P.S. All I want for Christmas (and Hanukkah) is the first season of Mad Men on DVD. Please!

P.P.S. Wouldn't it be funny if the actor playing a closeted Jew is named Hamm?

My question is are we going to get to see them making/producing TV ads? So far all they've done is print.

I would love to see the 60s take on casting commercials, filming, post-production. A lot of TV advertising was still done live as sponsored ads -- would be fun to be behind the scenes on a TV show.

Also, someone on TWoP noticed you have a mental health consultant on staff? What does he/she do? Provide advice for the writers, actors, or counsel the production team?

P.S. I think the "Is Don a closet Jew?" is a red herring. Not sure why it's gained so much currency here. It's not as if his name was Moishe Finkelstein and he changed it to Don Draper. He wouldn't have needed to change his name (Dick Whitman) and engrave a Purple Heart to "pass." I think there is something darker and more psychologically based going on.

Just remembered something - in the first episode, the head of Sterling Cooper asks Don if they have hired any Jews. Don's answer: "Not on my watch". Of course, Don didn't hire himself. Another clue?

A question about Peggy: was she really attracted to Pete, just lonely, or was this a calculated attempt to sleep her way upward? She also made a pass at Don and the look on her face when he rebuffed her should win her an Emmy. I could almost feel the heat of the blood in her face. I agree with other posters, she and other characters should have a New York/Brooklyn accent, but it's too late to change that now.

Love this show so much! I missed last night's episode so when I looked it up on TV guide it was listed to air at 7pm Friday. Gosh, what a bummer! Please update your schedule and offer times that are more viewer friendly. 2AM? Give me a break, that's just too late.

I love Don's character and the way he lets Pete get under his skin even though HE is the superior man, flawed yet classy. It would be great for Betty to have an "interest" in another man. The twists and turns here are brillant.

where can I buy my husband those Knights in Armour cufflinks from episode 4?!?!?! LOVE!

Where did the inspiration for the show came from?

Joan mentioned/lied? about the quality of the sound. I find myself doing the same thing. Why is that? There are moments when everything is clear...then dialogue seems so mumbled and volume low. It really is a detraction from such a great show. May be why I fall asleep and watch on Sunday! Has this happened to anyone else?

When Don went M-I-A with his daughter's birthday cake ultimately finding himself in front of the train tracks with the red signal lights flashing before him him, was he contemplating suicide?

Is the show trying to show the relationships between the new rich and old rich and how the compete and then the outcome of the conflict.

Thoroughly enjoyable, this return to the 60's. Many very nice touches, and I'm surprised to be so nostalgic (I was age 10-20). But as several others commented...TOO MUCH SMOKING!! It's painful to watch! A little should do the trick nicely. And maybe even a little touch of the racism of that time. Goodfellas movie was great because it was genuine--not PC. Keep up the good show.

Smoking: People smoked everywhere back then, seems logical to me.

Don Jewish: Well, he may turn out to be since he was a child of an affair his mom had or adopted/taken in...

Newspapers: Good observation made earlier on the board; they were ubiquitous back then, literally under every arm, dailies ran multiple editions back then...

Hats: Hats, in the spring of 1960 were still the rage, fashion it was John Kennedy's dislike of them that is said to have killed the hat industries omnipotence among men's fashion... AND men would often wear their hats into the buildings in big cities and right into the elevator UNLESS a female was in the same car, then it was considered good manners to take it off... once one stepped onto ones floor off would come the hat...

Peggy: Not much happening with her of late... would like to get her story line moving

A trvia note for your set people.

Don Draper's valet is missing a shoe rack which fits below the seat. If you look at the floor runners you will see two holes on each side, into which the rack fits.

Just so happens I have the same valet, which I received from my dad. I believe he acquired it in 1963.

I discovered Mad Men on Cox Cable VOD and loved it right away. Shared this with my husband and friends -- then intended to watch on Thursday, but got busy so went to Cox Cable "On Demand" on Friday to catch up only to find it had been removed. Cox Cable says that their access to content is determined by AMC. Why did AMC remove this from "On Demand" just as the buzz was building?

FANTASTIC! Cast, Writing, details you have sucessfully nailed the era well.

DON'T CHANGE A THING! Having read the postings here;geeeeze some folks don't get it. That is how the era was I REMEMBER IT!

Was curious, at the bar,the bachelor party Salvatore's remark to the girls comment that she loved the place because it's full of men...Sal's manner while replying..

Closeted gay?(As was that era before Stonewall.)

THANK YOU AMC!

