Missing Mad Men?

Posted by Kimberly Lindbergs on November 11, 2010

Like a lot of people, I’m a big fan of the AMC series MAD MEN and ever since the fourth season of the show came to an end a few weeks ago I’ve been eagerly awaiting season five. MAD MEN is one of the most highly praised dramas currently playing on television and I think the awards it has won have been well deserved. It’s a smart and occasionally very funny show with some of the best writing on television, but I also appreciate the look of the series. The impressive wardrobe design and stylish sets manage to perfectly convey the various moods and atmosphere of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s that I’ve come to love thanks to watching lots of movies made during the same period that MAD MEN is trying to emulate.

Due to the fact that I write about movies a lot and love ‘60s era films many folks have asked me to recommend films that might appeal to MAD MEN fans. I thought I’d compile a short list of suggestions for anyone who is missing MAD MEN right now and looking for something else to watch on Sunday night.

DESK SET (Walter Lang; 1957)

DESK SET teams up one of Hollywood’s most beloved screen couples, Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, who play dueling employees at the fictional Federal Broadcasting Network in New York. Tracy plays a business efficiency expert hired to install a massive super computer that should improve the workflow of the company but Hepburn is afraid that it will replace the need for flesh & blood employees. The two start off as mortal enemies but over the course of this very funny movie they fall in love. DESK SET happens to be my favorite Hepburn and Tracey film. I love the banter between the two middle-aged actors and the stylish production. Katharine Hepburn is especially terrific here as the independent and determined Bunny Watson trying to look after the women she works with much like I imagine MAD MEN’S Joan Holloway would in similar circumstances. Watching a budding office romance bloom has rarely been so fun and entertaining.

WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER? (Frank Tashlin; 1957)

Frank Tashlin’s hilarious robust comedy was ahead of its time and still seems fresh today. The director obviously had a lot of fun satirizing the bizarre world of advertising and the growing impact of television on consumers in WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER?. The film features Tony Randall in one of his best starring roles as Rockwell P. Hunter, a struggling ad man who needs a successful sex symbol to help promote a product that he’s selling. Hunter gets more than he bargained for when he enlists the help of the flamboyant Rita Marlowe (Jayne Mansfield). The jokes fly by fast so if you’re not paying attention you might miss a few. With a great cast that includes a very funny Joan Blondell (also in DESK SET) and a surprising appearance from Groucho Marx, WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER? should appeal to anyone who enjoys a little kitsch in their comedy.

GIANTS & TOYS (Yasuzo Masumura; 1958)

This thoughtful and darkly humorous film takes a broad swipe at the world of advertising in corporate Japan. Three rival candy companies are competing for business and they’re willing to do just about anything to get ahead. The cutting-edge director Yasuzo Masumura tackles the negative effects of capitalism on popular culture and explores the way that advertising cleverly manipulates people and sells products. This smart and innovative Japanese film offers outsiders a fascinating look at the late 1950s Japan and the way business was practiced at the time but it’s not as cut and dry as it may sound. Human relationships also play an important role in this unusual film, which includes some great musical numbers and hearty laughs. GIANTS & TOYS also happens to be one of the best looking movies that Yasuzo Masumura ever made.

THE APARTMENT (Billy WIlder; 1960)

The complexities of office romance have rarely seemed as bitter or as sweet as they are in Billy Wilder’s THE APARTMENT. The film tells the Oscar winning story of a struggling clerk (Jack Lemmon) at a successful New York insurance company who decides to let executives use has apartment for their romantic trysts in an effort to get promoted. Things start to go wrong when he realizes that his boss (Fred MacMurray) is having an affair with a young elevator operator that he likes (Shirley MacLaine) and he suddenly begins to question the dubious state of affairs that he’s found himself in. This popular dark comedy is one of Wilder’s best films and a personal favorite.

LOVER COME BACK (Delbert Mann; 1961)

This Oscar nominated film stars Doris Day and Rock Hudson as two dueling executives who do battle in the corporate offices of swank advertising agencies. LOVER COME BACK is one of the best romantic comedies that the actors made together and one of the few films on my list that features a woman in the role of an executive instead of just another working girl. This is a great looking movie and the impressive color photography really highlights the stylish set designs and Doris Day’s eye-catching wardrobe. It’s hard to avoid smiling while watching LOVER COME BACK so if you’re looking for a cheerful film to beat the winter doldrums and saturate your MAD MEN cravings, LOVER COME BACK might just do the trick.

