Oh, one last thing - in December of 1964, “A Change is Gonna Come” by the great Sam Cooke is released posthumously. This song provides the best foreshadowing of the 60's better than anything I know. I strongly recommend you download it from I-tunes, especially if you are too young to remember this great artist. If you can’t, here are the lyrics without the benefit of Sam’s voice/emotion, for your consideration:

A Change is Gonna Come
By Sam Cooke

I was born by the river in a little tent
Oh and just like the river I've been running ever since
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will

It's been too hard living but I'm afraid to die
Cause I don't know what's up there beyond the sky
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will

I go to the movie and I go downtown
Somebody keep telling me don't hang around
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will

Then I go to my brother
And I say brother help me please
But he winds up knocking me
Back down on my knees

Ohhhhhhhhh.....

There been times that I thought I couldn't last for long
But now I think I'm able to carry on
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will

PAST IS PROLOGUE

LOVED Sam Cooke ("Darlin', you-u-u-u send me...") What a talent.

I was 12 in 1964. Of course I remember the British Invasion in all its goofy glory, the music, the fashion, the hair, the sheer energy. Vietnam was still around the periphery of my awareness but nightly news reports brought both the war in Asia and the war at home into living rooms, dining rooms and kitchens every night at 6:30 in stark black and white. I never understood the dogs and water hoses, the visceral anger reflected in faces of men, women and even children, mostly white ones. Made no sense to me.

As for SC, television advertising was kicking into high gear: from Studebakers to Mustangs, Polaroid to the Flintstones hawking Winston cigarettes etc.

Folk music had reached its peak and was beginning to be overwhelmed by the "new" music amalgam of blues, soul and rock and roll though it would be another year before Dylan went electric at Newport and shocked the purists.

Jean Shepherd's short story, "Red Ryder Nails the Cleveland Street Kid" (later, with other short stories, turned into the classic movie A CHRISTMAS STORY) was published - in Playboy - in 1964. GI Joes (soldier, sailor, marine and pilot version) were introduced in 1964 as "action figures" to give the boys - and toy manufacturers like Hasbro - a toy equivalent to Barbie. Look for Don's son to have one by year's end.

Of interest to Peggy, the Vatican condemned the use of contraceptive pills for females. This was also the period where liturgy was changing from Latin to the vernacular. I remember that well as I was in choir at the time (1962-1965) and we went from Adeste Fidelis to O Come All Ye Faithful practically overnight. There were LOTS of grumbles from the older parishioners but we younger folks liked Mass in English, but guitar Masses tended to be dopey affairs - hard to find a moving hymn in English at the time (in a Catholic church anyway.)

Auburn Annie, thank you for your mention of the Vatican's condemnation of contraception. It is interesting that the intent of Vatican II did little to stem the loss of American parishoners in the 60's and 70's, probably the nadir of the Church in the US.

I still have a couple of my Dad's National Geographics from the 60's. It is so interesting to see the advertisements from Polaroid, Buick, American Presidential Lines and how the sponsors and ads changed as the 60's progressed.

One of my favorite products was Quisp cereal. The advertising was done in the style of Rocky & Bullwinkle, one of the greatest cartoons ever. Oh, and thank for mentioning one of my favorites, GI Joe (a doll? for boys?). I had the soldier, my brother had the sailor. It only took 5 minutes to lose one shoe and rip the buttons off his shirt. I remember being allowed to choose one thing from the Sears catalog for Christmas - no you can't get the Jeep with the 90mm recoiless rifle; maybe a tent with some sand bags. What great memories.

Mad Men totally commands my attention like nothing else on TV in ages - because I lived this! I was born in NYC, grew up in Westchester County next door to the Mad Men, rode the Hudson River Line with them, then moved back to the City and went to Cooper Union. (Wonder if Cooper was an inspiration for Stirling COOPER?)

What I wanted to comment on was Don being prescribed barbiturates as were Marylin and so many at that time. These drugs destroyed people. Especially in combination with alcohol. So when Don loses control of the car - what did anyone expect! He was taking that medication and drinking.

In 1964 the drug revolution really took off, with Timothy Leary as the spokesman.

So far no one seems to be commenting on this. Let's see if it comes up and how Mad Men treats it.

I think they should have either Peggy or Sal (since he's so artsy) being invited to a party at The Factory and meet Andy Warhol. That would be interesting! I also would like to see Don or Betty buy a Mustang...a black mustang with red interior. We all know how much Don is into cars! My parents had one and I owned one a few years ago, wish I didn't give it up.

POLAR BEAR you're the COOLEST.

