Mad Men: A Film Tour

Now that Mad Men is back on the air I thought it would be good to put together a list of movies to get your fix between episodes. This collection is organized chronologically so that if you watch all of them you can see the development of different styles and the shift in culture.

I know this film predates the Mad Men time frame by a couple of years, but I picked it because it has some of the 50’s – early 60’s era glamour you get in the show. For example, the girls go on dinner dates in classic restaurants wearing bold colors with heavily sculptured hair, escorted by their slick dates. Also, I always imagined Betty working the girls modeling gig before she met Don. The wow cast includes Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grabble and Lauren Bacall, taking on the female leads. There are definite moments where the feminist side of me cringes, but the movie comes from a different era, and it would almost seem unauthentic if it did not have these moments.

This film is highly decadent and complete fantasy, so very un-relatable to most peoples lives, but you will be entertained and your eyes will be treated to stunning color and panorama vistas. In essence, To Catch a Thief is about the Cary Grant / Grace Kelly sexual dynamic. Grant is your dark mysterious man with a hidden past and Grace Kelly glides around looking so beautiful and put together that you would be afraid to touch her. She also spends a great deal of time trying to decode Grant’s character. There is a lot here to remind one of Betty and Don.

Starring Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, Desk Set is one of my favorites from this era. You get great acting and dialog in a late 50’s office environment. Tracy’s character is implementing a new computer system and Hepburn’s computer like brain may be replaced. This movie will definitely give you a Med Men buzz. There is even a ruckus office party with a wonderfully drunk Katherine Hepburn.

I picked this movie to show the dynamic between where Mad Men and the sixties have been, culturally and style wise, and what the sixties eventually turn into. This movie has a great ensemble cast that includes Walter Matthau, Ingrid Bergman and Goldie Hawn. What is great about this movie is that the different eras flirt so well with each other, literally. It will certainly remind you of Don Draper romancing and experiencing beatnik culture and free thinking schoolteachers.