GOOD NEIGHBOR SAM (David Swift; 1964)

This is the second film starring Jack Lemmon on my list but it’s a more lighthearted affair than THE APARTMENT. David Swift’s GOOD NEIGHBOR SAM tells the story of Sam Bissell (Jack Lemmon), a low-level executive working at a San Francisco ad agency who suddenly gets the opportunity to manage one of the companies major accounts due to his wholesome image as a loving family man with a devoted wife (Dorothy Provine). Things get complicated when his wife’s sexy friend (Romy Schneider) moves in next-door and asks if Sam will pose as her husband so she can gain a large inheritance. He agrees to do it with his wife’s encouragement but afterward chaos erupts. This lighthearted film gently pokes fun at the world of advertising and should appeal to design enthusiasts who might appreciate the movie’s style conscious look at suburban America in the early ‘60s. Although GOOD NEIGHBOR SAM takes place in the San Francisco Bay Area, most of it the film was shot in Los Angeles.

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING (David Swift; 1967)

This colorful musical farce actually features one of the stars of MAD MEN, a very young Robert Morse, and it undoubtedly helped inspire the original concept of the television series. HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING was based on the 1961 musical of the same name and directed by David Swift who also directed GOOD NEIGHBOR SAM. Robert Morse stars as J. Pierpont Finch, an ambitious window washer who buys a self-help book called How to Succeed in Business and proceeds to follow its suggestions while haphazardly advancing his career at the World Wide Wicket Company to finally become Vice-President of Advertising. Romance with one of his female coworkers also blossoms while he tries to navigate through the murky waters of corporate America. This entertaining musical is a lot of fun and a must-see if you’re a MAD MEN fan.

I’LL NEVER FORGET WHAT’S'ISNAME (Michael Winner; 1967)

The final film on my list of recommendations is a British dark comedy with an unusal title, I’LL NEVER FORGET WHAT’S'ISNAME. Oliver Reed stars as a disillusioned advertising executive that leaves his corporate job as well as his wife and mistresses to go to work at a small literary magazine. He’s pursued by a ruthless advertising chief played wonderfully by the great Orson Welles who attempts to coax Reed back into the business. It’s hard not to think of MAD MEN’S own Donald Draper when you’re watching the film. Oliver Reed’s character definitely reflects a lot of Don Draper’s own personal struggles, character flaws and desires. I’LL NEVER FORGET WHAT’S'ISNAME incorporates themes that MAD MEN started to explore in the fourth season of the series. In many ways this is a very mature film that features the lovely actress and songstress Marianne Faithfull uttering the F-word for one of the first times in a commercial movie. The film seems especially modern when compared to something like HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, which was released the same year. I’LL NEVER FORGET WHAT’S'ISNAME demands a lot from viewers but I think this challenging movie is one of Michael Winner’s best and it also contains one of Oliver Reed’s most interesting performances.

These are just a few movie recommendations that I think some MAD MEN fans might enjoy watching while they wait for season five of the show to start. I also encourage readers to share some of their own suggestions as well. I know there are plenty of MAD MEN fans who are always on the lookout for similar films made in the late 1950s or 1960s that take place in the boardrooms and backrooms of fictional ad agencies and corporate offices.

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19 Responses Missing Mad Men?

Posted By Al Lowe : November 11, 2010 8:50 pm

Yours is the only favorable comment I ever read about THE DESK SET. I like it a lot too.

Maybe I am a sucker for movies about a “family” of co-workers, like SHOP AROUND THE CORNER.

The movie is usually blown off as substandard Tracy-Hepburn. Oh I know it has its faults but there is so many scenes I cherish.

Tracy steering his female subordinate away from Kate and saying she is “out of your league.”

Tracy answering the phone in Kate’s office and giving the wrong answers.

Kate and Blondell drunk. Hell, the whole party scene.

Gig Young as a romantic cad who “uses” Kate to boost his career and is interested in sex, not marriage. He gets his “comeupance.”
(My brother Mike says you should never trust guys named Mike.)

Kate giving Tracy brilliant answers during one of their early meetings.

Tracy making Kate and Blondell scream with laughter in what appears to be an adlibbed scene when Hepburn is at home.

Tracy’s client telling him, “You don’t care who you impress, do you?” (It reminds me of Columbo. I get that reaction myself.) Tracy responds, “You get my bill. You’ll be impressed.”

However, I am unhappy with the ending but I can’t suggest anything better. (SPOILER ALERT). The girls in the office are ecstatic upon learning that the upcoming merger with another broadcasting company will add jobs, not cause them to be laid off. Anyone who knows real life realizes that is hokey and false.
Of course, I am happy that Tracy gets Hepburn in the end.