You given us a great big steak comprised of so many issues and happenings that so much affect reality today. Yes we are seeing so many effects if not aftershocks, of groundwork that was laid decades ago. Fascinating and curious. We needed something meaty to sink our teeth into during this long dry season sans MM.

I hope many, many will respond. I shall embellish, as is my custom, off and on concerning this Medusa's head of a topic, while I enjoy your take Polar Bear, and see what others say too.

I am sure that JFK's assasination and its aftermath will be evidenced on season three, although it's been rumoured that it wd not be "emphasized." I'd like to mention that on that same date: Nov. 22, 1963, two of my literary gods died as well: beloved C.S. Lewis and my most fav author ever: Aldous Huxley. Strange. P'raps Ken or Paul will note/mention this !?

Huxley died on Mullholland Hwy in LA and on his deathbed was given a massive dose of d-lysergicacid diethylamide-25, to exit tranquilly. Tim Leary had contacted Huxley several years earlier, well after "The Doors of Perception"-1954- was published and wanted him to be a vociferous advocate of the up and coming psychedelic movement, but Huxley refused because he was interested in hallucinogenics in a sheerly clinical sense, to study the recesses of the mind. Leary rather wished to celebrate experientially, so there was a conflict of interests. (apropos: suggested reading "Island"- Fiction;1962; "Moksha: Writings on Psychedelics and the Visionary Experience" Non-fiction; published posthumously in 1977; and "Brave New World Revisited" Non-fiction; 1958 by A.L. Huxley. All deal with the alteration of consciousness via chemical means and motivations of individual and governing bodies therein.)

I adore the suggestion of later on some characters hanging out at The Factory. Maybe Peggy, Joan, Jane, and Betty will have girls nite out and meet Edie and Ultra-Violet. Wild and Super-Groovy.

CHEERS.
It's almost cocktail hour!

Oh God,
It is I again.
Whilst reheating turkey and garlic mashed potatoes and sipping Dewars and soda, I was reminded that around JFK's assassination inquiry, when reviewing Oswald's past and character, it was discovered that he had been a guinea pig in the experiments of Project Artichoke and MK Ultra. Both entailed giving the test sublects massive quatities of various hallucinogenics; organic and manmade. The top secret CIA experiments were an effort to see how drugs wd affected hypothetical POWs in a national security sense. Maybe it will somehow be touched upon in season 3. Hmmm.

It is historical after all.
I forgot to add that my avatar c/o H. Bosch was 15thc. not 14thc. I so aspire to be accurate in all respects.

Tricky though.

"Thanks for listening,"
Nancy

sinelg, I kinda threw the kitchen sink at everybody with this topic but you touch on a topic very familiar to me. When we talk about the 60's, everyone mentions LSD and pot but the explosion of pharmaceutical drugs had an equal, if not greater, impact on society because is was "legit". As a kid growing up in the 60's, I watched my Mom take "Mother's Little Helpers" and she was not the same afterwards. The mental health profession was not nearly as sophisticated as it is today and the first response was to prescribe pills. In some respects, I was lucky because I saw how some parents self-medicated with booze (as Mad Men has so graphically reminds us). You are absolutely right, these so-called "legal" drugs did destroy patients and the kids/families were the collateral damage. Few people realize that to label a woman as "hysterical" had some serious consequences - that's why Don's rescue of Peggy earlier in Season 2 had such importance. If the doctors had kept her drugged and locked up in the Mental Ward, Don knew she'd wind up crazy. The cure causes the illness.

Despite the British Invasion of the mid-60's, it was Dean Martin's signature song "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime" that knocked the Beatles out of the Number 1 spot on Music Billboard. Seems like an appropriate song to play at the end of Mad Men episode. I can picture it now - a close up of our Don Draper after he has given some woman "The Don Draper Treatment" - the picture goes dark and the credits roll while playing the song..."Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime". Cheers! ;o)

Betsy, I had previous predicted an encounter with Warhol in another topic, Season Three Predictions. Here it is, in case you missed it:

7. Bert Cooper, discovers the work of Andy Warhol and becomes one his best clients. At one of the artist’s parties, heavy smoke from marijuana results in a police raid. Warhol and some of his guests, including Cooper, get arrested. Cooper, who is dressed in a kimono with full kabuki make up, is placed in a holding cell with Cletus “Big Hands” Johnson and Tyrone “Eight Ball” Green.

Cooper: Gentlemen, the Japanese have a saying, “a man is whatever room he is in”
“Big Hands” – Oh yeah? The brother’s have a saying too – “You mine, b*tch”
“Eight Ball” – “Yeah” (delivered deep baritone like Barry White)

Polar Bear,
Too funny! I do hope they do something with The Factory, but they have SO MUCH to work with as far as the 60's. Bring on the Beatles!