Love the show. Don Draper sure is easy on the eyes. I cannot wait for the next showing on Thursday evenings. Just wandering what other secrets Don has? Please give more information about the cast.

pam

"MadMen" has got to be one of the best shows on television. The creators, cast and crew are doing an excellent job keeping people who are sick of 'reality' shows entertained. I hope it continues on AMC and I'm sure that the secrets beginning to come out will make it even more interesting! Just one question, though: In Episode One, Peggy Olson went for a pelvic exam so she could get birth-control pills. Shouldn't there have been a nurse in the room at the time? I thought it was a law or something.

The show is superb! All concerned, writer, actors, director have captured the flavor and mores of the times. I do question the presence of Selectric typewriters on the desks, I did not think they came into use until the early 70's. The opening title drawings are especially brilliant. They also suggest the possibility of suicide in the final episode.

Well, those cigarettes, herbal, are pretty horrible. We used to have a different brand which were "flavored", but just harsh. The newer brand is less harsh, but these things won't get you to to smoke. I quit smoking over 25 years ago, and there's not a chance I'll be starting up again, regardless of seeing my smoking on the show.

And I can put on a New Yawk accent really well as I'm from Queens NY, but I'm just the non-speaking artist on the show, you'll see me with portfolio walking through to the "other floor" occasionally, or in the conference room in the "5G" ep. Its almost a typecast part as before acting, and still, I've been an artist/illustrator, and back in NY was an art director on ol' Mad Ave about 15 years after the Mad Men point of time. Used to use those old Selectrics too.

Its a great set, with great crew, and Matt sets the mood, making it one of the best sets in Hollywood to be working on, and I'm sorry its coming to a close as we're finishing the season in just a few days. Crossing fingers that we're back for another go round, and maybe I can show off my NY accent and draw a few sketches with some old markers, just like the old days.... And I like my suit too..:)

In the first episode when Pete dropped by Peggy's apartment on the night of his bachelor party, just how did he know where she lived? This was her first week at work and they didn't know each other. Wouldn't her home address be confidential information? Also, if he was hanging around Manhattan with the boys, how did he get all the way to Brooklyn to see Peggy?

Regarding Cathy's comment about the pelvic exam, I don't think it was a law then for a nurse to be in the exam room. I certainly never remember it when I went for a pelvic exam.

this is the only show on tv I make time in my schedule to see, I feel like I'm in a time machine.

I agree with some previous posts, I would expect to see more newspapers and coffee floating around the office.

My current employer (in the 60's and 70's) used to require female employees wear white gloves coming to/from work, and aslo required male employees to wear hats (felt in winter, straw in summer) when coming/going from the office. interesting how times have changed.

Keep up the good work, you've got a hooked viewer here.

The actress who plays "Joan" is the reason I got hooked on Mad Men - in the first episode, when she was talking to Peggy about the Doctor, she said something like "He's got a great summer home, not that I know..." and she made this little sideways tip with her head...it was just great! I think we don't see enough of Joan, even though she's quite shallow socially, she's obviously really a smart cookie! I absolutely love the show - I was 6 years old in 1960 and all my parents friends smoked like crazy...around the kids, pregnant, whatever - and they all drank a lot too. I think the show is very authentic. I look forward to Thursdays - it used to be such a dismal night for TV! Thanks!

This is for the writers:

My father was about the same age as Draper. I remember as a child, that my father told me about Horatio Alger books. I was reading Nancy Drew at the time and he said that he read the Alger books as a boy.

My father was dead at least 30 years before the lies he made up about his parentage came to light. My mother never questioned him and they lived in another part of the country, having no contact with his family.

This is my question: Are you presenting something that happened often in the time period after WWII? Did men often hide their background to succeed in the business world at that time? I found this storyline powerful in light of my personal experience.

Enjoy the show. Is there a possibility that the initial episodes could be replayed, missed those.

I typically watch documentaries or read, show has gotten my attention.

Thank You

the first show was SEINFELDIAN BRILLIANT, but its getting too soapy and creepy! make it a swaggering office intrigue swashbukler, now that would be cutting edge, FUN ENTERTAINMENT WHAT A HIGH CONCEPT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ANACHRONISMs. I LOVE the show. Since you

are so careful of the period and use lingo, like "just swell", please be advised

I'm hearing frequent linguistc anachronisms:

last night talking about their Mother,

"...she passed". NO ONE prior to the 1990's outside the urban black community

would EVER say just "passed", the term was "passed ON" or "passed away" but NEVER,

just "passed", that is ghetto speak for

the 1960s, just as the word "disrespect" was ONLY used as a noun until the 1990's, when urban blacks on daytime talk shows started using it (legtimately) as a VERB,

and that is the provenance of the euphemism

"passed" (sans adverb)...1990's shows like

Springer and Oprah. "Passed" is a glaring

anachronism to any white person who remembers the 1950's, so I know you won't use it if you read and research my input.

