I don't know of any 1970s ad secretaries but I do know many 1970s secretaries.

I graduated from HS in 1975. The big push for college was just gaining steam -- and there were still a pretty good majority of high schoolers who graduated in the mid-70s who did not go to college.

Our high school was either college prep or commercial. You were one or the other.

We had a sizable "commercial" student population -- we had 2 or 3 steno teachers who also doubled as typing teachers. I rememver the steno/typing crew as being very driven and dedicated to their progress.

The commercial students were also co-op: they'd take business courses for half the day and the rest of the day was spent at a bona fide job.

Not an ad secretary, but a secretary for a small investment co. was I in the early to mid 1970's from late teens to early twenties. Dealing with all those ego-inflated bank execs was a real education....kinda like a whole herd of Roger Sterlings or Duck Phillipses! My boss was more like Pete, looked a lot like him and had that kind of personality...except he was married and actually behaved like it! Most of the bank execs were another matter entirely. The favorite question was "Are you married (honey/sweetie or darlin') ~~ or are you MARRIED married?" I was married married and still am. I always felt sorry for their wives but hoped that at least they were cheating, too, so it would at least come out even! lol The one bachelor always called me "Mrs. H--------" even though there wasn't more than 5 years age difference there, and I would always tell him his mama raised him right and wished he find a girl as sweet as he was....never knew if he ever did...hope so.

It was fast-paced and (mostly) fun...hell, I ran the place out of necessity, my boss (the president of the place) was ALWAYS gone...this being before cell phones, so he'd call in (rarely) or I'd call around to try to find him if there was a need. Generally I was able to handle whatever came up and I learned a lot by having to figure out everything on my own, not fun at first, but very confidence-inducing after awhile on the job.

I finally quit to have my son and never looked back. I remember on my last day working, I was about 8 months pregnant, my boss, the "Pete" look alike, came in with a big baby basket (do they still call those "Moses baskets"?) full of baby things from he and his wife, very kind man ~~ even if he was never there! He always told me it was because I was so capable, but I always replied "How about the bucks to back that statement up, boss." Never happened.

Well, first off, I know there wasn't a huge amount of time between the 70s and 60s, but this show takes place during the 60s, and my uncle had one of the big "small" ad agencies on MadAve at that time. In fact, I can say with confidence that Sterling and Cooper reminds me SOOOOO much of the real agency I'm referring to that it's almost shocking--shocking to the point that as I watch the show I'm wondering whether the people who bring this fantastic show to us were flies on the wall of my uncle's agency. The drinking and smoking are perhaps a bit overdone, but having worked in Advertising for many years (especially during that era) it is more accurate than not, though perhaps not so much at the larger agencies: DDB, BBDO, Y&R, Grey, JWT, McCann-Erickson, etc. But at the smaller ones, where Creative/Media and Accounts meld together a bit more and there is not such a large separation between those functions, I think it may have been more prevalent. During the late 60s and especially the very early 70s I remember walking through the creative departments of many agencies and smelling marijuana emanating from behind art directors' cubicles. In fact, most often, I'd be stoned myself, having smoked at my office and then, visiting art directors I'd get high with them in their spaces. I do miss the loosey-goosey atmosphere of those days in that business. Advertising is no longer like that. Creative is a much less inspired area than it once was. I used to rep illustrators, photographers and animators, and I can tell you that the creative departments at almost ALL agencies were high pressure zones when it came to deadlines and satisfying clients, but also bastions of fun. I, for one, miss the "old" ad biz.

Thanks for your posts everyone! I agree with Clambelly! Bastions of fun and high pressure for the executives. We at BBDO worked a lot of late hours back in the day of white-out and cut-n-paste and zerox copies! As I type on my laptop, I can hardly believe there was a time when we couldn't just highlight, delete and start again! How did any ads every even get produced!

Keep the comments coming. I would love to hear from more ad agency people from the 1970s!

Thanks, jeffe64. Peggy sure liked that marijuana, didn't she flowerpower?Windows 7 Drivers

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Thanks for your posts everyone! I agree with Clambelly! Bastions of fun and high pressure for the executives. Human Target Season 2 Episode 6 | Undercovers Season 1 Episode 10