Ahh Annie,
The rememberance of Jean Shepard shur does take me back... I began reading him in my husband's Playboy Mag...He fostered my deeper love of memior as fiction... I get the same feeling from some of our bloggers...
When I 1st saw" The Christmas Story", it all came back.. I always wished someone would make a movie out of "Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Dreams"... It was a Jr Prom epic from Jean ... Think of the gym in Gary Indiana, for one night clear of the smoke and grime that only a steel town can create.

Hey everybody,
Great post Polar Bear. I was born in 1960. So in 64 I was 4. It was easy to remember my age. 5 in '65 and so on. I know I'm a goof.

Anyway yes drink&smoke Dean Martin did knock off the beatles in '64. I don't think they have played that tune on the show yet. It should be Don's theme song, right. I love that song. I found the album at an auction. But you had to buy a whole carton of albums to get it and this other may out bid me. Anyway I asked him if I could buy it from him and he just gave it to me! I just love poeple sometimes.

I am feeling a good change in the air even though the economy stinks. I think we are headed for better things... People are going green, we need to volunteer, etc. I mean it's about time. After all the Indians were the original green people

And I do have some Sam Cooke's CD's Don't know much about history....

Anyway, anyone remember reading about JFK, Marilyn Monroe even I read Jackie partook of some drugs. There was a Doctor, called doctor "FEELGOOD" who treated celebrities including JFK because of his bad back. One book I read said that it may have caused Jackie's cancer in later years.

One question for Drink & Smoke that I've asked you on other posts. How do you make a "Dirty Martini?" You're not ignoring me are you....

Chelsea, darling how could you think I would ignore a response for a drink recipe? ;o)
Here is your request, compliments of Drink & Smoke!

Dirty Martini
2 oz gin
1 tbsp dry vermouth
2 tbsp olive juice
2 olives

Place an ice cube and a small amount of water in a cocktail glass. Place in freezer for 2 - 3 minutes.
Fill a mixer with all ingredients including garnish. Cover and shake hard 3 - 4 times.
Remove cocktail glass from freezer, and empty. Strain contents of the mixer into the cocktail glass, include one of the olives, and serve with a mysterious smile.

This is one of 60's Child favorite drink according to her post. Be careful, they are tasty and you could end up with your "bottoms up" vision goggles on. Hang on to the floor!

Cheers! ;o)

Drink & Smoke, first of all, cheers for your Dirty Martini recipe. You bring up an interesting point - as we look back on the early 60's, we tend to focus on the British Invasion, primarily how it changed the trajectory of American music. Kinda ironic how it took Brits to bring us back Black inspired music.

On the other hand, some of Frank Sinatra's best work came out of this period, especially his work with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra and Quincy Jones. I, too, am a fan of Dean, Bobbie Darin, Tony Bennett, and, of course, Mr. Sinatra.

I appreciate your knowledge and irreverence so keep posting. I'll be adding to your New Year's Resolution Post shortly.

Oh thank you Drink&Smoke you're the best. Yum that sounds good cuz I love olives. ;-)

I am having some friends over sometime this month and I always like to have a signature drink on hand. Last summer I did Cosmos but didn't have detailed recipe so I just guessed and mixed cranberry and vodka. No one complained though...
Cheers to you.

Ihate to trouble you again Drink but could I trouble you for a cosmopolitian drink receipe ;-)

Polar Bear,

My printer is out of whack but I aim to print out your essay and outline/timeline to carry around with me and chew on; I do not have the luxury of owning a laptop/notebook. I was hoping that this particular thread wd remain a bit more scholarly because of its initial tone. But I love a cocktail too. . .

I know that one day in the future that Mad Men will be a university course in Cultural Studies, and/ or Media, and/or History. It is great to be apart of a sounding board, in my own infintessimal way, that explores and deconstructs a monuMENtal work of Art that I trust will continue for many, many seasons to come.

keep the great thoughts and speculations coming!
FN

fan-nan, thank you for the kind words. Couple of thoughts from me.

Given our recent presidential election, I was hoping more people would comment on the three icons of Black America that I mentioned (Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Cassius Clay (soon to become Muhammed Ali)). I am most interested in Malcolm X and his decision to leave the Nation of Islam. His epiphany after his pilgrimage to Mecca, where he saw Blacks, Whites, Asians and people of all colors, is something that history has given short shrift. All three of these men were all too human, although I think Malcolm was the most pious and devout - it is rumored MLK succumbed to temptations of the flesh and Ali, well, its documented. It is their humanity that makes their accomplishments, beliefs and stands all the more interesting and inspiring. These were imperfect men that did great things. The question is, how will Sterling-Cooper in general and the characters in particular be affected by the events of the civil rights movement?