Just trying to help perfect this nearly perfect show. Jon Hamm is intensely pensively taciturn. He is INCREDIBLE and

his character reminds of of Paul Newman's in Mr and Mrs Bridge.

HOW MUCH MONEY ARE THE CIGARETTE COMPANIES PAYING YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS TO MAKE THIS DISGUSTING AND FILTHY HABIT SEEM GLAMOUROUS AGAIN? I WATCHED THE FIRST 5 EPISODES THINKING THAT, OK SMOKING WAS MORE ACCEPTABLE THEN AND YOU WANTED TO SHOW THAT, BUT ENOUGH ALREADY!SMOKE,SMOKE,SMOKE! EVEN IF THEY DON'T HAVE A CIGARETTE IN THEIR HAND YOU MAKE SURE THE SMOKE IS RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF THE SHOT. I'M SICK OF IT, AND NO MATTER HOW WELL THE SHOW IS WRITTEN I'M NOT WATCHING IT ANY MORE AND I HOPE NO ONE ELSE DOES! I AM ALSO GOING TO LET THE SPONSORS KNOW HOW I (AND I'M SURE MANY OTHERS) FEEL.

Is there a significance to the show's lead-in where the silhouette of a man in a suit is falling from tall building covered with advertising symbols? Does the silhouette perhaps signify Don Draper as the shadow of a man, hiding his past, and the fall the inevitable downward spiral his character is heading for? It's one of the most interesting and intriguing lead-ins I've seen on a TV drama.

Thank God for AMC!!! After suffering through several years of flipping channels noting television is a wasteland of vacuous, self-serving reality based television(writers must be starving)along comes "Mad Men". Fabulous story line, accurate dialogue and sets, I am in heaven watching this series. I watched the last episode twice and will again. The mystery and pathos exhibited between Don Draper and his brother is palpable. And OMG! Does it get any better than John Hamm??? Move over George Clooney. Keep on trekking around the world, Brad. When no one was looking Tall, Dark and Handsome moved in on your territory. Looks and talent...what a package.

Question when will the first 3 episodes be aired again?

Thank you

I too am hooked on the show. Seems tremendously realistic to me (but I was only 3 when it takes place so I don't know for real).

In episode 1, Don is so proud of his brilliant and new idea about Lucky Strikes trying to sell them as being "toasted." Well it was not a new idea at all. In a 1928 print add, Amelia Earhart (of all people) poses in flying cap with a pack of Lucky Strikes with the words "It's toasted" in bold print. (A photo of the add is in a biography of Earhart). So much for the accuracy of the show's 1960 setting....Though I love it anyway.

Don Draper jewish? I didn't pick that up. I think he and his brother were orphans or foster kids of some sort and had some terrible times....nothing more mysterious than that.

I worked in TV Radio Traffic at McCann Erickson from 1963-65, and have been surprised by your version of an Ad Agency, since my experience was different than what I view on your show. My roommate was secretary to a female Ad Executive and impressed with her intelligence and consideration as a boss. I worked with the Minute Maid Ad Executive, something Pickering, and was under the impression he came from old money, but he was an intelligent, considerate, good working colleague.

Before working at McCann, I worked at CBS on the 19th floor at 485 Madison, when Jim Aubrey was President of TV. Although a different place, similar and again I didn't see this behavior.

In both companies, secretaries were well qualified and professional. I never saw any indication of sexual harassment, only appreciation for the help and assistance secretaries provided.

I may have been naïve but I was at both places for a fairly long time and knew the people well. I don’t think I would have “missed” what I see on your show, had it been that blatant.

I think people are forgetting a major clue from the first episode. Don pulls out some old excercise gadget from his drawer and a Purple Heart with the engraving LT Donald Draper on the box falls out. Of course he was supposed to be Army so it should have said 1LT or 2LT, but I think he assumed the name of his former Platoon leader from the Korean War.

I started my first job in 1960 in the Advertising and PR Dept of WBKB, a Chicago tv station. MAD MEN's creators have got 99.5% of the period exactly right. Yes, everyone smoked everywhere all the time. And boozed..but coffee was ubiquitious, too. Certainly newspapers are missing -- they and magazines were at that time the ONLY source of information of any kind -- trade or otherwise. The clothes, the colors, the furnishings, social behaviors -- parent/kid, husband/wife, male/female, employee/boss, the matter-of-fact sexual harrassment, even peoples' posture is authentic. I watch with horror and nostalgia! However, there was one jarring error in the dialogue in Episode Three: Don fires Pete by saying to him "I need you to get a cardboard box and put all your belongings in it and leave the bulding." The phrase "I need you to..." didn't exist in 1960. Also, as has been pointed out, the sincere use of "swell" was not in use. When it was used, it was as a sarcastic exclamation meaning its opposite. As to the complaint that the storyline has turned soapy...I can testify that real life in 1960 was indeed soap opera-like. Hard to imagine, but yes, it's true.

