Freddy Rumsen

By admin | Published: November 6, 2009

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Played by Joel Murray

Freddy Rumsen is a Copywriter at Sterling Cooper currently taking an imposed leave of absence after he drunkenly peed his pants then passed out before a big meeting with Samsonite luggage. His tenure at Sterling Cooper dated back to the days when Roger Sterling’s father was in charge. While moderating a brainstorming session for the Belle Jolie lipstick account, Freddy noted Peggy’s knack for copywriting and championed her to Don Draper. Peggy now occupies Freddy’s former office. Among Freddy’s many talents is his ability to play Mozart’s “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” on his zipper.

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Salvatore Romano

By admin | Published: November 6, 2009

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Played by Bryan Batt

Salvatore Romano, a rare Italian amid Sterling Cooper’s predominantly WASPy corporate environment, is the former Art Director at Sterling Cooper. An ambitious employee, he has expressed an interest in starting his own firm, where art would be the driving force behind the copy. More personally, he was the subject of switchboard operator Lois Sadler’s crush and the recipient of romantic overtures from Elliot, a salesman for Belle Jolie. The latter invited Sal up to his hotel room after the two shared a few drinks but Sal demurred. Sal lives with his wife Kitty outside of Manhattan in an apartment mostly decorated by him.

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Paul Kinsey

By admin | Published: November 6, 2009

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Played by Michael Gladis

Paul Kinsey is a Copywriter at the Sterling Cooper advertising agency. He spends much of his time at the office with Pete Campbell, Ken Cosgrove, and Harry Crane. A pipe-smoker who’s been told he resembles Orson Welles, Paul is the author of the unpublished one-act play “Death Is My Client,” which was performed impromptu at an office party. In the past, he was involved romantically with Office Manager Joan Holloway; more recently, he dated Sheila White, a young black woman who lives near him in New Jersey. The two traveled together to Mississippi to register black voters. Once there, however, Sheila ended their relationship.

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Betty Draper

By admin | Published: November 6, 2009

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Played by January Jones

Betty Draper is the wife of Don Draper, partner and Creative Director at Sterling Cooper. A graduate of Bryn Mawr College, Betty was working as a model when she met Don. They now live in Ossining, New York with three children: Sally, Bobby and Gene.

Hardly without worries, Betty spent some time seeing a psychiatrist only to discover that the doctor was giving regular reports of her sessions to Don. For relaxation, Betty goes horseback riding with friend Sarah Beth; at the stables, she struck up a friendship with Arthur Case, an inexperienced equestrian who confessed to having a crush on her. Betty’s closest friend is her neighbor Francine Hanson; she also has a strong connection to Glen Bishop, the young son of divorcee Helen Bishop.

No stranger to marital difficulties herself, Betty learned that Don had an affair with stand-up comic Jimmy Barrett’s wife, Bobbie. Although Don denied the accusation, Betty asked him to leave their home. When her father suffered a stroke, Betty and Don briefly reconciled. Upon learning she was pregnant, Betty debated terminating the pregnancy, but decided to keep it and let Don return home — after he wrote her a letter explaining how much he loves her.

During their separation, however, Betty had a backroom tryst with a stranger at a bar.  Yeah, no big deal.

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Don Draper

By admin | Published: November 6, 2009

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Played by Jon Hamm

Don Draper is by far my favorite character. He is cool, calm, and always seems to know how to play the situations. He keeps to himself because he has so much to hide — about his past, about his secret relationships, and because he feels like it gives him power.

Don Draper, the Creative Director and a Partner at Sterling Cooper ad agency.

Don Draper is the Creative Director at the Sterling Cooper advertising agency, where his ad campaigns and client relations have recently earned him partnership.

Don lives in Ossining, New York with his wife Betty Draper and their children Sally, Bobby and Gene. Over the years, he’s had a number of extramarital affairs, most notably with Midge Daniels, a freelance illustrator; Rachel Menken, a Sterling Cooper client; and Bobbie Barrett, the manager-wife of comedian Jimmy Barrett who starred in Sterling Cooper’s Utz potato chips campaign. When news of this last affair was revealed to Betty, she kicked Don out of the house; the couple reconciled after Betty learned of her pregnancy.