I also wonder which character will quote Shakespeare in Season 3 - "Oh, brave new world". There is the make believe world created by our favorite ad executives and then there is the world where the rest of us live. Who will open their eyes to the first flicker of conciousness - will they say this because they truly believe their reality or will they say it because they realize the irony of the pseudo-reality they help to create.

DEAR GOD, POLAR BEAR:

My most favorite novel of ALL time is "Brave New World" by the most well-read man in History-( HE READ EVERYTHING IN THE WESTERN AND EASTERN CANON; and he was f-ing blind while at Oxford): ALDOUS LEONARD HUXLEY- and as you know, he was such a fanatic about Shakespeare: most of the titles of his 43 tomes, non-fix and fix, were lines from William S. or from W. Blake!

He is certainly not my HERO because his work is comforting or soothing; to the vast contrary, he deplored the approach of a mechanized society, controlled by all kinds of nefarious persuasions that were/are inherently pleasurable, if not utterly taken for granted- as a means for executive supervision towards all aspects of existence.

Nonetheless, Government is not yet smart or all-encompassing/omniscient enough to allow his bleak catalogue of dystopias to happen.

Yet, it (in particular-BNW) is a prescient and unbelievably grim take on what is doomed to occur. And to think, it was published in 1932.

I was going to write my Master's Thesis on this arena of intellectual inquiry, but my Daddy became ill, and as an only child had to relinquish some of my Ivory Tower aspirations to nurture him; ultimately to no avail.

As well, not meaning to dwell on my own regrets, I wished to add that I took a fascinating grad claqss with Michael Eric Dyson at Carolina- who is a self-proclaimed premier Black Intellectual; after the fashion of Cornell West, and we had two whole classes on the subject of MLK's romantic meanderings. . .

I suppose that MED was trying to present the infallibility of such a large cultural legacy that MLK bequeathed us with.

He was human, mortal; prone to misjudgement and apparently, quite the womanizer. I wonder if he drank Scotch or Bourbon?

On a completely different note entirely, I-unlike most I guess- do not see Obama through a lens. He is neutral to me-colorwise; I see a great and careful and wise and just and honest MAN that will help lead this damaged World towards new and healthy options. Across the board.

Oh My, I'm getting tipsy and emotional and must cook the Ravioli.

CHEERS

Again, alas,

I meant "philanderings." Yet I wd never wish to tarnish the meter of a man that helped our country in countless ways; no disrespect intended.

Islam is confusing to a whitebread gal like me , but I hope to to declassify myself in a humble wish to be better and brighter.

So very muuch to learn and experience EVERY DAY.

I graduated high school and began college in 1964. Perfect timing! I wouldn't trade those days for anything. I remember mostly the Generation Gap: my parents were WWII people who had been 100% behind anything the government did and never questioned it and my generation questioned it all. Made for some very tense moments in the family. They thought I had lost my mind. I was sure they had lost theirs.

fan/nan, I too enjoy Huxley's writings but I am nowhere near the afficianado that you are! I have to say that I am impressed that you interrupted your graduate studies to care for your father. I am glad to see you have your priorities in order.

When I was in school, I would see Dr. Harry Edwards around campus and I would talk to him if he did not look busy. At the time, he was a consultant to the 49ers and was a friend to Coach Bill Walsh. Coach Walsh was way ahead of his time and he realized the need to reach out to someone like Dr. Edwards to help him effectively deal with modern, black athletes. One of the coolest things I remember hearing is Dr. Edwards retelling the 1968 Olympic Black Power Salute protest by John Carlos & Tommy Davis.

I view President-elect Obama as the most qualified person for the job regardless of color. I am a mutt also, although I have no immediate family members who are black (aren't we all descendants of Africa over the long haul?). I can check about 4 different boxes if pressed to label myself. Because of this, I tend not to view people by the "color of their skin" but rather "the content of their character". This doesn't mean I can't laugh at myself or other ethnicities. As a matter of fact, I can laugh because I understand so many different races. Funny is funny and we sometimes need to, pardon the pun, lighten up.

flowerpower, at the expense of sounding like Duck Phillips at the Draper dinner table, you are my target audience! If you feel comfortable, I would greatly appreciate your thoughts and memories of this time during the 60's.

In your opinion, what were some of the good things that you experienced? What were the bad? Have your views of the war, the civil rights movement, the space program, the drug culture, the hippie movement, music, etc., changed much over time? What were some of the unintended consequences of the 60's that you find looking back? Was there a moment or event where you felt you lost your innocence? Did you ever become disillusioned? After the battle lines were drawn with your family, was there ever a reproachment?