I like several of your other choices too. Regarding ROCK HUNTER, I like Jayne Mansfield – of course – but I never liked Tashlin much although I will give him credit for outstanding sight gags. (It was Tashlin who created that marvelous gag for Harpo in NIGHT IN CASABLANCA. A policeman sees him leaning against a building and says, “What do you think you are doing? Holding it up? Go away!” Harpo complies and the building falls down.)
By the way, the original stage play of HUNTER and the movie are dissimilar. The play uses the old Faust theme.

You might watch BEST OF EVERYTHING which is similar to your other choices.

Welcome back, Kelly. I didn’t know what happened to you. I thought maybe you had amnesia and were experiencing your own mini-drama somewhere.

Posted By dukeroberts : November 11, 2010 9:38 pm

I am a huge Mad Men fan and am missing it, but there is the fantastic The Walking Dead in its place and football to tide me over until July. My goodness, that is a long way away. My sugestions may not be about ad agencies, but Executive Suite and Patterns are two great corporate boardroom movies.

Executive Suite has an incredible cast of William Holden, Fredric March, Barbara Stanwyck, June Allyson, Paul Douglas, Louis Calhern, Walter Pidgeon, Shelley Winters, Nina Foch, Dean Jagger and Tim Considine.

Patterns has Van Heflin, Ed Begley and a perfectly oily Everett Sloane cast in a wonderful Rod Serling penned screenplay based on the teleplay of the same name.

Both movies have to do with power struggles and change within a corporation. Both are great.

Thanks for the great recommendations. Just one thing, Shirley MacLaine’s Miss Kubelik is the elevator operator when Jack Lemmon’s character falls in love with her.

Posted By dukeroberts : November 11, 2010 9:41 pm

Al- I feel the scene at Hepburn’s house in Desk Set was at least partially ad-libbed too. Kate seems to be actually breaking out in laughter at Tracy goofing off. I’d like to know if it was scripted that way or if they just let Tracy loose.

Posted By Kimberly Lindbergs : November 11, 2010 9:57 pm

I’m glad I’m not alone in my love for DESK SET, Al. I think it’s a really underrated Hepburn & Tracy film and I’m not sure why. I think it’s very funny and smart. It might have a few faults but all the good stuff in the movie makes me overlook it. Tracey, Hepburn and Blondell seem to really be having a blast while making the movie and that’s half the fun. And I’m pretty sure there were some bits in DESK SET that were partially ad-libbed too.

I like THE WALKING DEAD as well but I still miss MAD MEN. Someone should create a horror series set sometime in mid-century America. I could really enjoy that! And thanks for the correction on THE APARTMENT, Duke. I’m going to blame the cold I’m fighting for making such a silly mistake. Love that movie and can’t believe my slip! In retrospect Peggy Olson has a little of Fran Kubelik’s edge. I should of mentioned that in my post. Hope you enjoy the other recommendations!

Posted By dukeroberts : November 11, 2010 10:32 pm

I think Peggy has more of a Little Man Tate edge than a Miss Kubelik edge. Shirley MacLaine was absolutely adorable in The Apartment.

Posted By morlockjeff : November 12, 2010 12:31 am

Can I tell you how much I love GIANTS & TOYS. That final shot of submission, of defeat, to the inevitable triumph of marketing over everything else in the world is so poignant, so hilarious, so bitter. If we are talking about advertising in the movies we also have to mention HOW TO GET AHEAD IN ADVERTISING where a boil on the shoulder of a young ad executive (Richard E. Grant) is more ambitious than he is and takes his place at the top of the heap. And of course there is THE GIRL CAN’T HELP IT and do-it-yourself marketing in THIS IS SPINAL TAP.

Posted By Lamar : November 12, 2010 11:02 am

For the woman’s point of view I suggest “The Best of Everything” Fox 1959 with Hope Lange, Diane Baker and Suzy Parker as career girls working for a publishing house in Manhattan. The DVD looks great-the offices look like they could be in the same building that Sterling-Cooper was in. The men are all louses and Joan Crawford does her Dragon Lady bit to great effect. Rona Jaffe (she wrote the book based on her experiences) did a commentary track that is very interesting. Bit of trivia: the racks of paperback books in the office feature movie tie-in editions of best sellers made into films by Fox. All that and Johnny Mathis singing the title song. Check it out.

Posted By Al Lowe : November 12, 2010 12:05 pm

I have been pondering the reasons for the callous dismissal of DESK SET by most critics and writers and I think I finally came up with the answer.

It is because the movie was made by the Second Team: Director Walter Lang and writers Henry and Phoebe Ephron.