Don is also harboring a secret: Namely, that he was born Dick Whitman, the son of a prostitute who died during childbirth. Don is now assuming the identity of Donald Draper, an officer he served under during the Korean War. Pete Campbell, a subordinate co-worker at Sterling Cooper, discovered this information and tried to use it against Don, but the revelation made little impression on company founder Bertram Cooper. The only other person who knows Don’s actual identity is Anna Draper, wife of the “real,” now-dead Don Draper. Don continues to provide financial assistance to Anna, who lives in California. A half-brother Adam who also knew Don’s secret has committed suicide.

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How to Dress Like Mad Men

By admin | Published: November 6, 2009

As you can see, the Mad Men characters are some of the best dressed people on the planet. It’s sort of sad that we have so much technology now but we still can’t seem to make clothes the way they did in the sixties. Over at the Wall Street Journal, they discuss how to dress like Mad Men characters and not look fake. It’s a good read. Check it out.

Q: I want to wear the style of retro clothes and suits that are on the “Mad Men” TV series. How can I dress like that so I look really cool and not like I am wearing a costume?

The goal: emulating the styles of “Mad Men”
A: Fashion is at its most intriguing when it focuses on novelties, styles that look new—or fresh because we haven’t seen them in a while. That is now working to the advantage of the business suit. Most guys don’t go much dressier these days than a sport coat, a blazer or perhaps a black suit with an open collar.

So viewers of “Mad Men” just can’t get enough of all those sharply dressed characters in suits at Sterling Cooper, the show’s fictional Madison Avenue ad agency. The spiffy men’s suits on the show are varied—including glen plaids, herringbones and pinstripes—and they’re worn with crisp white shirts, skinny ties, fedoras and top coats.

At the same time, the show’s 1960s styles are in keeping with some trends in menswear today, such as flat-front pants and jackets with higher armholes, skinnier lapels and double vents. “Men’s suit styles have dramatically changed in the past couple of years, and the styling of the late ’50s and ’60s, as well as designers like Thom Browne, has been influential,” says Guy Voglino, divisional merchandise manager at Brooks Brothers. Last month, Brooks Brothers, which custom-designed suits for the actors on the show, introduced a limited-edition run of light gray sharkskin “Mad Men” suits.

The narrow silhouette is key; look for “a trimmer feeling and a jacket that is about a half-inch shorter,” Mr. Voglino says. If you take time to find the right suit for your body type, he adds, you won’t run the risk of looking like you just walked off a movie set.

Still, it’s possible to take the retro look too far: Are you really comfortable in a Borsalino hat? And go easy with the Brylcreem.

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Betty Draper in GQ

By admin | Published: November 6, 2009

Well this is the absolute hotness.

Betty Draper, the woman we have come to know as conservative but ruthless. The mother of Don’s three children — former model and current house wife — she recently posed for GQ is some pretty hot outfits. Check out Betty Draper in the photos!

Before you check out the hot photos, here is a photo of what she looks like in the show. Rowr.

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Betty Draper in GQ photos by Terry Richardson.

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The photos were shot by world famous photographer Terry Richardson. I freaking love them.

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Mad Men Photos

By admin | Published: November 6, 2009

Here is my collection of Mad Men Photos.  I love to see the period costumes they have on the show.  I would love to dress like that — wouldn’t you?  Enjoy the collection of photos.

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The cast of Mad Men

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The women of Mad Men

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Joan Harris and Peggy Olson before Peggy became a copywriter.

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The men of Mad Men in Don Draper’s office.

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The cast of Mad Men

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The amazingly gorgeous Joan Harris

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More Joan Harris — I think Roger made a mistake…

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Don and Betty Draper in their bedroom with Betty looking a little flustered.

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Don Draper and his woman friend. Not sure who she is. If you remember, leave me a note in the comments.

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The cast of Mad Men

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I love this photo of the Mad Men Cast.

Well, that’s it. Enjoy the photos!

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The Don Draper Effect

By admin | Published: November 6, 2009

Over at the Christian Science Monitor they are getting concerned about the effect Don Draper is having on the American TV watching public. We all know Don as the chain smoking, booze drinking, womanizer of the hit show Mad Men. He is characterized as someone who is almost not human — he speaks very little, shares almost nothing about himself, and comes across like he has no soul. We know he keeps secrets from Betty and we know that he is an adulterer. Just the mere fact that he’s successful in advertising should give the viewers an idea that he’s not a moral person.