I know I am throwing a lot at you, but if you could share some your experiences with us, I know that many of us will be the richer for it. Thank you in advance and if there is a Maddict meeting on the Left Coast, the Heineken is on me.

Polar Bear

Hello All
I'm just a year behind you FlowrPwr but my difining moment was the 11/22/63...I sat weeping at the dinner table and boldly stated that RFK would have to take it from here...
I grew up in a repressive Republican leaning home, father was WW11 vet who worshipped IKE and followed his politics blindly... Not unusual in the 50's... Matter of fact, the tightly wound lockstep approach to life and society was just the kind of discipline that was most comfortable for him and his household.. JFK was seen as a threat to all he held holy. When I made my pronouncement, for the 1st time in my life, he stood and raised his hand to me....He made it very clear that if and when I needed to have an opinion, he'd provide one for me..
At that moment I knew that my thots would be kept securely bound like a locked diary. It was the end of the innocence. I did not rebel in any way that my parents could pinpoint but my liberal leanings put me adrift from them and the gap never really closed.
Hometown was not only not intergrated, there were no people of color at all...My only connection to the civil rights struggle was MLK's speeches and TV coverage.. I heard my dad's comments and dismissed them and him as being sadly ignorant..
Very difficult to maintain the respect for him that I had grown up with .. I learned to compartmentalize but it was never a comfortable existance.

Hi Flower/Power it must have been interesting listening to Michael Eric Dyson. I have seen him on some talk shows. I found it interesting that his wife supported Mrs. Clinton. Are they the Carvelle/Matlin couple? I believed Mrs. Clinton was the most qualified candidate. So I was a little mad at the Obama team for her treatment and the media. But I now feel Obama is really focused and interested in doing good for the country. I just hope the recent Illinois scandal with the Gov. doesn't bog him down. With regard to the affairs these great men had, I really don't care. I feel a lot of times they stay married for political reasons and the wife stay for security so they are both selling out. I went to Tallahassee in 2004 for the march on Gov. Bush's office and got to hear Jessie Jackson speak. I gave a terrific speech. What do others here think of him? Well let me go and let flower power get busy answering Polar Bear's questions. I was born in 1960 so I look forward to your insights into that time period as well.
Good night all.

Ooops it was Fan/Nan that is going to give us the historical insights. My apologies.....

Fan/Nan, Flower/power. I think I have still confused you guys. It's late and I should be in bed but find these posts so interesting that I get addicted sometimes. Would like to add a couple of my favorite books if anyone is interested: "Angela's Ashes" and recently I read Tim Russert's book "Big Russ and Me" that definitely is great blue collar reading. His Dad could have been my Dad. Thats all for now for real.

MADDICTS,
we must continue to chat about history and compare, 'cause how did "things" end up this way???

did anyone see THE NY TIMES today and all the press concerning the supreme charlatan: Bernard L. Madoff.
what a DICKHEAD. . .

50 BILLION $ - he bilked his clients for; in toto. DISGUSTING.
APPALLING. A "PONZI SCHEME"!? how cd have the hallowed SEC not have had any clue???

p'raps the CAPITALISTIC model must be ammended somehow. OBAMA will help us I assure you/us. . .

on a much lighter note, I discovered a great new book, written by LAURA MILLER-founder of SALON mag., entitled:
"The Magician's Book: A Skeptic's Guide to Narnia."
YUMMY!

PolarBear, you are so on target about the prescription pills. Judy Garland and who knows how many other movie actresses were ruined by people trying to help her with pills to lose weight, pills to sleep, pills to wake up. The public and even the doctors prescribing the drugs were naive about the effects of drugs. If it was prescribed and you got it from a drug store, then it was harmless. Addiction was something that happened with street drugs.

In the 1960s and into the 1970s, millions of people were popping pills to lose weight, sleep and perk up. That's one of the reasons "Valley of the Dolls" was such a hit. It wasn't really a good book and the movie was terrible, but the topic was popular. That was not 1964, it was about 5 years later.

As far as mentioning your 3 Black icons, everything has been said about them and MLK now has own national holiday while Washington who founded the presidency and Lincoln who saved the union, have to share a day. I don't think there is anyone over the age of 7 who doesn't know the stories of those 3 men.