The respected acting duo usually worked with the best directors in the business: Cukor, Capra, Stevens and Kazan. Lang was a respected pro who directed THE LITTLE PRINCESS, THE BLUE BIRD, MOTHER WORE TIGHTS AND SITTING PRETTY. The Ephrons also had a lot of successes. But this “Second Team” was not considered in the same league as their usual collaborators.

In other words, if the identical movie had been released with different credits – Cukor or Capra and the writing team of Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon – it would be a revered classic.

Posted By medusamorlock : November 12, 2010 1:39 pm

Count me in as another big fan of “Desk Set” which I always thought was particularly interesting because of its television setting, since that was my business. So funny, great workplace comedy! Doesn’t Hepburn have at least one really good snorting laugh in the movie? Hilarious!

I think Al is right about the provenance of “Desk Set” maybe causing it to not get the respect it deserves.

Great post! As a “Mad Men” fan it’s always fun to look at its influences from the pop culture annals.

Posted By Kimberly Lindbergs : November 12, 2010 1:44 pm

Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm about GIANTS & TOYS, Jeff! Hopefully that will encourage a few more people to give it a look. It’s a great movie. And I’m glad you mentioned HOW TO GET AHEAD IN ADVERTISING. If someone’s looking for a modern take on some of the themes in MAD MEN it’s well worth a look.

I haven’t seen THE BEST OF EVERYTHING so thanks for mentioning it, Lamar. It sounds great (what a cast!) so I”m looking forward to giving it a look myself soon.

And I believe Al might right about the dismissal of DESK SET. Walter Lang’s name isn’t as high-profile as the others and a lot of critics tend to stick to “cannon” recommendations and in turn they overlook or dismiss a lot of films that haven’t been “pre-approved.”

Posted By Kimberly Lindbergs : November 12, 2010 2:09 pm

You must have been writing your comment at the same time that I was typing mine, Medusa.

I’m glad Al and I aren’t alone in our affection for DESK SET. It’s a really fun film and it has so much going for it. Hepburn does have some hearty laughs in it and her and Joan Blondell really seem to enjoying themselves along with Spencer Tracey.

Posted By Jenni : November 12, 2010 6:29 pm

Oh how I am missing Mad Men! Thanks for the great post, Kim, and as I haven’t seen these movies you recommended, I am definitely going to net flix them or something!!! Wonder if any are on Hulu yet? Also, did you catch the credits at the end of “What’s ‘is Name?” One of the listed people is a fellow who’s last name is Draper!!!

Posted By Julie : November 12, 2010 7:48 pm

Don Draper is actually seen reading the novel “The Best of Everything” on the show. I’m halfway through the book myself, and while I’m intrigued by the movie I can’t imagine what would be left after it was filtered through the Production Code!

Posted By Jimmy J. Aquino : November 12, 2010 8:44 pm

Nice MAD MEN withdrawal-related post. MAD MEN sometimes reminds me of a film I first saw on cable in the ’90s, the Frank Perry (and Sydney Pollack) adaptation of THE SWIMMER–especially during the scenes of Don swimming in the gym as a way to put his life back together in “The Summer Man” (season 4, episode 8) and the slow-motion Maypole dance sequence from the previous season.

The Burt Lancaster character in THE SWIMMER is what I think Don or Roger will turn into as MAD MEN heads towards the end of the ’60s.

Posted By Suzi : November 12, 2010 11:19 pm

I’m joining the Desk Set love-fest. Actually, it’s my favorite Tracy-Hepburn movie, not only because of the interplay between Tracy and Hepburn but also because I have worked as a fact-checker, and I can relate. As a matter of fact, last night I was with a group of former colleagues from a publishing company where I was employed, and this movie came up because of the fact-checking angle. And, Hepburn’s wardrobe with the shirt-waist dresses is terrific.

Good idea for a post. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Posted By dukeroberts : November 14, 2010 1:30 am

Jimmy- I was on a Mad Men talk back after “The Summer Man” episode and “The Swimmer” was referenced quite a bit. I believe that movie may actually have had quite a bit of influence on that particular episode.

Posted By Foulard : November 15, 2010 1:53 pm

I suspect The Best of Everything was a big influence on (at least) the first episode of Mad Men. Peggy’s introduction to the secretarial pool feels a lot like an echo of Hope Lange’s similar experience in the film.

Posted By Dan : November 30, 2010 6:43 pm

Speaking of selling products, how about a brilliant ’60s spoof of the high fashion world?
“Qui êtes vous, Polly Maggoo?”- “Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?” (1966) – directed by William Klein, who knew his subject well: he was a fashion photographer. At times as demanding as Godard, it’s still a lot of fun and very, very mod and stylish.

Posted By dri : July 9, 2011 8:37 pm

The Arrangement (Elia Kazan, 1969)

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