In any case, Katherine Stephen over at the Christian Science Monitor is criticizing the show because AMC has yet to give the viewer any sort of moral compass. It’s somewhat of a complicated situation in that Don Draper, the character, is having a real effect on real people. I suppose this is true of many television characters and the inability for much of the television watching public to figure out for themselves what is real and what is not. I agree with much of what Katherine is saying but where I diverge is where she lays blame. I don’t believe it to be the responsibility of the writers to give the viewer an opinion on whether Don Draper is a good person or a bad person. It’s up to the viewer to make that decision for themselves. If people are finding that Don Draper is a bad roll model for America then that’s their problem. People are smart but rather lazy. They can’t make decisions for themselves. If they could we wouldn’t need religion.

So as the Don Draper effect becomes more real in everyday world — with real companies such as Burburry and BMW sponsoring the show and creating product lines around the characters — we need to realize that much of what’s being sold to us is complete and utter bullshit to begin with. In fact that’s much of the show’s premise. If you watch the show and then fall victim to the irony that comes with the commercial break — you’d understand that we as Americans need to start making decisions for ourselves.

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Mad Men Season Finale

By admin | Published: November 6, 2009

This has been a fantastic season for Mad Men thus far.  We’ve known for a long time that Don had some issues to hide from Betty, but we weren’t sure exactly how those issues would surface in the future.  I’ve often thought that he got all of the secret issues out in the open — or that he was in the clear from some of the issues he was hiding.  But Don Draper is one cool cat and I think that he will prevail so long as he keeps his confidence.  I think the season finale is going to be fantastic.

Over at CBC news in Canada, they’re writing:

If you’re mad for Mad Men, you already know that this Sunday, Nov. 8, marks the season three finale of the Emmy-winning show. For those who aren’t quite so obsessed, the cable TV series explores the machinations at Sterling Cooper, a Manhattan advertising agency in the early ’60s. The show stars Jon Hamm as the debonair Don Draper, the cunning yet conflicted ad man whose suburban idyll – spacious home, knockout wife, adorable brood – masks a network of lies. The biggest one being Don’s real identity: a farmer’s son named Dick Whitman.

With every season, Mad Men has become more tense, more complex – and, let’s face it, more soap opera-like. (But in a good way!)

This season, we’ve seen Don engage in more ill-advised affairs, jeopardize his friendship with agency senior partner Roger Sterling (John Slattery), humiliate his young protégé, Peggy (Elizabeth Moss), and strike up a bizarre, all-consuming working relationship with hotel tycoon Conrad Hilton (played by Chelcie Ross). Meanwhile, Don’s wife, Betty (January Jones), is plotting to liberate herself from her domestic hell.

Here’s what we want to know: How do you think the season will end?

To get you thinking, we’ve drawn on the expertise of some Mad Men fanatics at CBC News.

Here’s how Andre Mayer, senior arts producer at CBCNews.ca, thinks the season will end:

Don returns home from a demanding day at work to find Betty gone. She has left a note: “You’ve always been a Dick, even when I thought you were a Don. I’m starting a new life, without you and our tedious children.” Don trudges up the stairs to find Conrad Hilton waiting for him in bed.

Here’s a prediction from Greig Dymond, arts producer, CBCNews.ca:

I’m betting that Don and Betty will split up, but just for a while; Don might be forced to spend a few more weeks doing marital penance in the Roosevelt Hotel. Hey, you’ve got to expect your wife to be angry if you’ve never told her your real name, and she finally finds out about it. Sal will stay in the closet and get some air time in the finale. I also worry about the health of Bert Cooper. The predatory Duck Phillips will play a key role, but I hope he’s never allowed to own another dog. There’s such a sense of impending doom among the minor characters this season — I won’t be surprised if either Joan’s husband, Greg, school-teacher Suzanne or Conrad Hilton (Don’s surrogate daddy) go off the deep end in a spectacular way.

Since Season Three has already addressed the JFK assassination, Season Four will probably highlight another seismic event: the Beatles arriving in NYC, launching the groovier part of the decade — the part that didn’t look or feel like the 1950s. Of course, with Chief Financial Officer Lane Pryce (played by Jared Harris) cutting costs all season long, Sterling Cooper has already experienced its own British invasion.

You get the idea.

I am super excited to watch and see!

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