I differ with you on Cassius Clay. I don't understand the homage that is paid to this man. He refused to fight for his country at the same time he was selling himself to the press and the public to enrich his own purse and has had several marriages, so I don't see a lot of commitment or much integrity from him. Suddenly, when he becomes sick everyone wants to call him the greatest athlete in the world - all he ever did was knock other guys in the head and upper body with well-padded gloves. I don't think that takes athletic ability, just disregard for your fellow human being. In my book, boxing is not a sport. Neither is golf, tennis or badminton - they are games.

I don't see any reason for the characters in Mad Men to become involved in the civil rights movement. Paul went on his bus trip. But, these people have their own lives and their own problems. Not everyone can pick up and go down to register voters, do sit-ins, or march outside shops, for the civil rights movement no matter how much they might support it. People would not talk at work about their outside activities in those days. It just wasn't done because it was rude to draw attention to yourself.

As I remember it, growing up in the Midwest, most people thought the Negroes (as they were called at that time) should have the right to vote without poll tax, and should have better education opportunities. Most people thought the South was "still fighing the Civil War." I distinctly remember that when the police chief, Bull Connor (I remember his name) in Birmingham, Alabama, turned the water hoses and dogs on the demonstrators marching peacefully through the streets, people were outraged. The TV broadcast of that event probably did more to aid the civil rights movement than 2000 sit-ins. People who didn't care or didn't care much were offended by that action. I remember adults talking about that for weeks. A year or so later the Civil Rights Act was passed. Bull Connor in his ignorance and hatred had a lot to do with that.

When I was at the library the other day, I looked for "Brave New World," but it was checked out. I thought it was time to reread it. After reading the excellent posts on this board, now I'm sure I need to revisit it.

@Fancy I agree with you about Bernard Maddoff.
Power corrupts and I don't see that every changing unfortunately. It's funny when the feds take down one person there are 100's out there doing the same thing. Look at Chicago as the latest example. Doesn't matter if you are a Dem or Rep. As a former downstater from Illinois we were always up in arms at how all the money just went to Chicago. I have to laugh/cry at the recent Blagodevich woes. How different is he from Gov. Ryan. Since when can't you swear in your own home? Politians are always twisting arms and trading favors. I guess we just need to always vote the bums out. Checks and balances are good so one party doesn't get too strong. I favor term limits for the Senate and congress and one six year term for a President. What do others think?

magsby13, the original intent I had in listing the events of 1964 was to provide a check list for the audience (albeit not all inclusive) for reference. My interest for season three is to see how these external events will or will not affect the storyline and characters of Mad Men. The first two season have been relatively insular for the folks at Sterling Cooper. While major events such as the Kennedy/Nixon presidential election, Marilyn Monroe’s death and the Cuban Missle Crisis have influenced some of the characters and their storyline, the feeling so far is one of “that ice berg is still two miles away, we have plenty of time to change course, if we must”.

I agree that the Civil Rights Movement will not suddenly compel Sterling Cooper staff to take a bus to Selma, even that poser Paul Kinsey. However, someone like Bertram Cooper may have the wisdom to recognize entire markets that are not being served (Black, Hispanic, Asian, etc.). I doubt that Sterling Cooper will be an agent of civil change but we may be surprised at how the company may take advantage of this upheaval.

I think the real examination of race relations will occur with a character like Betsy Draper. She clearly loves the black woman who was her nanny; yet, I can see her reprising her “those people” speech in much the same way she did with Jimmy Barrett. It is this complexity and contradiction that promise an interesting third season. We all have known people just like Betsy – the question is will she evolve or remain unenlightened.

I agree that George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were two of the greatest Americans who ever lived. When I was a kid, my Dad gave me a buck if I memorized the Gettysburg address. Sad as this may sound, I can only remember the first sentence – “Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” Your comment implies that somehow the MLK holiday took away the individual honor of each of these great presidents. I do not agree. As a matter of fact, here on the West Coast, these men are celebrated with an entire week off called “Ski break”. Many schools are closed President’s Holiday week and I am sure the students are contemplating the importance of these men while riding the lifts at Lake Tahoe, Bear Valley and Mammoth.

Lastly, Muhammed Ali was and still is an icon to America. However, in the mid-60’s, he was “the icon” of Black America. He waited until after the Liston fight to announce his conversion to Islam and the change of name. His written and verbal test scores precluded him from initially being drafted. Once the standards were lowered, he was draft eligible. By refusing military service, he gave up his world championship title and four years of his athletic prime (26 to 29). He would have done his year of duty and be free to continue his career. The Army had no intention of putting him in harms way; however, Ali knew that he would have been Exhibit 1A for recruitment and the legitimacy of the draft. Combat infantry was disproportionately minorities, poor and uneducated (all races). He refused to be a willing accomplice and paid the price. The only other modern athlete today that gave it all up for a matter of principle was Pat Tillman.

