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Hard to watch

I worked on Wilshire Blvd. in the 60s for three of the largest ad agencies in town. Looked forward to "Mad Men" but found I kept looking away. Really hit too close to home, made me cringe, made me ashamed, and mostly sad that any 20 something suffered (without realizing it half the time) the harsh reality of working in the ad biz in that decade. Have tried to watch again, but just too unsettling. Guess that means they're doing a good job. I was relieved when I heard one of my more agressive bosses passed away...how sad is that?!

Posted by Been there, done that
July 19, 2008 8:22pm

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By luvmadmen on July 19, 2008 9:42 PM

I'm sad to hear that this show hits home, but glad to hear MM writers are not hiding the truth about history. We live in a time when Hollywood likes to put their spin on things to make it more appealing to their viewers. Many of the MM viewers can't believe what they see on MM because they were born in a time (usually decades later) that those things are not tolerated - prejudice, bigotry, sexism, etc. However, MM is a show based on 1960 and those things were VERY real and tolerated. I think MM lose viewers who - in the words of Jack Nicholason in A Few Good Men... "THEY CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!". Thanks for not looking away and appreciating a show that can be honest with its viewers when it comes to the real 1960's Ad Agency in Manhatten.

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By jamm54 on July 19, 2008 10:49 PM

BTDT: I can really understand why you feel the way you do. I actually had a nightmare last nite about being back at the newspapers, on deadlines, with contracts, display ads and angry customers! Aagghhh......

Advertising, from whatever angle (agencies, newspapers, in-house ad departments) are absolutely brutal! And some of the bosses are the worst you couldn't even dream up! One of my most devastating bosses just died last year at 53 (we were the same age), and I sure felt NO SADNESS about him passing, even at such a young age. He made my work life a living hell for 15 years.