I really like the show overall, but I have to say the smoking thing is getting pretty distracting. I realize how prevalent smoking was at the time. But the actors on this show look like they've never seen a cigarette before and don't know how to use one. I read how you use some special type of theatrical cigarette, probably so everybody doesn't die of smoking-related illnesses. That's fine, but when people on this show smoke they hold the cigarette and inhale it as if they're confused by it and think it might explode.

When are they going back to that club with the sexy blonde dancing, doing a striptease?? (from the first episode) She should be in the show. Who was that gorgeous gal?

I love the show.

On Time Warner Cable in Dallas, Mad Men is advertised as having episodes debuting on Thursdays and then being available on On Demand the next day. Repeatedly, the episodes are NOT available the next day; as of now (August 20th), the 5th episode, which debuted last Thursday, Aug. 16, has still not shown up! Calls to Time Warner only yield "customer service" operators blaming AMC for the problem. If it is indeed AMC that is causing this delay, you need to fix it immediately. It is unethical to offer crack to people, get them addicted, say you will keep them supplied, and then fail to do so. We pay HUGE amounts of money every month, and are not getting what has been sold to us. Can y'all do something about this? Please?!

No problems with Time Warner here in Los Angeles. Anyway, my question is to Vincent, what kind of research, if any, was done to prepare yourself for the character? Being that its advertising exes have a certain sway to them. Been a fan is since Another Day In Paradise =)

I just love this show. I am 50 years old & it brings back so many memories. Just the little things, like the box of "Das" detergent on the laundry room shelf in a recent episode, brought a memory of my mother using the same brand - the memory of that came back in a flash! I love that everything is specific to that period of time - thank you for that. Nothing's more of a turnoff than watching a film set in the past, with the cast sporting the current hair, especially the length. I can tell the wardrobe is vintage, especially the ladies' dresses. Thank you for making "Mad Men," and I hope there it gets made into a regular program, perhaps on network TV....

Oops! I left the "h" off the Dash detergent in my earlier blog. Hope everyone knew what I meant. That is what I get for not proofing it before sending it!

Were there actaully unethical psychiatrists back in the 60's that broke the doctor/patient privilege, as in the case of Don's wife's shrink calling Don & telling him everyone said in their sessions?? And what was up with the kid spying on her when she was in the bathroom?

Peter IS creepy & has no backbone when it comes to his wife & her family's money.

I'm in agreement with an earlier blogger who would like to see Peggy's character develop more, and Joan's, too.

Can't wait to see what happens next with the long-lost brother.

This show is awesome. It is so real in so many ways, even though we've supposedly moved on... I can't wait for more episodes!

I really enjoy the show. I missed the first three episodes and can't buy them on iTunes because I live in Canada. I wish there was a way I could see them before the rest of the season.

I do love this show. The song at the beginning is Amy Whineheart. I love all the smoking, that's how it use to be. I do agree that there should be some coffee drinking also, which was a big part of them times...smoking and coffee drinking, then the high ball. Keep up the good work, and please don't cancel this!

Got to have a CD of Amy Winehouse's "You Know I'm No Good". Thought you'd have it available on your Store site, but couldn't find it. Where can I acquire a copy?

Why are people so bothered by the smoking? I spent the first 20 years of my life breathing in everyone else's smoke. That's really the way it was. If anything, this show will make you never want to light up. Back then, they especially smoked in cars — and sometimes more than one person in the car was smoking. I'm getting sick just remembering.

I do have a question for the female actors on this show. How difficult was it, and did you initially have any aversion to, repressing your intelligence, individualism and independence to play your parts? I love this show, but it makes me MAD (no pun intended)to see women portrayed as they are. I'm excited to see how the show progresses into the era of feminism.

Now that I am considering the musings of others that believe Don Draper to be hiding his Jewishness, I am wondering if the name itself is a literary allusion to another "suprise" Jew with many women in his life--Daniel Deronda?

Merle Johnson had it right. Draper must have taken the identity from someone in the army. In episode 6 the picture his brother gave him shows he had seargeant stripes.From Don's discussion with his brother it appears that "that woman" was his step mother and apparently his father had died leaving him with his step mother and half brother. This might explain his attitude towards women as we