Well put Polar Bear. I find it hard that the men of Sterling Cooper would suddenly become so open minded about equality between the races or sexes. During that time period many segregation laws were still in affect and people just did what they always did. I remember learning about Rosa Parks in Junior High School. Now that took guts.

A good book I read in school was called 'Black like me" where a man dyes his skin black to see what it feels like to be black. One thing he finds disturbing is what he calls hate stares. White people just glaring at him if he happened to be in a white area. Even though he had visited hit there many times before.

So with regard to Matt Wiener, I think he keeps the show pretty close to actual events. He doesn't read into what we would hope people would act like in a perfect world.

Also @ Polar Bear I too had to memorize a speech from a great American Hero. I picked John Paul Jones....'I have not yet begun to fight". I couldn't remember the rest now to save my life...

I regret not being active on this forum. What an interesting, intelligent and wickedly funny group we are! I have really enjoyed this thread.

I was born in the early 60's so I don't have much to add to the historical discussion. My dad was an ultra right winger - to the point of being on the executive committee of the John Birch Society - so I grew up believing MLK was the most evil man on the planet (I don't think that anymore!). They also believed Pope John was a heretic.

Re: Jean Shepherd: I worked for 16 months with "A Christmas Story" House here in Cleveland and even handled the PR for a year. I believe a PBS station (Boston?) did do a film about Wanda Hickey and the Night of Golden Memories. Several fans who came through the house spoke of it. His work was classic, wasn't it?

NancyinOhio, welcome to this discussion. Contrary to your comment, you have plenty to add to this discussion. Clearly, your father's views were extreme to say the least.

Re: Martin Luther King - what was it about this man that your father so feared? Was it the change that MLK represented? Upon hearing or reading Dr. King's speaches, it is hard for me to imagine anyone who would argue that people should be denied "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" on the basis of their race. I find it fascinating that on the one hand, many conservative groups would wrap themselves in the constitution, yet, these same people would deny that non-WASP's were oppressed. Therefore, their argument went, the government had no business enforcing the constitution in places like the South (or Newark or South Central LA). For this reason, ultra conservative parties have been linked to extreme parties like the Aryan Nation and the American Nazi Party.

Re: Pope John Paul II (I assume you meant II) - did your father object to this Pope because he was a Catholic? or was did your father think that the Pope wasn't Catholic enough (i.e. he didn't follow traditional Catholic doctrine close enough)? Did your father have an issue with the Catholic faith or just the Pope? As a small child, I remember some adults being gleeful when the talk turned to the assasinations of JFK and Bobby. Part of it was their politics, the other their Catholicism.

I wonder how your father would have viewed the recent presidential election. How would you compare your children's or grand children's views on race with your father's?

Coincidentally, your father was the target of the advertising of Sterling Cooper in the early 60's. Obviously, whole segments of society (ok, market shares) were being ignored. I wonder if Sterling Cooper will recoginze this opportunity in Season 3. I imagine it will be our hero, Don Draper, leading the way.

Lastly, I try to remain optimistic about human nature but I believe man hasn't changed all that much in 10,000 years. Yesterday's used car salesman is today's hedge fund manager. The tools may be more sophisticated but the motivation is the same - greed (also, the consequences are way more amplified). Yet, there is always hope and as Americans, when our backs are against the wall, we find a way to do the right thing.

Past is Prologue

In the '60s, my parents loved MLK but couldn't stand Malcolm X. They subscribed to Mission Magazine and we were aware as children of the suffering and starvation in Africa. It wasn't until Spike Lee's "Malcolm X" movie that I learned the back story about Malcolm Little and I really admire him since. I also think that LBJ's "Great Society" actually ruined the progress that blacks were making in the early '60s by the onset of the welfare programs which only encouraged fatherless households, illegitimacy, and urban blight.

It's tough to jump in this topic so late, but I have to address a post about Dean Martin's song "Everybody Loves Somebody Some Time" knocking out the Beatles for #1 as listed by Billboard. Just a reminder that a #1 Billboard spot MEANS the #1 song played on the radio. Since The Beatles were British they did not receive the airplay that a popular TV singer would get. I loves me some Dean Martin, but The Beatles were the "hot" artists of music in 1964.

I grew up in the 50's and became college student, then wife and mother in the 60's. I did what I could for the community, volunteering at church and school and was inspired by the civil rights movement and activism in the big cities. I always thought those who are doing their best to improve society through democratic means of civil disobedience were doing the job most of us couldn't do because of constraints on our lives and time. TV was very handy then, revealing the state and consequence of war and showing what people were doing to preserve our democracy and highlight social ills. The 60's were turbulent, but ultimately led to social change that was necessary and overdue. I think MadMen so far has chronicled much of that and I wish the show continuing success. In this country people need to open their eyes and ears and see and hear what is happening and get busy helping the restoration of good democratic principles.

That said- here are a few of the things I looked up for the year, 1964.
Oscar for Best Picture went to Tom Jones
"The Days of Wine and Roses" by Henry Mancini won Grammys for Best Song and Barbra Streisand won for Best Album. The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. "Peyton Place" debuted on TV. The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane rocked the music world, while Bob Dylan continued to write great protest songs.
Emmys were awarded to "The Defenders" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show", with Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke getting best actors.

At the movies "Dr. Strangelove" and"My Fair Lady" were popular. The Surgeon General announced that cigarette smoking causes cancer. "Pop" Art found a place in the museums, including works by Dennis Hopper.

If I could go back to 1964 I would be in Sunday School playing my guitar (a little) and teaching youngsters "Blowin' In The Wind" and "Puff the Magic Dragon". I would be doing fund raising for the Community Center and teaching literacy to Chicano parents of preschool children. My husband hated my small attempts at activism and after we divorced -he joined the John Birch Society. But that's another story. Women's Lib ? There was a price to pay....

Love the combination of topics here....one of the best things about MM is the DISCUSSIONS about the era! And there were plenty of us,,,,,

I remember being deep in the mid 1960's and wondering (as a kid of 11 or 12) WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ALL THE GROWN UPS????
The Vietnam War/Race Riots/Assinations/

I loved the music and as some one else put it ...all the ENERGY. Often, I've wondered how so many kids from that time turned SO conservative as the years passed. Now though, I feel a change again and a more hopeful decade upon us. It may be painful to unscrew all that has happened (especially these last 8 years) but I believe that some of the good things that started in the 60's can re blosssom in this new environment.

HI Polar Bear and all you wonderful posters! I DIDN'T mean to be rude, I just use another browser most of the time and didn't revisit our blog until now! Lot to catch up on.

The Harlem race riots: okay in 1963 I was in the Wind Rivers in Wyoming, Bridger Natural Wilderness for 2 weeks. We backpacked out and come to read the first newspaper we've seen, they're rioting in Harlem and it's 106 degrees. I thought these guys really need to go camping!

In 1964 summer I stayed in the city. A mountain ranger came out to get away from the oppressive mountains. (WTF?) So we partook of NY's cultural events. My girlfriend Margaret who looks like a toothpick with bug eyes and I - terminally white red-haired flower child - and my big handsome (white) friend all go off to this festival he found in the paper, in a little neighborhood park in the depths of Harlem. Lots of families. All waiting for the performers to show up in the gathering dusk. We are stoned. Gradually out of the fog it occurs to me we are the only white people we've seen for many blocks. I notice things flying through the air and wonder why the little girl next to us has egg on her hair. She leaves us dim white objects alone in the blackness. It DAWNS on us that maybe we should get the hell out of there!

It's 104-106 for weeks, doesn't cool down at night. We sit out on the roof of our Lower East Side Tenement drinking wine and watch the vandals set fires. I guess they're rioting again but it's far away from us. (Like 3 miles?)

Another time I got off the subway at the wrong stop - everyone was black - and this huge kindly lady observes the obvious and says, "You lost." and physically turns me around and sends me back to catch the next train.

Bertram Cooper is getting senile. I can imagine him buying Warhol but not ending up in jail. I don't see Sterling Cooper being motivated by a social conscience, just market advantage. It would be really interesting it anyone knows when high end advertising started going after ethnic markets. I don't recall that existing in the early to mid '60's? I recall cheapo advertising for soft drinks and alcohol...

My views on war, civil rights, the space program, have never changed. For the latter 2, against the first. Love for music remains basically the same if expanding. Family mended. But my views on the drug culture - I cannot understand why when I already died for your sins anyone is stupid enough to take drugs. The '60s were an amazing time. I recall seeing every fashion development of the century being worn then. Very little is new. Maybe tee shirt art. Not much else - it was all done then. Similarly the rarity - we druggie blue jean wearing hippies - became the norm. Utterly commonplace. The essential message was forgotten and the outer shell marketed ad nauseum. The long hairs the construction workers would have beat up are now the construction workers. Sort of like the Roman Empire becoming the Catholic Church!

I was born disillusioned. I always knew war and politics and most of the games adults played were too penny ante to be considered. (Things like art and rock climbing made more sense!) What I find sad is that people have gotten dumber, not smarter. The socialist movements begun in the 1800's are about to take over the West. Read "This Perfect Day" by Ira Levin.